Ever since Doctor Strange star Chiwetel Ejiofor joined the cast of Venom: The Last Dance, there's been a lot of speculation online about who the actor is playing in the Sony Pictures threequel.
One of the wildest theories has been that he might be a Mordo Variant. However, General Orwell Taylor, a classic Venom villain who took charge of the Jury, has always been the most likely possibility.
Well, we now have confirmation of Ejiofor's second Marvel role and it's definitely not who we expected.
A tie-in comic released on social media by Sony Pictures Korea and yesterday's Venom: The Last Dance New York Comic Con panel have confirmed that the actor is Rex Strickland.
In the comics, Rex served as a soldier in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and, following a Viet Cong attack, was given the opportunity by S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury to become a super-soldier by bonding with a mysterious alien symbiote.
As "Tyrannosaurus," Rex was part of a platoon of "Sym-Soldiers" who ended up losing control of their new alien suits. He eventually died a hero and his mind was stored in Symbiote Hive-Mind as a Codex (allowing the alien costume to later take his form). Rex eventually led the charge in the fight against Knull, so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised by his inclusion in this movie.
Of course, how much - if any - of this will be touched on in Venom: The Last Dance remains to be seen. We're sure his presence in a movie with Knull can't be a coincidence but this is Sony, and planning ahead isn't exactly the studio's strong suit with its Marvel movies.
A new Venom: The Last Dance TV spot - featuring Knull's voice - has also been released in its entirety. You can watch that below.
In Venom: The Last Dance, Tom Hardy returns as Venom, one of Marvel's greatest and most complex characters, for the final film in the trilogy. Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie's last dance.
The movie stars Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Peggy Lu, Alanna Ubach, Stephen Graham, and Rhys Ifans. Kelly Marcel directs from a screenplay she wrote, based on a story by Hardy and Marcel. The film is produced by Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Amy Pascal, Kelly Marcel, Tom Hardy and Hutch Parker.
Venom: The Last Dance will be released in theaters on October 25.