SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Going into the adventure featured in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock did not exist as a Marvel Cinematic Universe character. Like the X-Men movies or either of the two previous Spider-Man series, the events that play out in the two Venom blockbusters are part of their own canon that is separate from the one that features Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers, and, most significantly, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker.
After the Venom: Let There Be Carnage end credits scene, however, that situation has changed. Thanks to a mysterious reality shift, Eddie Brock and Venom apparently now exist in the MCU, and it looks like they are on a collision course with Spider-Man.
But how did it happen? That is a massive question that is left lingering by the new blockbuster, and it doesn’t make any attempt to answer. In one moment Eddie Brock/Venom are watching a telenovela in a crappy room, and then following a weird shimmer they are in a stranger’s suite watching J. Jonah Jameson on the news revealing Spider-Man’s identity. At this stage in the game we are completely in the dark in regards to firm answers, but we definitely have some theories…
It’s Because Of Loki’s Meddling With The TVA
Those who watched Loki on Disney+ this past summer will remember that the end of the show’s first season pulled off some pretty cataclysmic moves. The titular God of Mischief was faced with a choice – take control of the TVA, or let Kang The Conqueror’s system fall to chaos – and thanks to an impetuous move by his variant/true love, Sylvie, the latter option was taken. Fans have been anticipating fall out from these developments in other Marvel Cinematic Universe projects, but it’s possible that we are witnessing the first effects in Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
Loki Season 1 ends with reality on the brink of multiversal war and varieties of timeline chaos, and it’s wholly believable that one of the consequences of this is Eddie Brock accidentally slipping through from his own universe into a new one.
It’s Somehow Tied To Peter Parker’s Wish In Spider-Man: No Way Home
This is where things get extensively more theoretical, as, of course, Spider-Man: No Way Home isn’t a movie that we have seen yet, and isn’t due out until the end of the year. That being said, we did get to see that amazing new trailer back in late August, and there are definitely some clues featured in there that could explain how Venom might go on a trip through the multiverse.
In the upcoming film, Peter Parker goes to Doctor Strange in the hopes that the master of the mystic arts can cast a spell that will make everyone forget that he is Spider-Man. This bit of magic winds up going horribly wrong, however, and there is the suggestion that it winds up breaking reality. Much like how we are set to see Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 appear (not to mention the hint at Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin), it’s possible that this craziness is what results in Tom Hardy’s Venom arriving on the scene. I personally would bet on this being the answer, particularly because of Sony’s hand in developing Spider-Man: No Way Home.
It’s A Result Of The Promised Multiverse Madness In Doctor Strange 2
Thanks to the aforementioned Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer, we know that Doctor Strange is going to be doing some multiverse meddling in the coming months, but you’d be sorely mistaken to think that the craziness ends there. Just three months after the release of the new web-slinger blockbuster (on March 25, 2022, to be precise) we will be seeing Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness land on the big screen – and it is very possible that will feature just the right kind of reality manipulation to move Eddie Brock to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Given the release date proximity and aforementioned studio influence, it definitely feels like it would make more sense that we would get answers regarding the Venom: Let There Be Carnage end credits in Spider-Man: No Way Home – but if it’s possible that the December blockbuster will only feature the tip of the iceberg, and if that’s the case then that Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness will be the film that reveals the ice mountain underneath (or at the very least set the table for something even bigger).
It’s Tied Into The Multiverse Craziness Of What If
This one certainly feels like more of a shot in the dark than the previous three, but I’m going to take it anyway. If you have been watching the animated What If on Disney+, then you know that the last few episodes have featured some multiverse madness of their own. As depicted in the most recent chapter, an Ultron who succeeded in defeating the Avengers has been tearing through realities like tissue paper, setting up a climactic finale that will arrive next week. We have no idea what kind of consequences it could ultimately have, but after seeing Venom: Let There Be Carnage one has to consider Eddie Brock’s situation might possibly being connected.
It may end up being the case that What If is more self-contained than Loki and doesn’t end up having widespread effects, but it’s also possible that the MCU Disney+ original has some serious surprises awaiting us. The way that it suggests thin walls between realities certainly sets up what is depicted in the Venom: Let There Be Carnage end credits scene – but whether or not it will be directly responsible for the event is not something we’ll know until Wednesday, October 6 at midnight PST/3am EST.
While we wait for answers about this maddening question, you can continue to witness all the evidence we have thus far by checking out Venom: Let There Be Carnage, which is now in theaters everywhere.
