The first trailer for Venom: The Last Dance was released earlier today and, yes, this is definitely another Venom movie.
Whether that's a good or bad thing is up to you. Either way, the grand finale of this trilogy looks like a bigger-scale adventure than its predecessors and the three-minute sneak peek left us with plenty to discuss.
In this feature, we're delving into everything you need to know about the threequel's villains, identifying crucial plot points, key characters, and potentially revealing moments which better identify this movie's place...in the Multiverse?!
You can read through this Venom: The Last Dance trailer breakdown by clicking the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
7. The Lethal Protector
It's taken us three movies to get there, but Venom is finally a "Lethal Protector" at the start of this movie.
Still hiding out in Mexico, we see Eddie Brock confront a gang who appear to be keeping dogs in cages before making them fight. Quite rightly, the anti-hero wastes no time in laying waste to them...and eating their brains, of course.
What should be a badass moment is, unfortunately, undermined by goofy comedy and Eddie and Venom trying to say "We Are Venom" in unison. Don't be surprised if this is the only Lethal Protector action we get before the main story kicks in.
6. More Symbiotes
While he's never named, Chiwetel Ejiofor is almost certainly playing General Orwell Taylor, the military man with a grudge against Eddie Brock who sets out to do what's necessary when it comes to protecting the Earth.
Based on what we see of the armoured goons who pursue Eddie, it looks like he'll have The Jury working for him (albeit a far more grounded version in standard tactical gear).
Crucially, this group also has several Symbiotes in its possession. One of those boasts the same colour scheme as Scream, an alien we'd guess will possess Juno Temple's Dr. Payne, a newly created character.
5. The Xenophage
A fun way to end the Venom trilogy might have been to bring Knull to Earth for an epic showdown with Venom. That's something Sony really needed to lay the groundwork for a movie or two ago, though.
Instead, these alien creatures bear an uncanny resemblance to the Xenophage. They first appeared in 1996's Venom: The Hunted #1, feeding off symbiotes with an "incendiary neurotoxin" that can paralyze the aliens (making them dead weight to their hosts) and enhance their taste.
Has someone sent them after Venom or are these monsters what led to the alien fleeing his homeworld in the first place? Either is a possibility but they look like little more than cannon fodder in this story.
4. Is That Peter Parker?
Recently, a rumoured plot leak suggested Venom: The Last Dance will follow Eddie Brock as he sets out to kill and ultimately protect his Earth's Variant of Peter Parker.
We'll give it to you that there's a chance this is Peter, Mary Parker, and May Parker, but c'mon, it's not likely. Squeezing this subplot into what looks to be an already very busy movie is a step too far and we believe this is simply a family the Lethal Protector meets on his journey.
The anti-hero will be compelled to protect them, one or two of them might die and, knowing Sony, the kid will be called "Pete" and become Kid Venom in the closing moments of this threequel. A legit Spider-Man villain may still factor into the movie...you can read about that here.
3. Toxin
In a very weird moment at the end of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Detective Pat Mulligan seemed to get a Symbiote of his own. With that, the stage was set for Toxin to make his debut.
Well, he returns in this trailer and seems to have been fully possessed by the alien. The subtitles for the trailer identify him as "Toxin" and it's clear from Pat's voice that he's not alone in his cell.
Whether this is the extent of his role in the threequel remains to be seen and it could be a forgettable cameo with no sign of Pat in his Toxin form. Either way, we're hoping a whole army of Symbiotes will assemble for some sort of epic battle...after all, it might just be enough to redeem this franchise. Or not.
2. End Of The Road
Right now, all signs point to Venom: The Last Dance being the final time Tom Hardy plays Eddie Brock. That won't upset many of you, we know, and the anti-hero seems to be in a bad way here.
It may be his last stand, with Venom taking control of a dying Eddie so they can both do what's necessary to save the world. A heroic sacrifice with a tease of an eventual return feels like a suitably predictable way for Sony end this franchise.
One thing we can safely say now is that Marvel Studios likely doesn't have plans for Hardy or Eddie in the MCU. In fact, this trailer seemingly retcons a key Spider-Man: No Way Home scene - find out more here.
1. Venom Horse
What the f***?
Part of us appreciates the attempts to do something "new" with the Venom Symbiote, but at this point, Eddie Brock is a full-blown goof of a character.
Comedy is one thing; however, what Sony has done with Venom is the same as making Captain America a mental asylum escapee who paints himself red, white, and blue to fight crime. Eddie is a parody of his comic book counterpart and this scene, while harmless, is idiotic.
Can the franchise be saved after Venom: The Last Stand? With a total creative overhaul, perhaps. Unfortunately, the damage may be too much to come back from at this point.