Venom died a hero, and so did the other symbiotes in ‘Venom: The Last Dance’

“Venom: The Last Dance.” Image: Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios

Nothing is more beautiful, moving and heroic to me than to see an anti-hero, a dark hero, and more appropriately, a lethal protector like Venom, a moniker he has been known by since his first limited solo series in Marvel Comics, go out as a hero and ultimately sacrifice himself to kill the enemies of mankind and save his human host and best friend, Eddie Brock, from losing his life.

I found “Venom: The Last Dance” a fitting end to the Venom trilogy. It shook me a bit to realize that Venom, the symbiote, literally gave up his life. It’s uncommon for a superhero, especially one as popular as Venom, to end with the main character losing his life. This saddens me because I was hoping that Tom Hardy’s Venom could one day appear in the MCU. However, it has been made clear by the actor himself that this was the last time he will portray Venom.

So, where do we go from here? Honestly, I do not know, and everything seems uncertain at the moment. I know the second post-credit scene, with the black cockroach crawling into the vial that had a sample of Venom in it, was meant to suggest that maybe Venom somehow survived. But that is purely speculation. I see it more as the producers wanting to give “Venom: The Last Dance” a glimmer of hope regarding Venom’s survival, rather than making it too much of a downer. I never thought they would “write off” Venom, as he is such a popular Marvel comic book character. Some might even argue that, depending on the age group, he is even more popular than Spider-Man.

Right now, it is rare to have a superhero movie outside of the main MCU that is associated with Marvel Studios, though different major movie studios have a sequel, let alone a trilogy. In fact, only Venom has achieved this nearly impossible feat today. From my perspective, combining my encyclopedic knowledge of Marvel Comics with my experience as a movie aficionado who has seen all the Venom films, I can say that “Venom: The Last Dance” is a great movie based on the criteria I have.

There are many clues, hints, and both subtle and obvious references in “Venom: The Last Dance” that suggest the writers wanted to incorporate the movies that influenced them. These pivotal moments in their favorite movies shaped their ideas about how an important scene should be based on what inspired them while growing up. From “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” and “Species” to several other popular films from the early to late ’90s, these references are evident and align with what ultimately happens in this movie, the final entry in the Venom trilogy.

I understood this movie; I got it and knew by the halfway point what they were aiming for. The only people who will hate this movie are those unfamiliar with how Venom operates and how symbiotes function. I can also say that any negativity towards this film stems from one main reason: they never read any Marvel comic books featuring Venom while growing up, which explains everything. A lack of knowledge will always give way to ignorance. Naturally, a movie in what I see as a mix of adventure, sci-fi, and action is going to be explosive, loud, and chaotic. If Xenophages were real, one can only imagine the lengths one would go to stop them. Without any symbiotes, especially Venom, good luck is all I can say. This movie did its best to make the fight sequences as realistic as possible, and they succeeded.

I got immensely invested in how the final scenes played out because they showed that Venom and the symbiotes are willing to save lives, even at the cost of their own. It is a well-known fact that the symbiotes can heal mortal wounds, repair broken limbs, and provide their human hosts with a near level of immortality as long as they remain connected. However, Knull is different; he is a true monster because he sent his creatures (Xenophages) to kill all the symbiotes and Venom to regain the Codex, which is the focus of everyone’s attention throughout the movie. The premise was set, the plot was sealed in “Venom: The Last Dance,” and the movie delivered.

Get your symbiote on, and watch this!