Venom has arrived, and the public just can't seem to get enough of the world's most popular
brain-eating alien symbiote.
But while you were distracted by that slippery, slimy tongue, you might have missed some of
the film's more subtle moments.
Here's a look at some small details you missed in Venom.
Source material
One thing is very clear in almost every scene of Venom: the people who made the movie are
big fans of the comic book.
Some of it is pretty obvious, like the fact that the Life Foundation was front and center
in a number of plotlines involving the alien symbiotes.
But there's plenty beyond that.
For instance, there's the idea that the Life Foundation's original goal was to cure cancer.
That comes from the origin story of the Ultimate Marvel Universe's version of Venom.
Then there are specific sequences.
For instance, the scene where Riot rips Venom out of Eddie's host body is an almost exact
re-creation of the cover of Venom: Carnage Unleashed #3.
And there are even specific lines of dialogue borrowed from the comics, like the line
"Eyes, lungs, pancras, so many snacks, so little time."
which originally appeared in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man #374.
Creator callouts
Venom features all sorts of references to the writers and artists who created the character,
most prominently when Eddie's ex-girlfriend Anne mentions the name of her law firm: Michelinie
and McFarlane.
Those names, of course, belong to writer David Michelinie and artist Todd McFarlane, who
co-created Venom in Amazing Spider-Man #299.
But some references are more obscure.
Near Eddie's Chinatown apartment, for instance, a sign in the background in the final scene
reads "Ron Lim's Herbals," which is a reference to artist Ron Lim, who pencilled the Venom:
Lethal Protector mini-series that much of the film is based on.
And the apartment building Eddie lives in?
That would be The Schueller Building, named for Randy Schueller, a fan who sent his idea
for a black Spider-Man costume to Marvel in the 1980s, inadvertently providing the original
inspiration for Venom in the first place.
Nice!
Deadly doggie
One of Venom's many funny moments is the all too brief sequence in the hospital when, separated
from Eddie Brock, the Venom symbiote is forced to use a tiny little doogie named Gemini as
a host in order to survive.
That's actually a subtle reference to the comics, where not one, but two dogs have been
turned into symbiotic monsters.
One was Ivan the a sled dog, while the other was a german shepard named Samson.
Both symbiote dogs proved that when it comes to pet ownership, good breeding does indeed
matter.
So if you suspect your pet has bonded with an alien killer, please consider getting it
spayed or neutered.
The symbiote Scream
At the beginning of the film, it's mentioned that there are five alien lifeforms being
brought back to Earth.
One is Venom.
One is Riot, who bonds with the movie's villain, Carlton Drake.
One is apparently Agony, the blue-ish symbiote who kills poor Dr. Dora Skirth before dying
itself.
And one is probably Carnage, who may or may not be attached to serial killer Cletus Cassidy
by the time the first post-credits scene hits the screen.
But there's also a fifth symbiote who seemingly vanishes partway through the film: the yellow
symbiote that briefly bonds with a super cute little bunny rabbit.
Exactly which symbiote this is and what happened to it are both mysteries, but while some speculate
that the bunny might have housed the symbiote known as Phage, the smart money is on another
yellow-tinted symbiote: Scream.
In the comics, both Phage and Scream were created by the Life Foundation, but Scream
eventually turned on the others and killed all their host forms, believing symbiotes
to be evil.
Given that the film seems to be setting up Venom vs. Carnage for the sequel, having a
loose cannon like Scream at large and looking to eliminate both of them could be a fun and
interesting twist.
The Wilhelm Scream
It's not just comic book fans that got serviced with in-jokes, movie buffs also got their
own callout thanks to the prominent use of the legendary Wilhelm Scream during the scene
where Venom fights the SWAT team.
"(Wilhelm Scream)"
The audio was actually first used way back
in 1951 for the film The Distant Drums during a scene when a man was eaten by an alligator.
"(Wilhelm Scream)"
Named for Private Wilhelm, a character who gives this pained cry in 1953's The Charge
at Feather River after being shot by an arrow, the sound effect was revived in 1977's Star
Wars when a stormtrooper fell to his doom inside the Death Star.
It subsequently became a tradition for Star Wars and Indiana Jones films, and then spread
to everything from Reservoir Dogs to Beauty and the Beast.
Pretty exciting that Venom is keeping the tradition alive.
"(Wilhelm Scream)"