No Way Home’s Credits Scene Already Fixed The MCU Venom Problem

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The Spider-Man: No Way Home post-credits scene resolves the longstanding issue of including Venom in the MCU. Venom is a fan-favorite Marvel character, despite primarily being a Spider-Man villain. Although he may progress from villain to antihero à la Lethal Protector, he first needs to be an enemy of the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, which the post-credits scene has now made possible.

Although loved by fans around the world, Tom Hardy’s Venom isn’t exactly the unremitting beast of the Spider-Man mythos. Sony’s Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage sees Eddie Brock and the insatiable symbiote working amicably (most of the time) as an antiheroic force for good in San Francisco. Perhaps most importantly, this comedic iteration of Venom already faced off with Spider-Man at some point in time, as indicated by the post-credits scene of Venom 2: the symbiote licks the screen when MCU’s Spider-Man appears, grumbling, “That guy.”

With the Venom symbiote now in the MCU, dropped off before the hilariously odd duo is transported back to their universe, Spider-Man can finally face his greatest threat. This is a much-needed change in villain-type, as all of the enemies Tom Holland’s Peter Parker has faced, with the exception of the illusion-conjuring Mysterio, have been good people at heart. Confrontation with a relentless alien out for blood would provide the greatest challenge for Peter post-No Way Home, as his goodness and humanity would be up against a ruthless evil much more powerful than the Green Goblin.

It wouldn’t only be Venom to overcome – the symbiote would try to take over Peter first, bringing out his battle within. After nearly killing Norman Osborn in revenge for murdering Aunt May, Peter’s most difficult internal battle yet would be trying to overcome the evil influence of the symbiote in himself. This will, in turn, allow for more character development in Peter, as he will be forced to reckon with the darkness in himself. And with no one to lean on, in a world that no longer knows him, his struggle may be MCU’s most impactful ever seen on screen.

This is also an opportunity to improve Venom’s portrayal in Spider-Man movies since Spider-Man 3. Since the symbiote takes attributes of humans it has bonded with, whoever will bond after Peter to become the towering Venom will gain powers based on Spider-Man’s – and finally sport the warped spider emblem missing from Tom Hardy’s version, completing Venom’s iconic look. Their long-awaited on-screen battle will likely be the wildest one yet, but Spider-Man may yet help Venom find redemption and become a force for good, just as he helped the villains in No Way Home. If there’s anything the Spider-Man story is about, it’s persevering even when all hope seems lost.