Warning: Major SPOILERS ahead for Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Tom Hardy returns as Venom in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and the sequel's ending changes the franchise and sets up a future for Eddie Brock in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The long-awaited follow-up to 2018's Venom comes from director Andy Serkis and is Sony's second installment in their Spider-Man villain universe. This comes after substantial delays to the film, as well as Jared Leto's Morbius. However, Venom 2 is finally out in theaters and delivers an ending that will leave fans buzzing about what comes next.
The story of Venom: Let There Be Carnage picks up after the post-credits scene from the original film and focuses on Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) finally becoming Carnage. This comes after Venom and Eddie Brock solve the riddle to where his victims are buried, which leads to Kasady getting the death sentence. However, Eddie's final visit with Kasady sees the serial killer bite him and gain a part of the Venom symbiote. This allows Kasady to transform into Carnage, rescue his long-time lover Frances Barrison aka Shriek (Naomie Harris), and plot a scheme that includes getting revenge on Eddie. Unfortunately for the journalist, he and Venom momentarily split after some disagreements about what they should be doing.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage's ending builds to Venom facing off with Carnage at the "wedding" of Cletus and Frances. Venom seems overmatched at first but does manage to take down Carnage and Shriek at the end of the day. Venom 2's final scene shows Eddie and Venom enjoying life on the beach and hatching a plan to go wherever a Lethal Protector is needed next. However, the movie's ending and post-credits scene set up much more. Here's a breakdown of Venom 2's ending, the post-credits scene, and Venom's MCU future.
It isn't a surprise that Venom 2's ending led to a showdown between Carnage and Venom, but the outcome of the symbiote battle is a bit surprising. Venom managed to come out as the victor after Shriek's yell saw Carnage separate from Kasady, who then fell to the ground. This allowed Venom to step in before they could bond again and put Carnage back inside its own symbiote form. As for Kasady, he also meets his end at the conclusion of Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Venom bites off Cletus Kasady's head and leaves his lifeless body in the ruins of the chapel. By all accounts, Carnage and Kasady are dead, but is there any way for them to return in the future?
Venom: Let There Be Carnage clearly won't be the last film in this franchise, so continuing the series without Carnage would be somewhat unexpected. Carnage is Venom's biggest villain, and they commonly fight each other throughout the comics. That said, it does seem unlikely that this version of Carnage could ever come back. Kasady is dead, and his digested head inside Venom doesn't easily allow Sony to find a way to bring him back naturally. The multiverse does open the door for a variant resurrection, but Carnage's future could otherwise lie with another host. Karl Malus, Norman Osborn, and even Eddie Brock have been Carnage in the comics, so the red symbiote could still return, even if it is without the character's signature host.
Venom 2's ending raises many questions about Carnage's importance of a red symbiote. When Kasady transforms into Carnage in front of Eddie and Venom for the first time, Venom retreats from his complete form and goes back inside Eddie. This comes as Venom sees Carnage and yells, "Oh sh*t, that's a red one." Venom is clearly scared of Carnage and any red symbiote, but Venom 2 doesn't reveal why that is the case. Red symbiotes may be more powerful than others, as Carnage does have greater strength and more abilities than Venom. Venom: Let There Be Carnage doesn't make it clear, though, how red symbiotes are created. However, Venom's past with the symbiote creatures could give him the knowledge that red ones are more dangerous.
Venom's fear of red symbiotes could be further explored in Venom 3 thanks to the villain that Venom: Let There Be Carnage teases is coming next. For most of the movie, Eddie is working with detective Mulligan, who wants Eddie to give him any leads from his conversations with Kasady. Carnage ultimately kidnaps him since he nearly killed Shriek as a child, and she seems to get her revenge in the finale. Venom 2's ending doesn't end Mulligan's story there, as his eyes are shown glowing white. This is Sony's way of setting up Mulligan to become the Marvel villain known as Toxin.
In the comics, Toxin is another red symbiote created by Carnage, who wanted to destroy the new symbiote for fear of its power. Venom decides to save Toxin and try making him an ally. Toxin then bonds to Patrick Mulligan and begins its journey of growing in power. The comic version of Toxin does ultimately become a bit more heroic, as he helps Spider-Man and the Avengers for a time. However, Venom 2's version of Mulligan seems to be set up to be a villain that Eddie and Venom will have to deal with eventually. Mulligan came to hate Eddie by the end of the sequel, and he could have a vendetta against him in future installments or even take the law into his own hands and lose control.
The big surprise that comes with Venom: Let There Be Carnage's ending is confirming that Venom is now in the MCU. When Sony originally announced plans for Venom, it was clear that it was not connected to Marvel Studios' movies. That didn't stop fans from asking for Hardy's Venom to meet Holland's Spider-Man though. It seemed destined to happen at some point, especially after Sony and Marvel/Disney had to renegotiate the Spider-Man deal, and Venom 2's post-credits scene confirms that the time is now for Venom to join the MCU.
The scene begins with Eddie and Venom watching TV in their hotel room and discussing the vast knowledge that Venom possesses thanks to the symbiote hivemind. Just as Venom is about to show Eddie a glimpse of what he knows, everything begins changing. A bright light fades from the sky, and Eddie finds himself in a much nicer hotel room and in the MCU timeline. This is confirmed by showing J. Jonah Jameson's exclusive from Spider-Man: Far From Home's ending, which revealed Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Venom catches a look at Spider-Man, presumably for the first time, and sets up their meeting in a future film.
The reveal that Venom is in the MCU raises major questions about Venom: Let There Be Carnage, specifically whether or not the sequel takes place in the MCU. Based on what happens in Venom 2's post-credits scene, the answer seems to be no. Eddie's surroundings changing appears to be the result of multiverse madness. This would mean that the entire of Venom and everything before the sequel's tag takes place in a separate timeline from the MCU. While that means these events didn't transpire in the Sacred Timeline, it strongly implies that the Venom franchise and Sony's Spider-Man Universe exist within the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse. This is an excellent sign for the rumors surrounding who will appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home too.
Now that Venom is a character in the MCU, does that mean that the other characters in Venom: Let There Be Carnage are also part of the shared universe? The sequel brought back major characters like Anne Weying (Michelle Williams) and set up the likes of Toxin to appear in the future. However, that doesn't mean that they are in the MCU along with Venom. This will depend on how a future film explains what exactly happened that allowed Venom to switch universes. If Venom appearing in the MCU is meant to be short-lived, then the other characters will likely remain separated and in another universe waiting for him to return. If Venom is permanently part of the MCU now, Anne and others could be too. The worst-case scenario is that Venom remains in the MCU for the foreseeable future and the franchise completely forgets about the rest of his supporting characters.
Venom 2's ending only leaves a giant tease about what Venom's future in the MCU will contain. Seeing Spider-Man on the TV strongly implies that the two characters will meet in a future MCU movie. This could happen as soon as in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The movie is confirmed to include a multiverse plot and Spider-Man villains from different universes. This includes Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Electro, Sandman, and The Lizard, with rumors of many others. Venom now seems like a strong candidate to appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home somehow. Why he would go after Spider-Man is unclear, which might mean that Venom could play a surprising role and be an ally to Peter Parker instead.
If Venom doesn't appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home, his MCU future could lie with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. This may be where what happened to Eddie is explained. Venom's MCU future beyond that is unclear, as it is unknown what Sony and Marvel Studios have decided to do. Kevin Feige has suggested that Holland's Spider-Man could leave the MCU and go to another universe, so that could tie Venom and Spider-Man together for a live-action Spider-Verse movie. It's also possible that Hardy's Venom joining the MCU is part of the gradual build-up to a Secret Wars film. This could even be where Holland's Peter Parker gets the black symbiote Spider-Man suit, just like in the comics. In any case, Venom's MCU future after Venom: Let There Be Carnage should become more apparent as more time passes.
