Unexpected antihero.

Towering cannibal monstrosity.

Daddy.

These are but a few of the words used to describe Eddie Brock’s ooey, gooey symbiotic alter ego Venom after the fan-favorite character clawed his way to box office dominance earlier this year. Not only have Eddie Brock and Venom become one of the most-shipped couples on Tumblr, but the Marvel Comics’ antihero has positioned himself to be the unlikely centerpiece of Sony’s apparently Spider-Man-less cinematic universe. It’s a scenario that few expected but one that Venom co-creator Todd McFarlane is totally fine with.

While stopping by our Los Angeles studio to promote Venom‘s release on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital HD, McFarlane sat down with me to talk about why Venom is such an enduring character, why his existence does not need to be defined by Spider-Man, and much more.

For naysayers pointing to Venom‘s critical lambasting, McFarlane pointed to the numbers and reminded us that sometimes it’s about having fun rather than pushing the cinematic envelope.

“Venom…[isn’t] necessarily meant to be a high award-winning, elite…it’s a thrill ride, it’s a roller coaster,” McFarlane said. “We’re here to just have fun and the numbers have now proven that there’s lots of people that want to have fun with these movies.”

Indeed for people looking for a reprieve from the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s brand of interconnected action-comedy, Venom may have felt like a breath of fresh air.

“It doesn’t matter that it’s not part of the formula,” McFarlane said. “Because you guys think that there’s a formula called ‘superheroes’ here, and then there’s geekdom superheroes. It’s actually way bigger than you think. They’re just hungry for this type of material”

Venom is available on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital HD now. Read our review of the movie here.

Additional Jesse B. Gill and David Palmeri

Images: Sony