Why do they use swastika in venom movies?
Thank you so much for this ask! It gives me the opportunity to clear up a common misunderstanding.
This is the symbol shown in Venoms films (this screenshot is from Shaolin Rescuers)...
...and this is the swastika associated with Nazis.
The symbol seen in Venoms films is an ancient symbol of divinity and spirituality, and predates the Nazi party by an untold number of years. The Nazi party later corrupted and bastardized the swastika and appropriated it into a symbol of hate. You'll notice that the Nazi swastika is the right facing swastika, whereas the most commonly seen spiritual sauwastika in media is left facing. Not only that, but the Nazi swastika is also on its corner, which personally gives me the sense of imbalance and unease, whereas the original swastika is steady on its base.
Here is a direct quote from the wikipedia article that also addresses the different facings. "The word swastika comes from Sanskrit: ą¤øą„ą¤µą¤øą„तिą¤, romanized:Ā svastika, meaning "conducive to well-being". In Hinduism, the right-facing symbol (clockwise)Ā (å) is called swastika, symbolizing surya ("sun"), prosperity and good luck, while the left-facing symbol (counter-clockwise)Ā (å) is called sauwastika, symbolising night or tantric aspects of Kali."
Regardless of which way it faces, it doesn't change the fact that the swastika was a symbol of spirituality first and foremost, and continues to serve as such in many Asian countries to this day.
Venoms films are not the only Chinese films that show the left facing sauwastika, and you'll notice it has a high chance of appearing on screen if the film's location is in a temple. Because, once again, it is a holy symbol first and foremost.
Venoms films are not the first piece of media to contain the left facing sauwastika, which has also caused confusion and offense in the West due to western people's ignorance to the fact that it is still a religious symbol held in reverence in Asia. Because of this, it has been censored multiple times, even when it was not the Nazi's swastika that was being depicted.
For examples from some Japanese anime, here is Naruto's Neji in the manga...
...and here he is in the anime.
Likewise, here is One Piece's Ace in the manga...
...and here he is in the anime.
In both of these instances, it was the left facing sauwastika that was being shown, not the right facing swastika. But, since not enough people in the west know the difference, it had to be censored regardless.
If you live in the West then it's very likely you have been ingrained with a knee jerk reaction to seeing a swastika--which is not unfounded! It can never be stressed enough the amount of horror and hatred the Nazi swastika represents, but what is unfortunate is the fact that it has managed to completely drown out the good and holy qualities of the original religious sauwastika.
Once again, thank you so much for coming to us about this, as I think it's very important that people know why they may see the swastika in pieces of media that come out of other parts of the world, and why it may not always be as bad as it at first seems. Like it said in the wikipedia article, "Reverence for the swastika symbol in Asian cultures, in contrast to the stigma attached to it in the West, has led to misinterpretations and misunderstandings." So thank you so much for giving me the chance to clear things up!