EntertainmentMoviesAction MoviesMarvel MoviesVenom 3Venom 3 Easter eggs: all the Marvel references and deep cuts in The Last Dance explainedWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentMoviesAction MoviesMarvel MoviesVenom 3Venom 3 Easter eggs: all the Marvel references and deep cuts in The Last Dance explainedWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Sony)
Venom: The Last Danceis finally here, and, as you might expect, there are plenty of Easter eggs to sink your symbiote teeth into.
Picking up in the aftermath of Spider-Man: No Way Home and Venom: Let There Be Carnage, The Last Dance sees Eddie and Venom on the run from both earthly authorities and big bad Knull’s forces.
Below, we’ve broken down all the major Venom 3 Easter eggs and Marvel references, which naturally means there aremajor spoilers ahead. Turn back now if you’re not up to date on The Last Dance!If you’ve seen the movie, head on down for everything you might have missed.
Knull’s prologue
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)
No Way Home
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
This isn’t an Easter egg, but worth mentioning all the same. After the initial prologue featuring Knull, we meet up with Eddie and Venom in the bar in the MCU that they found themselves in during theSpider-Man: No Way Home post-credits. This is a straight recap of that scene, ending with Eddie and Venom transported back home, where they immediately meet their reality’s version of Cristo Fernández’s bartender (whose appearance makes the movie a bit of a Ted Lasso reunion, thanks to Juno Temple’s appearance later).
Rex Strickland
(Image credit: Sony)
Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Rex Strickland, actually a fairly significant character in the Venom comics, specifically Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman’s 2018 run. In the film Rex is simply a regular – if high ranking – soldier working at secret symbiote research base Area 55. In the comics, however, he was a soldier who was mortally-wounded in Vietnam and offered a new shot at life thanks to Nick Fury, who bonds him to a piece of recovered symbiote as part of the experimental “Sym-Soldier” programme. Unfortunately, Rex dies soon after, but his consciousness is stored in the Hive-Mind and his symbiote takes on his persona. With Knull’s powers growing, he comes to Venom for help and the two become allies in the fight against the King in Black and his dragon Grendel.
“We are Venom!”
(Image credit: Sony)
Venom gets to say his signature catchphrase to four goons before chomping their heads off. Surprisingly, this is only the second time (well, second, third, and fourth time really) it’s said in the films – he doesn’t utter it once in Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
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The other symbiotes
(Image credit: Sony Pictures)
One of the film’s biggest moments comes with the release of the symbiote prisoners. You might think that these are all comics characters and you’d be right… sort of. In fact, just as Mulligan is kind of Toxin but not really, these symbiotes resemble a group of named Marvel characters without actually being them. In the Lethal Protector comic series, the sinister Life Foundation generates five new symbiotes from Venom: Agony, Phage, Riot, Lasher, and Scream. The symbiotes we see in the film look a lot like these, but as they’re never named and we don’t find anything about their personalities, it feels like it’s just a nod to an iconic moment in Venom comics, rather than specifically them.
“The Lethal Protector”
(Image credit: Sony)
Eddie refers to Venom’s nickname as “the Lethal Protector” once again, as he does in the second film and Spider-Man: No Way Home. This time, however, it has more tragic connotations as Venom prepares to sacrifice himself to save the day.
Lizard
(Image credit: Sony)
Rhys Ifans, who plays alien obsessive Martin in The Last Dance, has previously appeared in aSony-verse Marvel film. He also played Dr. Curt Connors, AKA Lizard, in The Amazing Spider-Man, reappearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Martin and Lizard don’t seem to have any connection, though, so we can assume this isn’t another multiverse situation.
Mordo
(Image credit: Disney/Marvel)
Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Rex Strickland in this film, but he’s no stranger to Marvel. He also plays Baron Mordo in the MCU, appearing in Doctor Strange and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Like Ifans returning as another character, though, there are no links between Mordo and Strickland.
Andy Serkis
(Image credit: Sony)
The actor behind the terrifying Knull is none other than Andy Serkis. Not only is he a mo-cap and voice actor extraordinaire, he’s also the director of Venom: Let There Be Carnage. While Kelly Marcel takes over helming duties for The Last Dance, Serkis is still a part of the Venom family, clearly.
James Bond
(Image credit: MGM)
Eddie helps himself to a seriously sharp outfit in Vegas, suiting up in a tux and bow-tie. Considering rumors used to run rampant that Hardy would someday play James Bond, this seems like a nod to 007.
Spider-Man
(Image credit: Columbia Pictures)
When Eddie and Venom take on the bad guys hurting dogs near the start of the movie, at one point in the battle, Eddie dangles upside down like a certain webhead we know and love. Considering Tom Hardy hasrecently said he still wants to fight Spider-Man, we’re sure this was a deliberate shout out to the wall-crawler.
Spider-Man$25.99at Walmart$25.99at Walmart$42.93at Amazon
Spider-Man
$25.99at Walmart$25.99at Walmart$42.93at Amazon
$25.99at Walmart
$25.99at Walmart
$42.93at Amazon
“The King in Black”
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)
In the post-credits scene Knull refers to himself as “the King in Black” – a nickname that has been attached to the god of symbiotes for years in the comic, most notably in the epic event series of the same name, published between 2020-2021.
Venom: The Last Dance is in theaters now. For more, check out ourVenom 3 reviewfor our spoiler-free verdict, or see what’s coming up with our guide to theupcoming superhero movies. If you’re in the mood for a movie marathon, see our guide on watching theSpider-Man movies in order.
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