Venom: The Last Dance Trailer Threatens To Break Up Marvel's Cutest Couple

Marvel's most codependent couple are returning to bite off more heads in a new trailer for "Venom: The Last Dance." The third film in the series marks the feature directorial debut of Kelly Marcel, who did the final script rewrite for "Venom" and went on to write the screenplay for "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," based on a story she cooked up with franchise star Tom Hardy. "Venom: The Last Dance" was similarly developed by Hardy and Marcel.

This time around, the story sees reporter Eddie Brock (Hardy) and his resident alien symbiote Venom (voiced by Hardy) on the run from both the human and the symbiote worlds — a true Romeo & Juliet set-up. The previous trailer for "Venom: The Last Dance" indicated they'll be fending off two antagonists: a military official played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, and a symbiote called Toxin who occupies a human host called Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham). However, this new trailer reveals that they'll be facing a true Marvel big bad: Knull, the creator of the symbiotes, who is effectively their god.

This being the final film in the trilogy, a tragic ending has been suggested by the official synopsis, which says that "the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie's last dance." The terrible fate being teased here isn't so much death, but a forced break-up of their symbiotic relationship. Can't the world just leave this sweaty man and his alien goo monster alone to live, laugh, and love in peace?

"Venom: The Last Dance" might sound pretty final, but the general rule of movie franchises is that the show isn't over until the box office returns turn bad. Sony's standalone "Venom" movies have been one of the biggest surprise successes of Hollywood's superhero renaissance, with the first one grossing an astonishing $856 million worldwide. "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" was a more modest hit, but it still made more than half a billion dollars against a production budget of $110 million. 

The "Venom" movies aren't necessarily good, but they are fun and weird, and endearingly willing to embrace symbiote-host relationships as a new addition to the rainbow of romance. Hardy's commitment to his bizarre dual roles — whether he's enthusiastically roaring about biting off heads, or climbing into a lobster tank to cool off — is worth watching all by itself.

Sony has tried and failed to replicate this success with other standalone Marvel properties like "Morbius" and "Madame Web." The next attempt will be the long-delayed "Kraven the Hunter," whose animal-based antics will have a tough act to follow after the Venom Horse is unleashed.

"Venom: The Last Dance" waltzes into theaters on October 25, 2024.