This article contains SPOILERS for Venom: The Last DanceVenom: The Last Danceis (for now) the end of theVenomtrilogy that started back in 2018’sVenomand continued with 2021’sVenom: Let There Be Carnage. This third cinematic outing for Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock/Venom has put a lot of emphasis on being the final chapter in this story, with the trailers highlighting lines like “we might not make it out of this” or “until the end,” highlighting that Venom and Eddie Brock might not survive the end of the movie. Paradoxically, it also sets up a lot of pieces for future films, be it ones centered on Venom, another Symbiote, or one of Sony’s other Spider-Man-related characters.
Venom: The Last Dancecontains two post-credit scenes, one featuring Knull teasing a crossover film, while the final one at the end pays off a joke while seemingly laying the foundation for the return of everyone’sfavorite brain-eating alien. DoesVenom: The Last Dancelay the foundation forVenom 4? WillKraven the Hunterpay off these teases? Will Morbius finally get his morbin time? Here isVenom: The Last Dance’s ending, explained and what it means for the future of Eddie Brock, Venom, and the non-MCU-connected Spider-Man universe of characters.
Is Venom Dead?
Venom: The Last Dance
Venom: The Last Dancehas been marketing itself as thefinal chapter in theVenomfilm franchiseas Tom Hardy has been saying this is his final film as Venom, and based on how the movie ends, that seems to be the case.Either Eddie Brock of Venom must die to stop the villainous symbiote god Knull from getting the Codex that can free him from his prison. Despite the best efforts of the combined might of the U.S. military, a team of symbiotes, and Venom, they are unable to stop Knull’s Xenophage horde as they reassemble themselves every time they are destroyed.
Venom realizes he needs to sacrifice himself, or else the Xenophage will keep coming. He leads the Xenophage to an acid tank used earlier in the film to melt down the remains of Area 51. Venom merges with the Xenophages and uses Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor) to trigger the acid.Venom protects Eddie from the acid by putting a vault door over him, tells Eddie “goodbye for now,” and asks Eddie not to forget him. A dying Strickland detonates a grenade to finish it off, seeminglykilling Venom and the Xenophage and destroying the Codex.
Eddie Brock then wakes up in a hospital, where a military general tells Eddie that the crimes he was on the run for fromVenom: Let There Be Carnagehave been expunged, andhe is a free man. Next, he goes to New York and visits the Statue of Liberty, a location he and Venom had referenced seeing together throughout the film. Eddie says to himself,“I’ll never forget you, buddy,“before the credits roll. It seemingly endsVenom’s story as the character is dead…or so we think.
In the film’s post-credits scene, the bartender is taken to Area 55 alongside the piece of the symbiote that Venom left behind earlier. He emerges from a cave to see the destruction of Area 55 and wanders into the desert. Meanwhile, the vial Strickland had previously captured, the piece of the Venom symbiote left at the bar, is broken open. A cockroach moves towards it before the screen cuts to black. Seeing how Venom took over the bodies of various animals throughout the film,the implication appears to be that thelittle piece of Venom survived, setting up the character’s return. However, if he will bond with Eddie, Brock remains to be seen.
Venom’s Wildest Possession Took Place in a Marvel Cartoon
Venom: The Last Dance may have Venom Horse, but an underrated Marvel cartoon from 2018 has the most insane Venom possession you’ve ever seen.
Knull Will Return, Maybe
Despite all theVenom: The Last Dancetrailershyping the presence of Knull(Andy Serkis), fans might want to temper their expectations. The character does start the film with a monologue explaining his origins, butfor the whole movie, he is forced to sit out the action due to being trapped on Klyntar, the prison the symbiotes made for their creator. Knull sends his Xenophage to do his bidding, as he cannot break free from his prison without a Codex that only Venom and Eddie Brock have due to the two having bonded following Eddie Brock’s supposed death in 2018’sVenom. Venom’s sacrifice at the end would seemingly imply that Knull will now be trapped forever.
The film’s mid-credit scene, though, debunks that. Despite Venom being dead, Knull says,“Your champion has fallen, the King in Black is awake. Your world will burn, and you will watch!”before looking directly into the camera, and audiences get a full look at Knull’s face for the first time in the film. How Knull will be able to break out now that the Codex is destroyed remains a mystery as it should be impossible, but it is clearthis is not the end of Knull.
Knull referencing himself as The King in Black is a direct reference to the 2020 event comic seriesThe King in Black, which saw Knull launch an invasion of Earth where he faced off against Venom, The Avengers, the X-Men, and many more. Sony Pictures wants Knull to be their Thanos-level threat for their multimedia franchise that unites their characters like Morbius, Kraven the Hunter, and likely Madame Web.
Wait…Is Dr. Dan Lewis Evil?
ThroughoutVenom: The Last Dance, a shadowy man is seen watching various monitors, keeping an eye on Eddie Brock/Venom. He is seemingly in charge of Imperium, the organization that is running Area 55 and that Rex Strickland seems to be working for. The film never reveals the character’s face, as he is always shown from the back of the head, obscured in shadow. However,based on his voice and the little side profile the audience sees, it is easy to tell this is actor Reid Scott. If that name is familiar, it’s because Reid Scott appeared in the previous twoVenomfilms as Dr. Dan Lewis, the boyfriend and later fiancée of Eddie Brock’s ex-girlfriend, Anne Weying.
Fans Thought This 2017 Jake Gyllenhaal Movie Would Be a Venom Prequel
The wild fan theory linking Jake Gyllenhaal’s 2017 sci-fi film Life to Venom’s alien Symbiote might be more real than you think.
Reid Scott’s involvement inVenom: The Last Danceis shocking, as his characters, Dan Lewis and Williams Anne Weying, are not only absent from the movie but are not even mentioned.DoesVenom: The Last Dancereveal that the supposeduly nice guy who was used more for comedic effect was, in fact, secretly an evil villain this entire time?Well, it never answers the question about the mysterious figure, so this could have just been a placeholder for now, and it will have nothing to do with Dan Lewis. Yet, if that is the case, casting Reid Scott for this role certainly is perplexing. Maybe this willtie back intoKraven the Hunter.
What Happens Next?
Venom: The Last Danceis an odd movie because it has a sense of finality that many superhero trilogies don’t have. But, at the same time, it is also setting up more films. While Venom supposedly is dead, the small sample of his symbiote suggestshe will live on. While he could go on to reunite with Eddie Brock, given that Tom Hardy said he is done with this franchise unlessVenom fights Spider-Man, this might be the last time these characters reunite. Sony Pictures might keep them apart until the showdown with Knull when the two will reunite.
In the meantime, Sony Pictures might have found a new symbiote lead character to carry on theVenomfranchise.During the film’s climax, Area 55 scientist Dr. Payne (Juno Temple) bonds with a purple symbiote. Due to Payne having been struck by lightning as a child, it seems she carries a bit of charge in her, so when bonded with her symbiote, it gains super speed. Based on the purple coloring and long hair,this symbiote is most likely Agony. Dr. Payne/Agony could be the new symbiote hero of Sony’s Spider-Man universe and could team up with many of the heroes/villains like Morbius, Kraven the Hunter, Madame Web, and the three Spider-Women to fight Knull when he arrives on Earth.
This seems to be the end of Venom, for now. But the door is always open for his return. Maybe in the MCU’s grand multiverse team-up,Avengers: Secret Wars, Eddie Brock and Venom can reunite in an epic final fight that sees them finally share the screen with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.
