As far as first looks go, there is no way that a studio would ever make a huge reveal outright. The first photos are generally teasers to get fans and audiences interested but they are also nothing to get overly excited for. Still, it does let us know that said movie is coming, and that is true for Sony’s first Spider-Man spinoff Venom.

The first photo has just been revealed, and it’s of star Tom Hardy. But not as Venom, the black suit alien symbiote. But the down-on-his-luck investigative journalist who will eventually bond with the suit to become the anti-hero Spider-Man knows all too well. Check it out below.

As aforementioned, the photo, courtesy of IGN, is just of Hardy as Eddie Brock. Quite honestly, if this wasn’t Venom, it could have been mistaken for another film where his character just holds a pocket notebook. The effects probably aren’t finished yet, so that may be the reason why Sony is holding off on giving us the first look at Venom. So is there anything in that notebook worth looking at? Hard to tell, but it does look like the film will follow Brock’s origins to becoming Venom closely.

Now, here’s where it gets a bit sticky. How will the story be an origins film if a huge part of it doesn’t have Spider-Man? In the comics, the two were practically inseparable. Often times, Spidey was the source of Venom’s hatred. But the two did team up from time to time. So how will the film address that one glaring issue? I guess director Ruben Fleischer has that figured out. So we’ll just have to see if it can work.

Based on previous reports, the film will be based on two major Venom story arcs. The first is Lethal Protector, which sees Venom leave New York and take up anti-heroism in San Francisco. The second would focus on Planet of the Symbiotes, where the planet is invested with living slimy creates like Venom suit. Fleischer confirmed the storylines while at the Brazil Comic-Con back in December. “We want to be as true as possible to the comic with our film,” he said.

Hardy added:

So let’s just hope they can deliver on those promises.

The film also stars Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, and Jenny Slate. We have yet to see how their characters will fit into the film.

Venom is scheduled to open in theaters on October 5, 2018.

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[Source: IGN]