It doesn’t. Not directly anyway. Is it open for a POSSIBLE crossover? Sure. But it is far from certain.
For a look at the previous installment in this series, “How Madame Web Connects to the MCU”, click here.
Tag: The Last Dance
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‘Venom: The Last Dance’ Star Tom Hardy Fuels ‘Spider-Man 4’ Crossover Rumors
With Venom: The Last Dance opening in theaters in just a few days, fans are preparing for what Sony has confirmed is the end of the franchise. However, even if The Last Dance is the the last dance for the Venom franchise, it is starting to seem as though Tom Hardy‘s symbiote may have a few more moves in the tank.
Sony’s final Venom film is set to introduce the villain Knull, the creator of the symbiote race, and the studio has made it clear that his story is only just beginning. Combined with recent rumors that Sony and Marvel Studios were working together to bring Venom and Knull into the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, a potentially unprecedented studio crossover event seems more possible than ever.
Recently, Hardy refused to shoot down the possibility of Spider-Man appearing in Venom: The Last Dance, generating even more buzz about the rumored project. Now, just ahead of the premiere of Venom: The Last Dance, he’s done it again.
When asked how a Spidey and Venom brawl might play out, Hardy’s gave an answer that will absolutely have fans talking.
“Venom is just like a gorilla, isn’t he? He’ll do what he has to do. I think that would be good fun,” said Hardy who then added that if his Brock were to fight a Spidey, he knows exactly which one hed like it to be.
I think Tom Holland is the best Spider-Man that was ever played, so I’m really fond of him. I think he’s a great actor and a great kid. I’m an old man, but I’d like to work with him.
The unsolicited mention of Holland, who is set to return as the MCU’s Spider-Man in a series of projects, will do nothing to squash rumors of the potential crossover. And with Holland recently revealing that the script for Spider-Man 4 is being fine tuned, it would be a fine time for Sony to pull back the curtain on their plans for both that film, the villainous Knull and Hardy’s Venom.
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Tom Hardy Finally Addresses Venom’s Rumored MCU Crossover
With production on Marvel Studios and Sony’s Spider-Man 4 finally set to get underway in 2025, buzz around the project has been steadily growing over the past several months. Though the project has been in development since before Spider-Man: No Way Home hit theaters in 2022 and rumors about its potential plot have been popping up for almost as long, it wasn’t until Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton boarded the project following a rumored script overhaul that the wildest and most exciting rumors started to fly.
Once widely believed to be a team-up film featuring Spidey, Daredevil and other street-level heroes taking on Wilson Fisk, the latest word on the film’s script, by Spidey vets Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, is that it will bring Sony’s Spidey-adjacent universe’s biggest star into the MCU and, along with him, one of the most terrifying villains to hit the pages of Marvel Comics in the last decade: Knull, the King in Black. Though there’s no confirmation of exactly what the actual plan is for Spider-Man 4, reports of screenings of Sony’s Venom: The Last Dance indicate that the film may indeed set up the prospects of an unprecedented studio crossover in which Tom Hardy‘s Eddie Brock finds himself fully integrated into the MCU and not just visiting for a short-term bender in Mexico. As the release date of Sony’s third and final installment in the Venom franchise draws near, Hardy was asked about the recent rumors and his response may be quite telling.
When asked by a reporter what the odds of Spider-Man showing up in Venom: The Last Dance might be, Hardy slyly responded by saying, “You know…you know, there are always possibilities. I couldn’t possibly say anything because this is the last movie.” Before moving on, Hardy added, “Yeah, I would love that.” As not only the star of the Venom franchise but also a writer and producer on The Last Dance, Hardy is in a unique position to know exactly what those possibilities are for this film and beyond.
This is just the beginning for Knull. 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.
–Venom: The Last Dance director Kelly MarcelDespite Sony putting a bow on the Venom franchise in The Last Dance, director Kelly Marcel recently confirmed that Knull’s story is just beginning. However, with the two most popular symbiote (Venom and Carnage) apparently off the board, it would seem foolish–even for Sony–to try to move forward with a symbiote-centric story. But according to Marcel, “One movie could never do justice to Knull,” which means that somehow, someway, there’s more story to tell. With a piece of the Venom symbiote already on Earth-616 and Hardy’s Brock reportedly headed back to the MCU’s Sacred Timeline, it’s easy to draw the conclusion the the King in Black will find his way there as well.
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‘Venom’ Franchise Vet Teases a “Marvel Film Villain” Future for The King in Black
Venom: The Last Dance may well be the final installment in Sony’s Tom Hardy-led franchise but it’s become clear that the studio isn’t done experimenting with symbiotes just yet. The Last Dance is set to introduce the Marvel Comics villain Knull, the creator of the symbiote race and one of the oldest and most evil characters in the cosmos. However, Knull does not have a large role in this film, with the studio choosing to introduce the character in order to set him up as a far greater threat to be dealt with down the road, something akin to what Marvel Studios did with Thanos in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
“One movie could never do justice to Knull,” said The Last Dance director and Venom franchise veteran, Kelly Marcel, teasing big plans for the future of the character known in the comics as The King in Black. However, with Sony having no plans for more Venom films, where will Knull be explored further? Recent rumors have Sony working with Marvel Studios to have both Hardy’s Venom and Knull crossover into the MCU in the upcoming fourth Spider-Man film; however, those are just rumors for now, though Marcel may have added a little fuel to the fire with some recent comments.
In an interview with IGN, Marcel seemingly confirmed the latest and greatest rumors about the future of the character, saying “This is just the beginning for Knull.” “We’re in spoiler territory now and we hope some of the fun of watching this movie is not knowing what will happen,” cautioned Marcel, “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.’ This film introduces Knull, but it just touches the beginnings of his story,” explained Marcel before comparing the studio’s plans for Knull to those of Marvel Studio’s greatest film villains, saying, “Marvel’s greatest film villains are developed over time. Here, Knull is the threat lurking behind the danger that tests the absolute limits of Eddie and Venom’s partnership — but it’s their relationship that remains the heart of this story.”
Knowing that Knull is after his creations and that part of Eddie Brock’s symbiote was left behind on Earth-616 after his brief trip there certainly helps add fuel to the fire that Knull could eventually find his way into the MCU. And while Marcel doesn’t confirm it, she gives room for hope that one of Marvel Comics’ recent crossover events could unfold in Spider-Man 4. “As the fans know there are many, many more symbiote stories — the universe is wide and rich, and one movie could never do justice to Knull,” teased Marcel. “Beyond this trilogy, there are more stories to explore – God is coming.“
Source: IGN
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Marvel Studios May Be Planning Unprecedented Crossover Event
For forty years, Marvel Comics’ crossover events have brought characters from every corner of the Marvel Universe to tell stories larger in scale and scope than could be done on the pages of any individual series. While not every event has been well-received, many of the arcs stand as some of the genre’s most exciting. Jim Starlin‘s Infinity Trilogy, Mark Millar‘s Civil War and Brian Michael Bendis‘ Secret Invasion have already been adapted by Marvel Studios which will next turn to an adaptation of Marvel’s first crossover event, Secret Wars, as the capstone to the Multiverse Saga. While fans wait to see just how that project comes together, new reports indicate that the studio may also have plans for a different type of crossover that would involve an unprecedented level of collaboration.
As Sony prepares to take its Venom franchise for one last spin around the dance floor, rumors and reports have begun to emerge that suggest that the story of Tom Hardy‘s Eddie Brock may continue in the MCU.
After revealing that Knull, the terrifying villain of Venom: The Last Dance, was portrayed via motion capture by Andy Serkis, industry insider Daniel RPK shared the news that the character was set to appear in future projects down the road. WIth Sony having confirmed that the upcoming film will be the final installment in the Venom franchise, that has led to speculation that the character may be making the jump to the MCU.
While it’s purely speculative at this point, there’s enough circumstantial evidence to allow for the possibility to be considered. Knull, also known in the comics as the King in Black, is an incredibly complex character but what’s important for the context of this potential crossover is that he is an eldritch god who created the symbiote race of which Venom is a part. After losing his connection to them for a time, Knull sought to regain control of them and take over the cosmos. As seen in trailers for Venom: The Last Dance, Knull is sending creatures to Earth in search of symbiotes and it could be assumed that he’s doing so to bring all of his “children” back to him. With a piece of the Venom symbiote having been left behind in the MCU, it’s not too hard to imagine that Knull could be making his way there soon.
It’s interesting that the news comes just ahead of the release of Venom: The Last Dance and as Sony and Marvel Studios begin to prepare for production on Spider-Man 4. After recently undergoing a major overhaul, the fourth installment in the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man franchise has reportedly shifted from featuring a “street-level Civil War” to potentially featuring a Multiversal story that could tie directly into Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Holland is reportedly set to play a leading role in both Avengers films and a meeting with Hardy’s Eddie Brock and a battle with Knull could work to put his Peter Parker in the black symbiote suit that first debuted in Jim Shooter‘s 1984 crossover event, Secret Wars, just in time for the 2027 MCU film of the same name.
The level of collaboration between the two studios that would be required to make this sort of studio crossover is unprecedented but also carries some potentially incredible implications. While Marvel Studios recently had major characters from non-Marvel Studios’ produced films appear in Deadpool & Wolverine, the studio had regained the right to all of those characters. In the imagined scenario where Venom and Knull appear in a film set within the MCU, the studio would be using characters solely owned by Sony and would have no choice but to adhere to the prior storytelling that brought them to where they are. Of course, with the Multiverse Saga in its back half, it is now or never for such an opportunity.
Venom: The Last Dance hits theaters on October 25th.
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‘Venom: The Last Dance’ Trailer Teases Major Implications for the MCU’s Multiverse, ‘Secret Wars’
Sony’s third installment in the Venom franchise, Venom: The Last Dance, will land in theaters on October 25th. While it looks as though The Last Dance will indeed be the last dance for Venom, the first trailer for the project just teased some major implications for Marvel Studios Multiverse which could open the door–or did it shut it?–for Tom Hardy to continue on as Eddie Brock.
As the trailer opens, Hardy’s Brock is seen to be wearing the same outfit he was wearing in the post-credit scene to Spider-Man: No Way Home. As a quick refresher, that scene–which followed up on the post-credit scene to Venom: Let There Be Carnage–was seemingly set in the MCU’s main 616 timeline. In it, Hardy’s Brock/Venom learned all about the MCU’s “superpeople” and their tangle with Thanos from Ted Lasso actor Cristo Fernández’s friendly bartender but, as he was transported back to whatever universe he counts as home, a bit of the symbiote was seen left behind at the bar. While online rumor and speculation has led to the belief that the symbiote bit would eventually find Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, the trailer for The Last Dance seems to indicate otherwise.
In Venom: The Last Dance, Tom Hardy returns as Venom, one of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters, for the final film in the trilogy. Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie’s last dance.
Official Synopsis for Venom: The Last DanceAt the 1:28 mark of the trailer, Chiwetel Ejiofor‘s character can be seen trapping the symbiote as Fernández’s character is interacting with it. Given Ejiofor’s character is shown interacting with Juno Temple’s character in the presence of a large collection of symbiotes, it would seem that he’s capturing the bit of Venom for study and, presumably, removing it from the 616.
The scene has some fairly large-scale implications beyond the removal of the symbiote from the 616. Unless there’s some serious subterfuge at play, Ejiofor’s character will spend at least some portion of Venom: The Last Dance in the 616 in the immediate aftermath of the post-credit scene from Spider-Man: No Way Home. This means that someone from Brock’s universe has discovered a way to travel the Multiverse and the fact that a door has been opened between that universe and the MCU could tie directly into Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Secret Wars. Whatever the case, this seems to indicate an all-new level of cooperation between Marvel Studios and Sony and that can only benefit both moving forward.
Venom: The Last Dance stars Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, Peggy Lu, Alanna Ubach and Stephen Graham. The film is directed by Kelly Marcel from a screenplay she wrote, based on a story by Hardy and Marcel. The film is produced by Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Amy Pascal, Kelly Marcel, Tom Hardy and Hutch Parker.
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Tom Hardy’s Next ‘Venom’ Film Gets a New Title and Release Date
As Venom 3 resumed filming in November following the Hollywood strikes, star Tom Hardy celebrated the restart of production in an Instagram post in which he referred to the film as “The Last Dance.” As one might expect, that kicked off rampant speculation that the third installment in Sony’s Venom franchise would be subtitled as such. Now, it’s official.
Sony officially revealed the film’s full title, Venom: The Last Dance, alongside a new, earlier release date for the threequel. Originally slated for a November 8, 2024 release, the film will now hit theaters on October 25, 2024.
Starring Hardy, Juno Temple, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Clark Backo, the film is expected to follow the Lethal Protector as he returns from his brief visit to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and embarks on some ridiculous, new adventure. Following the theatrical travesty of Madame Web, we can all only hope that “The Last Dance” is more than just a subtitle and a promise that they’ll stop making horseshit Marvel movies.
Source: Variety
