Love it or hate it, the Marvel Studios brain trust is the trendsetter. Starting with Iron Man way back in 2008, the studio began its post-credits scenes teasing big events and new characters. Marvel has trained its audience so well that they will sit through the credits of even non-MCU movies, waiting for that tease.
With post-credits scenes firmly established, Marvel upped the ante with Spider-Man: No Way Home by intertwining Spider-Men of franchises past. With Deadpool 3 adding Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine (and possibly many others) from the Fox X-Men films, audiences are coming to expect crossovers. Thus the latest Venom 3 rumor was born.
Here’s where it all started. Not long ago, Sony posted a video to its TikTok channel. The footage happened to be a combination of Tom Hardy and Topher Grace from their respective Venom roles. Suddenly, the studio deleted the video and left fans with questions. Why would Sony take down that particular clip mashup? The prevailing theory is that Venom 3 will feature Grace’s return as Eddie Brock, and the company didn’t want to spoil the surprise.
Grace’s footprint in cinematic history is infamous among fans. Spider-Man 3 is widely considered one of the worst big-budget superhero movies ever made, but fans of the absurd have made the flick a cult classic. Let’s face it, neither Venom movie has been much better, so adding Grace to the cast would be fitting.
The rumors have already impacted the traditional Venom keys, and that interest could trickle over to come movie-related comics as well. We’ve seen it happen before. When Jennifer Garner was first speculated to dust off her Elektra costume, sales for Elektra: The Official Movie Adaptation got an immediate boost. The same could happen for these issues as well.
SPIDER-MAN 3: THE BLACK
Here you have one of the most obscure Spider-Man/Venom comics. For all intents and purposes, Spider-Man 3: The Black was an original comic that accompanied a 52-page digest/character guide. These were printed exclusively for Walmart’s Spider-Man 3 widescreen DVD boxset.
Considering how much viewers hated the movie, we can safely assume this wasn’t the retail chain’s best-seller. With a higher price tag for a bad movie, that automatically cuts down the number of comics in circulation.
How many copies are in the wild is not clear. CGC has the comic listed in its census, but the grading company oddly has no accompanying data. However, a graded 9.8 sold for $180 in July 2022.
SPIDER-MAN 3 MOVIE PREQUEL
While Walmart had The Black packaged with its Spider-Man 3 box set, Marvel published the movie prequel comic for a rival retail chain. These were promotional copies that were given away at Target stores. Similar to The Black, the movie prequel has widely fallen into obscurity, but that only makes it more attractive to collectors.
There are only seven graded copies on record, and only one of those got the prestigious 9.8. The lone online sale was a 9.4 that brought $15 in 2013.
VENOM AMC EDITION #1
As part of the Venom marketing campaign, these copies were given to AMC theater patrons. These are much more common than either Spider-Man 3 comics with over 200 graded copies in circulation. Although these are easier to find, the 9.8s bring higher prices than those Spider-Man 3 issues. Since last year, the Venom AMC edition graded at a 9.8 has sold for as much as $250. The most recent sale from March 30 saw a copy earn $154.
DON’T IGNORE THE FREEBIES
Seeing the prices for the Venom and Spider-Man 3 promos, it’s no wonder that grown men shove kids out of the way for a free comic. The Venom AMC edition should continue to bring $100-$200 for higher grades. If the Topher Grace rumors are confirmed, it could send buyers to eBay for both those Spider-Man 3 adaptations, which should give those price tags a bump. At any rate, it will be worth your time to watch these issues.
