While we have yet to see Spider-Man: Homecoming's opening weekend earnings at the box office many outlets are expecting the movie to make within the region of one-hundred million dollars domestically in the US alone. Such a moderate opening weekend for a summer blockbuster is to be expected despite overwhelming critical praise for the movie, due to the reality that the movie is the second attempt by studio Sony Pictures at rebooting the Spider-Man property. Together with the added reality that most general audiences will be unfamiliar with the movie's lead actor Tom Holland, the web slingers seemingly guaranteed success in theaters this summer isn't as cut-and-dry as fans would presume. In the wake of the positive reviews and the inevitable positive word-of-mouth from audiences Spider-Man: Homecoming will be a hit this summer, but by how much remains to be seen.
Homecoming marks Spider-Mans second appearance in the much coveted MCU (third appearance, if reports of his inclusion in Iron Man 2 are to be believed). Following his conflict with Michael Keaton's turn as the villain Vulture the young British actor, Tom Holland will return as everyone's favorite wall-crawler in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War, reuniting Spidey with his former comrades and enemies from last years hit blockbuster Captain America: Civil War as Marvel's greatest heroes face off against the tyrannical Thanos, portrayed by Josh Brolin. In Infinity War Spider-Man is expected to be team up with the Avengers, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and the Guardians of the Galaxy in an epic adventure that will see many of the characters enter the cosmic realm of the MCU for the first time on the big screen.
In Spider-Mans comic book origins, it was during the 1984/85 Secret Wars that Peter Parker happened across and bonded with the symbiote known as Venom. After the close of the Secret Wars Parker returned to Earth with the new "Symbiote Suit", which proved more convenient than the superheroes traditional suit until he realized that it was sentient and coercing him to become more violent and aggressive. Upon learning the symbiote was weak to sonic vibrations Parker was able to separate from the symbiote and returned to using his traditional costume, while in the interim the symbiote found a new, much more willing host in Eddie Brock. In both the 1994 and 2008 TV cartoon serials, the Venom symbiotes origins were retconned, with the deadly creature coming to Earth aboard a Space Shuttle of which Spider-Man saves from crashing into New York City. While in the 2007 movie Spider-Man 3 the Venom symbiote crashed to Earth within a meteorite before bonding with Tobey Maguires Peter Parker.
With Tom Holland's Peter Parker joining the Avengers in their fight against Thanos, and with Sony Pictures planning a standalone Venom movie with Tom Hardy cast as Brock the forthcoming Infinity War would be the perfect chance for Spider-Man to acquire the Symbiote Suit without re-treading the painful experience of Maguire's interpretation of a moody emo Spider-Man. With Holland's Parker discovering the Symbiote Suit amidst the forthcoming extraterrestrial adventure would help augment Spider-Man's abilities in line with the more powerful enemies he would be facing. The only remaining narrative element left to address would be that at the close of Avengers 4 or within the sequel to this summer's Spider-Man: Homecoming we see Parker abandon the symbiote, paving the way for the Venom movie.
What do you think is the likelihood of seeing the iconic symbiote suit in Avengers: Infinity War? Could the possibility of Holland donning the black costume in the forthcoming Avengers movies be the reason behind the confusion as to Venom's place within the MCU?
