Venom: The Last Dance is in theaters. The third installment in the Venom franchise arrives just a few days after Tom Holland went on The Tonight Show and confirmed that there will be a Spider-Man 4. It is a good time to be a fan of the Spidey canon. But do these franchises have plans to connect at any point?
The seeds have definitely been planted. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) introduced the concept of Spidey being able to interact with characters from different universes. Venom: Let There Be Carnage, also released in 2021, ended with the titular antihero, Eddie Brock, accidentally slipping into Spidey's universe. At some point, these two seem destined to cross paths.
Hardy confirmed he's not involved with Spider-Man 4
Could Tom Hardy's alien symbiote character appear in "Spider-Man 4" after "Venom: The Last Dance"? pic.twitter.com/CcPXEpf5sP
— AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) October 22, 2024
Unfortunately, a Venom and Spider-Man crossover is not going to take place anytime soon. Fans have been pushing for a cameo by Hardy in Spider-Man 4, but the actor made it clear he does not have any involvement with the film during a recent Associated Press interview.
"I don’t see him in the next Spider-Man movie," the actor noted. "Because I’d have the script and I don’t have that." This, of course, leaves the possibility open for a Spidey cameo in Venom 4. At least, it would, if Hardy had not already stated that he was done playing the character after The Last Dance.
The actor has also shut down Venom 4 rumors
Tom Hardy told Screen Rant that while he loves playing the dual character of Venom and Eddie Brock, he feels as though he maximized what he can do with with them in the new film. He referred to Venom: The Last Dance as a "kitchen sink" project, in that he got to do everything he wanted, and is proud of the way the titular character gets sent off:
"Everything in the kitchen sink that we wanted [to give] time allocated [is] in this movie... There's nothing left out. It's surgically chosen and delivered."
Sony and the MCU may have initially had plans to bring Venom and Spider-Man together, but given that Hardy has wrapped up his tenure as the former (at least for now), the chances of seeing them together are slim.
For those who want to stay optimistic, perhaps Hardy is pulling an Andrew Garfield and simply lying to the fans about his involvement. It's a fun thought, though not one we suggest putting much stock in.