The end of Venom left fans with a lot of questions about the future of the franchise and the symbiote anti-hero. Venom: Let There Be Carnage concludes with several surprises and an exciting post-credits scene that hints at a larger connected universe. To understand the implications of the ending, let’s recap the key events and analyze what they could mean going forward.
What happens at the end of Venom: Let There Be Carnage?
The climax of the movie shows Venom and Carnage battling each other in a church bell tower. After an intense fight, Venom manages to throw Carnage into the bells, creating a sound frequency that destabilizes the red symbiote. Venom then finishes off Cletus Kasady and consumes the remnants of the Carnage symbiote.
In the final scene, Eddie Brock is watching a news report about Cletus’ death when he is suddenly teleported into another universe. The televised report briefly shows J. Jonah Jameson, confirming that this is the Marvel Cinematic Universe inhabited by Spider-Man. A shocked Eddie asks Venom what just happened, and Venom simply replies “We should go.” The end credits scene then shows Eddie admiring the sight of New York City in this alternate Marvel reality.
What does the end mean for future Venom movies?
The most obvious implication is that Venom will eventually cross over with Spider-Man and interact with other MCU characters like Tom Holland’s version of Peter Parker. This paves the way for a Venom vs. Spider-Man movie that fans have been wanting to see for a long time.
Given that the MCU Spider-Man films are produced by Sony in partnership with Marvel Studios, it was only a matter of time before Venom entered this shared world. The post-credits scene essentially confirmed that Sony’s Marvel movies like Venom do take place in the same multiverse as the MCU.
While it’s unclear exactly when Venom and Spider-Man will meet on screen, the ending strongly suggests it could happen in a third Venom solo movie or perhaps the next Spider-Man film. The odd couple pairing of Eddie Brock and Venom with Peter Parker has a lot of comedic and action potential that could make for an extremely fun crossover.
How did Venom get transported into the MCU?
The mechanics behind Venom’s interdimensional journey are still vague but likely involve a rift between universes created by the gravitational anomaly seen earlier in the movie. Woody Harrelson’s Cletus Kasady seemed to know about the coming cosmic event and predicted absolute chaos as a result.
The mid-credits scene with Eddie and Venom also hinted that the symbiote had some knowledge about the multiverse and was even ready to make the leap to a new universe. This implies Venom himself may have had the ability to traverse worlds and carried Eddie with him.
While the specifics are still murky, it’s reasonable to assume the collision between Venom and Carnage combined with the gravitational anomaly allowed Venom to open a portal connecting Sony’s universe to the MCU. The symbiote essentially hitched a ride through this rift, bringing Eddie along to Peter Parker’s world.
Analysis of Venom’s Character Arc
How did Eddie and Venom’s relationship evolve?
Across Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Eddie goes from fearing Venom as a monstrous parasite to embracing the symbiote as an ally. Venom likewise evolves from using Eddie simply as a host body to finding a mutually beneficial bond with his human partner.
In the first film, Eddie initially wants to get rid of Venom as soon as possible after the symbiote fuses to his body. However, when Eddie realizes they share a common enemy in the Life Foundation and Riot, he learns to work alongside Venom using the symbiote’s powers.
By the end of the sequel, Eddie and Venom have grown rather close, with Eddie even calling them friends who care for each other. Venom went out of his way to reunite with Eddie and expressed concern for his human partner’s wellbeing. This marked a major turning point in Venom softening towards humanity.
Overall, the two outcasts forged an unlikely friendship and came to realize they were better together than apart. This growth will play a big role in how they interact with Peter Parker and other potential new allies in the MCU.
How did Venom change after bonding with Eddie?
Meeting Eddie Brock marked a pivotal shift in Venom’s attitudes toward humans compared to his earlier violent instincts. Without a compatible host, Venom tended to dominate his human partners and use them solely for survival purposes.
Bonding with Eddie resulted in Venom experiencing positive human emotions and relationships for the first time. Eddie’s fondness for chocolate and romance movies initially perplexed Venom. But over time, Venom grew to appreciate these simple human pleasures.
Eddie’s determination to only hurt bad people infected with Venom also established moral lines that influenced the symbiote’s behavior. This contrasts with past hosts who unleashed Venom’s full lethal potential without restraint.
By the end of the sequel, Eddie helped make Venom more compassionate, heroic and in tune with humanity. This softer Venom suggests he may team up with Spider-Man as an antihero instead of being a villain if they meet in the MCU.
Implications of Carnage in the Venom Universe
How was Carnage defeated?
After rampaging through San Quentin Prison and the streets of San Francisco, Carnage finally meets his end in a church bell tower. There, Venom rips Carnage’s body apart before consuming the remnants of Cletus’ symbiote.
The key to defeating Carnage was weaponizing high pitched sound frequencies from the ringing church bells. When exposed to the loud noise, Carnage’s symbiote destabilized and separated from Cletus’ body. This weakness allowed Venom to finish off his progeny.
While fire and sound have always been symbiote weaknesses, the film highlighted sonic attacks as the most effective way to beat Carnage. The climactic battle visualized Carnage unraveling when bombarded by the piercing bell noises.
In the end, Venom proved more powerful than his offspring and prevented Carnage from fully spreading. But it took ingeniously using the church surroundings to weaken Carnage before Venom could eat his symbiotic spawn.
Does Carnage’s defeat end the symbiote’s threat?
Although Cletus Kasady and his Carnage symbiote were killed, the movie leaves open the possibility that Carnage could return someday. When last seen on screen, Venom appeared to fully consume Carnage’s remains into his own biomass.
This suggests traces of Carnage’s DNA still exist within Venom’s body after assimilation. Given that symbiotes reproduce asexually, even tiny remnants of Carnage could potentially regenerate or bond to a new host.
Venom also failed to kill Riot in similar fashion in the first movie, yet the symbiote returned with Cletus by the sequel. So long as Carnage cells exist in some form, it’s premature to declare the character totally gone. Carnage could always come back either through Venom or by infecting someone new.
However, Venom eating Carnage likely buys the franchise a lot of time before the red symbiote needs to return. The filmmakers can always bring back Carnage down the road if they choose. For now, his threat to Earth seems contained.
Connections to Other Marvel Characters
How does Morbius connect to Venom’s universe?
The upcoming Morbius film starring Jared Leto appears to take place in the same reality as the Venom movies based on its trailers. An early Morbius trailer shows Michael Keaton reprising his role as Adrian Toomes/Vulture, the antagonist from Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Keaton wearing the same Vulture outfit implies Morbius exists in a universe where the events of Spider-Man: Homecoming happened as part of this film’s backstory. Of course, Homecoming stars Tom Holland as part of the MCU.
But Venom’s mid-credits scene confirms Sony’s movies occupy a separate universe from the MCU proper. So Morbius likely takes place in the Sony Marvel universe alongside Tom Hardy’s Venom. The two characters just haven’t crossed paths yet.
Having Vulture appear in Morbius retroactively establishes stronger worldbuilding connections between Sony’s Marvel projects. It also further sets up the potential for an eventual Sinister Six team-up movie that could unite Venom and Morbius as allies.
Are there any teases to other future characters?
In addition to the Morbius connection, the Venom movies contain subtle references to other characters who may enter this universe down the road:
– A Life Foundation agent in Venom is named Roland Treece, a possible tease to Spider-Man villain Hydro-Man.
– In Let There Be Carnage, Ravencroft Institute houses several serial killers and psychopaths who could become supervillains, like Cletus Kasady did as Carnage.
– Cletus at one point asks Eddie if he’s ever bitten anyone’s head off before, a possible reference to Spider-Man foe Morlun.
– Let There Be Carnage director Andy Serkis has said he included some Easter eggs hinting at Spider-Man villains Kraven the Hunter and the Hobgoblin.
While it’s unclear if these were playful nods or actual groundwork being laid, they illustrate connections to a wider world of Spider-Man characters. As Sony continues expanding their own Marvel universe, anything mentioned is potentially on the table for a future film down the line.
Conclusion
The end of Venom: Let There Be Carnage kicks open the doors to exciting new possibilities for Venom, Spider-Man, and the Marvel multiverse. By having Eddie Brock and Venom transported into the MCU, the film primes the duo for future interactions with Marvel heroes like Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. Their improved bond by the sequel’s end also sets the foundation for Venom to play more of an antihero role if they ever join forces with Spider-Man.
While the immediate threat of Carnage has passed, his demise was left just ambiguous enough that the character could someday return. For now, Venom’s arrival in the MCU signals a thrilling new chapter that could see any number of crossover matchups. Whatever comes next, the ending of Let There Be Carnage ensured Venom’s cinematic universe will never be the same.
