Some heroes are defined by their villains, and vice-versa, but Venom isn’t really one of them. His origin may be directly linked to Spider-Man but if he was only interesting when Spider-Man is also in the room, or the film, he wouldn’t be much of a villain at all. And he’s really quite a fascinating character in his own right.
Let’s get this out of the way: Venom is intrinsically linked to Spider-Man, at least historically. He only exists in the first place because he stole Spider-Man’s costume, and his self-serving motivations are indeed a direct contrast to Spidey’s characteristic selflessness. Venom looks like a bigger and more monstrous Spider-Man, there’s no denying it.
Source: IGN.com Venom is More Interesting Without Spider-Man