Venom: The Last Dance Ending Explained: Separate Ways

This article contains massive spoilers for "Venom: The Last Dance."

What is Venom? Who is Venom? Are we Venom? These are the questions that Venom and the trilogy of films that bear his name have been struggling with since the black, gooey symbiote first hijacked a probe to Earth in the 2018 movie. In some ways, Venom is the quintessential comic book character, with creators Todd MacFarlane and David Michelinie building upon some pre-existing "Spider-Man" lore and making him an aesthetics-first, thought-second figure. To wit: when you think of Venom the character, you instantly picture white eyes, black goo, tentacles, a huge tongue and long, sharp teeth; you're not initially thinking of any deep emotion or internal struggle within the dude. That's partially because of the way Venom has evolved and been used over the decades, with various writers and artists shifting his parameters around to try and keep up with the character's iconographic popularity. Sometimes Venom is a human-eating capital-V Villain, sometimes he just specifically hates Spider-Man, sometimes he's a Lethal Protector, sometimes he's a metaphor for combating illness and disability, sometimes he's a metaphor for hate; like his tentacles, Venom is all over the place.

With all of that crazy history to the character, actor Tom Hardy took the only rational approach when playing Eddie Brock (the human host of the symbiote Venom, an investigative journalist in the films) as well as voicing Venom: he went a little kooky with it. That kookiness has served the "Venom" films well, as they've attempted to tell a superhero-action-meets-Universal monster-flavored variation on the sci-fi alien invasion movie. The latent queerness of the character — i.e. two male-presenting beings forced to share the same physical body — has been leaned into as well, as has the more traditional "Odd Couple"-like buddy comedy aspect of Venom. The latest and allegedly last installment of the trilogy, "Venom: The Last Dance," seeks to try and wrap up the story of this unlikely couple while laying some groundwork for whatever lies ahead for Columbia/Sony's Spider-Man Universe. The film is, beneath all the teeth and tentacles and goo, a tale about people learning more about their true selves and coming to terms with who they are and where they're going, even if they have to be possessed by aliens to do so.

"The Last Dance" begins by introducing us to Knull (played by the director of the last "Venom" movie, Andy Serkis), a godlike extraterrestrial being who created the race of beings known as symbiotes long ago, only for the symbiotes to turn on their god once they saw the light and realized he's not really fun at parties with his whole "let me murder all of existence" vibe. Trapped by his offspring inside a place called Klyntar, which appears to be some sort of void made up of symbiote material, Knull yearns for escape to get his revenge and, oh yeah, murder all of existence (hey, an Elder God has gotta have hobbies). The only thing that can free Knull is something called the Codex, a biological skeleton key that can be forged if a symbiote chooses to resurrect its deceased host. Because Venom saved Eddie's life after Carlton Drake and the symbiote Riot (Riz Ahmed) killed Eddie during their battle at the end of the first "Venom," the Codex has been created in them, and thus Knull sends off his minion beasties known as Xenophages to search for Eddie and Venom (why can the Xenophages leave Klyntar but Knull cannot? Don't worry about it!).

Although we first see Eddie/Venom still temporarily stuck in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to the events of "Spider-Man: No Way Home," they're very quickly able to stop worrying about purple aliens who love stones, as they're whisked back to their own universe, albeit still sloshed in a Mexican dive bar. They also seem to be out of sync with each other, as they can't even say their cool catchphrase "We are Venom" in unison. After freaking out the poor bartender (Cristo Fernández) and making a pitstop to beat up (and eat) some criminals running a dog fighting operation, Venom tells Eddie that he'd very much like to see New York City. Eddie reminds Venom that they're still fugitives from the law, as after the events of "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," Eddie has been blamed for the apparent death of Detective Mulligan (Stephen Graham) in San Francisco. Still, Eddie believes that someone from his past who's NYC based owes him a favor, and he and Venom hitch a ride on the outside of a commercial airplane, only to be waylaid by the arrival of the Xenophage. Venom/Eddie barely escape, as Venom explains to Eddie that the Xenophage can only track the Codex, and the Codex only emerges if Venom is fully transformed. Thus, the duo have now been stranded somewhere in the Nevada desert, with no transport and no way for Eddie to Venom out.

Meanwhile, the study of symbiotes has expanded beyond the first film's private Life Foundation into the fully fledged US Government, who have established a secret lab and base of operations in Area 55, which is located inside a mountain right next to Area 51. Due to Area 51's cultural popularity, the government has decided to decommission it, and the commanding officer in charge of both 55 and 51, Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor), is the only one with access to the device the government has deemed appropriate to tear down everything at the site: two giant tanks of acid, which empty out only upon Strickland's retinal scan and voice print. Might these tanks be used for another purpose in the near future? Stay vigilant, True Believers.

It seems that Area 55 has amassed its own robust collection of symbiotes, thanks to the efforts of Dr. Teddy Payne (Juno Temple), a woman who was struck by lightning as a teen which paralyzed one of her arms and killed her twin brother, and has since taken on his dream of studying extraterrestrial life. Payne and Strickland recently acquired a still-alive Mulligan, who appeared to be infected with a symbiote at the close of "Let There Be Carnage." When that symbiote supposedly rejected Mulligan offscreen, Payne has him bonded with another, one of the site's benevolent symbiotes: Toxin. Toxin/Mulligan warn Payne and Strickland that the reason they've been finding so many symbiotes is because they're on the run from Knull and are looking for asylum. Strickland isn't so convinced, believing that they could be the harbinger of a full-scale alien invasion, leading him to act unscrupulously (such as forcibly detaining the poor Mexican Bartender Eddie spoke to). In any case, Toxin and Strickland are of one mind on one issue: get Eddie Brock and Venom.

After wandering the desert and briefly hitching a terrifying ride on a Venom-possessed horse, Eddie comes across a charming if kooky family: father Martin (Rhys Ifans), mother Nova Moon (Alanna Ubach), their sullen teen daughter (Hala Finley), and precocious son (Dash McCloud). Eddie learns that the new age family are making a pilgrimage to Area 51, which is a lifelong dream for Martin and Nova Moon, who are both big believers in extraterrestrials. The family happily allows Eddie to hitch a ride with them as far as Las Vegas, as Eddie plans to catch another plane to NYC once there so Venom can finally lay eyes on the Statue of Liberty. That goal is indicative of how Venom sees Earth much as how an immigrant would see America, as a great new land of opportunity and camaraderie. Eddie, meanwhile, can't bring himself to crack a smile, remaining a sourpuss as the family holds a group sing-along to David Bowie's "Space Oddity" as he mulls over all his troubles.

This odd couple dynamic between Eddie and Venom emphasizes the film's kinship to other buddy road trip movies. At one point, Eddie and Venom refer to each other as Thelma and Louise, referencing the 1991 Ridley Scott film about two women who learn to express themselves through the constraints of the patriarchy. The fact that the authorities are chasing Eddie and Venom is reminiscent of "Thelma & Louise," too, as it recalls other films like "Midnight Run" and the buddy cop subgenre, as those films all feature similar dynamics of mis-matched characters forced to resolve their differences and embrace their partnership. If Eddie is the practical worrywart, Venom is the fun-loving devil-may-care, a fella who always remembers his friends but doesn't stop himself from enjoying the little things. After Martin drops off Eddie in Vegas (making sure to stipulate that it's only "bye for now"), Venom briefly develops a gambling addiction before the duo encounter their old convenience store-owning pal, Mrs. Chen (Peggy Lu), who appears to be on a winning streak. Convinced by Mrs. Chen to literally drop everything and dance, Venom fully transforms, drawing the attention of the Xenophage. Before the beast can grab the Codex, however, Strickland and his soldiers kidnap Eddie.

Both Eddie and Venom are in a world of trouble when they're brought to Area 55; not only is the Xenophage able to sneak inside the base, but Strickland is furious with Eddie killing one of his soldiers in self-defense when trying to escape the commander's clutches earlier. This means that both Eddie and Venom have done their share of killing, an important notch in their anti-hero caps. Before Brock and Strickland can have it out, however, the Xenophage attacks, using its favorite method of dispatching anyone standing in its way: swallowing them and shooting their remains out of its back like a woodchipper. Mulligan/Toxin sacrifices himself for Venom in the ensuing chaos, and the situation only gets worse as the Xenophage sends out a signal across space to its brethren that the Codex has been found, meaning even more Xenophages show up. Adding insult to injury is the fact that Martin and his family have turned up to Area 51 at the worst possible time (or best, given their desire to see some aliens).

Fortunately, Teddy and her colleague, Sadie Christmas (Clark Backo) make the call to take the symbiotes at their word, and free them from their incarceration so they can bond with various members of the research team and help fight off the Xenophages. During the battle, Eddie and Venom are able to take Martin and the family to safety, a favor that Martin returns as he shoots a bazooka into a Xenophage point blank. Despite all the heroism and camaraderie, however, things look bleak, especially as the Xenophages can regenerate themselves, T-1000 style.

Like Ratso and Joe at the end of "Midnight Cowboy," Eddie and Venom have a tender moment to talk wistfully about their shared dream of visiting NYC and seeing the Statue of Liberty up close. Venom, already sensing what he needs to do in order to help stop this attack and keep the Codex from Knull's clutches, makes Eddie promise to remember him. Venom then lulls the Xenophages to itself, capturing them before separating from Eddie. He then grabs a mortally wounded Strickland and has the soldier activate the acid bath, allowing the liquid to dissolve the Xenophages before it can escape or regenerate. Of course, this means Venom goes with them, sacrificing himself for his best friend, Eddie. The two share a touching goodbye, paying off their buddy comedy dynamic (as well as making yet another allusion to "Terminator 2").

As one hero's sun sets, another's rises, however. While attempting to escape the battle site as the Xenophages are melted and various explosions occur, Teddy finds she can't rescue an imperiled Sadie without help. She allows the last remaining symbiote to bond with her, becoming Agony, whose power set is based around electricity. After saving Sadie, Dr. Payne is amazed to see that the symbiote has healed her arm, allowing her to use it again for the first time in years.

After the smoke clears, Eddie wakes up in a hospital and is informed by a General that his service to his country during the battle has allowed his criminal record to be expunged, though if he should blab about any of his experiences to the public, he'll be sent to a remote prison for the rest of his life. Taking that deal, Eddie then finally makes it to New York City, reminiscing about his relationship with Venom (which, in the films' timeline, has only been for a year!) as he checks out the Statue of Liberty up close. "I won't forget you, buddy," Eddie says, and the separation between Venom and Eddie seems pretty final. That said, as Venom was melting away, he echoed Martin's farewell to Eddie in Vegas: "Bye for now." Could the symbiote possibly find his way back to his human soulmate?

After all, things have not been resolved all neat and tidy. Even though he was robbed of the Codex, Knull's rage and determination have only been renewed, as a mid-credits scene sees the villain exclaim that Earth's champion has been defeated and "The King in Black is awake" before promising that he's going to make all of us humans watch him burn our planet alive. Sure, this may be more tough talk from an eternally imprisoned jerk, but Teddy/Agony could possibly find their bond strong enough to develop a new Codex, and who knows which other symbiotes may be floating through the universe, ready to drop onto Earth at any point?

Even though Venom appears to be truly dead and gone, the subtext throughout so much of the film's final scenes is how resilient life can be, with living beings able to survive the most unlikely circumstances. As Teddy observed earlier in the film, cockroaches have stayed the same for hundreds of years without needing to evolve, and they have the ability to survive anything. In the film's post-credit scene, we see the poor Mexican Bartender has survived as he climbs out of the wreckage of Area 55, finding himself stranded much like Venom and Eddie were earlier. The movie's final shot is of a cockroach — another survivor — curiously poking at a cracked vial that once contained a symbiote. We saw Venom bond temporarily with a variety of animals during an action sequence in the middle of the film; is this shot an indication that another symbiote has survived the massacre? Or perhaps a sliver of Venom himself still remains? In these films as in life, some bonds are just too strong. Whether a reunion with Hardy's Eddie Brock is in store or not, whether he turns up again as a hero, a villain, an anti-hero or just a fun-loving rascal, you can take Vegas odds that Venom won't be able to stay away from movie screens for very long.

"Venom: The Last Dance" is in theaters everywhere.