VENOM: 20 Awesome Easter Eggs, References, And Cameos You May Have Missed - SPOILERS

With the Venom movie now in theaters, we're taking a look at all of the Marvel Comics adaptation's many Easter Eggs, references to the comic books, and surprise cameos. Hit the jump to check them out...

By JoshWilding - Oct 05, 2018 05:10 AM EST

Filed Under: Venom

No matter how faithful a comic book movie is or isn't to the source material, it's always fun for fans to keep an eye out for Easter Eggs which pay homage to not only the source material but also other films or TV shows. While Venom isn't quite as full of them as the movies set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there's still plenty on offer and we've now collected the biggest and best for you guys right here.

From countless nods to Venom's comic book history to the wider Spider-Man Universe and even the future of this and many other characters on screen, the first of Sony's live-action Spider-Verse movies definitely leaves us with plenty of interesting details to pore over even if the movie itself isn't actually that great.

So, to check out this list of Easter Eggs, simply click on the "View List" button below.

John Jameson

During the movie's opening, we learn that astronaut John Jameson died on a mission and that's obviously a reference to both Amazing Spider-Man #1 and the episode of the 90s animated Spider-Man TV show - "The Alien Costume, Part 1" - which saw him return from space with the alien symbiote in toe. It seems fitting that in a world without a Spider-Man there to save him, John ended up dying.

"Ron Lim Herbal"

Near the end of the movie, look closely and you'll see a sign for "Ron Lim Herbal." What is that a reference to? Well, Ron Lim is an artist who has worked on a lot of Venom comic books, including the "Lethal Protector" storyline which this movie takes at least some inspiration from. There are obviously a lot of writers and artists this movie could have mentioned but Ruben Fleischer is clearly a big fan.

Venom's Love Of Chocolate

You may think that Venom telling Eddie he's craving chocolate is just a random line thrown in for laughs, there was actually an entire subplot devoted to the symbiote's love of chocolate back in the 90s. Eating chocolate meant Eddie could stop Venom from desiring brains because both the human brain and that sweet treat include the chemical phenethylamine so that's why he's craving it here.

The Daily Globe

There's no mention of The Daily Bugle in Venom but we do learn that some sort of incident in New York City led to Eddie Brock being fired from The Daily Globe. In the comics, that was the publication the journalist wrote for when Spider-Man had him fired after catching the real Sin-Eater despite Eddie running a story in which he claimed to have found the serial killer and landed an interview with him.

The Cure For Cancer

It's mentioned at one point that Carlton Drake may be planning to use the symbiotes to cure cancer. This is undoubtedly a reference to both the Ultimate Universe where the alien was actually a man-made creation to cure the disease and the fact that wearing the symbiote ultimately have Eddie Brock cancer. There's even talk of the symbiotes draining the adrenal glands, another nods to the comics.

Eddie Brock's Weights

Tom Hardy sort of resembles the Eddie Brock from the comic books but we don't see much of him hitting the weights and bulking up to make himself as powerful as possible for his inevitable confrontation with Spider-Man. However, when those Life Foundation goons arrive at Eddie's apartment to try and apprehend him, the symbiote picks up his dumbells and uses them as a weapon.

She-Venom

In perhaps the movie's best scene, Ann Weying ends up becoming She-Venom for just a brief spell when she needs to transport the symbiote to Eddie Brock. During that sequence, she eats some brains and takes a lot of guys out but by the time the movie ends, she's clearly missing being bonded with the alien. However, this is a huge departure from the source material as she eventually took her own life.

Venom Is A Loser

Venom admits that on his home planet, he's a loser too and while that's actually been ridiculed by a lot of critics, it makes sense because this was also the case in David Michelinie's "Planet of the Symbiotes" storyline. It was during that we learned that the symbiotes were parasites and while his fellow aliens wanted to conquer planets, Venom wanted symbiosis which led to him being ridiculed/imprisoned.

Stan Lee's Cameo

The humour in Venom is a tad hit and miss but one of the funniest moments comes right at the end of the movie. After the symbiote tells Eddie that he's going to help him win Ann back, they bump into Stan Lee who tells them both not to give up on her. Venom's reaction is priceless as he asks Eddie, "Who was that guy?" Lee's appearance is a nice surprise, especially as he didn't actually create Venom.

Roland Treece

In Venom, Roland Treece is tasked with bringing Eddie Brock to Carlton Drake and is the head of security for the Life Foundation. While he doesn't bear much of a resemblance to his comic book counterpart, Roland is lifted straight out of the source material and was actually the lead villain in Venom: Lethal Protector. However, he was a businessman and never went toe to toe with Venom.

Carnage

The movie's mid-credits scene features Eddie Brock paying a visit to serial killer Cletus Kasidy for an interview the authorities hope will result in the psychopath revealing the location of his victims' bodies. Cletus (who has written "Welcome Eddie" in his own blood) promises that there will be "carnage" when he escapes and this is obviously setting the stage for him to become Carnage in the sequel.

Eddie's Hunger

Shortly after being bonded with the symbiote, Eddie finds himself furiously hungry and he chows down on the remains of a chicken and even some frozen tater tots before throwing up. Eventually, he eats a live lobster and while none of this happens in the comic books, Venom: The Hunger showed Eddie eating anything he could get his hands on but hated it as what he was really craving was brains.

Donna Diego

During the course of Venom, Riot jumps from host to host in an incredibly tedious subplot which takes up far too much screentime. Eventually, it finds its way to Carlton Drake but the Life Foundation employee the symbiote possesses at the start of the movie is actually Donna Diego. In the comics, she was one of the Life Foundation's test subjects and is ultimately transformed into the villainous Scream.

Tootsie And Belvedere

There are a couple of pretty bizarre references in Venom, including Eddie Brock saying that he could write under a pen name and pretend to be a woman just like Dustin Hoffman did in 1982 movie Tootsie. Ann Weying's cat, meanwhile, is called Mr. Belveder, a nod to the 1980s sitcom which ran for five seasons. Pretty random references which aren't quite up there with what Deadpool delivers.

Carlton Drake's Powers

In the comics, Carlton Drake is also the leader of the Life Foundation and uses the company to try and cure his cancer. He never actually bonds with a symbiote but is responsible for creating the offspring which Venom and Spider-Man later have to do battle with. However, he does at one point gain superpowers in the source material but that came after he injected himself with Spidey's blood.

Kryptonite

Venom is light on references to the world of Spider-Man which, well, isn't a great surprise considering the fact that he doesn't exist in this world! However, when Ann Weying realises that sonics can hurt Venom, she refers to them as the symbiote's "Kryptonite." You don't need us to tell you that's a reference to Superman who is clearly a fictional character in the universe that Eddie Brock calls home.

Eddie Brock Helps The Homeless

In what is clearly a bid to separate Venom from Spider-Man, the movie takes place in San Francisco. There is, of course, precedent for that in the source material as Eddie Brock left the Big Apple in the comic books and chose to fight crime on the other side of America. During that time, Eddie often stood up for the disenfranchised and homeless so him being friendly with them here makes perfect sense.

Venom: Carnage Unleashed #3

In a very cool nod to the comic books, Riot at one point tears the mask off Venom which appears to cause Eddie a great deal of pain. This has to be a reference to Carnage Unleashed #3, a comic book which saw Carnage doing the same to his dear old dad. In terms of visuals lifted from the source material, though, this is pretty much all we get in Venom which is obviously something of a shame.

Riot Is Carnage

It's weird that Carnage is introduced during the mid-credits scene because we pretty much see him in action throughout the course of this movie courtesy of Riot. He creates spikes, turns his hands into axes, and basically displays all of the abilities that Carnage has in the comic books. That doesn't leave Sony with much they can do with the villainous symbiote that we won't have already seen here.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

Venom's second after-credits scene puts the spotlight on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Kicking off with "Meanwhile, in another Spider-Verse," we get to see Miles Morales at the graveside of Peter Parker before he's confronted by...Peter Parker. Knocking the wall-crawler out, what follows is a fun chase sequence through Brooklyn which ends with both of the superheroes knocked out in the street.

Did you spot any Venom Easter Eggs that we ended up missing? What did you think about the movie's references and cameos? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.

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50 Comments

1 2

Capfan82 - 10/5/2018, 5:52 AM

its just sad that we will never get Maximum Carnage.

knocturnalzen10 - 10/5/2018, 7:51 AM

@Capfan82 - hopefully after sinester six kevin will go for a 4th peter film where that happens :/ fingers crossed

CapnMurphy2021 - 10/5/2018, 7:52 AM

@Capfan82 - just out of curiosity... why? I hated that storyline when it came out...I kinda thought that was the general consensus.

Capfan82 - 10/5/2018, 8:30 AM

@CapnMurphy2021 - I dunno, I loved that story growing up. i could be in the minority i guess.

Capfan82 - 10/5/2018, 8:34 AM

@CapnMurphy2021 - Also, i think, even if you didn't like the comic version of it, i think the MCU could straighten it out enough for everyone to like.

mgeoff88 - 10/5/2018, 5:54 AM

Jameson must have contracted symbiote foot fungus.

DoubleD - 10/5/2018, 5:59 AM

I saw Venom last night and I thought it was great. I give it 4 Stars out of 5 Stars.

Venom was funny, action packed, and Tom hardy did amazing job as Eddie Brock. I enjoyed every second of the film and thought it was a good origin story.

(I deleted my other comment)

thekabsin - 10/5/2018, 8:53 AM

@DoubleD - I loved it too bro, but I’m a nineties kid and love Tom Hardy and grew up obsessed with Venom and Image comics. It will be a shame if these reviews kill the sequel

DoubleD - 10/5/2018, 6:02 AM

Audience score at Rotten Tomatoes currently.

89%

liked it
Average Rating: 4.4/5
User Ratings: 7,554

AgeofHeroes - 10/5/2018, 6:25 AM

@DoubleD - i knew people would enjoy this

bkmeijer2 - 10/5/2018, 7:54 AM

@DoubleD - i wouldnt give it that, but it is quite enjoyable indeed

LittleSween - 10/5/2018, 6:03 AM

Ron Lim also pencilled for the "Sonic The Hedgehog" Archie series...
Just saying

TheUnworthyThor - 10/5/2018, 6:05 AM

I actually really liked the movie. I thought the three leads were all good. I loved the interaction between Eddie and the symbiote. Some great action. Plenty of laughs. Tons of fun. Kind of exactly what I wanted in a first Venom movie.

My only real big complaints are it is 100 million dollar movie in a world populated with 170+ million dollar superhero movies and it can show sometimes. And the fight in the end doesn’t live up to some of the other action sequences (which seems pretty common nowadays). But all in all I really enjoyed myself.

DoubleD - 10/5/2018, 6:45 AM

@TheUnworthyThor - My only complaint was no ties to Spiderman yet. But being a orgin story it didn't have a negative affect on the novie.

TheUnworthyThor - 10/5/2018, 7:08 AM

@DoubleD - I’ve always been okay with the lack of Spider-man connection simply because it meant we got Spider-Man in the Avengers.

bkmeijer2 - 10/5/2018, 7:56 AM

@TheUnworthyThor - I really enjoyed it as well, but my concern lies with Sony’s marketing. They spoiled a lot of action scenes from TASM2, Homecoming and now Venom. Who will say if they won’t spoil how Peter Parker is resurrected in one of Far From Homes trailers?

MosquitoFarmer - 10/5/2018, 6:16 AM

Is there no need for concision? Three view list articles abou the same movie & topic. You gotta make your money, Wilding, but really?

Matador - 10/5/2018, 6:31 AM

People watching Venom its like that cheese race

marvel72 - 10/5/2018, 6:43 AM

Josh you contradict yourself,you pretty much say there is only one good thing about Venom and then say the next day there 20 awesome easter eggs.

Oberlin4Prez - 10/5/2018, 7:02 AM

It's honestly not bad. It's not perfect, but it's a coherent film with quite a few laughs. It honestly felt like Antman and Incredible Hulk, with the throw away billionaire bad guy and humor of Antman, and the cgi rage monster that has to fight another cgi rage monster at the end, just like Incredible Hulk.