Is Venom Really Coming To The MCU?
It feels like we've been waiting an eternity, even if it's only truly been since the summer of 2019, but "Spider-Man: No Way Home" is finally here. As expected, director Jon Watt's third solo "Spider-Man" movie brought a whole lot to the table for Marvel fans to discuss, paving the way for conversations we'll be having and things we'll be dissecting for months — if not years — to come. One such thing involves the character of Venom, who apparently now has a place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it's complicated. So, let's talk about it!
Warning: massive spoilers ahead for "Spider-Man: No Way Home." Proceed with caution.
The Scene In Question
The mid-credits scene attached to "Spider-Man: No Way Home" does an awful lot of work, paying off some big things that have been set up and discussed for a while now. To be specific, we see none other than Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock finally spending some time in the MCU! This was initially set up in the "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," post-credits scene, which paved the way for what happens in this movie.
To briefly recap, we see Eddie and Venom chilling in a hotel room in the middle of an unidentified tropical paradise. They are then hit with a golden wave of mystical energy that we now know came from Doctor Strange's botched spell from the first chunk of "No Way Home." This spell ended up sending shockwaves through the multiverse, and, for a time, it brought Venom and Eddie into the actual MCU.
The scene we actually get in "No Way Home" sees Eddie sitting at a bar, still in a tropical location, talking to the bartender about the universe he now finds himself in. They discuss Iron Man and, naturally, Spider-Man. Eddie then threatens to pay Spidey a visit in New York when suddenly, Venom and Eddie disappear back to their own universe, as Doctor Strange managed to cast a spell that repaired the rips in the multiverse. Or, at the very least, put a decent bandage over them that will hold until we get to "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."
Though the most important bit of this whole scene happens in the final frames, truly setting the stage for Venom to enter the MCU on his (its?) own terms. The camera pans down to the bartop after Venom and Eddie are gone, and we see a tiny bit of the symbiote left behind and, before the scene cuts out, it moves, indicating that it still very much has life in it in this universe, and will undoubtedly be looking for a host.
What Does This Mean?
First off, let's discuss what this means for the prospect of Tom Hardy being the MCU's main Venom. Despite the fact that he has made clear his desire to cross paths with Tom Holland's Spider-Man, and Holland has expressed a similar desire, this scene seems to take that off the table. At least for the most part. While the multiverse could still be explored a great deal in the future, things have been patched up for the time being and Hardy is back in his universe along with the rest of Sony's spin-off films. It was merely a flirtation with the MCU for now, and nothing more. Sorry to all of the Venom and Eddie stans out there.
More than likely, that little bit of the symbiote that was left behind will plant the seeds for the MCU's version of Venom. This cleverly paved the way to tie Holland's eventual Venom to Hardy, without it actually having to be Hardy. As for who that symbiote will attach to? That's anyone's guess at this point. There is always the chance it could find its way to Flash Thompson and we could get some Agent Venom action, though this iteration of Flash doesn't really lend itself to that. Then there's the question of the bartender, played by Cristo Fernández of "Ted Lasso" fame. Could the film have cast such a recognizable face in such a short scene for a reason? It will be fascinating to see where that little bit of symbiote goo winds up.
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" is in theaters now.