Fans, in their fervent yearning, clamor for the appearance of Peter Parker and his wall-scaling alter-ego in the third installment of Venom – but shall their hearts’ desire be granted? Might Spider-Man grace Venom: The Last Dance with his presence?
Shall Spider-Man Partake in the Venom 3 Extravaganza?
As of now, there exists no inkling of Spider-Man’s involvement in Venom: The Last Dance. Marvel’s venerable character is notably absent from the troika’s trailer, and the esteemed actors Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland, who have embodied the web-slinger on the silver screen, are not affiliated with this production. Holland, in a tale spun from the web himself, has acknowledged engaging in discourse with producer Amy Pascal regarding the potential appearance of his Spider-Man in The Last Dance. Alas, the primordial webs of contractual entanglements seem to have ensnared any aspirations for a comprehensive Venom/Spider-Man crossover.
Amidst this intrigue, Venom: The Last Dance hints at a nod to its chief nemesis from the pages of comic lore – as well as the expansive Marvel Cinematic Universe. With a discerning eye, one may recognize actor Cristo Fernández, who graces the screen as the same bartender from the mid-credits scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home. It is within this brief interlude that the uncredited Tom Hardy reprised his role as Eddie Brock, transported to the MCU at the conclusion of the preceding Venom opus, Let There Be Carnage. Alas, the fates conspire to prevent Brock from engaging directly with Peter Parker or Spider-Man, for his return to the home bosom of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is swift. A parallel variant of Fernández’s bartender, it is presumed, resides within this realm as well!
Do Other Threads Bind Venom 3 to the MCU Tapestry?
Venom: The Last Dance, it appears, is poised to acknowledge the broader MCU mythology, albeit in a manner divergent from fans’ expectations. Alongside the return of Fernández as the enigmatic bartender from No Way Home (or perchance his alternate reality doppelgänger), the third Venom flick features the talents of MCU stalwarts Chiwetel Ejiofor and Rhys Ifans. Ejiofor, known for his portrayal of Karl Mordo in Doctor Strange and its sequel, is joined by Ifans, who embodied Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard in No Way Home. Reports suggest that Ifans’ character in Venom 3 may bear the moniker “Martin” instead of Curt, adding yet another layer of complexity to the cinematic tapestry.
If these threads hold true, Ifans’ casting introduces yet another wrinkle to the labyrinthine web of the SSU. The Lizard, as embodied by Ifans, initially emerged in 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man, a film crafted solely by Sony. Such a revelation intimates the existence of two individuals within the SSU who don the visage of Ifans’ character! Indeed, the enigmatic and convoluted nature of Sony’s cinematic universe, primarily rooted in Spider-Man’s legacy post-Venom, hints at the existence of Ifans’ Lizard in a continuum distinct from the established SSU.
A Treatise on Venom: The Last Dance, Journeying to Theaters on Oct. 25, 2024.
