Another host

However, the Symbiote has had plenty of other hosts. It was recently revealed that Deadpool was the original host, and that he became a villain because bonding with the Symbiote drove him insane. To separate the story from Peter Parker’s, Sony could consider any such host.

While these other hosts are also connected with Spider-Man (or other heroes that aren’t owned by Sony), the studio could move forward with the Flash Thompson version of the character. After high school, Thompson’s story could be told without mentioning the web crawler.

Writing Venom as a black-ops agent for the government would set him up as an anti-hero. Incorporating events from Flash’s life (such as his military career, the loss of his legs, his severe depression, his alcoholism, and so on) could earn the movie a rating for more mature audiences.

Of course, there will be a twist, especially since Flash wouldn’t be able to wear the Symbiote for more than 48 hours. But this would be a great way for Sony to introduce their other characters.