Every Venom Appearance In Movies And TV, Ranked
Venom took ’90s comics by storm, appearing in a plethora of Spider-Man comics and numerous mini-series. And that makes sense, since it’s such an iconic character for its time that has an army of fans.
Venom didn’t just appear in comics though; the character showed up in plenty of TV series–and one movie–over the years. Some of these appearances were fantastic, while a few were flat-out stinkers, and you know we’re talking about Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 for the latter.
In honor of Venom coming to theaters, we’re taking a look at every TV and movie appearance for the legendary symbiote and ranking each appearance from worst to best. And if you want to learn more about this character, find out more about Venom, the supervillain Riot, and take a look at the latest trailer for the movie.
Venom stars Tom Hardy, Riz Ahmed, Michelle Williams, Jenny Slate, and Woody Harrelson. The movie follows journalist Eddie Brock (Hardy), as he uncovers something sinister at the Life Foundation, run by Dr. Drake (Ahmed). The doctor is conducting experiments bonding humans with alien symbiotes, in which Brock becomes bonded with the Venom symbiote. Brock is on the run from the Life Foundation but finds his alien symbiote gives him new powers. Venom will hit theaters on October 5.
10. Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. (2013)
The Venom symbiote appeared in the episode “The Venom Inside,” where it bonded with a gamma-infused baddie, and Hulk and company had to fight it. It’s not your traditional Venom appearance, as it’s only the symbiote, and the appearance isn’t exceptionally great.
5. Spider-Man Unlimited (1999)
Brian Drummond provides the voice for Venom throughout the six episodes Venom appeared during in this 1999 animated series. A spiritual successor to the classic 1994 animated series, Spider-Man Unlimited wasn’t great, but the series did some interesting new things with the characters.
4. The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008)
Venom was voiced by Josh Keaton (and Eddie Brock by Benjamin Diskin) in this 2008 animated series, which put its own spin on the Venom mythos. The staples of Venom, like Spider-Man trying to make sure the symbiote doesn’t completely overrun Brock’s mind, are still there but spung a new way. It’s a familiar and new take on the character all at the same time.
3. Avengers Assemble (2012)
The Venom symbiote–not Eddie Brock–appeared in one insane episode of Avengers Assemble titled “The Immortal Weapon.” Here, Dracula used the symbiote in order to be able to walk during the day and create his own vampiric/symbiotic army. It may not be the traditional Venom we all know and love, but it’s one of the most interesting uses of the character.
2. Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994)
Maybe it’s the nostalgia factor completely taking over, but 1994’s Spider-Man animated series–which was the first time we got to see Venom (voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes) outside of comic books and a couple of video game appearances–still holds up as one of the best appearances of the character. The series couldn’t identically adapt the comic book story, as Marvel’s Secret Wars utilized too many characters not owned by Fox, who put out the TV series, but Spider-Man put together some classic and memorable stories with Venom.
1. Ultimate Spider-Man (2012)
Venom on Ultimate Spider-Man gave viewers by far the best experience for fans of the alien symbiote out of any other series. On this show, the Venom symbiote originally bonds with Harry Osborn, not Eddie Brock. From there, the story follows the Agent Venom comic series, where Flash Thompson bonds with the Venom symbiote and becomes a secret agent. We’ve seen Eddie Brock as Venom so many times that the Ultimate Spider-Man version is an incredible breath of fresh air. Additionally, Venom appeared more times on this series than any other animated Spider-Man series, so there was plenty of time for the character to grow.
