Tom Hardy is bidding farewell to Venom, but the Symbiote's heavily-rumored MCU debut twists the story of one Thunderbolts* antihero in this shocking new theory. Following the upcoming release of Sony's Venom: The Last Dance, Tom Hardy is expected to retire from the role of Eddie Brock, leaving Venom's live-action future uncertain. However, there is speculation that Venom will cross over into Marvel Studios' MCU, which creates many new opportunities for the alien Symbiote, especially when it comes to his choice of host.
Custom Image by Kai Young
Eddie Brock has been Venom's only live-action host, whether that be Tom Hardy's character from Sony's Spider-Man Universe or the version played by Topher Grace in 2007's Spider-Man 3. In Marvel Comics, however, Venom attaches himself to many more characters than just journalist Brock, including the likes of Peter Parker, Mac Gargan, Lee Price, Malekith the Dark Elf and Flash Thompson. Venom bonding with Spider-Man bully Thompson saw the emergence of a powerful antihero, who has been theorized to join the MCU after Phase 5's highly anticipated Thunderbolts* movie.
Flash Thompson’s Agent Venom Future Hasn’t Been Teased In The MCU
Tony Revolori Plays Flash Thompson In The MCU
Following his time serving during the Iraq War and suffering the loss of his legs, Eugene "Flash" Thompson, now close friends with Peter Parker, made his debut as a militarized version of Venom in 2011's The Amazing Spider-Man #654. Under government control, Flash bonds with the Venom Symbiote to become Agent Venom, which allows him to walk again. Flash can only stay bonded to Venom for less than 48 hours at a time, but he uses this new power to become a Secret Avenger, a Thunderbolt, and even a Guardian of the Galaxy.
Flash Thompson has been played by Tony Revolori in the MCU since 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming. He was initially shown to be Peter Parker's bully who idolized Spider-Man, but he has grown closer to Parker over the years, though has now forgotten his old classmate along with the rest of the world. Flash's spoiled and egotistical characterization in the MCU makes it very hard to imagine him joining the military and becoming Agent Venom, but a new theory suggests the perfect alternative has already been introduced.
John Walker Becomes Agent Venom After Thunderbolts*: MCU Theory Explained
John Walker Is The Perfect Agent Venom Candidate
While it might be unlikely that Revolori's Flash Thompson bonds with the Venom Symbiote to become Agent Venom in the MCU, a theory shared by Reddit user postfashiondesigner suggests that Wyatt Russell's John Walker is the perfect man to take his place and replace Tom Hardy as Venom's new host. John Walker first appeared as the new Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. His dark turn evolved him into the antihero US Agent, however, which will see him make his next appearance as a member of the titular team in 2025's Thunderbolts*.
|
Thunderbolts Member |
Actor |
Debut Project |
|---|---|---|
|
Bucky Barnes' Winter Soldier |
Sebastian Stan |
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) |
|
Ava Starr's Ghost |
Hannah John-Kamen |
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) |
|
John Walker's US Agent |
Wyatt Russell |
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) |
|
Yelena Belova |
Florence Pugh |
Black Widow (2021) |
|
Alexei Shostakov's Red Guardian |
David Harbour |
Black Widow (2021) |
|
Antonia Dreykov's Taskmaster |
Olga Kurylenko |
Black Widow (2021) |
In Marvel Comics, Flash Thompson jumped at the chance to become Agent Venom after suffering huge mental and physical trauma. John Walker's downfall in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and dark turn in Thunderbolts* sets him up perfectly to take on this role, instead. He is broken, bored and frustrated with his life, and Thunderbolts* will surely only exacerbate this, as Walker doesn't play well with others. While Walker never bonded with Venom in Marvel Comics, it would make sense to transform him into Agent Venom in the MCU.
Marvel Has Already Set Up Agent Venom’s MCU Debut
Venom Has Been Teased For The MCU Following Venom: The Last Dance
Thunderbolts* may be the perfect time to bring Venom into the MCU proper, particularly since this could set up a greater story for Tom Holland's Peter Parker in Marvel Studios' upcoming Spider-Man 4. Tom Hardy has already suggested that Venom: The Last Dance, scheduled to be released on October 25, will be his final movie as Eddie Brock for Sony. After Spider-Man: No Way Home's post-credits scene teased a piece of Venom in the MCU, the stage is perfectly set for the Symbiote to have a much more varied career in the hands of Marvel Studios.
