When the news broke that Tom Hardy would play Eddie Brock in Venom, it was received positively by fans. However, in place of the hardened reporter from the comics, the Lethal Protector became an unwilling goof dragged along for the ride by his alien suit.
Hardy seemed to have fun in the role and, three years after Venom was released, we got Venom: Let There Be Carnage in 2021. Now, we're just weeks away from Venom: The Last Dance and the actor continues to say this will be his last time playing the character.
Or is he?
Taking to Instagram, Hardy said, "Thankyou for a great time - and 7 years. I’ve had the best experience @Sony working with Venom - this is me and the big guy last outing going out with a Bang!!! Come see us off - last in the trilogy and done ❤️ we have had such a great time Thankyou."
In a separate post, he added, "LAST ONE - THE BIGGEST BEST MOST FUN OF THEM ALL - IT’S Been an absolute joy bringing these two to the big screen - Thankyou for the good times and the support we hope you love it as much as we have making them."
This very much sounds like a farewell, but if you read his comments closely, it sounds more like Hardy is bidding farewell to Sony and the Venom franchise rather than the character as a whole.
Maybe that's a bit of a stretch. However, with rumours swirling about Venom joining the MCU so he and Tom Holland's Peter Parker can battle Knull, God of the Symbiotes, it feels like Hardy is playing deliberately coy with Spider-Man 4 somewhere on the horizon.
If nothing else, Venom: The Last Dance being the final chapter of Eddie's story has become a key part of the threequel's marketing campaign and it seems Sony wants us to believe the anti-hero won't make it out of this story alive.
When Knull does show up, we'd bet it's nearer the end of the movie because Marvel Studios has been heavily involved with his design and introduction (possibly explaining why reshoots have were taking place as recently as last month).
In Venom: The Last Dance, Tom Hardy returns as Venom, one of Marvel's greatest and most complex characters, for the final film in the trilogy. Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie's last dance.
The movie stars Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Peggy Lu, Alanna Ubach, Stephen Graham, and Rhys Ifans. Kelly Marcel directs from a screenplay she wrote, based on a story by Hardy and Marcel. The film is produced by Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Amy Pascal, Kelly Marcel, Tom Hardy and Hutch Parker.
Venom: The Last Dance will be released in theaters on October 25.