The title Venom: The Last Dance suggests this wacky and wild Spider-Man spin-off franchise could be coming to a close. However, much of this sequel (too much even) is devoted to setting up a big bad dead set on wiping the symbiote out of existence. So, barring a box office bomb on par with Morbius or Madam Web, it seems Venom 4 could rise. And the mid-credits scene for this third entry into this freaky franchise lays out how.

Written and directed by Venom: Let There Be Carnage scribe Kelly Marcel, Venom: The Last Dance unveils Knull, a big bad who doesn’t really get a chance to shine. But there are clues early on he’s being set up to wreak havoc.

In an early scene in the film, a frustrated bartender (Ted Lasso‘s Cristo Fernández) is explaining to Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) about the terrors galactic titan Thanos brought down on the MCU’s timeline. Then Eddie and Venom (also played by Hardy) get jettisoned back to their own dimension. Could this conversation be a hint of what’s to come back on Eddie’s home planet?

Who is Knull?

Both in the comics and Venom: The Last Dance, Knull is the creator of the symbiote. Depicted in the movie as a gray figure with long locks and a grumbling voice, this ancient god of darkness saw his creations turn on him and imprison him. And he’s ready to get them back for their betrayal.

First, he sends out his monstrous xenophages, giant bug-like beasts who can track the codex key that could free Knull’s binds. Ultimately, Venom manages to keep him bound through a grand act of self-sacrifice. But the post-credits scene suggests this wily symbiote might resurrect. And the mid-credits scene promises Knull isn’t out of the fight yet either.

What’s the mid-credits scene inVenom: The Last Dance?

If you stay through the playful montage of various Venom-animal combinations, you’ll see Knull once more on his throne, grumbling about his quest to take down his symbiote children once and for all.

Andy Serkis plays Knull, which might seem like a cheeky Easter egg as he directed Venom: Let There Be Carnage. However, Serkis is a pioneer in mo-cap acting, bringing to life Caesar in the recent Planet of the Apes movies and Gollum in the Lord of the Rings film franchise. So, if Marcel is bringing in this heavy hitter to play her CGI villain, you can bet Sony has big plans for Knull.

In fact, in an interview with Games Radar, Marcel said of Knull, “[He’s] way too big to be one and done. So, [his role in The Last Dance] is just a little introduction to him. It’s just a kind of taster of where he might potentially be able to go with his own movies, in the same way that they introduced Thanos very carefully through the Marvel movies.” 

There it is. The Thanos allusion is confirmed. Watch out, Eddie. Your war is just beginning.

Venom: The Last Dance opens exclusively in theaters Oct. 25.

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