Everything We Know About Venom: Let There Be Carnage

In the crowded world of superhero movies, there’s absolutely room for fun, silly popcorn flicks — and that’s exactly why we’re getting Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Superhero movies should be fun and if the first trailer for this highly improbable sequel is anything to go by, Venom 2 will be just as enjoyable as its predecessor.

When 2018’s Venom released in theatres, an unsuspecting world rejected it. They looked to the film’s weird plot, muddy visuals and too-serious performances and saw garbage. But critics of the original failed to realise the film’s genius. Tom Hardy’s performance as Eddie Brock is Oscar-worthy. The lobster scene is a masterpiece of cinema.  Every weird little tic and moment in the film made it great, even if it was critically panned when it released.

So because we like fun at Gizmodo, here’s everything we know about the sequel so far.

Venom 2: Australian Release Date

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is one of the films that bore the brunt of the coronavirus-induced movie delays — so while it was originally scheduled for October 2020 it’ll now release on September 16, 2021 in Australia.

As with every other movie released over the last year, this date is subject to change, and we’ll update this post if it slips.

Currently it’s scheduled for a cinema only release, so don’t look for it to arrive on any streaming services.

Venom 2: First Look Trailer

After months of anticipation and delays, the first trailer for Venom: Let There Be Carnage launched on Monday to rapturous applause. It looks silly good, from the entire opening scene where Venom sings while making Eddie breakfast to Woody Harrelson’s appropriately maniacal supervillain speech.

It’s clear new director Andy Serkis is leaning into the madness of the original movie and doubling down on everything that made it so enjoyable More Eddie and Venom shenanigans! More gooey symbiote antics! Tom Hardy doing weird accents! Mrs. Chen!

The trailer doesn’t reveal much about the plot, but it does give us a good glimpse at the movie’s comics-accurate Carnage, Woody Harrelson in a less unhinged wig, the return of Michelle Williams’ Anne Weying and the arrival of Stephen Graham as detective Patrick Mulligan (the human identity of symbiote Toxin in the comics).

As you’d expect, there’s also plenty of head-biting, creepy hospital scenes and gore. Everything you could want from a first Venom 2 trailer, really.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage 2nd Trailer

A month out from its cinematic release, we’ve copped a second trailer for Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and it’s got me even more excited for the new film.

So, what’s the story?

Venom: Let There Be Carnage will kick off following the events of the original Venom, which saw Eddie Brock and Venom defeat symbiote Riot and save the earth from being consumed. In the film’s post-credits scene, Brock was seen questioning serial killer Cletus Kasady in prison, and the trailer made clear this movie will pick up the threads of that confrontation.

As for the plot itself, the trailer spells it out fairly well: Kasady somehow becomes a symbiote host to Carnage while on death row, and it’s up to Brock and Venom to stop him before he murders more innocent people.

In the comics, it’s Venom who actually creates Carnage (accidentally) but it’s currently unclear whether the film will explore these origins or go for something entirely different.

Who is Carnage?

Carnage is a symbiote who was born from Venom’s offshoots. This basically make him Venom’s weird, gooey son. While symbiotes aren’t inherently evil, Carnage was ultimately bonded to serial killer Cletus Kasady when Brock escaped prison. In the comics, Brock has been mostly depicted as an outright criminal, rather than the investigative journalist he is in the films.

Kasady’s violent mind twisted the symbiote and together, they became a superpowered killing force. It took Venom working with Spider-Man and a number of other superheroes to finally bring Kasady down, and even then he still returned to fight another day.

As far as Spider-Man villains go, Carnage is the most ruthless, powerful and evil of them all. There’s no sympathetic backstory here, he’s just a guy who really, really likes killing.

Is Tom Holland’s Spider-Man going to be in Venom 2?

While early Reddit reports claimed Tom Holland is set to appear in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, these are currently unconfirmed and also very unlikely.

Venom‘s place in the MCU is a major mystery with few clues to go off — so we don’t even know if the events of this franchise are in the same universe as Holland’s Spider-Man.

Venom is assumed to take place in the same world as Morbius, and Michael Keaton, who previously played The Vulture in the Holland Spider-Man films, made a cameo appearance in the trailer for that flick. But Keaton isn’t currently confirmed to be playing the same character, Venom hasn’t been confirmed to be connected to Morbius and it appears the Daily Bugle logo seen in the Venom 2 trailer hails from the Raimi films, not the MCU.

The first trailer for VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE has been released & it features a shot of a Daily Bugle newspaper!

The logo on the newspaper is the same as the one in the Sam Raimi SPIDER-MAN movies. pic.twitter.com/LMbyrmCPhd

— Spider-Man: No Way Home News (@spideysnews) May 10, 2021

If Venom is connected at all, neither Sony nor Marvel are giving hints, so expect any cameo appearances to be kept tightly under wraps.

Do you need to watch the original movie?

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a direct continuation of the original Venom movie, and you should absolutely watch that before you watch the sequel. Not only is it an essential movie, it’s also a cinematic treasure.

Watch Venom (2018). You’ll come out of it with a new appreciation for Tom Hardy and his ability to carry an entire movie on his back.

Because the franchise’s ties to the MCU are currently very loose, you won’t need to watch any of the other MCU or Spider-Man films to enjoy this one.

What comics should you read to prepare?

Venom has a long history in the Spider-Man comics as both a villain and an anti-hero, and there’s plenty of comics you can read to learn more about the character and his ties to Cletus Kasady, aka Carnage.

While we don’t know everything about the plot just yet, it appears to closely resemble the Maximum Carnage comics storyline which saw Venom, Spider-Man and other heroes team up to stop Carnage from destroying the world.

This 14-part story took place over multiple issues of Spider-Man and its spin-off comics, but you can also grab it in a complete collection if you want to know more about the movie’s origins.

Outside of this major event, you might also like to check out the recent Venom (Vol. 4) series written by Donny Cates. This entire run is fantastic, and will give you a much better idea about how Venom and Eddie’s relationship functions.

For more Venom goodness, Venom (Vol 2) by Rick Remender is also great — but this tale features Flash Thompson as Venom, not Brock. Still, it’s hugely fun and one of Marvel’s best comics of the last decade.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is releasing in Australian theatres on September 16. In the meantime, you can watch the original movie on Netflix or watch the first trailer over and over until you’re sick of it.

Stay tuned to Gizmodo Australia for all the latest news on the worlds of pop culture and technology.

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