Venom: The Last Dance marks the end of an era for the Sony Spider-Man Universe (SSU), bringing about the end of Eddie Brock’s journey as the Lethal Protector. The film follows Eddie and Venom as they embark on one final adventure together after their bizarre and disappointingly short vacation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as seen in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Pursued by a secret government organization and the symbiote god Knull, Eddie and Venom are forced to finally part ways after a tearful goodbye.
Although the Venom symbiote appeared to die at the end of The Last Dance, a post-credit scene hinted that the alien could have survived his acid bath in the film’s climax. The scene in question shows a cockroach scurrying past the screen, having seemingly bonded with a black symbiote resembling Venom. The symbiote’s potential survival has led to frantic rumors about where Venom could appear next in the SSU and whether or not he will ever reunite with Eddie Brock. From the cacophony of rumors has come one particularly provoking possibility suggesting that Sony is developing a spinoff centered around the Agent Venom character from Marvel Comics. While Sony has yet to officially announce any such film, there is some evidence that Agent Venom is preparing to finally make his big screen debut.
Who Is Agent Venom in Marvel Comics?
In Marvel Comics, Peter Parker’s high school bully Flash Thompson eventually goes to serve as a soldier overseas. There, he grows into his own, putting aside many of his more childish qualities that made him difficult to get along with back home. However, things take a terrible turn when the enemy attacks Flash and his brother-in-arms. In an amazing act of heroism, Flash saves his friend but loses his legs in an explosion. Upon returning home, Flash struggles to cope with his missing limbs, only to find himself recruited into a mysterious organization that offers him the chance to get back everything he lost.
As a part of Project Rebirth 2.0, Flash Thompson bonds with the Venom symbiote, which has been heavily sedated thanks to experiments conducted by the United States government. The symbiote not only gives Flash all the same powers as Venom but also allows him to regrow his legs while they are bonded. Together, they become Agent Venom, a more controlled version of Venom running missions for the government. As Agent Venom, Flash fights many supervillains, including Crime Master and Kraven the Hunter. He even joins the Secret Avengers for a time to become the bonafide superhero that he had always dreamed of being. After operating as Agent Venom for some time, Flash is eventually separated from his symbiote, but later dons a new mantle as Agent Anti-Venom.
Is Sony Developing an Agent Venom Movie?
The website Fiction Horizon reports that noted Marvel scooper Daniel Richtman (known by his Twitter handle @DanielRPK) has hinted at a new project in the works at Sony. According to Richtman, a film starring Agent Venom is in the works for the Sony Spider-Man Universe and it may be an R-rated film, as many fans insisted that the Venom movies should have been. While this project is most likely early in development, it could mean big things for the SSU moving forward.
Agent Venom has the potential to be the Sony Spider-Man Universe‘s best new character. Not only is Flash Thompson an iconic character from the comics, but he is a much more skilled host for the Venom symbiote than the SSU‘s version of Eddie Brock. Tom Hardy was electric as Eddie, bringing a manic energy to the character that frankly carried the trilogy when little else about the films worked. However, this version of the character was also by necessity unskilled in wielding his symbiote, limiting what the trilogy could do with him as a superhero. Agent Venom would not have this problem, as Flash Thompson is a trained soldier who could bring the physicality and skill that Venom‘s Eddie Brock never could.
The hint that an Agent Venom movie could be rated R is likely contingent upon the success of Kraven the Hunter. The upcoming movie is the first entry in the SSU to receive the R rating, despite many fans lobbying for the Venom movies to do likewise. If Kraven the Hunter is a success, Sony would have no issue greenlighting another rated-R film. If the film has limited box office success, Sony may think twice about marketing exclusively to mature audiences for its future projects. Either way, the potential of an Agent Venom film is exciting enough to keep fans satiated for the time being.
How the SSU Can Introduce Agent Venom
There remains one problem in introducing Agent Venom after Venom: The Last Dance. The recently released film ends with Venom’s heroic death, as he sacrifices himself to save the others from Knull’s Xenophages. While Venom appears to die at the end of the film, the post-credit scene does hint that a trace of the symbiote collected by Strickland in the bar managed to survive the destruction of Area 55 and may find its way to a new host. This could be the excuse that the SSU uses to bring the Venom symbiote back for another film, though it is still strange that he wouldn’t return to Eddie. It may be that this reduced version of Venom didn’t retain his memories and therefore doesn’t remember Eddie Brock.
The Last Dance may also set up Flash Thompson in the SSU, though in a much subtler manner. When the Xenophage attacks Area 55 in the film’s climax, one soldier is attacked by the monstrous alien, which tears off his legs but fails to finish him off. The film reveals this character’s last name to be Thompson, an undeniable nod to the Marvel Comics character of the same name. If this is indeed Flash Thompson, then the stage has already been set for Agent Venom’s debut in the SSU. A wounded Flash has only to be recruited for Project Rebirth to bond with the Venom symbiote, finally becoming the epic superhero that fans know and love from the comics.
While Marvel fans aren’t too keen on the Sony Spider-Man Universe so far, introducing Agent Venom could go a long way in winning them over to the franchise. The character’s intriguing backstory and connection to Spider-Man make him worth exploring in the SSU as Venom’s next host. With a potential movie on the way, viewers could see Agent Venom’s live-action debut very soon.