Venom Movie Star Tom Hardy Finally Meets Co-Creator Todd McFarlane (Exclusive)

Later this week Tom Hardy will be seen on the big screen in Venom: The Last Dance, marking his third feature film starring as the Marvel antihero. Though he’s been playing the role of Venom on screen for six years now, Hardy didn’t actually meet Venom’s co-creator Todd McFarlane until very recently…and ComicBook had a hand in getting the two creatives together for the first time.

Speaking with Tom Hardy and Venom: The Last Dance writer/director Kelly Marcel, we asked the pair if they recalled who created the iconic comic book character, with both quickly naming McFarlane. Having dropped his name themselves, we then opened the door and had the man himself enter the room for a full introduction to the pair.

“I just wanted to say from a personal point of view it’s been a pleasure, seeing this character that I created so long ago with David Michelinie (on screen),” McFarlane said to Hardy and Marcel. “There’s rarely a day that goes by I don’t run into somebody, usually kids that come around, they go, ‘Man, I just love those Venom movies, Todd.’ ‘I just came up with a design that we had no idea (would take off) and you guys are now taking it to the world, right? It’s just been an utter pleasure to sit back and watch it, I just want to say thanks to you.”

“We love him, We love him,” Marcel told McFarlane. “We’re such big fans.”  

McFarlane and Hardy then went on to have fun exchange.

“Thank you for creating Venom,” Hardy said to McFarlane, prompting the creator to respond: “Oh no, you guys take it to the next level.

“Oh no, we get to play with him,” Hardy added. “So thank you.”

Across the two live-action movies that have been released, Venom has brought in over $1.3 billion at the global box office. The upcoming Venom: The Last Dance will no doubt push that number even higher, while the future for the character may also be even more open than the title for the sequel implies.

McFarlane’s influence on Marvel Comics (and comics at large) has been felt not only in the Venom feature films (where character beyond Venom that he co-created also appear) but even in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This summer’s hit movie Deadpool & Wolverine paid homage to McFarlane’s iconic cover from 1987’s Incredible Hulk #340, featuring the reflection of The Hulk in Wolverine’s claws, by recreating the moment with Hugh Jackman and Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk in a brief moment.

What is Venom: The Last Dance about?

In Venom: The Last Dance, Tom Hardy returns as Venom, one of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters, for the final film in the trilogy. Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie’s last dance.

Venom: The Last Dance stars Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, Peggy Lu, Alanna Ubach and Stephen Graham. The film is directed by Kelly Marcel from a screenplay she wrote, based on a story by Hardy and Marcel.

Venom: The Last Dance opens in theaters on October 25th.