A Marvel fan has recently posted a theory on Reddit proposing that fans have already met the MCU’s next Venom. The character in question was first introduced in 2017, duringSpider-Man: Homecoming, and goes by the name of Mac Gargan. Mac is better known by his supervillain alias in the Marvel Comics,Scorpion, and has a deep hatred for all things Spider-Man.
Although Mac originally started as Scorpion in the comics, working closely with otherSpider-Manhaters like J. Jonah Jameson, he eventually became something more. Later on, while operating under Norman Osborn’s leadership, Scorpion was enticed by Venom to allow the symbiote to bond with him, because of their mutual desire to bring about Spider-Man’s downfall. Together, these two did everything in their power to destroy Spider-Man, with the help of their fellow Sinister Twelve teammates.
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As mentioned, Mac’s journey in the MCU began withSpider-Man: Homecoming.Mac was arrested after the Staten Island Ferry incident, but came back to confront the Vulture in the film’s post-credits scene. Mac wanted Vulture to reveal Spider-Man’s identity, so that he and his criminal friends on the outside could seek their revenge. Having been sentenced to prison because of Peter’s interference, Mac now has a personal vendetta against Spider-Man and wishes to see him dead.
The Reddit theory, posted by user anthonystrader18, suggests that this sequence of events is part of the MCU’s buildup for introducing a new Venom to the franchise. Fans know that Marvel frequently offers glimpses of certain antagonists years in advance through post-credit scenes, like they did with Thanos before he became the biggest threat the heroes had ever faced. So, Mac’s presence in theHomecomingpost credit scene indicates that he’ll be coming back to cause trouble for Spider-Man some time in the future.
Not to mention, the events ofSpider-Man: Homecomingare clearly more than enough motivation for Michael Mando’s Mac to want to destroy Spider-Man. With this in mind, it’s extremely probable that viewers will get to meet Scorpion down the line. However, rather than just becoming Scorpion, the Reddit user believes that Mac will also become Venom’s next host.
Taking a look now atVenom: Let There Be Carnage,this movie’s post credit scene showed Eddie Brock and Venom winding up in the MCU.Spider-Man: No Way Homecontinued setting the scene for a future Scorpion/Venom storyline, once again using the film’s post-credits scene to drop hints about what’s to come the wayHomecomingandLet There Be Carnagedid.
Audiences eventually learned that Eddie Brock and Venom were transported from their Sony world into the Marvel Cinematic Universe because of Doctor Strange’s spell, and when they were sent back home duringNo Way Home, a small piece of Venom was left sitting behind on a bar counter. The little piece of goo lingering in the MCU is what the Reddit user thinks will become Marvel’s Venom and bond with Scorpion.
As of right now, Marvel and Sony haven’t made any announcements about bringing Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock into the MCU for a more permanent stay. Their brief residence in the MCU seems to be over, now that Eddie and Venom have been sent back to their respective universe, and Hardy is gearing up to filmVenom 3over at Sony.
Between the tiny symbiote lurking in the MCU, and no plans for Hardy to keep playing the character outside the Sony universe, it’s entirely possible that Marvel will be looking for someone else to host Venom. The Reddit theory speculates that the franchise won’t be looking to create another Eddie Brock, which makes sense given how popular Hardy’s Eddie has been amongst fans since the originalVenommovie was released.
Although it would be enticing to see how Hardy performs alongside otheractors like Tom Hollandin the MCU, leaning into Scorpion’s comic book roots could also make for a compelling story in the nextSpider-Manmovie. Besides bonding with Venom, Scorpion has made connections with other characters like the Jackal, Egghead, and Justin Hammer in the comics. Mac was also part of the Thunderbolts team for a while, which the MCU has just recently confirmed is in the works at Marvel Studios. Perhaps Marvel is planning to use his character in theThunderboltsproject, so that Mac can become a fully-fledged Scorpion, before later hosting the symbiote inSpider-Man 4.
There is, of course, still a possibility that the MCU has every intention of bringing Tom Hardy into the fold indefinitely. Marvel tends to keep the details of their future projects as hush-hush as possible, so they could already be working on something with Hardy behind the scenes. But until Sony orthe MCUsay otherwise, it’s much more likely Mac Gargan will be entering his Scorpion era and keeping Venom for himself.
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