Shang-Chi, as well as some heroes that have already been introduced.
Among the returning heroes is Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, who went through a rough time after Spider-Man: Far From Home when the deal between Sony and Marvel was over, leaving him out of the MCU. Luckily, Morbius, Spider-Man and the films from Sony’s side are connected, meaning that the highly anticipated encounter between Venom and Spider-Man could happen at some point, possibly in Spider-Man 3.
Ever since a live-action Venom film was announced, Marvel fans have been waiting for the symbiote and Spider-Man to meet, which was believed to not be possible due to the rights of each character, which is now confirmed to not be a problem. Now, with Tom Holland rumored to have a cameo in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, there has been a lot of speculation on Venom’s possible involvement in Spider-Man 3, which could happen through none other than J. Jonah Jameson, who could hire Eddie Brock to investigate Peter Parker now that his identity has been exposed. Here’s how that could work.
J. Jonah Jameson Wants To Bring Spider-Man Down In The MCU
J. Jonah Jameson is best known for his continued efforts to bring Spider-Man down, for which he uses Peter Parker’s photojournalist talents. The reasons for him to campaign against Spider-Man have varied over the years, but the main ones have been envy, “revenge” for overshadowing the accomplishments of his astronaut son, and fear of the web-slinger being a terrible example for young people. Jameson has spent years publicly accusing Spider-Man for numerous crimes, using Peter Parker’s photos for his anti-Spider-Man campaign, which is incredibly ironic as he’s employing him in the process. Of course, this has been translated to the character’s portrayal on the big screen, starting with Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, where J.K. Simmons famously and accurately portrayed J. Jonah Jameson.
Simmons’ Jameson made a surprise return in the The Daily Bugle, this is not something he can do all by himself, and he’s going to need help so he can really bring Spider-Man down.
Venom Now Exists In The MCU (& Has Links To The Daily Bugle)
As mentioned above, Spider-Man graffiti seen in the background (though that specific image is not Holland’s version but Tobey Maguire’s). This means that Venom is also part of Spider-Man’s world, making it possible for them to cross paths at some point – and Sony and the MCU are already setting up an encounter between these characters.
Before all studios had to reschedule their 2020 releases due to the coronavirus pandemic, Sony was already promoting Morbius and a very peculiar piece of marketing. Through an Instagram story, Sony shared some artwork (based on fan art) of the front page of The Daily Bugle with the headline “Where is Spider-Man?”, accompanied by an article about Cletus Kasady. Written over it is Flash Thompson reminiscing about simpler times when the world wasn’t being destroyed by vampires, aliens, and more, further confirming that Spider-Man, Morbius, and Venom co-exist in the same universe.
Now, this also means that J. Jonah Jameson is aware of Kasady’s existence and therefore Eddie Brock's, so he will also be aware of his journalistic work. Jameson is rumored to appear in Morbius, meaning he could also show up in Venom 2 (perhaps near the end of the film or even in a post-credits scene), further linking Spider-Man and Venom and making way for the latter’s appearance in the third Spider-Man film in the MCU.
Theory: Jameson Hires Eddie Brock In MCU’s Spider-Man 3
With J. Jonah Jameson looking to fully bring Spider-Man down and now aware of the existence (and talents) of Eddie Brock, he could turn to him for help to successfully continue with his campaign against the young MCU hero. Jameson will need someone to find out more about Peter Parker – his backstory, the origin of Spider-Man, and all his missions so he can paint him as the villain he’s so convinced he is – and Eddie Brock could be the man he needs for such mission.
Eddie Brock will come to Jameson’s attention thanks to his actions as Spider-Man, though how honest Jameson will be with him about his true intentions of bringing the web-slinger down is unknown.
What This Means For Spider-Man 3 & Venom
Eddie Brock’s involvement in investigating Peter Parker could have two different outcomes: a conflict between them or a team-up. Now that his identity has been exposed and he (along with his family and close friends) is in danger, Peter Parker will be on the run, and he surely won’t appreciate having a journalist following his steps and exposing his hiding place to the whole world after everything he has already gone through. This could make way for the battle between Spider-Man and Venom that fans have been waiting for, without Venom properly being the villain in Spider-Man 3 (after all, he’s just working for Jameson).
Another possibility is that Eddie’s work could lead to a team-up between these two characters. As mentioned above, it’s unknown if Jameson would be fully honest with Eddie about his intentions on investigating Parker, and he wouldn’t be pleased to know that he’s being used to bring Spider-Man down, more so if he manages to discover that he was framed by Mysterio. Eddie could then help Peter regain some anonymity, ending with Jameson’s plans (for now, at least) and making way for another, bigger team-up in a future film. There are a couple of ways Venom and Spider-Man can meet on the big screen now, and Eddie being hired by J. Jonah Jameson to investigate Peter Parker also gives Jameson a bigger role and purpose in the current Spider-Man universe, ensuring that his presence in the MCU won’t be limited to just revealing Spider-Man’s identity.
