Tom Hardy says Sony’s Marvel universe has its own Spider-Man

Ahead of Venom 3, Tom Hardy seems to have claimed Sony’s Marvel universe has its own Spider-Man swinging around somewhere — but fans are divided.

Once known as the SPUMC (Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters, now changed to Sony’s Spider-Man Universe), the franchise’s relationship with Spidey has always been a bit… baffling.

For example, the web-head is part of Venom’s DNA (literally, in the comics), yet he’s nowhere to be seen in Hardy’s movies. In Venom: Let There Be Carnage’s post-credits scene, Eddie is transported to the MCU, but No Way Home sends him back to his own universe.

And let’s not forget, Madame Web ended with Mary Parker giving birth to her son… Peter, aka: Spider-Man.

Hardy’s latest interview for Venom 3 only makes things more confusing, especially after Forbes appeared to retract the comment that caught fans’ eyes.

In the original version of the quote, as per ComicBookMovie, he said: “People were going to judge us, you know? Marvel Universe under [Kevin] Feige’s management is doing so well. Spider-Man has gone to Feige’s camp at Marvel. We have one [at Sony]!

“To me and Kelly, it’s so important to pour in everything that we can to build on that opportunity. So by the third one now, Kelly is directing it, she’s writing — I’m attached to it at the hip and shoulder, like whatever you need, we’ll figure it out.”

The “We have one” bit has since been removed from Forbes’ copy — so, what does that mean? Will Venom 3 feature an appearance from Spider-Man (but not necessarily Tom Holland) or was it just a slip of the tongue that should be ignored? The smart bet is the latter.

“If I’m Sony, I want the comment retracted simply because websites are confusing people covering it,” one Reddit user speculated. “Didn’t Sony request they remove this quote from the article? Wondering if that confirms they do or if Hardy just misspoke and they didn’t want to spread misinformation,” another wrote.

Fans have long suggested that Venom could be tied into Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man story, or perhaps even Tobey Maguire’s world. While there’s still demand for The Amazing Spider-Man 3 and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4, the chances of those worlds colliding seem pretty low.

However, Hardy has expressed his interest and excitement at the prospect of a face-off with Spider-Man on the big screen, especially as The Last Dance will bring his franchise to a close. “Should both sides be willing, and it be beneficial to both sides, I don’t see why it couldn’t be,” he previously told Esquire. 

“I hope and strongly, with both hands, push, eagerly, towards that potential, and would do anything to make that happen, within what’s right in business.”

Venom 3 will hit cinemas on October 25, 2024. In the meantime, check out our Deadpool 3 and Captain America: Brave New World guides, find out what’s going on with Avengers: Secret Wars, and read our ranking of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.