VENOM: THE LAST DANCE: 8 Easter Eggs, References, And Cameos You Might Have Missed - SPOILERS

VENOM: THE LAST DANCE: 8 Easter Eggs, References, And Cameos You Might Have Missed - SPOILERS

With Venom: The Last Dance now playing in theaters, we're breaking down the threequel's biggest Easter Eggs, references, and cameos, including nods to the comic books and the wider Marvel Universe...

Feature Opinion
By JoshWilding - Oct 29, 2024 02:10 PM EST
Filed Under: Venom

Venom: The Last Dance hasn't received much in the way of critical acclaim, but for the most part, fans do appear to be enjoying Sony Pictures' latest Marvel movie. 

Despite taking some major liberties with the comic books - something that's been a sticking point for many since Venom's release in 2018 - the threequel features plenty of fun Easter Eggs, references, and cameos. Some pay homage to the source material and others tie this movie to the wider Marve (Cinematic?) Universe. 

In this feature, we're taking a deep dive into those, including nods to Ghostbusters, Spider-Man, and the King in Black's comic book history. 

Check out Venom: The Last Dance's Easter Eggs by clicking the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
 

8. Ray's Occult Books

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Ghostbusters is another famous Sony franchise and when Venom: The Last Dance takes us to Area 51, there's a very interesting mailbox you'll want to keep an eye out for. 

It's covered in stickers, one of which is advertising "Ray's Occult Books." 

As you're no doubt already aware, that's a nod to the New York-based bookstore of the same name from Ghostbusters which is owned by Dan Aykroyd's Ray Stantz. Given the crazy goings on in this threequel, it's an appropriate Easter Egg. 
 

7. Eddie Brock's History In New York

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Having been framed for the apparent murder of Detective Pat Mulligan, Eddie Brock decides that he and Venom should head to New York City. 

The former reporter has some dirt on a judge and hopes to blackmail him into helping clear his name. The first Venom movie also mentioned that Eddie was forced out of the Big Apple, something this movie once again references.

On the page, Eddie ran a series of stories about the Sin-Eater for the Daily Globe but didn't check his sources. So, when Spider-Man outed the real killer, his career was left in tatters. That's why he initially hates Spidey so much.
 

6. Spider-Man

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Venom: The Last Dance opens on Earth-616 before Eddie is set back home. What's weird about this, though, is he's flung back through a portal identical to the ones Knull uses rather than the glowing effect seen in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

No explanation has been offered for this apparent retcon, though it feels like a deliberate move to separate Venom from the MCU seeing as he immediately says he's sick of this "Multiverse sh*t."

Another apparent nod to Spider-Man comes when Venom hangs upside down before taking out the bad guys at the start of the movie. That sort of imagery hasn't been overly prominent in this franchise, unfortunately. 
 

5. The Symbiotes

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There are a total of eight Symbiotes in the Imperium Project's Area 51 base; among those we can identify are Agony, Lasher, and quite possibly Phage. 

Fans are divided on whether Pat Mulligan is Toxin, though we'd imagine he isn't when this movie makes a point of revealing that his Symbiote abandoned him shortly after Carnage's death (his snake-like alien suit is never named). 

We also see a white Symbiote, a two-headed alien, and a red one with fire powers...which seems a tad contradictory when that's supposed to be one of their main weaknesses! All but Agony are killed by the invading Xenophage.
 

4. Tom Hardy's Stunt Double

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When Eddie arrives in Las Vegas, he soon learns that he can't get into any casino in his current state of undress. So, when a drunk guy in a tuxedo approaches him, Venom wastes no time in knocking the guy out and stealing his clothes.

Jacob Adam Tomuri plays that unnamed character, but what you might not know is he served as Tom Hardy's stunt double in Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and Venom: The Last Dance.

Filmmaker Kelly Marcel has also said that putting Hardy in a tux was a nod to the James Bond rumours that have long seen him named as a contender to play 007.
 

3. The King In Black

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Knull's screentime may be limited, but it would be unfair to say Venom: The Last Dance's take on the powerful villain isn't comic-accurate. 

He's shown wielding All-Black the Necrosword (a blade which ended up in Gorr the God Butcher's hands in the comics), and later declares himself the King in Black in the threequel's mid-credits scene, the same moniker he goes by on the page. 

When Pat's Symbiote says "The End is Knull," that's a reference to the tagline used during Marvel Comics' King in Black crossover event. As for the Codex, it's the same spiral which appears on Knull's corrupt Symbiotes. 
 

2. Some Big Comic Book Changes

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While Venom: The Last Dance pays homage to the comic books, it also makes some noteworthy changes. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Rex Strickland, though this version never bonds with a Symbiote or becomes Tyrannosaurus, Eddie's guide to all things Knull. 

As for Teddy Payne, she appears to be a gender-swapped version of the character Thaddeus Paine who is combined with Agony's host on the page, Leslie Gesneria. 

Finally, scientist Sadie Christmas appears to be a new take on Lasher's comic book host, Sadie, who first donned the alien costume in Absolute Carnage: Separation Anxiety #1
 

1. The Symbiote Is Still In The MCU

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Venom: The Last Dance may go some way in retconning Spider-Man: No Way Home, but even if Eddie is no longer sent home via Doctor Strange's spell, we see nothing to suggest that piece of the Symbiote isn't still on Earth-616. 

This could be crucial for Spider-Man 4, particularly if Peter Parker finally dons the alien suit. 

Having Venom return to his reality via one of Knull's portals might also be a hint that the King in Black is sending his Xenophage across the Multiverse, not just Eddie's world. If so, that too could have major ramifications down the line...
 

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WhatIfRickJames
WhatIfRickJames - 10/29/2024, 2:36 PM
Yeah, cameos... so many cameos
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 10/29/2024, 2:39 PM
The only thing i miss is my dad
Nolanite
Nolanite - 10/29/2024, 2:51 PM
Thank you.
Now I don't feel bad about ditching this movie and waiting for it to release on streaming apps.
Nolanite out
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 10/29/2024, 3:13 PM
About number 1, I got the opposite impression. This movie totally retcons that moment to happen in the Sonyverse rather than the MCU. It's when Venom tosses a coin on the bar (in the Sonyverse), that's where the piece of the symbiote comes from.

In NWH it's the last thing we see, after Brock is transported back to his home universe. So sequentially it makes sense for it to to be in the Sonyverse. I'll have to watch NWH again and see if we see the long haired bartender or the short haired bartender when that happens, but I don't think we see either. I think it's just a close up of the symbiote crawling along the bar.
SonOfAGif
SonOfAGif - 10/30/2024, 12:59 AM
@ObserverIO - My theory is that Venom and Eddie were in Universe 616 and returned to their respective universe. But a branched timeline appeared outside the sacred timeline where the Xenophage portal pulled Eddie and Venom back to hunt them down in the respective universe and not across the Multiverse. So two versions of that moment exist and happen simultaneously. One being an MCU continuation and the other being a Sony branched timeline.
Knowherefast
Knowherefast - 10/29/2024, 3:28 PM
At 1H18M into the movie the General exclaims "Thompson Down!" as the helicopter crashes. The Xenophage then chews off the legs of the pilot but drops him to the ground where he's dragged away, shown to be put into a Humvee and taken. This masked soldier is totally set up to be Flash Thompson if the series continues
BlackStar25
BlackStar25 - 10/29/2024, 3:40 PM
Very shocked how they dropped the ball with those other symbiotes. They had Venom/Spidey content for years there...
foreverintheway
foreverintheway - 10/29/2024, 4:06 PM
Number 6 is literally NOT a nod. They specifically avoid MCU imagery to let you know it's not at all associated - yet here it is included on a list of references. My goodness.
nerdygeek12
nerdygeek12 - 10/29/2024, 5:09 PM
Another Venom article from Josh. What a surprise
JoshWilding
JoshWilding - 10/29/2024, 5:35 PM
@nerdygeek12 - I know, right?! It’s almost as if this movie, based on one of the most popular Spider-Man characters, came out 5 days ago and I’m doing by job by writing about it on a website devoted to comic book movies. [frick]ing craaaaazy, bro. 🤯

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