After watching Venom: The Last Dance, many viewers likely walked away feeling conflicted, and unsure of how to interpret the film’s events. While the movie closes on a relatively upbeat note, complete with a montage of Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and Venom’s (also Hardy) best moments set to nostalgic music, the title raises the question: is this truly the end of their partnership? The movie takes these characters on a wild ride, but it leaves some uncertainties about their future.
Venom: The Last Dance pits Eddie and Venom against both extraterrestrial and military threats. While Eddie embarks on a road trip to clear his name from a murder charge, he discovers that he and Venom are being hunted by an elite military squad.
This group, aiming to imprison them in Area 51, also holds the key to releasing a dangerous ancient evil, making Eddie and Venom’s target multiversal. Amidst fighting monsters and evading military forces, they must also navigate an awkward dynamic with a group of eccentric hippies.
The Fate of Venom
A major plot point in the film revolves around a codex that Venom and Eddie share, a result of Venom’s past act of resurrecting Eddie. This codex, when combined with the right conditions, could unleash a deadly being named Knull. To retrieve the codex, Knull sends xenophages—scorpion-like creatures that can only track it when Venom fully takes over Eddie’s body.
As Eddie and Venom face numerous threats, they are confronted with the possibility that their death would prevent Knull’s escape. The solution, it seems, is sacrifice.
In a dramatic turn of events, Venom sacrifices himself to save Eddie. After teaming up with other symbiotes and scientists, Venom confronts the xenophages in a final battle, using his powers to eliminate them in an acid bath. Despite their struggle, Venom ultimately decides that the only way to protect Eddie and the world is by sacrificing himself. The film ends with Eddie alone in New York, contemplating the Statue of Liberty and bidding farewell to his alien companion. But is Venom truly gone for good?
Hints at Venom’s Return
The film’s ending suggests Venom’s death, but there’s a lingering question: did Venom really die? A key moment occurs earlier in the film when Venom leaves a part of himself behind on a coin in Mexico. This shedding is discovered and taken to Area 51, where it is carefully stored by Dr. Teddy Payne. While it’s unclear what happens to the vial during the final battle, the post-credits scene hints at the possibility of Venom’s return, keeping the door open for future installments in the Venom series.
Dr. Teddy Payne, portrayed as a gender-swapped version of the comic’s Thaddeus Paine, plays a crucial role in the film’s conclusion. Initially sympathetic toward the symbiotes she works with, she eventually becomes the host for a new symbiote—Agony. This purple symbiote, with its lightning-based powers, emerges after Teddy breaks a vial containing its essence.
Agony’s powers and Teddy’s newfound strength could set the stage for a potential partnership or rivalry with Eddie and Venom in future films, leaving fans to wonder if Agony will become a friend or foe to the anti-hero duo in a potential Venom 4.