Venom: The Last Dance, aka Venom 3, is now in theaters. And the threequel is definitely pushing that it’s the conclusion of a trilogy… From the title, to the poster plugging “‘Til death do they part.” Plus there are certain plot points in the movie (which we’ll get to in a second) that indicate the Venom movies are done after this. So will there be a Venom 4? The answer is no — at least according to the filmmakers. But there’s a big, honking asterisk next to that.
Starring Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and Venom, and written and directed by Hardy’s frequent collaborator Kelly Marcel, the duo has been plugging this is the conclusion of the story they’ve been wanting to tell since the beginning. And in fact — spoilers past this point — Venom, the symbiote, is dead by the end of the movie. It saves Eddie and the planet from rampaging aliens known as Xenophages, and their master, Knull (Andy Serkis). The movie ends with Eddie headed to New York City, and staring at the Statue of Liberty, which Venom had previously expressed interest in seeing. It’s poignant, I guess.
So yeah, Eddie is alive, and Venom is dead… Though the symbiote does say something like “Goodbye for now,” before it gets melted by acid and blown up. According to Marcel, though, who was asked if this is the final Venom movie at the Venom New York Comic Con panel, that’s it for Eddie and Venom.
“This is the last Venom movie, we always saw this as three pictures,” Marcel said. “But as you know there are lots of symbiote stories in the canon, and there may even be Easter eggs in here that start that journey.”
If by Easter eggs she means whole Easter omelets, then sure. The movie introduces a ton of new symbiotes, including Lasher, Agony, and more. Most don’t survive. But it’s possible that a new movie could follow the adventures of Juno Temple’s Agony, a super-speedster symbiote. There’s also the implication that many more symbiotes are out there. And there’s even a little bit of Venom left behind at a bar tended by Cristo Fernández’s bartender. That could bond with someone new, I guess.
But the biggest clue that the franchise isn’t done is the first end credits scene, which finds Knull on his throne, gloating about Venom being dead and threatening to destroy Earth. If there’s no Venom 4… When’s he gonna do that?
If Sony Doesn’t Do Venom 4, What’s Next For The Symbiotes?
I’m going to be honest here: probably nothing. It’s going to take a minor miracle — by which I mean producers Amy Pascal and Avi Arad forcing through a fourth Venom movie by sheer willpower alone — to make some sort of Venom 4. But let’s game this out anyway.
Right now, Venom: The Last Dance reviews are not great, but they’re still better than the first movie. And reportedly, as of this writing, it made $8 million domestically in previews, which is probably enough to power it to a $65 million opening weekend. That’s the lowest for the franchise, but on the flip side, the movie does better internationally. If it makes its money back or turns a profit, that’s enough incentive for Sony to continue the franchise.
Additionally, nothing against Temple but I have to imagine Agony One will be less expensive to produce than Venom 4. Would people want to see that? I don’t know, ask the studio that has now produced three Venom movies, Morbius, Madame Web, and the upcoming Kraven the Hunter, all without Spider-Man appearing in them. Making movies people want to see seems less important than holding on to the rights of Spider-Man and adjacent characters.
On that note, the likeliest scenario here is that Sony is planning some sort of mash-up movie bringing characters together, all against Knull. Marcel teased at the panel, “Knull, this is just the introduction to Knull, you could never do one and done with him. You’ll get to meet him, and what the future holds, who knows?”
Does anyone want to see Morbius, Madame Web, Kraven the Hunter, and a few off-brand symbiotes battle Knull in a movie? I’m trying to wrap my head around two outright bombs, a movie that has been pushed back several times, and several characters who didn’t headline the Venom movies all coming together to fight a guy who looks like a cut-scene from a video game being a compelling film to go see in theaters. I guess “air conditioning” is a good reason here. But I don’t know how you justify that to Sony’s stockholders. Just because you say “This is our Avengers: Endgame” doesn’t mean it’s not actually your Dark Universe (look it up).
The short version is that Venom: The Last Dance hasn’t opened everywhere in the world. Yesterday was just preview showings. It could blow up this weekend, and be an absolute sensation, leading to multiple spin-offs and an expanded symbiote universe. But as is, Venom 4 likely isn’t in the cards. And Knull might be sitting on that throne for a long, long time.
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At the end of the movie they showed venom as a roach. He still alive
They show a cockroach, and a piece of the Agony symbiote in the vial, versus Venom as a roach. I’m sure they mean what you’re saying, that Venom will somehow survive, but it doesn’t make any sense.
The return of venom would be a blast