Sony’s most successful Marvel franchise is signaling the end of an era. While there is not much fanfare, there is, however, a lot to look forward to.
The production company may be behind infamous films such as Morbius and Madame Web, but Venom has been a fairly stable series. Starring heavy-hitter Tom Hardy as the tenacious reporter Eddie Brock, the first film did as well as it could while steering away from the MCU’s version of Spider-Man. The series sets Eddie in San Francisco where he encounters the love of his life, the titular sludge symbiote. Venom: Let There Be Carnage didn’t win over everyone, but it will still be bittersweet to say goodbye to the crime-fighting duo.
As Venom: The Last Dance implies, this is the conclusion to the trilogy and fans would love to know if another famous Tom will be gracing the Sony stage with his presence. MCU’s own Tom Holland was last seen in the heartbreaking and emotionally resonant Spider-Man: No Way Home. The film was the perfect way to end the trilogy — at least before Spider-Man 4 — and Holland has been taking his time away from the big screen ever since.
Could that mean he is saving his energy for a Venom cameo? If the production is aware of any such plans, they are not giving it away. Hardy made sure to keep his lips sealed when broached about the subject.
Perhaps this is a way to get fans to come into the theaters, but this may also be a pipe dream. The small Peter Parker representation that fans saw in this universe was a post-credit scene where Venom saw Peter Parker on a television screen. There are also implications that during the No Way Home debacle, Eddie was pulled into the MCU like many other Spider-Man villains. The canon at this point is murky at best, but there are other appearances in the upcoming film that fans are also hyped to see.
Venom fans should get ready for Knull
The final Venom film is promising to not hold back. After years of dancing around one of Marvel’s most infamous villains, he will finally make his big-screen debut. As teased in the trailer, the third film will revolve around the villainous Knull, the creator of Venom’s race of symbiotes. Closer to a dark deity than a man, Knull created the symbiotes as a super army to conquer worlds. Wanting their freedom, the symbiotes ultimately imprisoned Knull and struck out on their own.
Knull is finally back and is the one entity Venom is truly afraid of. This villain is the right way to wrap up a trilogy. However, he has the chance to impact MCU properties as well. Knull is the architect behind the All-Black, the Necrosword that Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) wields in Thor: Love & Thunder. Taika Waititi’s film was worse received than Let There Be Carnage, the main failure being the depiction of Gorr. Waititi leaned too hard into camp territory instead of portraying the character fans actually expected: A scary killer of gods. The addition of another famous figure such as Knull would have made the story even more authentic. Alas, fans are left with Waititi’s version that is better left forgotten. The good news is that Venom: The Last Dance will finally put the character to use in the final chapter of the highly entertaining anti-hero story, which premieres in theaters on Oct. 24.
