As part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Chiwetel Ejiofor has been used surprisingly sparingly. A key supporting character in 2016's Doctor Strange, Karl Mordo's villainous turn came out of nowhere and original plans called for him to be killed off in the first few minutes of last year's sequel.
Instead, he played a Variant, but another comic book franchise is calling to the actor as he's just joined the cast of Sony Pictures' Venom 3.
Prior to that story breaking in the trades, we heard that Ejiofor is being lined up to play one of the threequel's villains. While no additional details about his role have been shared since, we have some compelling ideas about who he may end up starring as opposite Tom Hardy in the Venom: Let There Be Carnage follow-up.
Find out who we think the Mordo actor could be playing in the Spider-Verse by hitting the "Next" button below!
7. Karl Malus
It's fair to say we were all surprised when Cletus Kasady was killed off at the end of the latest movie. While it looks like Venom has devoured his offspring, we think there's a good chance the twisted symbiote will return in this threequel.
In the comics, the superpowered-obsessed Dr. Karlin Malus was exposed to the Carnage symbiote and became an even deadlier version of that villain.
Not only would this put a new spin on the largely wasted character, but it would see Eddie Brock forced to test his mettle against an intellectual superior who likely has a bigger endgame than just killing people. Ejiofor could bring some pathos to this new Carnage, making him so much more than just another lunatic.
6. Sin-Eater
Sin-Eater was a police detective with major personality issues. He became a serial killer who quoted the Bible, justifying his murders as God's will. Eddie attempted to take him down as a journalist, but was fooled by a copycat, and saw his career ruined, as a result (partly thanks to Spider-Man).
There are a lot of interesting ways for this to be adapted as it could play into Eddie's own religious beliefs, while Sin-Eater seems like an ideal foe to pit a "Lethal Protector" against.
We'd love to see the sort of mania Ejiofor could bring to a psychopathic villain like this one. The fact he's tied to the police would obviously open the door to Detective Patrick Mulligan returning, presumably as Toxin this time.
5. Stewart Ward
Senator Stewart Ward was introduced in the 1990s and aligned with HYDRA. However, when some of Spider-Man's villains learned of his true nature - and the fact that he'd been infected with an alien virus - they attempted to extort him and the villain later squared off with both Spidey and Venom.
If that all sounds a bit convoluted and crappy, it's because it was. But a United States Senator with an alien side could work well here, especially if he's actually serving the Symbiotes and uses his influence to send a group like The Jury after Venom at their request.
There's a duality here that we're sure Ejiofor could sink his teeth into as an actor, and bringing another alien to Earth feels like a fitting direction for this franchise.
4. Anti-Venom
We've covered a lot of villains here, but there's always a chance the actor is going to be an ally to Venom in this upcoming threequel.
Eddie Brock became Anti-Venom when both he and the symbiote crossed paths with Mr. Negative. Thanks to his newfound powers, this symbiote could destroy others like him with just a touch, merging him with Agent Venom could also result in a fun new protagonist for these movies to make use of.
This may hinge on who the movie's main villain actually is; we'd like to think the plan is to end the trilogy on a slightly more epic note than its predecessors, but the franchise has always been surprisingly low-key. There's definite potential for Anti-Venom on screen, though.
3. General Orwell Taylor
Based on Venom 3's working title, General Orwell Taylor and The Jury seem like very likely possibility when it comes to this movie's main antagonist.
Led by General Orwell Taylor, this group existed solely to take out Venom, with each member of The Jury outfitted in powerful armoured suits and tech based on Tony Stark's designs. Taylor isn't the most exciting villain, so it would be down to Ejiofor to do something exciting and interesting with this bureaucratic.
Throw in the fact that they had sonic blasters and flamethrowers, and it's not hard to imagine the government tasking this clandestine group with taking out an apparent threat like Venom. Remember, his existence appears to have been exposed to the world he calls home, hence why he's now in hiding.
2. Knull
Knull, a.k.a. The King in Black, is the God of the Symbiotes and the ancient being responsible for their creation. His inclusion here likely depends on how much Sony wants to delve into their origin story and whether they'll finallu take this franchise down a more sci-fi route.
It's a shame that Venom: Let There Be Carnage didn't spend a little more time exploring the alien's history, though the post-credits scene at least hinted that there are countless Symbiotes all connected through some sort of hive-mind.
Eddie's trip to Earth-616 in Spider-Man: No Way Home might have just been enough to reawaken Knull and, for a villain this formidable, you need a powerhouse performer. That's where the Doctor Strange star would come in and we have no trouble picturing him doing the biggest of bads justice in Venom 3.
1. Baron Mordo
We'll admit that it's unlikely, but Ejiofor playing a Baron Mordo Variant is a possibility that has to be on the table given recent Multiverse shenanigans.
Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures will continue sharing Spider-Man moving forward, and it may well mean Kevin Feige has agreed to share a villain who is, if we're being honest, probably only one of the MCU's C-List threats. After Venom's trip between realities, though, he may become Mordo's target!
The Doctor Strange villain clashed with Venom in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, so there's at least some history there Venom 3 can now build on. This would obviously be a Mordo Variant, but pitting the alien against magic could make for a fun movie...and set the stage for Venom to appear in Avengers: Secret Wars!