The cinematic debut of Venom occurred in 2007’s Spider-Man 3 when Topher Grace assumed the role of the fan-favorite villain. Over a decade has passed, and now fans are anxiously looking forward to the near-future as Tom Hardy portrays a new version of the anti-hero.

In Spider-Man 3, Grace played Eddie Brock, a photographer longing for the notoriety attained by rival snapper Peter Parker. Everything about Brock supposedly exuded a hipper, more charismatic version of Parker. Although Spider-Man 3 director Sam Raimi wanted to focus on the other villain of the film (Thomas Haden Church’s Sandman), the studio wanted to add Venom as a villain due to fan popularity. This not only hurt the film, but also met with fan disapproval due to questionable script choices. Although Grace’s version of Venom was not well-received, the movie still achieved blockbuster-status at the box office.

Fast-forwarding to the present, Hardy will play the beloved character with a new twist. Venom director Ruben Fleischer wants to explore the duality between the man in charge, Eddie Brock, and the alien symbiote Venom. The two must learn to work with each other in order to live. Hardy has deliberately given both Brock and Venom their own distinct voices for the film to showcase the dichotomy between characters.

With the new adaptation of Venom, Grace has excitedly pronounced that Hardy is the best man for the job. According to Cinema Blend, in an interview between Inverse and Grace he said, “To me — I truly mean this — I think Tom is the guy to play that role. I’m thrilled to watch it as a fan. I really mean that. I think he’s just the best dude.” Clearly, Grace has accepted that his take on Venom did not live up to the comic book version, and Hardy is better equipped for the role.

Venom is scheduled to hit theaters on October 5, and then you can judge for yourself who brought the better Venom to the big screen.