Like Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage before it, Venom: The Last Dance looks set to be a divisive movie. However, it made good on its promise to end Eddie Brock and Venom's story, so you've got to give it credit for that, at least!
Of course, when it comes to superhero movies, we know that doesn't necessarily mean anything...especially when you're talking about one of Sony's most lucrative franchises outside of Spider-Man.
Venom: The Last Dance does lay the groundwork for future stories which may or may not revolve around Eddie Brock. It also teases Venom's future, a terrifying new villains, and possible Multiversal consequences that could bleed into Marvel Studios' current plans. It's all of those that we're taking a closer look at today.
You can read through this feature by clicking on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
6. A New Symbiote Hero
In Venom: The Last Dance's final act, the Symbiotes acquired by the U.S. Government are freed and bonded with various scientists and security personnel. Most are killed by the Xenophage but at least one survives.
Juno Temple plays Dr. Payne, a Symbiote-loving scientist who lost her brother when they were both struck by lightning as children. As Agony, she appears to have electricity-based powers and super speed, making her a formidable, intriguing addition to this canon.
Seeing as the movie went to the effort of giving her an origin story, we'd be shocked if Agony doesn't return down the line. However, we're not convinced she's the best choice to lead her own franchise...
5. Eddie Brock In New York
The movie ends with Venom's apparent death; he kills the invading Xenophage and manages to stop Knull from acquiring his and Eddie's Codex. That leaves a broken-hearted Eddie to travel to New York City alone where he looks out at the Statue of Liberty while mourning his fallen friend.
Eddie being in the Big Apple sets the stage for him to start working at the Daily Globe and perhaps wander into a church where he'll be reunited with Venom...however, some big changes will need to be made to that story in a world without Spider-Man!
While another trip through the Multiverse could lead Eddie back to Earth-616's New York, this feels more like a half-hearted effort on Sony's part to put Venom in the same place as Morbius and Madame Web's characters for an eventual crossover.
4. The King In Black Is Awake
Knull wants his Xenophage to bring him Eddie and Venom's Codex because it's a key that will unlock his prison on Kylntar. The plan fails but the King in Black is awake, Earth's "Champion" has fallen, and he wants to destroy everything.
Honestly, despite recent rumours suggesting Spider-Man and Venom will team up to battle Knull, there's nothing here to suggest that's the plan. In fact, Knull feels like a threat to this reality and only this reality.
It's not a bad idea to give Sony's Marvel Universe its own Thanos, particularly as they're creating a stable of characters who - whether we like it or not - will eventually assemble as the Sinister Six. Still, Venom, Morbius, Kraven the Hunter, and Vulture vs. Knull? Consider us unimpressed.
3. Venom...Lives?
There's a scene in Venom: The Last Dance which sees a couple of characters clumsily discuss how cockroaches can survive pretty much anything. It's an odd moment that pays off in the movie's post-credits scene.
Taking us back to the ruins of Area 51, we see a cockroach fly through the air and land near one of the broken containers that previously held a Symbiote. It sparks to life, with the implication being that Venom might have survived by bonding with the insect.
If Venom isn't hitching a ride on that, then this is truly the most pointless stinger we've ever seen. However, we believe the idea is to leave the door open to the Symbiote eventually reuniting with Eddie.
2. Maximum Carnage
While Venom: The Last Dance treats the Symbiote Codex concept very differently from the comics, Carnage being part of the Symbiote Hive-Mind is undoubtedly meant to open the door to him returning as well.
That's what happened on the page (Cletus Kasady was even able to control his alien costume without a physical body) and, let's face it, the villain is one that deserved much better than getting eaten in Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
It's also worth noting that, when Venom consumed Carnage in the comics, he eventually had to expel his powerful offspring. What he went through in this movie by "dying" might be enough for the blood-thirsty alien to get a second chance. Heck, perhaps he's tied to the Codex!
1. The Multiverse Of It All
Venom: The Last Dance appears to distance itself from Spider-Man: No Way Home, with Venom declaring he's had "enough of this Multiverse sh*t" upon arriving home. Is that a tease for the future or does it close the door on an Earth-616 return?
We don't know. Honestly, Sony might have just shot those post-credits scenes to drum up interest in its 2021 offerings and, while the teases led nowhere, it worked (and, let's face it, it's a very Sony thing to do).
Could Spider-Man and Venom team up to face Knull? It's possible, sure, but there's really nothing here that sets the stage for it to happen. There's also nothing that suggests it won't, so it's down to Marvel Studios. If anyone can fix Venom, it's them...