By the time the Venom panel started in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con, the room was pretty much at capacity. It seemed like this was the panel everyone had been waiting for and it was a culmination of everything that had been seen in Hall H. When the visual display popped up with the phrase #WeAreVenom, the crowd went crazy and this was before anyone even hit the stage.
But before we got a chance to see any trace of our favorite anti-hero, the Sony Pictures block of panels began with the animated feature, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. Looking at my notes, I had completely forgotten the film had a panel scheduled before Venom and while I was initially a tad dismayed because I was pretty hangry after spending 3-hours in Hall H by that point, I eventually got over it and just figured it would be more to see and talk about.
Moderating the panels was Nerdist’s Jessica Chobot, who continued the trend of moderators with infectious personalities who seemed to carry around the same fandom as everyone else in the room. She’s engaging, bubbly and knew how to keep the panels moving.
Chobot gets right into it by introducing the panelists for the Spider-Verse segment. This included Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, directors Rodney Rothman, Peter Ramsey, & Bob Persichetti & our three Spider-people from different dimensions: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson & Hailee Steinfeld, the latter of which probably just waited in the wings since she was just a part of the previous panel for Bumblebee. Everyone involved seems incredibly invested in the project and each person on the panel talked about why they took it on and what the project meant to them.
Shameik Moore, who you may remember as the lead in the critically acclaimed Dope, said it’s every kid’s dream to play Spider-Man and he was honored to take on the incarnation of the character through Miles Morales, who has become a huge fan favorite in the comic books. The director’s commented on Moore’s youthful energy and it’s something that gives the character life beyond what’s showing up on screen.
Steinfeld commented on the fact that she was excited to provide the voice for a kickass female superhero and that she was blown away by the chemistry they all shared even though they mostly recorded separately. She said it was a testament to the writers and directors for creating an environment that really made that chemistry come to life.
Jake Johnson, known for his scene-stealing role on Fox’s New Girl, relished playing a mid-life crisis Peter Parker, which got a big laugh from the crowd. Johnson showed that he took the role seriously and he really liked the relationship between Peter and Miles because it begins as this reluctant pairing and turns into a pretty poignant relationship between mentor and student. By training Morales, he discovers what he had been missing by giving up the Spider-Man mantle (It’s revealed in the film that Spider-Man is presumed dead but he has faked his own death).
After the panel wrapped up some questions, it was time for the footage and while I had virtually no interest in this film before, I became a believer after the footage they screened. They made it a point to say some of it was unfinished but it was all so good that I couldn’t tell what was finished and what wasn’t. The eye-popping footage looks like it was literally ripped out of the panels of a comic book. It is next-level animation that’s a visual marvel and it will likely ensure that fans won’t be disappointed. The new footage also gave us the first look at other Spider-people including Spider-Man Noir voiced by the Nicolas Cage, Penny Parker and her robot SPDR voiced by Kimiko Glenn and finally Spider-Ham (yes, Spider-Ham) voiced by comedian John Mulaney. The footage revealing these characters had the crowd applauding so loud that I couldn’t even hear what was being said on screen.
After the footage was shown, Shameik Moore couldn’t hide his enthusiasm and said that it was the first time any of the cast had seen the footage which then seemed to make them all really excited. It was a nice note to end the panel on and left me feeling amped for when the film hits screens on December 14.
After The Spider-Verse team left the stage it was time to introduce the Venom panel which included director Ruben Fleischer and stars Tom Hardy and Riz Ahmed. The moderator had the crowd shout WE ARE VENOM!!!! several times before the crew came out on stage. There was a bit of a blunder with this because Venom masks were being passed out to the crowd for this moment but everyone didn’t have one yet so it led to some angry nerd moaning and groaning in the crowd. Most of this subsided as soon as the panelists hit the stage. At first, I was skeptical of only three participants for this panel but all three made up for it by providing some fun insight, particularly Hardy, who is obviously a true fan of the character.
Fleischer started off talking about the project and why he took it on. He likes that Venom is an anti-hero and that the grey area in which the character resides, is really fun to play with. Like Hardy, Fleischer is a fan of the character and it doesn’t seem like he’s going to sell the fans short. To hear Fleischer tell it, Venom is going to be a big, dark, and violent movie. Fleischer also added that there are no heroes in the movie.
Tom Hardy was up next and what struck me the most, except forgetting that he had an accent, was that Hardy seems a bit shy. He answered all the questions but he also seemed like one of us as he squirmed in his chair from the volume of the room and just the excitement of playing someone he clearly has been wanting to play. When pressed as to why he would want to play a character like Venom, Tom Hardy was blunt: he said he likes the way the character looks. He also added that his son is a big fan of the character, so that played a part in convincing him to take the role.
Hardy had to stop himself a few times from talking too much. He caught himself a few times right before giving away spoilers. It was part of his nervous energy because you can tell he wanted to talk but he was also wary about giving away too much. It clearly is nervewracking being in that room and trying to provide the crowd with what they want, but not giving away too much.
Riz Ahmed didn’t speak too much but when he did he was engaging. Also cool to see how laid back he is in comparison to what we have seen of his character in the trailer. I think he chose to let the others dominate the panel but he was well-spoken and even took time to bring up one of his co-stars who wasn’t there, Jenny Slate. Her character in the film is pretty serious but Ahmed said she had them in stitches in between tasks and that he wishes that footage could get release somehow.
Michelle Wiliams was also absent but Hardy spoke highly of her and said she was extremely disciplined and a great actress to work with. She plays his ex-girlfriend in the movie and she hasn’t been shown a lot in the trailers but Hardy made us think she definitely does more than it seems because he almost gave up a spoiler about her before being playfully stopped by the director. Fleischer also gave the crowd a fun fact: His first job as a PA was on the set of Dawson’s Creek, a show that Williams got her start on. They didn’t talk then but they had fun joking about it on the Venom set.
As for the footage we saw, most of it was an extended trailer that really cleaned up some of the stuff we’ve seen before. The Venom footage opens with Eddie walking into a convenience store and talking to the woman who works there. She tells him he doesn’t look well and suggests meditating (it’s clear she’s suggested this to him before). At home later, Eddie lays down on the floor and meditates, and there are flashes of him running through the woods. He smacks his head on his couch and takes some pills, then calls someone and tells them he isn’t feeling well. In another scene, he walks down an alley and sees Venom’s reflection in a car window, but is suddenly flung against a wall.
Meanwhile, Riz Ahmed’s character Carlton Drake, who works at the Life Foundation, is experimenting on humans with the symbiote; one man bends violently out of shape when combined with a symbiote. He believes human combined with symbiotes are the future of evolution. Drake tests a symbiote on Eddie, and Eddie later beats up a group of men at his apartment. His motorcycle is crushed between two cars, but Venom prevents it from killing Eddie. Venom and Eddie talk about what’s next for them; Venom says his old life is over but Eddie doesn’t want to just kill people. Venom emerges so he and Eddie can talk face to face. Venom heals Eddie and they combine.
Drake is proud of his creation by combining Venom and Eddie. Meanwhile, Eddie gets used to the power that comes with being Venom and starts to like it. There’s a montage of action scenes, including a woman throwing spikes out of her back at a public market. Venom’s arms turn into giant axes and he wipes out a bunch of baddies. The big reveal, and surprise, from the footage, was a symbiote other than Venom: Riot. When pressed if even more symbiote bad guys would be in the film – like Carnage, for instance – Fleischer played coy while also making it clear we’ll probably see Carnage at some point. The footage ended with a scene back in the convenience store. A man is bothering the woman who works there and Venom threatens to eat his face off. The man says, “What the hell are you?” Half of Venom’s face gives way to Eddie’s (so it looks like the Venom poster) and they say, “We are Venom.” Then he eats the man’s head. After, Eddie emerges and says goodnight to the woman in the store, before saying he’s sorry…he has a parasite.
After the footage was over the inevitable question came up: Will we see Tom Holland’s Spider-Man face off against Venom at some point, especially since they said they’re creating a whole world for Venom beyond this film. Fleischer tried to appease fans by saying that he’d love for such a showdown to happen, but it’s really in the studio’s hands. In short, don’t hold your breath.
That being said, I was impressed by the Venom panel. The reaction from the crowd seemed to be positive after the footage and the vibe I got was that those who seemed apprehensive about the project, were becoming much more optimistic. I guess we’ll see how it all turns out when Venom opens on October 5.
