What's Next For Venom After Let The Be Carnage? Spider-Man Universe Future

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

Now that Venom: Let There Be Carnage has been released, questions remain over where Marvel’s lethal protector will show up next. The post-credits scene of Venom 2 sets up some exciting possibilities for Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock in the MCU, but the film also lays the groundwork for more Venom stories within Sony’s Spider-Man universe. The intermingling of the two franchises can be a bit confusing, but it also means more Venom coming to the big screen in the near future.

Though the original Venom was met with pretty negative reviews, it was a huge success at the box office and attracted a sizable faction of supporters due to its abject silliness. Hardy was compelling enough in the leading role, and the relationship between Eddie and Venom proved entertaining. While the critical consensus is that Venom: Let There Be Carnage is far from a masterpiece, it has faired better critically than the first film and has received some notable praise for embracing the inherently ridiculous nature of the Venom character.

After Venom 2 has done so much to build out the characters and world of Sony’s Spider-Man universe, there are a lot of different directions the character could go in next. The ending of Venom 2 teleports Venom and Eddie to the MCU, where a confrontation with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man was teased. However, the character also has a bright future at Sony. Here’s what’s been revealed so far about Venom’s cinematic future, and where he might show up next on the big screen.

Will There Be A Venom 3?

Prior to the Venom: Let There Be Carnage premiere, Hardy said that a sequel to Venom 2 would only happen if the second film did well. But with Venom 2 performing spectacularly at the box office, it seems like a sure thing that Venom 3 is on the way. Venom 2 director Andy Serkis has said that he’s interested in exploring more of the villains held in the Ravencroft Institute, so it’s likely that Venom 3 will be digging even deeper into the catalog of Spider-Man villains that Sony currently owns the movie rights to.

One such villain who has already been teased in Venom: Let There Be Carnage is Toxin, the offspring of Carnage and one of the most dangerous symbiotes in all of Marvel’s comics. The ending of Venom 2 includes a shot of police officer Patrick Mulligan seemingly being infected with some of Carnage’s symbiote, which will likely manifest as an appearance from Toxin in Venom 3. Due to the other upcoming releases in Sony’s Spider-Man universe, however, like Morbius and Kraven the Hunter, it may be a few years before Venom 3 reaches theaters.

Will Tom Hardy’s Venom Be In Spider-Man: No Way Home?

In the Venom 2 post-credits scene, Eddie and Venom are seen relaxing after their battle with Carnage, discussing Venom’s symbiote hivemind, when a sudden earthquake seems to transport them from their reality into the MCU. J. K. Simmons’ J. Jonah Jameson is heard over the TV, and news footage of Holland’s Spider-Man is clearly shown, with Venom appearing to recognize his classic comic book foe. The post-credits scene has become the biggest talking point from Venom: Let There Be Carnage because of its larger franchise implications, the most obvious of which is Hardy’s Venom possibly appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Neither Disney nor Sony have confirmed Venom for Spider-Man: No Way Home, but it seems like the inevitable result of the Venom 2 post-credits scene. The film will see characters from the previous Spider-Man film canons entering the MCU to battle Holland’s Spider-Man, with past villains like Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus, Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, and Jamie Foxx’s Electro all already confirmed. The multiverse convergence event caused by Doctor Strange in No Way Home would explain how Hardy’s Venom was brought to the MCU, and it would be fun to see him finally come face to face with Spider-Man.

Can Venom Join The MCU For Good?

The Venom 2 post-credits scene confirms an MCU crossover movie of some sort, but does that mean that he’ll be joining the franchise for good? In short, no. Sony still owns the film rights to Venom, as it does with Spider-Man and all of his associated villains and sidekicks. Those rights will remain with Sony indefinitely, as long as the company produces a Spider-Man universe film every five to six years. Reports say that Sony has asked for $10 billion to sell the rights back to Marvel, which is a price Disney is unlikely to pay, and because of the value of the Spider-Man franchise, Sony probably won’t stop making the movies anytime soon.

Spider-Man has been allowed to feature in the MCU through a separate licensing deal between Sony and Marvel, where Sony has effectively rented the character back to them for certain movies. A similar deal is likely behind Venom's impending MCU debut, which means that while he could continue to be licensed out to Sony for additional films after No Way Home, there’s no guarantee that Sony will let Marvel hold onto the character. Sony has big plans for its own Spider-Man film universe, and Venom is a key piece of those plans. So, while he may appear once or twice in MCU Phase 4, Venom probably won’t become a permanent staple in Disney’s franchise anytime soon.

Venom’s Future In Sony’s Spider-Man Universe Explained

Jared Leto as Morbius, Venom, and Kraven the Hunter

In addition to the hypothetical release of Venom 3, Hardy’s Eddie Brock could appear in a number of Sony’s other upcoming Spider-Man movies. Rumors that Venom will appear in Morbius alongside Jared Leto’s eponymous vampire haven’t been confirmed, but it seems incredibly likely as Sony is still in the early stages of building out its shared universe. There’s also been speculation about a Sinister Six movie sometime down the line, which could also feature Venom in a prominent role.

Until Sony releases more of its Spider-Man universe movies, it’s hard to say how exactly Venom will fit into the overarching storyline. In his own movies, he’s been portrayed as an antihero instead of a villain, but he’s still far from the Iron Man type of character that usually leads big film franchises. It’s hard to see how an Avengers-style crossover movie would happen in Sony’s Spider-Man universe but Venom: Let There Be Carnage seems like just the beginning of the character’s expanding adventures on the big screen.

Next: Venom 2: Every Easter Egg & Marvel Reference Explained