Venom 2's Post-Credits Scene Changes Marvel Movies Forever

Warning: Major SPOILERS ahead for Venom: Let There Be Carnage

We break down what the Venom: Let There Be Carnage end credits scene means for Eddie Brock's story and Sony's still upcoming Marvel movies. When it released in 2018, the first Venom movie acted as the launchpad for Sony Pictures' new Marvel universe. The film introduced journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), who becomes the host for an alien parasite named Venom and together they prevent another symbiote from wrecking havoc on Earth. In the sequel, Eddie and Venom go up against their most famous comics antagonist, Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) aka. Carnage.

In terms of what's next for Venom after Let There Be Carnage, Sony hasn't yet confirmed a threequel with the symbiote anti-hero. Although the studio has a number of Marvel projects in the works, the only two with confirmed release dates are Morbius releasing in January 2022 and Kraven the Hunter in January 2023. Fans have long wanted to see Hardy's Venom face off with Tom Holland's Spider-Man, but the latter's involvement in the Marvel Cinematic Universe under the Marvel Studios umbrella has made such a crossover difficult. However, the Venom: Let There Be Carnage end credits scene has now shed some light on the future for Eddie Brock.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage only has one post-credits scene, but it's a game-changer not only for Eddie Brock but Sony's entire universe of Marvel movies. Now that the new Sony Marvel film is in theaters, we break down and explain what the Venom sequel's credits scene means. So one last time: SPOILERS ahead for Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

Click here to watch Venom 2: Ending And Post-Credit Scene Explained at YouTube.

Eddie Brock Joins The MCU In Venom: Let There Be Carnage's After-Credits Scene

Tom Hardy's Venom and Tom Holland's Spider-Man

The biggest revelation of the Venom: Let There Be Carnage credits scene is that Eddie Brock is transported from his own universe to the MCU. This is clearly indicated through the visual of Eddie laying on a bed in what looks to be a dingy rundown hotel room, only for the room around him to change into a much nicer looking one. Eagle-eyed viewers will notice that parts of the room "glitch" in a way that's reminiscent of Sony's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse animated movie, with those glitches indicating a shifting of universes. When the room is done transforming, the news is on the TV and what plays is J. Jonah Jameson's (J.K. Simmons) report about Peter Parker being Spider-Man - with a shot of Holland's character in the Spider-Man suit, though without a mask.

All this clearly indicates that Venom is now in the MCU - meaning he previously wasn't and has somehow been transported to a different universe. Despite being a Marvel character, Venom wasn't previously set in the MCU because the movies come from Sony Pictures. The studio had struck a deal with Marvel Studios and its parent company Disney prior to Captain America: Civil War to lend out Spider-Man so that the beloved superhero could appear in the MCU. In 2019, that deal had concluded and there was some uncertainty of whether Spider-Man would continue to be in the MCU. However, the studios ended up reaching a new agreement, and though the specifics are unknown, it was reported to include one solo movie - which will be Spider-Man: No Way Home - and a team-up. It's possible that Venom joining the MCU was also part of the deal, as that would explain why Marvel Studios signed off on the Let There Be Carnage credits scene when they previously reportedly blocked Sony's attempts to establish Venom as being in the MCU. But if that's the case, it has yet to be confirmed. Additionally, how long Venom stays in the MCU remains to be seen.

How Did Venom Teleport Through The Multiverse To The MCU?

In terms of how Venom moved through the multiverse from one universe to the MCU, the one thing the scene confirms is that it's neither Eddie nor Venom's doing. Although Eddie at first believes it has something to do with Venom, the symbiote's genuine fear and shock prove he's just as confused as Eddie. It's also clear in the visuals of Venom: Let There Be Carnage that the means of transportation is different to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, since the characters in that movie were sucked out of their home universes through portals. In contrast, the universe shifts around Eddie while he remains in the same spot. All this indicates that someone else caused Eddie to teleport through the multiverse to the MCU.

The question remains, however, who exactly transported Eddie to the MCU and whether it was intentional or an accident. As revealed in the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer, Peter Parker and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) will be messing with the multiverse, and that will have far-reaching consequences. After all, both Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) and Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) from another Spider-Man franchise were clearly teased. Perhaps they could have been transported to the MCU in much the same way as Venom in an accident stemming from the spell Doctor Strange was casting. That would mean Spider-Man and Doctor Strange are responsible for Venom being in the MCU, which is the most likely possibility. That said, it could have just as easily been someone or something else that hasn't been revealed yet. The effects of Doctor Strange's spell gone awry won't be clear until Spider-Man: No Way Home releases and an explanation of how exactly Venom teleported to the MCU may not be revealed until his next appearance.

Venom's Universe Isn't The MCU: What This Means For Morbius & Kraven

venom Aaron taylor johnson kraven the hunter Morbius Sony spiderman villain universe

Since Venom is transported to the MCU, that revelation confirms Eddie Brock's home universe is completely separate to the events that have happened in Marvel Studios' franchise. As of now, Venom is the only character confirmed to have moved from that universe to the MCU, which means it's unknown whether other characters expected to be in Sony's Marvel universe exist in the MCU or separately. That said, the inclusion of Michael Keaton's Vulture in the Morbius trailer previously indicated the Jared Leto-starring film could already be set in the MCU. Of course, now that Loki has released, it's possible the Keaton in Morbius is a variant of some kind and Leto's living vampire is still set in a universe separate from the MCU. As for Kraven the Hunter, since little is known about the movie itself, it's incredibly unclear whether it'll be set in the MCU or not. At one point in the movie's development, it was reported to be based on Kraven's Last Hunt, a comics storyline that sees Kraven hunting Spider-Man. If that remains the case it's possible Holland's Spider-Man will play a key role, but that's yet to be confirmed.

As with Venom, it may be the case that Sony's Marvel movies being part of the MCU is part of the studio's more recent deal with Marvel and Disney. But considering that deal will eventually end and it's not clear whether the studios will strike a new one, it's possible that Marvel and Sony create an in-universe explanation for Spider-Man leaving the MCU. Now that the multiverse has been introduced, it may be that Spider-Man and Venom leave the MCU and either return to Eddie's home universe or go to a new one. And that separate universe may be where all of Sony's Marvel movies take place. Still, both studios are keeping their exact plans for Spider-Man, Venom, Morbius and Kraven under wraps so for now it remains to be seen what universe each character will end up in.

New Tom Holland's Spider-Man Unmasked Footage

One of the more curious aspects of the Venom: Let There Be Carnage credits scene is that the Daily Bugle report of Peter Parker's identity features a new shot of Holland's Spider-Man - or, at least, one that wasn't previously included in the report. The shot shows Peter Parker unmasked but still wearing the black and red Spider-Man costume from the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, and he's standing outside Penn Station/Madison Square Garden where he first watched the Daily Bugle report. The shot is meant to help Venom's credits scene to establish that Eddie Brock is now in the MCU by tying it directly to the Spider-Man: Far From Home credits scene. However, all of the Daily Bugle reports (including those released online) use a shot of Holland's Peter Parker in his street clothes, not as Spider-Man, so this is clearly new footage.

What's unclear is whether this footage was filmed for Spider-Man: Far From Home and was eventually cut, or if Holland put on the Spidey suit specifically to film the Venom: Let There Be Carnage end credits scene. It's also possible this footage was filmed for Spider-Man: No Way Home and will be used in the opening of that film. While it's unknown when the footage was filmed, it's most certainly a new shot of Holland's Peter Parker unmasked as Spider-Man used to establish Venom: Let There Be Carnage's post-credits scene takes place partially in the MCU.

Venom Vs. Spider-Man Is Set Up (For No Way Home Or Venom 3?)

In terms of what the Venom: Let There Be Carnage credits scene means for Eddie Brock's future, the symbiote's reaction to seeing Peter Parker in his Spider-Man suit clearly sets up a conflict between the characters. Venom says, "that guy," as he licks the screen showing Peter's face, which potentially teases that the symbiote recognizes the unmasked Spider-Man. It's entirely possible Venom does recognize Spider-Man as he says the symbiote hive mind exists across universes, so if any symbiote anywhere in the multiverse knows Peter Parker, then Venom does as well. Even still, Venom's voice is quite menacing when he says the line, so this works to set up a conflict between Venom and Spider-Man in an upcoming movie. However, it's unclear when exactly that fight might take place.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is the next appearance for Holland's Peter Parker, but there's so far been little indication that Venom will appear in the MCU film. The only hint came when Hardy was spotted wearing a No Way Home logo hat, which are typically given out to people who work on a film, indicating he may have shot a scene or scenes for the movie. But Spider-Man: No Way Home has quite a bit going on. In addition to Doc Ock, Green Goblin and Doctor Strange, the movie also reportedly features the return of Jamie Foxx as Electro, while additional reports have said Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield will be back as their Spider-Man heroes, along with a host of other characters from both franchises. With so many characters rumored or confirmed to appear, it seems unlikely No Way Home will feature a proper Venom vs. Spider-Man battle.

Instead, it seems like Sony is saving their big title fight for Venom 3. Since their deal with Disney/Marvel will presumably be complete by that time, it makes sense that they'd want to explore ideas that were previously off-limits, including a battle between Venom and Spider-Man. Of course, it's still probable that Venom appears in No Way Home, but it may be in a very small role - perhaps even another post-credits scene teasing a future face-off with Spider-Man. While it's not yet confirmed when Venom will next appear, it's clear that Sony is building to a Spider-Man vs. Venom fight in an upcoming movie.

Venom & The Symbiote Hive's Multiverse Knowledge Explained

Venom's history before meeting Eddie is somewhat of a mystery across both movies about the Marvel character. The first movie explained that the symbiotes intended to take over Earth and Venom only turned on his kind because he grew attached to Eddie - he felt a kinship with Eddie because they were both losers. Then the Venom: Let There Be Carnage credits scene features the symbiote explaining a little more about his past by saying, "80 billion lightyears of hive knowledge across universes would explode your tiny little brain." He goes on to offer to show Eddie a small bit of what the symbiotes have "experienced," though that doesn't end up happening because Eddie is suddenly transported to the MCU.

What's important to note about Venom's explanation is that he says "lightyears" which are a measurement of distance, not time. So the exact timeline of how long Venom has been around isn't really revealed. However, the mention of "across universes" does indicate that the symbiote hive mind can share knowledge throughout the multiverse. That means that if Venom saying "that guy" when seeing the MCU's Peter Parker means he recognizes Spider-Man, then there may be a symbiote on Earth in the MCU somewhere. This could also mean that Hardy's Venom also has access to the knowledge of Spider-Man 3's Venom, as played by Topher Grace, which could further mean the symbiote hive mind may have knowledge of multiple Peter Parkers across the multiverse.

It's unclear whether Marvel or Sony will explain this aspect of the symbiote mythology further in a future movie, but it does open the door for some neat connections across the Spider-Man multiverse. At the very least, it sheds some light on just how vast Venom's knowledge of the multiverse is if the symbiote hive can share knowledge from different universes, and could prove helpful in Venom battling Spider-Man or in getting him back to his home universe. All told, there are quite a few revelations in the Venom: Let There Be Carnage after-credits scene and they set up an exciting future for Eddie Brock, the MCU and Sony's Marvel movies.

Next: Venom's Spider-Verse Perfect Future Villain Isn't Just Another Symbiote