You’ve sat through the credits of Venom: The Last Dance, and you’re wondering if you were right to stick around. The answer is a resounding yes! Marvel movie fans know the drill, and Venom: The Last Dance delivers not one, but two post-credit scenes – a mid-credits scene and an end-credits stinger – both crucial for understanding the future of Venom and the wider Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters (SPUMC). If you’re looking to dissect every detail of the Venom: The Last Dance post credit scene, you’ve come to the right place.
Spoiler warning: Major spoilers for Venom: The Last Dance follow! If you haven’t experienced the finale yet, maybe swing by our review first to catch up!
Venom: The Last Dance marks the apparent culmination of Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and his symbiotic other half’s journey. However, as any seasoned comic book moviegoer knows, “the end” is rarely truly the end in the superhero genre. While this film seemingly wraps up Eddie and Venom’s arc, the post-credit scenes leave tantalizing threads dangling, suggesting a much larger tapestry is being woven within Sony’s Marvel universe. Even Tom Hardy himself has hinted at the possibility of revisiting the character, stating he’s open to more Venom adventures. But before we delve into the future, let’s break down what transpires in Venom: The Last Dance to understand the context of those crucial post-credit moments.
Setting the Stage: Knull’s Shadow and the Xenophage Threat
The movie plunges us directly into the cosmic deep end with the introduction of Knull, the symbiote god, a figure comic fans will instantly recognize. Played by Andy Serkis – who also directed Venom: Let There Be Carnage – Knull is depicted trapped in a void on the symbiote homeworld, Klyntar. His escape hinges on something called the Codex, a symbiotic residue left behind when a symbiote host dies and is resurrected. Unbeknownst to Eddie, his brief death in the first Venom film inadvertently created a Codex, making him a target for Knull’s monstrous hounds, the Xenophages.
The Xenophage, a terrifying creature capable of consuming symbiotes, arrives on Earth, relentlessly hunting Venom. Intriguingly, it can only detect the Codex when Eddie is fully transformed into Venom, rendering Eddie invisible in his human form or when only partially merged with the symbiote. This sets up a tense cat-and-mouse game, further complicated by the fact that the Codex’s existence is tied to the survival of both Eddie and Venom. Should either perish, the Codex vanishes.
Adding another layer of conflict, Eddie finds himself on the run from the government, framed for deaths linked to symbiote activity in previous films. This dual pursuit brings Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Dr. Teddy Payne (Juno Temple), agents of the clandestine Area 55, into the fray. Area 55, a hyper-secret extraterrestrial research facility buried beneath Area 51, houses a lab brimming with symbiotes, including Toxin, bonded to Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham), who survived Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Toxin reveals the cosmic threat of Knull to Strickland and Payne, uniting them in a common goal: preventing Knull from reclaiming the Codex and unleashing cosmic chaos.
Venom: The Last Dance Ending: Sacrifice and Seeming Finality
The climax of Venom: The Last Dance unfolds at Area 55, where the Xenophage breaches the facility, unleashing mayhem. Toxin and Mulligan meet their demise, but the chaos inadvertently frees the captive symbiotes. These symbiotes, far from being malevolent, actively aid Strickland’s forces against the Xenophage, revealing a nuanced perspective on symbiote intentions. The battle spills out, escalating as more Xenophages arrive, overwhelming the defenders.
Amidst the chaos, Eddie and Venom heroically rescue a family of alien enthusiasts, including Martin, played by Rhys Ifans. Dr. Payne bonds with a symbiote, seemingly Agony from the comics, granting her super-speed abilities, explained by a childhood lightning strike – a touch of comic book absurdity that fits the Venom universe.
Just when it appears Venom and Eddie are cornered, facing certain defeat against the relentless Xenophages, Venom makes a heroic, self-sacrificing decision. Realizing the Codex must be destroyed to thwart Knull, Venom separates from Eddie, encasing the Xenophages in a sticky symbiote mass and plunging them, along with himself, into an acid shower designed to dispose of Area 51 materials. The acid destroys Venom and the Xenophages, vaporizing the Codex. Knull, sensing this cosmic setback, unleashes a frustrated scream of “No!!!!”. Strickland also perishes in the ensuing explosion, while Payne utilizes her newfound super-speed to save a colleague.
In the aftermath, a seemingly Venom-less Eddie recovers in a hospital, where a general informs him his criminal record is expunged, contingent on his silence about his symbiote experiences. Eddie journeys to New York City, gazing at the Statue of Liberty – a landmark he and Venom had dreamed of visiting together – vowing to remember his symbiotic companion. This ending, on the surface, appears to be a definitive farewell to Venom. But the post-credit scenes suggest otherwise.
Unpacking the Venom: The Last Dance Post-Credit Scenes
As promised, Venom: The Last Dance delivers two crucial post-credit sequences that disrupt any sense of finality and ignite speculation about what’s next for Venom and the SPUMC.
Mid-Credits Scene: Knull’s Resurgence
The mid-credits scene plunges us back into the cosmic void with Knull. He declares ominously, “your champion has fallen, the King in Black is awake. Your world will burn, and you will watch!” This chilling monologue confirms that despite the immediate threat of the Xenophages being neutralized, Knull remains a significant cosmic antagonist. His reference to “the King in Black” is a direct nod to the acclaimed comic book storyline of the same name, suggesting Sony has grander plans for Knull beyond Venom: The Last Dance. Director Kelly Marcel herself has stated that this film is “just the beginning for Knull,” indicating he’s poised to be a major player in future Sony Marvel projects. The mid-credits scene serves as a clear setup for Knull’s continued presence as a looming threat within the SPUMC.
End-Credits Scene: The Bartender’s Return and a Symbiotic Clue
The end-credits scene shifts back to Earth, revisiting the bartender played by Cristó Fernández, whom we first encountered in the post-credits scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home. This bartender, a variant existing within the Sony universe, was previously abducted by Strickland’s forces in Venom: The Last Dance. He emerges from the wreckage of Area 51, disoriented and calling out for anyone. The camera then focuses on a broken vial amidst the debris, emitting a faint purple glow – reminiscent of Agony’s coloration. A cockroach approaches the vial, crawling towards a remaining droplet of symbiote.
This seemingly minor scene is rich with implications. The broken vial suggests that while most symbiotes at Area 55 were destroyed or scattered, fragments might still exist. The purple hue hints at Agony, Dr. Payne’s symbiote, potentially surviving in a fragmented state. The cockroach approaching the symbiote sliver opens up intriguing possibilities. Could this be the genesis of a new symbiote host? Or perhaps, more significantly, could this fragmented symbiote, if it is indeed a piece of Agony or another symbiote with connections to Venom, somehow play a role in Venom’s potential resurrection?
Is Venom Really Dead? Decoding the Post-Credit Scene Hints
The burning question on everyone’s mind after Venom: The Last Dance is: Is Venom truly gone for good? While the film portrays his heroic sacrifice, the post-credit scenes, combined with established comic book tropes, strongly suggest that Venom’s demise might not be permanent.
The end-credits scene with the bartender and the symbiote vial is a crucial piece of evidence. Earlier in the movie, Strickland captures the bartender but not before a small piece of Venom detaches and is inadvertently saved along with him. Strickland contains this Venom fragment in a vial, visually similar to the one in the post-credits scene. While the movie seemingly forgets about this vial, the end-credits scene could be subtly resurrecting this plot thread. Is the symbiote in the end-credits scene vial a piece of Agony, or could it be the Venom fragment saved by the bartender?
Given Venom’s popularity and Sony’s ongoing expansion of their Marvel universe, it seems highly improbable that they would permanently retire such a valuable asset. The loose thread of the symbiote fragment, Knull’s continued threat, and the open-ended nature of superhero narratives all point towards Venom’s eventual return in some form. Whether it’s through resurrection via a symbiote fragment, a multiversal twist, or another comic book-inspired plot device, the Venom: The Last Dance post credit scene strongly implies that this is not the last dance for Venom.
Furthermore, the shadowy figure who gives Strickland orders, briefly seen in the film, is credited as Doctor Dan Lewis, Anne Weying’s fiancé from previous Venom movies, played by Reid Scott. His continued interest in symbiotes, even after Anne’s apparent departure from Eddie’s life, adds another layer of intrigue. Could Dr. Lewis be involved in future symbiote-related storylines? Perhaps we’ll see his machinations unfold in upcoming SPUMC films like Kraven the Hunter or beyond.
The Future is Symbiotic: What’s Next for Venom and the SPUMC?
Venom: The Last Dance might be the end of this particular Venom trilogy, but the post-credit scenes firmly establish that the story is far from over. Knull’s emergence as a significant antagonist and the lingering possibility of Venom’s return open up exciting avenues for the SPUMC. Sony clearly intends to expand its Marvel universe, and the threads left dangling in Venom: The Last Dance, particularly the post-credit scenes, are crucial signposts for the franchise’s future direction. Whether we’ll see Venom resurrected to confront Knull directly, or if his return will take a more unexpected form, remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the Venom: The Last Dance post credit scene sequences have ensured that fans will be eagerly anticipating the next chapter in Sony’s symbiote saga.
What did you think of the Venom: The Last Dance post-credit scenes? Do they leave you excited for the future of Venom and the SPUMC? Join the discussion in the comments below!
