Venom: The Last Dance’s ending, explained

Venom: The Last Dance has finally hit theaters, marking the final chapter in Sony’s Venom trilogy. Taking place immediately after Spider-Man: No Way Home, this film follows Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and his slimy buddy Venom as they try to flee from the authorities, as well as the clutches of Venom’s evil creator, the dark god Knull (Andy Serkis).

It’s been a hectic ride these past three films. Though Sony’s Spider-Man Universe failed to live up to its potential with Morbius and Madame Web, audiences can again count on Venom to deliver a wacky, wild adventure. This threequel made for an exciting and heartfelt conclusion to the trilogy that still sets up a dark, epic future for the Lethal Protector. Now that Venom: The Last Dance has premiered, here’s a breakdown of the story and what its ending means for the franchise’s future.

Eddie and Venom’s “last” ride

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After his battle with Carnage and a brief stay in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Eddie and Venom must elude a team of U.S. soldiers operating out of a secret lab in Area 55 (the successor to Area 51). Though Eddie is accused of murdering the missing Detective Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham), the latter is alive and contained in Area 55, with scientists led by Dr. Teddy Payne (Juno Temple) studying the symbiote inside him, as well as a group of other symbiotes who fled to Earth.

As Eddie tries to go to New York City to get a judge he knows to clear his name, he and Venom are attacked by a Xenophage, a giant regenerative monster sent by Knull to steal the Codex inside them. Since Knull was imprisoned by the symbiotes he created on the planet Klyntar, he can only be freed by a Codex created when a symbiote revives and bonds with a dead host. Since Venom resurrected Eddie at the end of the first Venom film, their bond turned them into a Codex. Also, when one of them dies, the Codex will cease to exist.

How does Venom: The Last Dance end?

Eddie and Venom continue to flee across Nevada with the help of a family traveling to Area 51. It’s a heartwarming trip, and though Eddie and Venom hide out in a Las Vegas casino with Mrs. Chen (Peggy Chu), they still end up captured by the military. Once they’re in captivity, soldiers led by Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor) try to kill Eddie to destroy the Codex to prevent Knull from escaping. It’s at this moment that the Xenophage infiltrates Area 55, and Venom teams up with the other symbiotes at the base to destroy it.

Unfortunately, the nigh-unstoppable Xenophage calls out to Knull, who sends more of these monsters to capture Eddie. Seeing that they can’t stop the Xenophages, Venom sacrifices himself to destroy the aliens along with the Codex in the military’s acid shower. Later on, Eddie wakes up alive, expunged of his murder charges by the military for his heroism. Now free to start a new life, Eddie travels to New York City to see the Statue of Liberty, fulfilling Venom’s dying wish of seeing it together in a somber final scene.

Does Venom: The Last Dance have a post-credits scene?

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Yes! There are two post-credits scenes. Though the film ends with Knull defeated, a mid-credits scene shows the dark deity is still alive and trapped on his throne in Klyntar. The King in Black breaks the fourth wall, declaring that the audience will watch as he breaks free from his prison and unleashes chaos upon the universe.

But that’s not all. A post-credits scene shows Cristo Fernandez’s bartender character escaping from the ruins of Area 55 after being captured in the first act. Also, Dr. Payne’s symbiote container is seen in the distance, letting out a spark of electricity that indicates that some of the symbiote is still alive.

All in all, Venom: The Last Dance may present itself as the end of the Lethal Protector’s journey, but it’s clear Sony has more big plans for Venom, the symbiotes, and the entire Spider-Man Universe now that Knull has reared his head. The film’s director, Kelly Marcel, said at New York Comic Con “[The Last Dance] is just the introduction to Knull. He’s a massive, massive character, so you can never be one-and-done with him. This is just a little taster of Knull. We get to meet him. What the future holds for him, who knows.”

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Since Knull is aiming to conquer the universe, Eddie may have to return to battle the alien god face-to-face. Tom Hardy said The Last Dance would be his last Venom film, but then again, Hugh Jackman said Logan would be his last film as Wolverine until he returned in this year’s Deadpool & Wolverine, so nothing is set in stone.

As for Venom’s fate, the dying symbiote did say to Eddie, “It’s only goodbye for now,” implying that the symbiote will come back to life somehow and reunite with him. Venom left a piece of himself behind in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so it’s possible that this portion of the symbiote will come back to Eddie through Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. It’s likely that Holland’s character will bond with the black alien just like in the comics, but as Marvel Studios’ Multiverse Saga continues to unfold, he could be the way for Venom to get back home.