The sequel to Sony's 2018 blockbuster hit, Venom: Let There Be Carnage has found a great deal of success in the pandemic box office, making more than $90 million from its opening weekend in the U.S. and Canada. With Tom Hardy reprising as the titular antihero, the film's success promises a bright future for Eddie Brock and his Klyntar companion.
Unfortunately, the showdown between Venom and his most famous nemesis—Carnage—is eclipsed by the movie's post-credits scene, which begins to make good on the promise of future crossovers for the Lethal Protector. While this scene teases what's to come for the black symbiote, Let There Be Carnage features plenty of tie-ins to the dark hero's broader mythos.
10 Are The Venom Films Canon In The MCU?
While it's unlikely that fans will see Venom showing up in a significant way within an MCU movie like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness any time soon, the post-credits scene of Let There Be Carnage sees the Klyntar and his host being mysteriously transported to the main Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It's not entirely clear how the dysfunctional duo wind up in this situation, but it's clear from the television featuring J.K. Simmons' J. Jonah Jameson ranting about Tom Holland's Spider-Man that the pair have found themselves in a reality where the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home have just taken place. Perhaps it's Doctor Strange's spell during Spider-Man: No Way Home that inadvertently transports the Lethal Protector to this world?
9 Who Does Mulligan Become In The Comics?
Among some of the most prominent characters to be featured in Let There Be Carnage is the disgruntled detective Patrick Mulligan, who is responsible for shooting Frances Barrison a.k.a. Shriek during the film's opening. Avid fans and comic book readers will know, however, that Mulligan becomes the host for the symbiote known as Toxin, the offspring of Carnage.
Admittedly, it's rather ambiguous as to whether Sony's cinematic universe will see the former police officer take on this mantle. The film's conclusion reveals a resuscitated Mulligan to be sporting piercing blue eyes much like Shriek's, but prior symbioses like Brock's and Cletus Kasady's indicate that this isn't how symbiotes typically manifest.
8 What Is Ravencroft In The Marvel Universe?
In short, Ravencroft is Marvel's version of Arkham Asylum, the infamous DC penitentiary known for housing Batman's rogues' gallery. However, Let There Be Carnage isn't the cinematic debut of Ravencroft; rather, it first appeared 2014's Amazing Spider-Man 2, housing well-established Spider-Man villains like Electro and Green Goblin.
The Ravencroft of Venom's universe isn't located in New York as it is in the Andrew Garfield movies though, instead being relocated to be within driving distance from San Francisco. It retains its status as a top-secret location that houses the criminally insane and becomes a place of interest for Kasady and Carnage due to Shriek's imprisonment there.
7 Does Shriek Confirm That Mutants Exist?
Speaking of the supervillainess, Shriek is a mutant who is capable of sonic manipulation who emits piercing, ear-splitting screams to incapacitate her foes. While an incredibly useful tool against Venom, Shriek's powers are a double-edged blade in Let There Be Carnage, as it also leaves her lover Kasady (and Carnage) vulnerable to attack.
More interesting, however, is Sony's subtle confirmation that mutants exist within Venom's world. During the prologue sequence where Barrison is separated from Kasady at St. Estes Home for Unwanted Children, it's revealed that she is being taken to Ravencroft due to the worsening of her sonic abilities, hinting that she has had them since birth.
6 Was It Almost Called 'Love Will Tear Us Apart?'
An interesting tidbit that director Andy Serkis revealed about the Venom sequel is that it was originally slated to be called Venom: Love Will Tear Us Apart, inspired by Joy Division's 1980 song of the same name, which was in turn influenced by the troubled relationship between singer/songwriter Ian Curtis and his wife Deborah Woodruff.
In relationship to Let There Be Carnage, the title would've undoubtedly been a reference to the tumultuous relationship Venom and Brock have, which sees the two proverbially 'break up' after failing to agree on how to live together. Likewise, Kasady experiences similar turmoil with Carnage when they disagree on whether or not Shriek should live, ultimately leading to both of their demises.
5 Why Are The Chickens Named Sonny And Cher?
During one of their arguments in Brock's apartment, the news reporter suggests that Venom eat their resident chickens when the symbiote complains about not having enough brains to eat. The Klyntar fires back at Brock by saying he can't because 'Sonny' and 'Cher' have become friends, although the real reason is they lack the nutritional value that human brains have.
Like the scrapped Love Will Tear Us Apart title, Venom's chickens are named after the iconic music duo—Sonny Bono and Cher—who rose to prominence during the 1960s and 1970s and went through a very public divorce. Fortunately, the chickens are never separated, although their names do serve as a foreshadow of Venom and Brock's eventual split.
4 What Is The Red Wedding?
In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, Kasady—as Carnage—mentions his plan to have a red wedding at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral, an event that turns into the film's climax. Before Kasady and Barrison attend their wedding, however, they decide to first get each other "gifts" by kidnapping the people they despise the most.
Those familiar with Game of Thrones will likely make the connection to series' iconic Red Wedding from Season 3 that sees the shocking deaths of several main characters—including Robb and Catelyn Stark—through a brutal betrayal by Walder Frey. Like Frey, Carnage is looking to paint the halls of his wedding red with the blood of his enemies.
3 What's The Deal With The Church Fight?
On the topic of the "Red Wedding," the occasion turns into an epic showdown between Venom and Carnage. What makes this cathedral fight more poignant, however, is the fact that there is a bell involved, a poetic reference to Venom's first symbiosis with Brock in the Our Lady of Saints Church from the comics in 1988.
A church is also involved in Venom's birth during Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3, which sees the recently disgraced Brock receive the symbiote from Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker in St. Brendan's Catholic Church. The journey is brought full circle, then, when Let There Be Carnage's bell severs Kasady from the Carnage symbiote, leading to their ultimate defeat.
2 Was There A Conflict With Matrix 4?
Principal photography for Let There Be Carnage occurred in San Francisco during the later half of 2019. However, the film's location manager Christopher Kusiak revealed that filming occurred simultaneously with another major tentpole movie that was filming in the area—the highly anticipated The Matrix Resurrections.
Unfortunately for the Let There Be Carnage crew, Lana Wachowski's Matrix took precedence over Sony's antihero flick due to its production start date and financial investment. There's even a scene on the Grace Cathedral rooftops during the Venom sequel featuring helicopters meant for the fourth Matrix movie!
1 Is That The Logo For Raimi's Daily Bugle?
Trailer footage from Let There Be Carnage revealed a critical piece of information to fans before hitting theaters—Brock has found a new home reporting for the Daily Bugle. However, it's not the tabloid of Holland's universe; rather, the Bugle logo on the cover of a newspaper that Mulligan is reading is the same as the one from Tobey Maguire's world.
This crossover doesn't make a ton of sense though, especially since Topher Grace appeared as Eddie Brock in Raimi's Spider-Man 3. Could it just be coincidental that both tabloids share the same name and the same logo? The 2022 Morbius starring Jared Leto lends credence to that, given that the same Bugle logo yet again appears there. Then again, it could be an effort on the part of Sony to connect their films together.