Venom 2 in the MCU? Kevin Feige fuels a huge Spider-Man multiverse rumor

Things haven’t been the same since that Morbius trailer. After the short teaser revealed Michael Keaton’s Vulture apparently crossing over from the Marvel Cinematic Universe into Sony’s movie-verse, the legal and canonical walls between the two franchises look shakier than ever. Will Venom: Let There Be Carnage be the movie to knock them down for good?

In a new interview, Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige throws a bit more gasoline on those Venom 2 MCU theories.

Venom and the Marvel Cinematic Universe

In a wide-ranging interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Feige essentially declined to comment on whether Venom could join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, deploying his favorite phrase, “I wouldn’t rule anything out completely.” Here’s the full quote:

“I don’t want to obviously talk about rumors or speculation on what could happen and what couldn’t happen as it relates to any characters that Marvel Studios hasn’t brought to the screen yet. But I will say what I’ve always said, which is having been with Marvel for 20 years I wouldn’t dismiss anything. I wouldn’t rule anything out completely. When and how and where remains to be seen. Any rumor that you read online could happen anytime between tomorrow and never.”

In the same interview, Feige also hints that relations between Marvel and Sony have warmed since the Spider-Man apocalypse of 2019 when the two companies almost failed to negotiate a new deal that would keep Peter Parker in the MCU:

“Luckily, Tom Rothman and Bob Iger and Alan Horn and Alan Bergman and Tom Holland himself all realized, ‘Wouldn’t it just be more fun if we just kept doing it? Let’s not get business or politics in the way.’”

So it seems more likely than ever that Venom could eventually show up in the MCU, but will it happen in his upcoming sequel?

Venom 2 in the MCU?

First, let cover the basics. In a May 2021 interview with IGN, Venom: Let There Be Carnage director Andy Serkis tried to confirm his movie isn’t in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — while also dropping some not-so-subtle clues suggesting the opposite. He said:

“Obviously, there are links between Venom and Spider-Man and the Marvel Universe and the Spider-Man story. We’re treating this very much as it’s his own world. The Venom story is his own world. There are nods and little moments, of course, but on the whole, he’s unaware. They are unaware, at this point, of other characters like Spider-Man. So, that’s the way we’ve chosen to play this particular episode of the movie, but, well, we’ll wait and see. We’ll see what little things you can pick out of it.”

What to make of this quote? On the one hand, it’s clear Venom 2 won’t directly interact with the MCU, but there may also be lots of little hints at a connection.

“They are unaware, at this point” is a particularly interesting choice of words, suggesting that a bridge between these cinematic universes already exists, but no one has crossed it yet.

What’s the hold-up? It could be as simple as Marvel and Sony’s movie schedule.

Venom 2: Into the multiverse?

Here’s the problem. In the upcoming slate of Spidey-themed movies, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is first. That means if Marvel and Sony are planning some big multiverse collaboration, it won’t happen until after Venom 2 is already released on September 24, 2021.

A few months later, Spider-Man: No Way Home is expected to blow the multiverse wide open. Premiering in December 2021, the movie is said to feature Spider-Man characters from non-MCU movies including Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock, Jamie Foxx’s Electro, and maybe even a few older Spider-Men. Following that, it makes a lot more sense for Morbius (release date, January 2022) to feature a character like Vulture, who technically belongs in the MCU.

But because Venom 2 comes out before Spider-Man 3, sadly that means Eddie Brock can’t join the multiverse party just yet. Then again, based on what Andy Serkis said earlier this year, his movie might still feature a few clues of things to come.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage premieres on September 24, 2021.