Does Venom 3 Set Up Spider-Man 4, Sony's Spider-Verse & The Future Of The MCU?

Contains spoilers for "Venom: The Last Dance"

Venom (Tom Hardy) has by far been the most successful experiment within Sony's Spider-Man Universe. With no actual Spidey to speak of and unclear plans about where all this is heading, audiences have been onboard with this series from the beginning. Whereas the likes of "Morbius" and "Madame Web" became more known for their meme potential, the Venom movies have avoided such a fate. They've been financially successful despite never being critical darlings, although Looper's review for "Venom: The Last Dance" was largely positive.

As suggested by the title, this is being reported as Venom's swan song, and by the film's end, it definitely seems like the symbiote went out a true hero. Venom traps several xenophages within his goo as acid pours all around them, foiling Knull's (Andy Serkis) plan to acquire the codex located in Eddie's spine. Said codex should be destroyed now, and the film concludes with Eddie in New York City, accompanied by the memories he's had as the lethal protector. 

However, when it comes to existing within an interconnected universe, no third film can ever truly be the end. "Venom 3" gives Eddie Brock a heartfelt send-off, but who knows if that'll last? There are quite a few plot points that could be picked up in future Sony movies or even the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With the Multiverse, anything's possible. 

Arguably, the most exciting addition to Marvel's cinematic mythos is Knull, god of the symbiotes. Sadly, he doesn't get much to do outside of delivering creepy monologues, as he sends xenophages to Earth to do his bidding and acquire the codex. If he were to get it, he could be freed from his prison and unleash chaos and darkness across the Multiverse. Suffice it to say, he's a major threat, and not the kind of villain a studio should waste on a single film. And there's no shortage of ways he could be used going forward.

One theory is that he's effectively going to become the Thanos of Sony's Spider-Man Universe, bringing together all of the characters introduced so far to take him down. However, Knull may be too big for just the Sony-Verse. In Marvel Comics, he is a multiversal threat, possessing awareness of all realities and wielding power strong enough to take on some of the most powerful cosmic forces, Considering the MCU is in its Multiverse Saga, perhaps Knull could jump ship and play a role there.

Marvel Studios and Sony already collaborate for the Spider-Man movies, so that could serve as his entryway. Then again, there were previously rumors Marvel and Sony disagreed on what direction to take Tom Holland's "Spider-Man 4," with reports suggesting Sony wanted more Multiverse while Marvel preferred a more grounded approach. Sony allegedly pushing for the Multiverse could be their attempt to make Knull more of a threat across franchises, but if "Spider-Man 4" focuses on a more street-level story, Knull may remain relegated to his one universe. 

A "Sinister Six" movie is still seemingly an upcoming superhero movie sequel Sony wants to get made. It would reasonably be the studio's endgame to bring all of these villainous characters who have gotten their own movies to come together for one big event. At the end of "Venom: The Last Dance," Eddie makes it to New York City, which is where Morbius (Jared Leto), Madame Web (Dakota Johnson), and supposedly Kraven the Hunter (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) should all be as well. 

Eddie's record may have been expunged, but he was still a wanted fugitive. Therefore, it probably wouldn't be hard for any of those characters to track him down and ask him to join their squad. Granted, Venom's sacrifice means Eddie doesn't have any special powers on his own; however, the "Venom 3" post-credits scene suggests a piece of the symbiote was spared from the acid. Eddie could find this extra Venom, or if the symbiote hitches a ride on that cockroach, it could travel all the way to New York to find Eddie. 

It sounds like "Venom 3" is the final Venom solo movie, but Hardy sounds game for more. In a chat with IGN, the actor said, "I've loved every moment of Eddie and Venom and I was really fond of them. I'd play them any time, you know, because there's a special place that exists within me to want to operate those two characters wherever you put them in whatever capacity." Hardy's clearly a fan of this role, so if that "Sinister Six" film ever happens (and that's a big if), there would likely be a place for him. 

When looking at a potential Sinister Six for Sony's Spider-Man Universe, the lineup so far would appear to be Venom, Morbius, Kraven the Hunter, Vulture (Michael Keaton, brought into the Sony-Verse in "Morbius"), and Rhino (Alessandro Nivola, who's confirmed for "Kraven the Hunter"). That leaves one spot open that could be filled by anyone. Sony was planning an "El Muerto" movie starring Bad Bunny, but after he left the project, it's unclear whether that'll end up happening. There are a lot of unknowns involving Sony's future Spider-Man slate, but if they really need a sixth member and want to move full-speed ahead on "Sinister Six," Agony (Juno Temple) is right there. 

Temple plays Dr. Teddy Payne in "Venom: The Last Dance," and in a last-ditch effort to save Sadie (Clark Backo), she bonds with a symbiote that appears to be Agony, given her purple color and long hair. She boasts some impressive speed, and after the climax, we don't really see what happens with her. She probably still has the symbiote within her system, and if that's the case, she's an easy pick for future Sony films. Even if she's not properly in the Sinister Six, she could make for a useful ally, especially if Eddie Brock bonds with Venom yet again.

To her credit, Temple sounds open to more superhero films. SHOWSHA asked her and co-star Chiwetel Ejiofor about appearing in any future spinoffs, to which she said, "I love my character. And I love working with these people. And I hope we would get to do it together. I would be nervous to do it on my own." "Venom: The Last Dance" may very well be just the beginning of symbiotes infiltrating the SSU.

Eddie and Venom have numerous antagonists to contend with in "The Last Dance." Knull's lurking in the shadows. Xenophages are trying to make a meal out of them. And Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor) wants to kill Eddie for the sake of saving Earth. However, Strickland isn't operating solo; there's a shadowy organization he's communicating with that we don't learn much about. In a way, Strickland parallels the xenophages by serving as the boots on the ground while there are greater forces pulling all of the strings. Knull is far more of the known quantity at this point, but what's this organization? 

Strickland refers to an Imperium Program, which could be called that because it sounds ominous. However, in the comics, the Imperium refers to the Shi'ar Empire, an aggressive alien race that aims to conquer as many worlds as it can. The only problem is that the Shi'ar are most often linked with the X-Men, and as such, their film rights were owned by 20th Century Fox, which was then acquired by Disney. Sony probably couldn't use them unless they reach an agreement with Marvel and Disney. 

Even if it's not the Shi'ar explicitly, this organization is clearly tapped in to what's going on worldwide, as they're able to locate Eddie the second he comes into contact with a camera. This entity could be the ones who recruit Eddie, Morbius, Kraven, and the rest to become the Sinister Six to protect the planet from a greater threat, perhaps even Knull. The use of "Imperium" could be a red herring, and it's something else entirely. It's not outside of the realm of possibility Sony wanted to keep this organization vague, so it can be whatever it wants in the future. 

The Venom trilogy is officially capped off, but there's still one thing Tom Hardy wants to do as the character. "I want to fight Spider-Man," he stated at 2024's New York Comic-Con (via IGN). "I want to fight Spider-Man right now. I'm well up for it ... Never say never." It's a shame that despite Venom temporarily getting into the MCU at the end of "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" and seeing Tom Holland's Spider-Man on television, he never actually had a chance to interact with him. He's transported back to his own reality in the post-credits scene from "Spider-Man: No Way Home," which we see again at the start of "The Last Dance." Even though Venom may be done with "Multiverse s***," the Multiverse might not be done with him. 

Sony's interconnected universe may be called "Sony's Spider-Man Universe," but there's still no Peter Parker to really speak of. We see him born in "Madame Web," which takes place in the early 2000s, so he should theoretically be around by the time "Venom 3" takes place. This would be an entirely different Spidey though, given that the Sony-Verse is separate from the MCU. But if "Spider-Man 4" utilizes the Multiverse more, who's to say Venom couldn't be sucked back into the MCU to finally fight Holland's version?

So does "Venom: The Last Dance" set up anything for the SSU or MCU? Technically, yes. There's plenty for future films to explore that was set up here, but it's unclear when these things could factor into the films again. For now, fans can enjoy "Venom 3" as a decent send-off for Hardy, but you never know. Maybe he'll take some cues from Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and continue playing this character until he's 90.