Venom: Tom Hardy Gets a Real-Life Spider Named After His Marvel Character

A newly discovered Australian spider has been named after Tom Hardy and his Marvel character, Venom/Eddie Brock.

A new study published in Evolutionary Systematics reveals a new kind of Australian spider named after Tom Hardy’s performance as Eddie Brock in Marvel and Sony’s Venom movies. The spider’s genus is referred to as Venomius, while the species, itself, is called Venomius tomhardyi.

“The new genus Venomius is named after the Marvel Comics’ character Venom, created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane, whose full first appearance was in The Amazing Spider-Man #300 (published in May 1988), after an alien symbiote bonded with the character Eddie Brock,” the study reads. “This genus-group name is a reference to the head of the character Venom, with conspicuous black spots, that resembles the abdomen of our species, specifically the male holotype. The gender of the genus-group name Venomius is masculine.”

Tom Hardy’s history as Marvel’s Venom

Hardy first played Eddie Brock in 2018’s Venom, which was directed by Ruben Fleischer. In the film, Eddie is a down-on-his-luck journalist who stumbles upon and bonds with a rare alien symbiote he eventually comes to know as Venom. The film also stars Michelle Williams as Anne Weying, Riz Ahmed as Carlton Drake, and Jenny Slate as Dora Skirth.

A sequel directed by Andy Serkis, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, followed in 2021. Hardy also cameoed as Eddie in a mid-credit scene featured in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home.

A third Venom movie is currently in the works; although, production on the film has temporarily stopped due to the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike. Hardy is set to reprise his role in the movie, while Juno Temple and Chiwetel Ejiofor have also been cast in undisclosed roles.

Barring any delays, the third Venom movie is currently scheduled to release on July 12, 2024.