Moviegoers exiting Venom: The Last Dance are likely buzzing about more than just the main feature. If you’re wondering whether it’s worth sticking around after the credits roll, the answer is a resounding yes! Venom: The Last Dance delivers not one, but two extra scenes – a mid-credits and a post-credits sequence – both crucial for understanding the potential future of the Venomverse.
Spoiler Warning: Dive into the symbiote-filled details below, but be warned, major spoilers for Venom: The Last Dance are ahead. If you haven’t experienced the film yet, perhaps swing over to our review first!
The latest installment, Venom: The Last Dance, seemingly concludes the narrative arc for Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock and his ever-hungry symbiote partner. However, true to the superhero genre, the film cleverly leaves doors open for future storylines within Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. While Tom Hardy himself has hinted at being open to reprising the role ( “I’d play them again any time you know”), let’s first break down exactly what unfolded in Venom: The Last Dance itself.
So, how does The Last Dance conclude, and what sets the stage for what might come next? Let’s delve into the symbiote showdown.
Knull’s Shadow and the Codex Threat
Venom: The Last Dance throws audiences directly into the deep end with the introduction of Knull, the formidable god of the symbiotes. Fans who followed the trailers got a glimpse of this cosmic entity, brought to life by Andy Serkis (interestingly, the director of Venom: Let There Be Carnage). Knull, a creation of comic writers Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman, is trapped in a void on the symbiote homeworld of Klyntar. His path to escape hinges on something called the Codex – a concept that might trigger Man of Steel flashbacks for some.
The mechanics of the Codex aren’t entirely explained, but it’s revealed that Venom possesses one due to Eddie’s near-death experience in the original Venom film. This Codex acts as a beacon for Knull, who dispatches his monstrous hounds, the Xenophages, to Earth to retrieve it. Crucially, the Xenophage can only detect the Codex when Eddie is fully transformed into Venom. In human form, or even partially merged, Eddie remains invisible to these alien predators.
A critical rule is established early on: the Codex’s survival is tied to the life force of both the symbiote and its host. If either Eddie or Venom perishes, the Codex ceases to exist. This sets up the central conflict, with Eddie and Venom on the run not only from the Xenophage but also from government forces. Eddie is wrongly implicated in deaths from previous events, adding another layer of pursuit to their already complicated situation.
Enter Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Rex Strickland and Juno Temple’s Dr. Teddy Payne, agents of Area 55. This facility is described as an ultra-secret extraterrestrial research lab, hidden beneath the already secretive Area 51, which is, ironically, in the process of being decommissioned. Dr. Payne’s lab houses a collection of symbiotes, including Toxin, bonded to Stephen Graham’s Patrick Mulligan (who survived the previous film). Toxin reveals the cosmic scale of Knull’s threat to Strickland and Payne, uniting them in a common goal: preventing Knull from reclaiming the Codex and unleashing universal chaos.
Unpacking the Explosive Ending of Venom: The Last Dance
The film’s climax unfolds at Area 55, which becomes the battleground when the Xenophage breaches the facility. The chaos escalates as Toxin and Mulligan meet their end, leading to the release of other captive symbiotes. These symbiotes, far from being malevolent, actively bond with facility staff to combat the Xenophage threat, demonstrating a surprising inclination to protect humanity. The battle spills out into the open as more Xenophage reinforcements arrive, escalating the stakes.
Amidst the pandemonium, Eddie and Venom protect a family of alien enthusiasts who aided them earlier, including Rhys Ifans as Martin, who, despite fan theories, is explicitly not Curt Connors (Lizard) from The Amazing Spider-Man. Dr. Payne also bonds with a symbiote during the fight, visually resembling Agony from the comics, and gains super-speed powers due to a childhood lightning strike – a decidedly comic-book-esque explanation.
Facing seemingly insurmountable odds against the rapidly regenerating Xenophages, and with most other symbiotes fallen, Venom makes a heroic decision. Realizing that destroying the Codex is the only way to thwart Knull, Venom chooses self-sacrifice. He separates from Eddie, ensnares the Xenophages in a sticky, bubble-gum-like mass, and plunges himself and the creatures into an acid shower meant for Area 51 materials. This act, along with Strickland’s accidental grenade explosion, vaporizes both Venom and the Xenophages, destroying the Codex in a fiery blast. Knull senses this cosmic setback, unleashing a frustrated “No!!!!” from his void. Payne, utilizing her newfound super-speed, manages to save her colleague Sadie from the explosion.
In the aftermath, Eddie, presumed to be Venom-less, finds himself hospitalized. A general informs him that his criminal record has been expunged, contingent on his silence about the symbiote events. Eddie then journeys to New York City, gazing at the Statue of Liberty – a destination he and Venom had longed to experience together – vowing to remember his symbiotic partner.
What About Sony’s Spider-Man Universe?
Decoding the Post-Credit Scenes: Hints at Venom’s Future and Knull’s Reign
As promised, Venom: The Last Dance provides crucial context beyond the main narrative with two post-credit scenes, offering glimpses into the franchise’s potential trajectory, even if this particular Venom solo trilogy concludes.
The mid-credits scene revisits Knull, who, despite his immediate plan being foiled, ominously declares, “Your champion has fallen, the King in Black is awake. Your world will burn, and you will watch!” This chilling monologue confirms Sony’s intention to feature Knull as a significant antagonist in future projects. Director Kelly Marcel reinforced this in an interview with IGN, stating “this is just the beginning for Knull.”
The true post-credits scene, appearing at the very end of the credits, features the bartender played by Cristó Fernández. This character, a variant of the same bartender seen in the Spider-Man: No Way Home post-credits scene, was abducted by Strickland’s forces earlier in The Last Dance. He emerges from the Area 51 wreckage, calling out for anyone. The camera then focuses on a broken vial, faintly glowing purple – suggesting it contained the Agony symbiote – as a cockroach approaches it. This cryptic scene leaves much to interpretation.
This naturally leads to the burning question: Is Venom truly gone for good? Probably not. Earlier in the film, when Strickland captures the bartender, he inadvertently saves a small piece of Venom symbiote that had been left behind. Strickland contains this fragment in a vial remarkably similar to the one in the post-credits scene, and this vial’s fate remains unresolved. Whether this loose thread serves as the mechanism for Venom’s resurrection in future Sony Marvel films remains to be seen. However, with Knull’s looming presence and more Sony Marvel projects in development, it would be surprising if the immensely popular symbiote character didn’t reappear in some form.
Another unresolved plot point is Strickland’s mysterious superior, a shadowy figure voiced by Reid Scott (Doctor Dan Lewis, Anne Weying’s fiancé from previous films). His interest in symbiotes and future plans remain unclear, potentially setting up a storyline in Kraven the Hunter or another Sony Marvel film.
What are your thoughts on Venom: The Last Dance? Do you believe it provides a satisfying conclusion for Eddie and Venom’s journey, or are you eager for more? Share your theories and opinions in the comments below!
