This first look at Venom isn’t very dark, but it is very Tom Hardy

Thankfully, some light was shed on the film’s plot during Brazil Comic-Con, courtesy of a video featuring Fleischer and Hardy (via IGN). The director revealed that the Lethal Protector and Planet Of The Symbiotes limited comics series inspired the film, which is all fine and informative, but fans really got riled up once Hardy started mugging in the background.

Brazil Comic-Con organizers used a humongous black tarp to cover the audience Symbiote-style, which was a nice touch, but Hardy’s so cheerful that he might as well be carrying one of the many puppies he’s been photographed with. Even IGN’s first proper look at Hardy in character just shows him looking handsome and inquisitive as Eddie Brock. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but we hope the next set photo at least has him in a motion-capture suit.