It’s taken a long time, but Tom Hardy is finally ready to show his face in a superhero film. And what better character than a morally ambiguous anti-hero like Venom for him to debut his face without a mask.
Hardy has previously played an antagonist in Christopher Nolan’s Batman universe (he played Bane), where he and the industrial size mask wore became the stuff of legendary memes. But with this, he’s not only opening up to (what could be) a franchise, but also testing the limits of his stardom.
Hardy is famously fussy about the films he choose to be a part of, and so Venom is an interesting choice. The film will not only see him NOT play his macho self after a long time, but it will have him showcase both extremes of his persona. There is the ‘good guy’ Eddie Brock – a journalist by profession, chasing the people who do not want to be chased and asking the tough questions. And then there is his extra-terrestrial friend, who only wants one little thing – to do whatever the hell it pleases.
Venom boasts of a cast including Michelle Williams and Riz Ahmed, both terrific actors also appearing in a superhero film for the very first time. This is a complex character where an alien controls a man, and vice versa. It’s something that neither falls in the ‘villain’ category, and not an outright hero either. Maybe that’s why the makers are peddling him as an anti-hero; a man coming to terms with the demons inside him.
Marvel tried to set up Venom as a character in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, where Topher Grace essayed the character as a baddie. That installment ended that particular franchise however, so let’s hope the studio has it slightly more figured out now.
It could very well become a glorious character-study of a man, using all the trappings of a CGI-heavy, superhero film.
Watch the trailer here:
There’s plenty to be excited about!
