After failing to impress in Spider-Man 3 more than a decade ago, Venom is getting a second shot at silver screen glory through his standalone movie that arrives later this year. Even with the teaser trailer dropping yesterday, many plot details about the Venom movie are still being officially kept under wraps, but last year, it was reported that Venom would clash with Carnage, another famous symbiote-powered Spider-Man villain, in this movie. However, now a new report claims that rather than being Venom's main antagonist, Carnage will instead be teased as a threat for a sequel.
It was confirmed with our first look at Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock that the Life Foundation will play a role in Venom, and like its comic book counterpart, the organization will reportedly be responsible for the creation of other symbioses (in the comics, they were named Scream, Riot, Agony, Lasher and Phage). That being said, That Hashtag Show has heard that one of the scenes recently shot for Venom takes place near the end of the movie, possibly being a post-credits sequence, and shows Eddie at San Quentin State Prison, which is north of San Francisco, the movie's main setting. While there, Eddie meets Cletus Kasady, a serial killer who is under the care of Dr. Ashley Kafka. The doctor warns Eddie to keep his distance from Cletus, but apparently part of the Venom symbiote starts making its way towards Cletus during this encounter, and then the scene cuts to black.
In case you're not familiar with Carnage's comic book history, Cletus Kasady was already a psychopathic serial killer long before he shared a prison cell with Eddie Brock, but when the Venom symbiote broke into Ryker's to bond with Eddie again and help him escape, it left behind an offspring. It was this baby symbiote that bonded with Kasady, turning him into Carnage. While Venom is one of Spider-Man's greatest enemies, he at least lives by a code, but Carnage relishes chaos and slaughtering innocents, making him significantly more dangerous. Carnage is one of the many Spider-Man villains who hasn't been adapted for film yet, but rather than pit him against Tom Holland's iteration of the Web-Slinger, it appears that Carnage is being saved as solely a Venom opponent for the theatrical realm, which is fitting given how much the two hate each other in the source material.
It's way too early to say if Venom 2 will happen, but if the first movie performs well critically and commercially, it's likely that Sony will want to keep the Venom train going. This scene, assuming it's legitimate, would be a cool way to foreshadow Cletus Kasady's transformation into Carnage, and after years of comic book, TV and video game appearances, it's about time this character get some attention in a movie or two. As for who would play Cletus, that's hard to say, though THS did point out that Woody Harrelson, who joined the Venom cast towards the end of last year, hasn't been seen in any set photos. Is it possible that Harrleson only briefly came in to shoot his Venom scenes(s), and that he's being saved to be the main villain in Venom 2? Perhaps, but for right now, that's simply a guess.
Venom will be released in theaters on October 5. Check out our 2018 release guide to learn what other movies are coming out this year.
