Former Venom actor Topher Grace had a funny response when asked about the possibility of appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Previously, the former star of That ’70s Show played Venom in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 in 2007. Because Spider-Man 4 never got made, Grace’s portrayal in the role was a one-and-done deal, largely forgotten by many Marvel fans.
Even so, the plot of Spider-Man: No Way Home allows for characters from alternate Spider-Man movie universes to appear. This includes Sam Raimi’s movies, as we even see Alfred Molina back as Doc Ock from Spider-Man 2. It remains to be seen which other characters from those movies might appear, though the trailer also seemed to tease Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin. There hasn’t been any indication of the Spider-Man 3 Venom appearing, but the door is technically open for it to happen at this point.
Recently, Topher Grace took part in a Reddit AMA session with fans to help promote his show Home Economics. Marvel fans were quick to ask him about the possible appearance of Venom in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Grace offered a lengthy response that “confirms” his involvement, along with a barrage of clearly fake “spoilers” revealing other random characters appearing. He even says that his Venom beats up Tom Hardy’s Venom. At least it’s not as bad as Tom Holland consistently dropping real spoilers. As Grace explains:
“Please keep it between us but yes, I am in it. The plot starts with Peter Parker (Tom Holland) bummed that everyone knows his identity and then some crazy s–t happens with Dr. Strange and Dr. Octopus (Alfred Molina) comes into his dimension. Then Electro and the Green Goblin hop out of one of those ‘energy circles’ and they’re like ‘It’s spider stompin time’. Then Tom Hardy and I pop out and battle each other and I win (obvi), it’s like not even a fight I just kick his ass immediately. Not to give too much away but there are also some actors from the original 70s Spiderman show, Aquaman and Batman (Affleck, not Keaton) crossover, and thanks to Disney Han Solo’s ghost from Rise of Skywalker, and that Eve robot from Wall-E. Again, please keep between us.”
It would be amusing if everything Grace is saying here actually happens in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but none of it seems very likely. In all honesty, it seems doubtful that Grace’s Venom was ever considered for an appearance in the movie, even though other Raimiverse villains made the cut. The issue is that the Spider-Man 3 version of Venom wasn’t exactly very well-received, a feeling that might have been exacerbated by Tom Hardy’s portrayal. Anything is possible, but there wasn’t a big demand from Marvel fans to bring the previous Venom back.
Meanwhile, Tom Hardy will reprise the role of his version of Eddie Brock in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. The sequel comes after the first Venom was a smash hit in 2018, as fans have really taken to Hardy in this role. Venom 2 director Andy Serkis has teased that a Spider-Man crossover will definitely happen, but he doesn’t want to see it rushed. The movie releases in theaters on Oct. 1.
Spider-Man: No Way Home will be released in theaters on Dec. 17, 2021. We’ll find out for sure who all appears in the movie on that date.