Every Marvel Movie To Watch Before Venom: The Last Dance

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Several Marvel movies play a crucial role in setting up the complex web of multiverse connections and symbiote lore that will be vital to watch before Venom: The Last Dance. Sony"s Venom: The Last Dance is the highly anticipated continuation of Eddie Brock and Venom"s story, where they’ll face their biggest threat yet: Knull, the godlike creator of the symbiotes. To fully appreciate the storyline and the multiversal connections, there are several Marvel movies that audiences should watch first.
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU) is a collection of films focusing on characters tied to Spider-Man, though they exist mostly outside the MCU timeline. Venom (2018) kicked off this universe, followed by Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021). Now, with Venom: The Last Dance, the franchise is expected to delve deeper into the symbiote mythos and multiverse connections. Understanding Eddie Brock’s journey, the history of the symbiotes, and the expanding multiverse will be critical in following the events of the final installment in the Venom series.
4 Venom (2018) Eddie Brock’s First Solo Movie Close Venom (2018) introduced Tom Hardy’s version of Eddie Brock, a down-on-his-luck journalist who becomes bonded with the alien symbiote known as Venom. Unlike the comic version of Venom, which often portrays the character as more villainous, the film made Eddie and Venom a more sympathetic, even heroic, duo. Their dynamic is essential to understanding the franchise, as their relationship evolves from mutual distrust to a bizarre but functional partnership by the film’s end.
Venom also introduces the concept of symbiotes, showing that Venom is one of many alien beings who bond with hosts to survive on Earth. The film teases a larger universe of symbiotes by introducing the Life Foundation, a group that seeks to use the symbiotes for nefarious purposes. The movie also introduced Riot, another symbiote who becomes the film"s primary antagonist.
These early teases set the stage for the more expansive exploration of the symbiote lore in later films, which will be crucial as Venom: The Last Dance tackles the origins of the symbiotes and their god, Knull. Understanding the rules and biology of the symbiotes - how they bond with hosts, their weaknesses, and their ability to communicate with each other - is key going into Venom: The Last Dance. Knull, as the creator of all symbiotes, will likely manipulate these connections, making the events of the first Venom film a necessary foundation for the new movie.
3 Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) Carnage’s Cinematic Debut Close The second Venom film, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, is essential for understanding the deepening bond between Eddie and Venom. The film continues their dynamic in a lighthearted, rom-com style but also escalates the stakes by introducing Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) and his symbiote, Carnage. This film establishes that symbiotes can bond in different ways and that there are even more dangerous variants like Carnage, which sets the stage for the ultimate threat in Venom: The Last Dance - Knull.
The mid-credits scene in Venom: Let There Be Carnage is especially critical. In it, Venom reveals to Eddie that symbiotes share collective knowledge that spans across multiple universes, hinting at a multiversal symbiote hive mind. Before the scene ends, Eddie and Venom are mysteriously transported to a different universe where they witness J. Jonah Jameson discussing Spider-Man"s identity as Peter Parker on TV.
This crossover with Venom and the MCU is a monumental moment, confirming that Venom and other symbiotes are connected across the multiverse, a concept that could be expanded in Venom: The Last Dance, especially with the introduction of Knull. This connection is vital because it lays the groundwork for how Venom will navigate multiple universes. It also explains why the Venom franchise may be on the verge of connecting with the MCU, something that has been long speculated about.
2 Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) Venom Appears In The MCU Close Spider-Man: No Way Home played a pivotal role in confirming the existence of the multiverse in the MCU and explaining the events of the Venom: Let There Be Carnage credits scene. The movie brings together the three cinematic Spider-Men by cracking open the multiverse and allowing characters from different Marvel movie universes to collide. This event explains why Eddie Brock was transported to the MCU"s universe in the mid-credits scene of Let There Be Carnage and how the multiverse functions.
In another crucial post-credits" scene, No Way Home depicted Eddie Brock still in the MCU’s universe, drinking at a bar and trying to understand the world of superheroes and the Avengers. However, before he can meet Spider-Man, Doctor Strange"s spell sends Eddie back to his original universe. Importantly, a piece of the Venom symbiote is left behind in the MCU.
This small fragment of symbiote is key because it suggests that Venom’s presence will continue in the MCU, and Venom: The Last Dance may explore or even retcon this event. The bar from the post-credits" scene is shown in the trailer for Venom: The Last Dance, strongly suggesting that the film will address what happened in No Way Home. It might further explore how the symbiote hive mind operates across the multiverse and how Knull will play into these connections.
1 Spider-Man 3 (2007) The Original Venom Movie Close Although Spider-Man 3 predates the SSU and MCU, it features Venom’s cinematic debut, which could be referenced with the multiverse. It features Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man battling a version of Venom played by Topher Grace. With the Venom: Let There Be Carnage mid-credits scene confirming that symbiotes share knowledge across the multiverse, and No Way Home confirming Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man exists in the multiverse, Spider-Man 3 now retroactively ties into the larger symbiote mythos.
In Spider-Man 3, Venom is portrayed as a dark reflection of Spider-Man, a being that amplifies aggression and violence in its host. This version of Venom is much more villainous and unsettling than Tom Hardy’s antiheroic take, and with Knull’s introduction in Venom: The Last Dance, there’s a possibility that the Sam Raimi version of Venom could be referenced or even appear. The hive mind established in the previous films suggests that all versions of Venom across different universes share a connection, which means that Eddie Brock from Spider-Man 3 could become relevant in Venom: The Last Dance.
Additionally, Spider-Man 3 introduced the concept of a symbiote bonding with a human host in the live-action Marvel universe for the first time. The dark, parasitic nature of this bond and how it corrupted Eddie Brock’s character could serve as a warning or parallel to the ultimate threat Knull poses in Venom: The Last Dance. Understanding the different portrayals of Venom from Spider-Man 3 to Tom Hardy’s version in Venom will provide a broader context for how Venom: The Last Dance might integrate these versions in a multiverse-spanning storyline.

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.
Sony's Upcoming Marvel Movie Release Dates

Venom: The Last Dance
Release Date October 25, 2024