ok so i’m still thinking about venom but HEAR ME OUT: eddie brock is so emotionally open in a way that i am so unused to seeing superhero/villains being, especially the dudes. his feelings! are right there! he says them! he admits when he’s sad! when he’s scared! when he’s lonely! and it makes this campy, violent little film into something that’s all about heart? his heart? his heart poisoning a poor alien with feelings? a poor alien that just came down for a snack?
AND you guys AND can i just call attention to the fact that there was no love triangle? like the person he loved was not with him and he was sad but there was no macho posturing against dan. no squaring off. no fighting over a person like they were a prize. i can’t remember the last time i felt so relaxed with a romance angle. this was just. wow.
And Dan just saying how much he truly—apparently sincerely—appreciates Eddie’s work, then going inside like it’s nothing to let them talk. Both men weren’t posturing or puffing for a fight, even with Eddie’s incredibly pathetic visit to Anne’s home. Dan helping Eddie with proper do-no-harm medical concern. And even Eddie on the stoop at the end disagreeing with Venom about ‘getting Anne back’.
I just… There was so much to this movie, and I need to see it 5 more times STAT.
The lampshade when Anne starts telling Dan that there’s nothing between her and Eddie and he’s like, what are you talking about I’m not worried about that, I’m worried about THAT SLIMY ALIEN THING
There’s not even any of those ‘if only they talked to each other’ misunderstandings?
It’s adorable, really, but also a refreshingly realistic take on how people interact.
This this this. This was my favorite thing about the movie, and about Ant-Man and the Wasp: none of that toxic exes bullshit. Just people who care about each other, even if they didn’t make it work, and going the extra mile to help them when they’re in need. Dan made me ridiculously happy because he was genuinely concerned about Eddie. And Eddie was a fuckup, and it’s totally understandable why Anne dumps him after he blows up her life, but she doesn’t turn into the harpy that Hollywood always makes the ex girlfriend/wife out to be. A+, keep up the good work Marvel (and Sony), this is one of the few things you’re doing right.
Can I just say, as great as Venom and Eddie’s relationship was, I appreciated Dan and Anne’s. Dan didn’t fall into the jealous new boyfriend category. Not once did he mistrust Anne about Eddie, showing he was totally comfortable in that relationship and trusted her totally, he was so nice to Eddie instead of telling him to stay away from Anne. It was a healthy relationship dynamic (despite Anne’s possible remaining feelings at the end) and I appreciated it and Dan as a character
Update: I forgot to add, Dan had his priorities right like when he told Anne they needed to talk about what was going on and she said there was nothing going on with her and Eddie and Dan was like ‘no we need to talk about the weird parasite thing that’s unknown to medical science obviously’ and I appreciate that he was focused on the right thing
I think part of what made the Venom movie so palatable to me was the whole situation with Dan and how it was handled as if everyone involved was a Decent Adult Person instead of the heteronormative caricatures we’ve come to expect. Just by being written the way he is, Dan makes my queer ass feel so much safer in indulging in this fandom, and I love him for that!!!
I was prepared for a boatload of second hand embarrassment at the restaurant scene but it was wonderfully resolved when Dan was like “Yes this is my girlfriend’s ex behaving inappropriately in a restaurant but also he’s obviously visibly unwell and I’m a doctor so can we all please calm the fuck down so I can get him to a hospital.”
Rebellions are built on hope 