Is Venom 2's Daily Bugle An MCU Plot Hole?

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The Venom: Let There Be Carnage trailer features a copy of The Daily Bugle, but how does this fit with the version seen in Spider-Man: Far From Home, and does it create an MCU plot hole? The sequel to 2018's Venom will once again star Tom Hardy, this time seeing him face off with Woody Harrelson's Cletus Kasady, who plays host to the symbiote Carnage. However, while that narrative is itself very self-contained, there is a possibility it could link to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, something the Venom 2 trailer contains a nod towards.

The first trailer for Morbius revealed a surprising MCU connection in the form of Michael Keaton's Adrian Toomes, and graffiti on a wall branding Spider-Man a murderer. This suggested that Morbius will be part of the MCU, even loosely, thanks to the ongoing deal between Marvel and Sony that allows them shared ownership of Spidey. With Venom and Venom 2 part of that same Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters, then it implies a similar link to the MCU.

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The presence of The Daily Bugle in the Venom 2 trailer raises some questions about this. The Bugle is, of course, an iconic part of Marvel lore and in particular Spider-Man comics; while it was missing from the first joint Sony-MCU venture Spider-Man: Homecoming, it made an appearance in Spider-Man: Far From Home's post-credits scene, alongside J. Jonah Jameson (once more played by J.K. Simmons). There, though, The Daily Bugle was an Infowars-style online broadcast, rather than a traditional newspaper. In Venom: Let There Be Carnage, the Bugle goes back to its roots by appearing very much in print, being read by Detective Mulligan (Stephen Graham), opening up the possibility of these being distinct versions and indeed universes, or simply an oversight and plot hole.

Both of those are very much possible. There's nothing concrete to link Venom 2 to the MCU, so it could simply be a different take on The Daily Bugle for a different shared universe (although one page does have a word ending in "engers," which could be "Avengers", the logo is the same as the one seen in the Sam Raimi films, hinting at it being in that universe instead). Similarly, unlike the MCU Spider-Man movies, Venom 2 isn't produced by Marvel Studios, meaning a greater chance of plot holes or continuity errors even if they are supposed to be connected. But there's also a third option, which would allow this Bugle to work within the MCU. This newspaper very clearly states it's the "West Coast Edition," whereas the Spider-Man movies are set in New York, so it may simply be a different iteration or form of the Bugle while still within the MCU. Likewise, though The Daily Bugle appeared as a broadcast in Spider-Man: Far From Home, that doesn't mean it can't be a newspaper as well.

This would actually fit with Sony's viral marketing campaign. An Instagram account for Flash Thompson was setup for Spider-Man: Far From Home and has been maintained for Spider-Man: No Way Home. In 2020, one such post included The Daily Bugle and referenced Venom 2 via a mention of Kasady, as well as a headline remarking that Spider-Man is missing. This was a front-page of a newspaper, and while viral marketing doesn't necessarily mean that's how it'll be in the movies, there being a print edition of the Bugle alongside the broadcast would be a way of explaining all of this and connecting the universes together, rather than creating a plot hole.