Venom: The Last Dance Ending Explained – A New Era in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe

The last installment of Sony’s Venom trilogy, Venom: The Last Dance, has finally arrived in theaters. Right after Spider-Man: No Way Home, this movie follows Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and his slimy friend Venom as they attempt to escape from the law and the grasp of Venom’s evil creator, the dark god Knull(Andy Serkis).

The last three movies have been quite the roller coaster. Even though Morbius and Madame Web in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe fell short of expectations, viewers can still rely on Venom to provide a ridiculous, exciting journey.

The trilogy came to a thrilling and poignant end with this threequel, foreshadowing the Lethal Protector’s epic and sinister future. Following the release of Venom: The Last Dance, here is a summary of the plot and its implications for the franchise’s future.

Venom’s Ultimate Sacrifice: Destroying the Codex to Save the World

In The Last Dance, the symbiote makes the ultimate sacrifice, and the marketing for Venom 3—and even the title—has purposefully emphasized that either Eddie or Venom will perish.

In the movie’s climax, Venom, several new symbiotes, and Earth’s army, led by Rex Strickland, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, are pitted against Knull’s terrifying Xenophages, who slaughter the symbiotes while leaving Venom alive.

Venom kills the alien monsters and himself by absorbing the Xenophages and crawling toward a conveniently located vat of acid. The symbiote pushes Eddie away before Strickland uses his clearance to force the acid to be poured on them.

Venom uses a steel door to shield his host from death when Strickland destroys the facility. “Bye for now,” the symbiote’s parting words to Eddie imply that even in his final moments, he heartily hopes the two will be reunited.

The Codex in Venom: Its Significance and Impact Explained

Knull’s escape plan depends on obtaining the Codex, which forms when a symbiote saves its host. In “Venom,” after Riot stabbed Eddie, the symbiote bonded with him to revive him. This act earned Venom the title “Lethal Protector,” which would later be significant in “The Last Dance.”

Knull is imprisoned after Venom defeats the Xenophages and sacrifices himself, much to Knull’s ire, though it’s unclear why the Codex is crucial to his escape in the film. That also implies that the Codex is destroyed despite Knull’s threats to exact revenge on the universe.

The Codex in Marvel Comics is more intricate and might provide a solution. The Codex is a piece of a symbiote that remains in the host’s body after the two have ceased bonding instead of being formed by a bond between the host and symbiote. The Codex is essentially the key to a multitude of information about the hosts and also generates a log of the host in the symbiotic Hive-mind.

In the comics, Eddie also made his composite symbiote from codices collected by The Maker, a villainous alternate universe Reed Richards, who had done so to rebuild his universe. They are a major force that can create symbiotes unlock their secrets, and other extremely valuable powers. The secret to his escape, according to Knull, was Venom’s Codex, which he may have used to gain power and control over the Hive mind.

What’s Next for Eddie Brock? Future of Venom in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe

The last battle leaves Eddie wounded, but he lives. When he awakens in the hospital, he learns that his record has been deleted and that he has “the heartfelt thanks of any grateful nation.” The General gives Eddie the note of gratitude and warns him not to share any information about what transpired, or else he will be cast into the “coldest, darkest hole imaginable.”

What comes next, then? The notion that Eddie would make a good father is a major theme in The Last Dance, which naturally ties in with the fact that he has a son named Dylan Brock in the comics.

It is implied that he can once again concentrate on telling that story now that his life is stable and his record is spotless. Unfortunately, it won’t be with his first-film girlfriend Anne Weying (Michelle Williams), who was engaged to Dan Lewis in Let There Be Carnage.

It’s unclear if Sony and Disney’s current Marvel rights agreement will allow that, but it would be well worth the effort. Even though the Venom trilogy has ended, Hardy has denied rumors that he will appear in Spider-Man 4.

Knull’s Fate in Venom: The Last Dance – Ending Explained

Kelly Marcel, the director of Venom: The Last Dance, discussed Knull’s unexpectedly short appearance in the film before its premiere. The key conclusion is that we should anticipate seeing more of the frightful antagonist in Sony’s upcoming films:

“We’re in spoiler territory now and we hope some of the fun of watching this movie is not knowing what will happen, but trust me, we know full well how important Knull is to the fans, so just as we laid a foundation for Venom, we hope we are doing the same for Knull. The King in Black is way too powerful for ‘one and done.’”

It’s unclear now how that will occur. Knull may, of course, transition into the MCU because he does possess the ability to travel across multiple universes. Still, it’s telling that Marcel has also discussed life in the symbiote franchise even after Venom’s fate is known. Therefore King in Black event might only take place in Sony’s movie universe.

The King in Black crossover event in the comics was a large-scale plot with appearances by the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Avengers, and other symbiotes. As Knull invades Earth and leaves a trail of devastation and vanquished superheroes, Venom and Spider-Man play important roles. Even though a film adaptation would likely differ greatly from the original, it’s still an intriguing idea.

Venom: The Last Dance Post-Credits Scenes Explained – What Happens Next?

There are two credit scenes in Venom: The Last Dance. As he struggles with his loss, the first goes back to Knull’s prison. Furious, he swears retribution and establishes his course of action with a terrifying declaration to the cosmos:

“Your champion has fallen. Planets will be mine. The King in Black is awake. I will kill your world, everyone will burn and you will watch.”

Since Kelly Marcel, the director of Venom: The Last Dance, has already stated that more Knull will be featured, likely, the fearsome villain will likely soon make his appearance. King in Black might be an Avengers-level event if Sony does this correctly and, hopefully, manages to bring Venom back or even use Spider-Man in their expanded universe.

Based on Marvel lore, the comics event established Knull as an old foe of the Celestials, who have already played a significant role in the MCU. According to Marvel’s official statement, he aspires to a “perfect kingdom of nothingness,” before their betrayal and imprisonment, his army consisted of symbiotes.

His threat of domination is real, and hopefully, Sony can gather enough Earth-defenders to make the appearance of such a terrifyingly strong antagonist acceptable.

The post-credits scene is a brief stinger amid Area 51’s ruins following Strickland’s explosion. The bartender for Cristo Fernández shows up after everything has settled, frantically yelling “Hola?” and pleading for help. A cockroach is then brought into sharper focus, reiterating a previous scene where Dr. Payne claims that only cockroaches would survive the government-approved demolition of Area 51.

Curiously, a cockroach approaches the device where Strickland placed the Venom symbiote fragment. Sparks fly, showing the broken device, and the symbiote is released. The cockroach symbolizes the fragment’s survival, raising the question: will it bond with another host?

Venom may bond with a different host if Tom Hardy doesn’t return after “Venom: The Last Dance,” unless he can face Spider-Man. In the comics, characters like Peter Parker, Anne Weying, and Flash Thompson have hosted Venom, giving Sony options even without Hardy.

About Venom: The Last Dance

Venom: The Last Dance is an upcoming American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Venom, produced by Columbia Pictures.

Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is intended to be the sixth film in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe and the sequel to Venom (2018) and Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021).

The film is being written, co-produced, and directed by Kelly Marcel (in her directorial debut), from a story she wrote with Tom Hardy, who reprises his roles as Eddie Brock and Venom and also serves as co-producer.

The film released in the United States on October 25, 2024.