In honor of the recent release of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, it’s time for a comparison of the best live action and best animated versions of Eddie Brock and Venom. Like many other superheroes in movies and television, there have been multiple actors who have played the character.
In terms of live action films featuring the characters of Eddie Brock and Venom, there have only been two actors across three films. Topher Grace, known for That 70’s Show and In Good Company, as well as Tom Hardy, known for Inception and The Dark Knight Rises.
Eddie Brock and Venom’s first live-action on screen appearance came in Spider-Man 3 and was played by Topher Grace. Despite working out for six months and gaining 24 pounds of muscle for the role , Grace’s portrayal of Brock and Venom is one of the more disliked choices for a role across superhero films.
Grace said in an interview with Inverse while promoting BlackKkKlansman, “To me — I truly mean this — I think Tom is the guy to play that role, I’m thrilled to watch it as a fan. I really mean that. I think he’s just the best dude.”
Even though Grace worked out for months prior and bulked up for his role in Spider-Man 3, the connection to how the character was portrayed in the comics is what his portrayal lacked to me. In the comics, Brock is portrayed as a ripped, military looking man. Tom Hardy fits that description more than Grace. Hardy seems to have a better sense of humor when playing the role too, which seals the deal as a good fit for Eddie Brock and Venom.
Hardy has proved himself as being able to play a villain in a superhero movie when he played Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, where he showcased his physical acting abilities as a villain and his voice capabilities as the character.
Hardy’s genius and ability as an actor is showcased in the Venom films. Since Hardy does the voice work for the symbiote attached to him, he used a technique unique to him when filming scenes where Brock interacts with Venom.
The film’s director, Ruben Fleischer, said in an interview that Hardy used a technique developed while filming Legend. Hardy would record Venom’s lines in the morning, then listen to them through an earpiece while filming Brock’s scenes.
Hardy describes the character of Venom as a tragic clown and said, “There’s something funny about the circumstances of having a tragic gift. It’s a superpower you don’t really want, but at the same time, you love it. It makes you feel special. He’s both a reluctant hero and an anti-hero.”
Amanda Larbus, who is a junior art major at University of North Georgia said when asked who the better live action Eddie Brock is and why “Hardy balances the absurdity of the situation well.”
Hardy truly balances the action side of the character and the comedic side of Brock and Venom. His overall acting and embrace of the character make him better fit for the role than Topher Grace.
According to a poll taken of students living in The Commons 2400s, Tom Hardy’s portrayal of Eddie Brock and Venom is preferred over Topher Grace’s.
In terms of the animated Venom appearances, there have been many with each appearance by different actors. Two that stand out to me are Hank Azaria, who voiced Eddie Brock and Venom in Spider-Man: The Animated Series from 1994-1996, and Danny Trejo, who portrayed the characters in a TV short of Phineas and Ferb in 2013.
Hank Azaria is most known for his work voicing many characters on The Simpsons. He has voiced characters in over 700 episodes and in all 33 seasons of The Simpsons, so it comes with no surprise that he has voiced a superhero, or anti-hero.
Azaria’s voice fits the image portrayed in the cartoon, which is important for believability. A show can be ruined by a poorly cast voice actor for a role. His voice more fits the role of Eddie Brock, than it does for Venom. Azaria still does a good voice for Venom, but it is not as good as the one that Danny Trejo does. Trejo’s naturally gravely voice lends itself well to the voice of Venom.
Danny Trejo, who is known for Machete and From Dusk Till Dawn. Trejo has also done a lot of voice work, appearing in various television shows and movies.
It is hard to pick a better voice for Eddie Brock and Venom since each animated appearance has been different. Azaria and Trejo play different styles of Venom and in different kinds of shows. They both excel in their roles since they are great voice actors.
