Tom Hardy is now a veteran of the comic book movie genre. Having first appeared as Bane in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, he has since appeared as Eddie Brock, aka Venom, in Venom (2012) and Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) and in a cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).
Pertinently, Hardy is set to reprise the latter role in Venom: The Last Dance, which will be released in theaters on Oct. 25 this year. The clue to whether or not he will play the eponymous character again appears to be in the name — the word “Last” giving some finality to his stint in the role — but you can never be sure in the movie world.
Hardy is undoubtedly busy in the foreseeable future, with four additional projects in the pipeline after the third Venom installment. The action thriller Havoc is coming to Netflix soon, and Hardy is set to appear in the crime thriller Blood on Snow, the highly anticipated Mad Max sequel Mad Max: The Wasteland, and the action-adventure War Party (as per IMDb).
However, with the MCU’s Multiverse Saga in full swing, characters from every live-action production based on Marvel’s comic books could be set to appear. With that in mind, you have to imagine Marvel Studios will be interested in having Hardy reprise his role as Venom in the franchise going forward. But what has he had to say about that?
So, will Tom Hardy return for a fourth Venom movie?
It looks as though Venom: The Last Dance will indeed be Tom Hardy’s final performance as the eponymous character — at least if his recent comments on social media are anything to go by.
In a comment on a post on the official Venom Instagram account, Hardy said, “That’s all she wrote for me and the big guy. We promise to make this the best of them all. We’ve loved making these. Thank you for your love and support – come join us for the Last Dance. For those of you that enjoy a good time from all of us in the team – Let us entertain you.”
That doesn’t only suggest there will be no more Venom movies but also that Hardy will not play the character again in any other films. Money talks, but you have to imagine Marvel Studios will have much persuading to do if they want Hardy to appear as the character in the likes of Avengers: Secret Wars.
But Hardy’s comments did not convince everyone. When Discussing Film posted what Hardy said on their X account, the replies underneath said as much.
Only time will tell whether Hardy is telling the truth or if he can be convinced to mingle with decades of Marvel royalty in the MCU’s upcoming ensemble projects. We certainly hope he can be. Venom facing off with the likes of Wolverine, Deadpool, Blade, Ghost Rider, She-Hulk, Moon Knight, the Fantastic Four, or the Guardians of the Galaxy in live-action would be a sight to behold.