The final trailer for Venom: The Last Dance was released by Sony Pictures earlier today and it once again teased the conclusion to Tom Hardy's time as Eddie Brock.
If it's true that Venom is heading to the MCU, there may be a good reason for that, particularly if Spider-Man's next trilogy will revolve around him donning the alien costume. Regardless, this sneak peek for Sony's Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage sequel is packed full of intriguing hints about how the Lethal Protector's story might end.
In this feature, we're taking a deep dive into the footage to highlight the biggest moments, reveals, and potential story spoilers. We also delve into Knull, explaining who that villain is, why the God of Symbiotes is important to this story and, crucially, who the heck might be playing him.
To read through this Venom: The Last Dance trailer breakdown, click on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
5. Venom Earns His Wings
In the early moments of this trailer, we find Eddie hitching a ride out of Mexico on the side of a plane. Venom makes a gag about them flying before a Xenophage attacks and a fight ensues.
In the comics, they're a ferocious feral alien species from an unnamed planet known for hunting Symbiotes. Here, they've been reimagined as Knull's minions and Eddie and Venom eventually escape by parachuting to the ground.
We'd put money on this leading to Venom sprouting his wings from the comics to take flight in an epic final battle. That design of the character has become hugely popular in recent years and was even in Insomniac's Spider-Man 2.
4. Symbiotes On The Run
This new look at Venom: The Last Dance reveals that the reason the Symbiotes came to Earth is because they're running from something. That something is Knull, and while it's a shame the previous movies didn't tease this, it's not like Sony Pictures has ever had a plan!
Along the way, we also learn that, for reasons which aren't entirely clear, Eddie and Venom must go their separate ways to save the world. Perhaps their bond has awoken Knull, drawing him to Earth with an army of Xenophage creatures. Venom does, after all, tell Eddie that they have something he "needs."
Why isn't he commanding an army of Symbiotes? It could be that this version of the villain has killed them all as he does appear to be surrounded by their remains. Whatever the case may be, we'd bet those contained Symbiotes will eventually find new hosts...
3. Another Disappointing Change From The Comics
The Venom franchise has never really adhered to the comic books and there's another disappointing example of that in this threequel's final trailer. Is it a bit of a nitpick? Sure, but it's still frustrating to see.
With Eddie Brock in Las Vegas, we watch as he's forced to knock someone out so he can steal their tuxedo. It's clearly meant as a comedic moment, albeit one which seems to ignore the fact that the comic book Venom can easily change its host's appearance and clothing.
This ability has never been explored in these movies and it's sidelined here in preference of a cheap gag. Of course, Venom's powers haven't evolved in any significant ways since 2018 and we're not shocked that the source material remains an afterthought for Sony.
2. Who Is Knull?
In the past decade or so, Marvel Comics has created a greater amount of lore surrounding Venom which has turned him into more than just a Spider-Man villain. That's included the introduction of Knull, an eldritch god of darkness and the creator of the symbiotes.
Chosen by the Celestials to serve as the King in Black, he instead used the first symbiote - in the form of a sword - to kill one of the powerful cosmic beings. After waging war against the light, Knull eventually discovered that his Hive could bond with other lesser creatures, giving him an army he could control and unleash across the entire universe.
The symbiotes eventually turned on their creator and trapped Knull inside a planet of their making. Years later, he was reawakened and arrived on Earth, leaving Eddie Brock and Venom to save not just the planet but the entire universe.
1. What Does This Mean For Venom: The Last Dance And Beyond?
We see in the final trailer for Venom: The Last Dance that an actual actor is playing Knull. Right now, we don't know who that is and Sony has kept the casting a closely guarded secret, though there's some chatter on social media about it being The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus.
There's every chance this movie will see Eddie and Venom successfully vanquish Knull, but would Sony really be stupid enough to waste a Multiversal villain - yes, his powers stretch beyond only one reality - to cap off this trilogy and then just move on? While we can't discount the possibility, it would be utter madness and this threequel could set the stage for a bigger story.
When it comes to what that will be, it may involve Spider-Man; Venom has already visited Earth-616 and alluded to a Multiversal hive mind (he also left a piece of himself behind in Spider-Man: No Way Home).
However, we think it's more likely that Sony wants to pit its Sinister Six against Knull...which may be easier said than done seeing as they have only Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Kraven the Hunter and the no doubt incredibly reluctant casts of Morbius and Madame Web.