Highlights
- Todd McFarlane, the creator of Venom, approves of the design of the character in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, praising its hulking size and sharp fangs.
- McFarlane was less enthusiastic about Venom's long tongue, which he attributed to fellow artist Erik Larsen.
- McFarlane also expressed his approval of the voice actor chosen for Venom, Tony Todd, and hopes that Venom will be playable in the game alongside Spider-Man and Miles Morales.
The legendary Todd McFarlane recently gave the Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 version of Venom his seal of approval during Comic-Con 2023. McFarlane is known as a founding member of Image Comics, where he created Mortal Kombat 11 guest character Spawn among other characters to much critical and commercial success. Before that, he worked with both Marvel and DC Comics on existing properties like Batman and Spider-Man. One of his most notable contributions to the latter was creating Venom alongside writer David Michelinie back in 1988, as he drew the villain in his first handful of comic book appearances.
Venom would go on to become one of Spider-Man’s most dangerous and popular enemies, appearing in multiple cartoons, live-action films, and video games in the 35 years since his illustrated debut. Flash forward to the initial teaser trailer for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, where Insomniac’s take on the symbiotic supervillain was finally revealed after being teased in the previous two games. Fans got a much better look at Spider-Man 2’s Venom in the latest story trailer at Comic-Con, and it wouldn’t be long before the talented artist who first drew him weighed in on the newest incarnation of this monstrous foe.
Todd McFarlane sat down for an interview with IGN at San Diego Comic-Con 2023, where he gave his thoughts on Venom’s Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 design. Overall, he had positive things to say about Insomniac’s take, praising Venom’s hulking size and razor-sharp fangs, which harken back to his original vision of the character. McFarlane was more lukewarm toward Venom’s long tongue, which he notes was introduced by fellow comic artist and Image alumni Erik Larsen. Nonetheless, he complimented Venom’s design as looking appropriately viscous for the alien-empowered villain he helped create.
McFarlane also expressed his approval of Spider-Man 2 Venom voice actor Tony Todd, who was chosen for the role due to his guttural voice in roles like the titular Candyman and Zoom from the Flash television series. He ended his interview by saying that he would gladly play as the Insomniac version of Venom, echoing many fans’ wishes that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will make Venom playable alongside Peter Parker and Miles Morales.
Whether he’s playable or not, Venom will burst his way into Insomniac’s Marvel gaming universe in Spider-Man 2, and he will do so with the full blessing of Todd McFarlane himself. Hearing the artist who helped created Venom share his thoughts on the newest version of this iconic comic book nemesis is certainly fascinating, especially since Insomniac seems to have drawn from much of his work in bringing the symbiote and its host to life on the PlayStation 5. Gamers will see more of Venom in action, as well as learn who is behind the alien costume, when Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 launches this fall.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 launches on October 20 for PlayStation 5.