Spider-Man: No Way Home was pitched on the idea of having Peter Parker fight the Sinister Six. While there are technically six villains in the movie, only five are fought in the movie. For example, Tom Hardy's version of Venom from Sony's Spider-Man Connected Universe turns up in a post-credits scene.
However, in previous versions of Spider-Man: No Way Home, that character was planned to have a much grander presence in the film. But just what was Venom supposed to do? And would it have made any sense?
Venom fought Spider-Man in No Way Home
Via ComicBook, No Way Home co-writer Chris McKenna explained that there were far bigger plans for Venom in the movie. In the final version of the movie, the character simply hangs out in a bar before being pulled back into Sony's universe. But this wasn't always the case.
For example, earlier drafts of the movie had Eddie Brock battle against Peter Parker. With the ending of Venom: Let There Be Carnage setting up a high-stakes fight, many expected No Way Home to follow it up. Of course, that never happened.
“So Eddie Brock makes it to the MCU but he never makes it out of a bar,” McKenna said. “But there were versions where he shows up earlier. We were going to try to have him show up at the Statue of Liberty [for the final fight], and we were even toying with having him stuck in the Lincoln Tunnel.”
The character being restricted to a single appearance in a bar was a waste of Venom’s MCU debut. Furthermore, fans were excited to see the three Spider-Men fight against a version of the Sinister Six, but only saw five of them.
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Tobey’s Spidey vs Eddie Brock
Spider-Man: No Way Home was all about fan service. Fans got to see all three Spider-Men fight against villains from previous movies. From the classic Green Goblin to Electro, villains from the series’ past returned to battle Peter Parker.
As we know, Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man has fought Venom before, which means the villain would've fit into No Way Home. While it was a different version of the character, the symbiote is seemingly still aware of Parker.
Additionally, Venom is mentioned by Tobey Maguire’s webhead in a conversation at the Statue of Liberty. He mentions that he fought an alien made out of black goo, to which Holland’s Parker explains that he battled Thanos in space.
Nevertheless, forcing the symbiote into a fight at the last minute would've made the movie messier. Furthermore, a surprise appearance from the character might have taken the spotlight away from the Green Goblin’s final spectacle.