Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a 2021 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Venom, produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is the second film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe and the sequel to Venom (2018). The film is directed by Andy Serkis from a screenplay by Kelly Marcel, based on a story she wrote with Tom Hardy who stars as Eddie Brock / Venom alongside Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Reid Scott, Stephen Graham, Peggy Lu, and Woody Harrelson. In the film, Brock struggles to adjust to life as the host of the alien symbiote Venom, while serial killer Cletus Kasady (Harrelson) escapes from prison after becoming the host of Carnage, a chaotic spawn of Venom.
Plot[]
In 1996, a young Cletus Kasady watches helplessly as his love, Frances Barrison, who has the ability of sound manipulation, is taken away from St. Estes Home for Unwanted Children to the Ravencroft Institute. On the way, she uses her sonic scream powers to escape and attacks young police officer Patrick Mulligan. He shoots Barrison in the eye and suffers an injury to his ear due to her scream. Unbeknownst to Mulligan, who believes he killed her, Barrison is taken to the facility, which is hardened against her powers.
In the present day, Mulligan, now a detective, contacts Eddie Brock to speak to Kasady, a serial killer who refuses to talk to anyone other than Brock following their interview a year prior. After the visit, Venom, Eddie’s symbiote, is able to figure out where Kasady has hidden the body of victims, which gives Brock a huge career boost. Brock is then contacted by his ex-fiancée Anne Weying, who tells him that she is now engaged to Dr. Dan Lewis, much to Venom’s displeasure.
Kasady, who was found guilty of his crimes and earlier sentenced to death by lethal injection, invites Brock over to San Quentin State Prison, where Kasady is detained on death row, to attend his execution. However, Venom is provoked to attack Kasady via insults towards Brock. Kasady bites Brock's hand, ingesting a small part of the symbiote. Back home, Venom, wanting more freedom to eat bad people, has an argument with Brock, and the two end up fighting until the symbiote detaches from his body; they go their different ways.
Kasady's execution fails when a red symbiote emerges and blocks the injection. He introduces himself as Carnage and goes on a violent rampage through the prison, freeing inmates and killing guards. Kasady and Carnage then make a deal: Carnage will help Kasady break out Barrison from Ravencroft, and Kasady will help him eliminate Brock and Venom. Mulligan calls Brock and warns him about the situation. In Ravencroft, Kasady frees Barrison, and they travel to their old children's home to burn it down.
Mulligan, suspicious of Brock due to his interactions with Kasady before Carnage emerged, takes Brock to the police station. Brock refuses to answer Mulligan's questions and contacts Weying as his lawyer. Brock reveals that Venom has separated from him and needs the symbiote to fight Carnage together. As Venom makes his way through San Francisco by hopping from body to body, Weying finds and convinces him to forgive Brock. She bonds with Venom and breaks Brock out of the police station. Brock and Venom make amends and bond again.
Kasady takes Mulligan hostage, and Barrison captures Weying after failing to find Brock. Barrison gives Lewis information on Weying's whereabouts, and he gives it to Brock. Kasady and Barrison plan to get married at a cathedral, where Venom appears and fights Carnage. Barrison seemingly kills Mulligan by hanging him onto a chain. Venom holds his own against his spawn, but he is eventually overpowered brutally by Carnage, and the latter decides to kill Weying atop the cathedral. Venom manages to rescue Weying in time and provokes Barrison to use her powers again; her sonic blast causes both symbiotes to separate from their hosts as the cathedral collapses and a falling bell kills Barrison.
Venom saves Brock by bonding with him before the impact. Carnage tries to bond with Kasady again, but Venom devours the symbiote, killing it. Kasady states that he only wanted to be Brock's friend, but Venom bites Kasady’s head off. While Brock, Venom, Weying, and Lewis escape, a still-living Mulligan's eyes flash blue. Brock and Venom decide to take a vacation while they ponder their next steps.
In the mid-credits scene, Venom tells Brock about the symbiotes' knowledge of other universes. But, before Venom can show him, a blinding light transports them from their hotel room to another room where they watch J. Jonah Jameson reveal Spider-Man's identity as Peter Parker on television.
Cast[]
- Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock/Venom
- Michelle Williams as Anne Weying
- Naomie Harris as Frances Barrison/Shriek
- Olumide Olorunfemi as Young Frances Barrison
- Reid Scott as Dr. Dan Lewis
- Stephen Graham as Detective Patrick Mulligan
- Sean Delaney as Young Patrick Mulligan
- Woody Harrelson as Cletus Kasady/Carnage
- Jack Bandeira as Young Cletus Kasady
- Peggy Lu as Mrs. Chen
- Sian Webber as Dr. Camille Pazzo
- Scroobius Pip as Siegfried
- Larry Olubamiwo as Ravencroft Guard
- J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson (post-credits scene)
- Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man (post-credits scene)
Sequel[]
Hardy confirmed in August 2018 that he had also signed on to star in a third Venom film. In September 2021, Hardy noted that the producers would have to continue to develop Sony's Spider-Man Universe in future films but said they were also interested in crossing-over with the Marvel Cinematic Universe more. Serkis expressed interest in returning to direct another Venom film, and felt there was more to explore with Venom in future movies before the character met Spider-Man in a future crossover film, including further exploration of the Ravencroft Institute and other potential villains being held there. In October, Holland said he and Pascal had discussed him potentially reprising his role as Spider-Man in future Venom sequels. That December, Pascal said they were in the "planning stages" of Venom 3.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
| Venom |
|---|
| Venom (2018), Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) |
| Sony's Spider-Man Universe |
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| Venom (2018), Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), Morbius (2022), Kraven the Hunter (2023), Madame Web (2024), El Muerto (2024), Venom 3 |