Deana Carpenter is a Movies & TV News Reporter at CBR. Before joining the team, she worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Almanac and spent more than 15 years as a freelance newspaper reporter. With a background in journalism and media, she brings strong reporting experience and a passion for storytelling to her coverage of film and television.
Marvel Studios is set to release Spider-Man: Brand New Day next summer. Ahead of that, some fans are wondering who might be the next star to take on a particularly villainous role in the iconic Spider-Man franchise.
Starting in 2018 and continuing through 2024, Tom Hardy has played Eddie Brock/Venom in the Venom movie trilogy. @TheDoctorX11 on X already knows who should step into the Spider-Man villain role now that Venom is open to being recast in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“I asked David Michelinie, Co-Creator of Venom, what actor would be a faithful Eddie Brock and I suggested Alan Ritchson. Here’s what he said: ‘I once posted pics of Ritchson — shirtless and one of him yelling — and said he’d make the perfect Eddie/Venom. So, we’re on the same page,'" the social media post read.
Ritchson is currently starring in the Prime Video hit action series Reacher, playing the titular Jack Reacher character. However, the actor does have experience playing a comic book character. He portrayed the iconic Raphael in 2014’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its 2016 sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. Ritchson also appeared in an episode of Supergirl and starred in DC’s Titans on HBO Max as Hank Hall/Hawk.
The Venom movies, starring Tom Hardy in the titular role, have performed well at the box office. The latest installment, 2024’s Venom: The Last Dance, earned $478.9 million globally. Venom: Let There Be Carnage, which came out in 2021, made even more at the worldwide box office, taking in $506.8 million. However, 2018’s Venom took the cake with the highest box office of the franchise, earning $856 million worldwide against a budget of $100 million.
Topher Grace Previously Played Venom In A Spider-Man Movie
Credit: Sony Pictures Releasing / Courtesy Everett CollectionBefore Tom Hardy took on the role of Venom/Eddie Brock, actor Topher Grace (That ‘70s Show) played the character in 2007’s Spider-Man 3 from director Sam Raimi. His performance came with mixed reviews, but CBR called Grace’s portrayal of the character better than Hardy’s.
In a 2023 article, CBR wrote, “As well-liked as Tom Hardy's Venom is, Grace's version is still superior for one main reason. Strangely enough, the success of Grace's Venom involves his unlikability as a character, which ties into the essence of Eddie Brock and Venom in Marvel Comics. While it would not be true to say that Hardy botches the character, there remains something about Topher Grace's version that stands out and really gets to Venom's core.”
While fans of Ritchson wait to see what the future holds and whether he will ever end up playing Venom, they can catch him in Reacher on Prime Video. Season 4 is set to premiere sometime in 2026. He’s also currently starring in the buddy action comedy movie, Playdate, alongside Kevin James, which is also streaming on Prime Video.
Venom (2018) is streaming on Disney+, while Let There Be Carnage is streaming on Starz, and The Last Dance is streaming on Netflix. Fans of Spider-Man and Venom can also catch Topher Grace’s rendition of Venom/Eddie Brock in Spider-Man 3, which is streaming on Disney+.
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