Omega Underground has been uncovering some details concerning Sony’s Venom spinoff. While collecting all these tidbits we’re starting to come to the conclusion that the film is likely an adaptation of the anti-hero’s first solo run the 1993 six-issue comic Venom: Lethal Protector.
Here’s the storyline of those comics.
Before the story begins, Venom makes an agreement with Spider-Man that they will leave each other alone, on the condition that Venom commits no crimes. Venom then moves from New York City to San Francisco and takes up with a group of Californian mole people. Shortly thereafter the father of one of Venom’s victims seeks him out with a group of super-powered mercenaries to take revenge.
Spider-Man, seeing misleading coverage of Venom on television, heads to San Francisco to confront him and instead winds up fighting alongside Venom against five new offspring of the Venom Symbiote: Scream, Phage, Riot, Lasher, and Agony.
It’s been reported by the trades that Carnage would be the film’s villain and it’s possible that we’ll be seeing more symbiotes in the film with the addition of Michelle Williams playing Brock’s ex-wife Anne Weying aka She-Venom, who could easily become the host for Carnage’s spawn Scream. The symbiote lineup could be easily reworked to include other characters.
There are some clear signs that Venom is taking inspiration for the solo film from Lethal Protector. We’ve uncovered that the production will head to San Francisco for a period of time and that they’ve been trying to cast multiple mercenaries for the film. These mercenaries could be The Jury, the super-powered mercenaries from Lethal Protector. Their armor is based on stolen Stark designs, which could be the film’s small MCU link.
The Jury was originally conceived and financed by General Orwell Taylor whose oldest son Hugh had been murdered by Venom (Eddie Brock). Hugh was a prison guard at the Vault, a prison for super-powered criminals when he was suffocated by Venom’s living costume in Venom’s attempt to escape. Orwell gathered together Hugh’s friends consisting of his fellow co-worker and friend Curtis Elkins (Sentry), Samuel Caulkin (Ramshot), an army buddy of Hugh’s and Hugh’s younger brother Maxwell Taylor (Screech). He also recruited two others worked with Hugh at the Vault, (Firearm) and (Bomblast). Orwell gave the five of them costumes that were based on the Vault’s Guardsman armors (a design stolen from Anthony Stark aka Iron Man). The suits were outfitted with sonics and fire, both of which are anathema to Venom.
Venom begins filming on October 23rd until February with a release date set for October 5th, 2018.