WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Sony's Venom, in theaters now. 


Sony has a lot riding on Venom. The Tom Hardy-starring film is meant to be the first in a shared cinematic universe of characters related to (but not necessarily including) Spider-Man. Ever since the movie was announced, Sony made it clear Venom would be the springboard to an entire universe, much like Marvel Studios' Iron Man or Warner Bros.' Man of Steel.  However, unlike those two, before Venom was even finished filming, Sony had already announced some of its plans going forward.

Ant one point, the studio was planning a team-up film featuring two of the Spider-Verse's femme fatales, Silver Sable and Black Cat (a movie that, for the time being, has been put on hold as Sony refocuses it more specifically on Black Cat). Beyond that, Sony has already announced a film based on Morbius, the Living Vampire, with Jared Leto attached to star as the Spider-Man frenemy. What's more, there are even rumors that Kraven the Hunter might get his own solo film.

RELATED: What Venom’s Final Scene Really Tells Us About Eddie Brock and the Symbiote

But the future of Sony's shared cinematic universe likely depends on the success of Venom -- if not the film's critical reception, then at least its box-office results. By all accounts, it looks like the movie is set to break the record for an October release, which means a sequel is likely to get the green light. And considering the potential of the movie's after-credits scene, there is only one comic book story that Sony should look to for this sequel: Maximum Carnage.

By now, there's a good chance that you've seen (or heard about) the after-credits scene of Venom. With Eddie Brock and his alien symbiote are officially bonded as one hero/anti-hero, the pair are ready for their next adventure, which finds them in the form of Woody Harrelson's Cletus Kasady. In the film's post-credits scene, Eddie Brock, still working as a reporter, visits a prison to interview Kasady, who promises to break free of his cage and unleash carnage. It's a promising tease, and one that fans likely hope Sony follows through on. For that to happen, the sequel needs to go full-on Carnage -- no holds barred.

RELATED: All of the Marvel Comics Symbiotes in the Venom Movie

Considering this set-up, and the notion that Sony has an entire universe's worth of characters that it wants to spin off into their own movies, a loose adaptation of Marvel Comics' 1993 fan-favorite series Maximum Carnage would be Sony's best bet. Just like Venom took some cues from the Venom: Lethal Protector comic, the sequel should also be rooted in a major comic book storyline.

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Maximum Carnage was a crossover event that saw Cletus Kasady break out of an asylum to unleash death and destruction upon the city of New York. Carnage assembled his own super-villain team comprised of characters like Demogoblin and Shriek to become an unstoppable force of, well, carnage. The event, of course, heavily involved Venom and Spider-Man, who both wanted to stop the raging red symbiote's reign of terror. However, the threat was so massive, more superheroes joined in the efforts to stop Carnage and his cohorts. Captain America, Black Cat, Nightwatch, Cloak and Dagger and Iron Fist all took part in the fight, and their combined efforts would ultimately win the day.

Of course, many of the superhero characters involved in Maximum Carnage can't be used by Sony, given that their cinematic rights lie with Marvel Studios. Therefore, Captain America, Cloak and Dagger and Iron Fist simply couldn't possibly appear in a sequel based on this story. But that just means that there would be an opportunity to introduce a whole slew of other characters -- heroes that could then receive their very own spinoff movies. Instead of throwing ideas left and right and starting production on various movies, Sony could focus on setting up future stories for Morbius, Black Cat, Silver Sable, Kraven and any other character it would like to introduce to audiences all in one ensemble film.

RELATED: Venom: The Best Easter Eggs, Cameos and Marvel References

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Considering that the Jared Leto-starring Morbius film might be next on Sony's production slate, the situation could be different for Jared Leto's Living Vampire -- and perhaps even beneficial. If Morbius cements the idea of Sony's Spider-Verse, then having the character make a subsequent appearance in a Maximum Carnage film (where Leto would team-up with Tom Hardy and Woody Harrelson) could garner a lot of interest in the sequel. Since Morbius, like Venom, will most likely also be painted as an anti-hero, he could fill the role of Spider-Man in film, or perhaps even that of Captain America.

On top of that, this course of action would also allow Sony to take the time to plot out its future plans, all while having to focus on just one movie for the time being. Since the critics have been quite brutal towards Venom, then focusing all of the studios' efforts on making an extraordinary sequel to instill confidence in this newest shared universe of superheroes could not only be prudent, but necessary. With a clear plan for Black Cat, Silver Sable and perhaps even more characters, a Maximum Carnage movie could be a successful film that would actually garner interest in heroes and villains that the audience wouldn't have been aware of otherwise.

RELATED: Does Spider-Man Make An Appearance in Venom?

Instead of greenlighting movies that audiences may or may not be interested in, Sony could take inspiration from Warner Bros.' Justice League, an ensemble film that then lead to a solo Aquaman movie, as well as a Flash film that is currently in development. Following this sort of plan would allow Sony to introduce as much new characters as they want, all while capitalizing on the success of Venom.

On its own, Sony's Venom didn't hint towards a bigger universe, but all of that could change with the movie's sequel -- and it all starts with Carnage.


In theaters now, Venom is directed by Ruben Fleischer and stars Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott Haze, Reid Scott, Jenny Slate,Woody Harrelson, Sope Aluko, Scott Deckert, Marcella Bragio, and Michelle Lee.