Although Tom Hardy made a huge splash in the comic book media realm when he played Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, it’s safe to say that these days, he’s much better known for playing Eddie Brock, a.k.a. Venom, a master roaster. His first outing as the popular Spider-Man character ushered in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe back in 2018, and now this portion of his career is coming to a close. While thanking Venom fans for their support, the actor confirmed that Venom: The Last Dance, which comes out later this month on the 2024 release schedule, will be his last time playing the symbiote-powered antihero.
Hardy shared this information as a comment under an Instagram post from the official Venom page advertising the soon-to-arrive threequel. He wrote:
That’s all she wrote for me and the big guy we promise to make this the best of them all. We’ve loved making these. Thankyou for your ❤️and support - come join us for the Last Dance. For those of you that enjoy a good time from all of us in the team - Let us entertain you
That amount may not be on the same level as how many times various actors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the recently-concluded DC Extended Universe appeared in their respective franchises, three movies is still a healthy run for Tom Hardy playing Venom. Actually, it’s four considering that Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote also cameoed at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, which followed up on where these two were left off in the Venom: Let There Be Carnage end-credits scene. But soon we’ll be bidding adieu to this take on Venom, who was previously played by Topher Grace in Spider-Man 3.
Although the Venom movies have never been critical darlings among professional reviewers, they’re certainly not lacking for fans, as evidenced by how Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage respectively made over 856 million and nearly $507 million worldwide. Whether or not Venom: The Last Dance will also be a box office success remains to be seen, but it’s good for Hardy to express gratitude to the people who’ve helped make these movies such cinematic powerhouses. Still, assuming Sony’s Spider-Man Universe will be continuing past Kraven the Hunter, which opens in December, it’ll be weird to not have Venom hanging around in the franchise.
Venom: The Last Dance sees Eddie and the symbiote going on the run from Earth adversaries and an army of symbiotes that are coming to our homeworld. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Knull, the creator of the symbiotes, will appear as the big villain. As for if another version of Venom could appear on the silver screen, it’s worth remembering that in Spider-Man: No Way Home, a piece of the symbiote was left behind in the MCU, so it looked as though the franchise could get its own Venom someday. However, the first Venom: The Last Dance trailer showed Ejiofor’s character capturing this sample, leaving it ambiguous whether this scene also takes place in the MCU or if’s somehow been retconned into happening in the Sony universe.
In any case, head to your local theater starting October 25 to see Venom: The Last Dance. Although Venom: Let There Be Carnage is currently on any streaming services, the first movie can be accessed with a Disney+ subscription.
