Venom 3 Update Is Worrying For Sony's Troubled Spider-Man Universe

Summary Venom: The Last Dance marks Tom Hardy's final solo movie as Eddie Brock in the SSU.

Sony's Spider-Man Universe hinges on Venom's success as the only profitable franchise.

The SSU may pivot to TV shows, casting a Spider-Man to maintain franchise viability.

Venom: The Last Dance is the next film to be released from Sony's Spider-Man Universe, and the upcoming movie has received a major confirmation that makes the franchise's situation even more dire. Tom Hardy started the SSU as Eddie Brock back in 2018 with the first Venom. Since then, the actor has managed to be the only SSU star to visit the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in the post-credits scenes of Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Spider-Man: No Way Home, though he never interacted with Tom Holland's Spider-Man as fans had hoped.

Hardy will next be seen as Eddie Brock leading the cast of Venom: The Last Dance. The movie will be the first SSU release to come after the disaster that was Madame Web. While that film featured a great cast and multiple Spider-Man-related characters, Madame Web was ultimately a major failure for the SSU, badly damaging the public opinion of the franchise. Now, Venom: The Last Dance is expected to turn that around; however, a new update regarding the movie puts the future of Sony's Spider-Man Universe at risk.

Related Venom: The Last Dance Confirmed: Everything We Know So Far The last hint of Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock and Venom came in a mid-credits scene in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and now they're both returning for Venom 3.

Venom: The Last Dance Is The Final Venom Movie

Tom Hardy Might Be Done With The Role For Good

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While its title seemed to make that almost guaranteed, a new Venom: The Last Dance update has cemented that Hardy will come back for his final solo movie as Eddie Brock in the SSU. The confirmation came directly from Sony Motion Pictures Group chairman Tom Rothman, who said, "The third and last Venom is going to be huge." The executive's reveal will definitely impact the SSU and put even more pressure on how Venom: The Last Dance performs.

However, Venom: The Last Dance has a decent shot at being the success the SSU needs. Rothman mentioned how Hardy's Eddie Brock will go out with a bang in Venom: The Last Dance, as the finale to the character's trilogy will be a "huge" film. There are currently no updates regarding the story of the SSU movie; however, based on how Venom fought symbiote foes in his previous two solo films, another symbiote-related villain is likely in the works. Bringing in Knull, the god of symbiotes, would ensure that Venom faces his ultimate foe before Hardy bows out.

Venom Is The Only Successful Franchise In Sony’s Spider-Man Universe

Another Character Debuts In 2024

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Venom: The Last Dance ending Hardy's SSU franchise is bad news for the shared universe. Despite multiple attempts, Venom has been the only successful franchise in Sony's Spider-Man Universe. According to data from the specialized box office tracking website Box Office Mojo, 2018's Venom ended its global box office run with $856 million. While Hardy's sequel as Venom did less than the original movie, with 2021's Venom: Let There Be Carnage earning $506.8 million worldwide, the franchise presented great numbers amid the COVID-19 pandemic, showing the power of the Venom brand.

The SSU's two other releases so far pale in comparison to the Venom movies. The first other character to join Hardy's Venom in the SSU was Jared Leto's Morbius. Despite viral memes, 2022's Morbius bombed at the box office — twice, as Sony re-released the film to capitalize on the memes to no success — with just $167.4 million. This year, Madame Web's measly $100.2 million cemented the downward spiral of the SSU. December's Kraven the Hunter, the SSU's first R-rated film, hopes to breathe new life into the franchise, but the Venom movies stand for now as the SSU's only successes.

How The SSU Can Pivot After Venom: The Last Dance

The Franchise Will Need To Find New Options

Custom image by Felipe Rangel

With the end of Hardy's Venom movies, the SSU will have to change drastically if the shared universe is to continue to exist. The best way of ensuring the future of the franchise is by finally doing what fans have been asking since 2018's Venom: cast a Spider-Man for the SSU. Having a franchise called Sony's Spider-Man Universe without an actual Spider-Man is shocking, and with the SSU's most popular character soon bowing out, the arrival of one of the most beloved heroes in the world would be just what the SSU needs to keep going.

Sony could either cast a new actor as Peter Parker or choose one of the three movie Spider-Men to join the SSU. The studio could also choose to bring Miles Morales into live-action for the first time, making him the one and only Spider-Man of the SSU, which would be a major boost for the franchise. Sony is also planning Spider-Man-related TV shows, with the first being Noir, starring Nicolas Cage. After Venom: The Last Dance ends the SSU's only successful franchise, the universe could move to the small screen and expand with several series, switching gears and remaining fresh.

Venom: The Last Dance Venom 3 is the third and final installment in Sony's symbiote trilogy starring Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock. It follows the events of Let There Be Carnage, where the anti-hero fought serial killer Cletus Kasady, and Spider-Man: No Way Home, where Brock was briefly transported to the MCU through the multiverse. Director Kelly Marcel Release Date October 25, 2024 Cast Tom Hardy , Juno Temple , Chiwetel Ejiofor