Fans have been waiting since 2018 for the sequel to Venom, and while it’s been a long 3-years, we’re almost there! A few short weeks ago Sony revealed the first trailer for the highly anticipated Venom: Let There Be Carnage, where fans of the comics got their first ever glimpse at a live-action Carnage. The film was directed by Andy Serkis, yes, THE Andy Serkis who is known for his roles as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings franchise, and Caesar in the recent Planet of the Apes trilogy. While it’s weird to see Serkis get the nod, as he’s only directed 2019’s Mowgli on Netflix, that hasn’t killed the vibe for anyone who was a fan of the 2018 film.
I for one am a huge fan of Carnage in the comics, and getting a tease to him in Venom, where we see Cletus Kasady played by Woody Harrelson, in prison, was a nice way to build up hype for a sequel. Kasady is a fascinating character in the comics. He went from serial-killing mad-man with a taste for blood and violence, to being a sadistic mass murderer when bonded with the Venom Symbiote’s offspring, better known as Carnage. While the trailer might’ve revealed a little too much, it was a smart move by Sony to reveal a lot as the film will be coming to us in four short months. There’s also a pandemic going on, so getting all of this glory in the first (and hopefully final trailer) definitely soothed my ”spidey senses.”
Image: ComicBook.com
In an interview with IGN, right after the trailer dropped, director Andy Serkis revealed that his friend Stephen Graham will be playing Mulligan. This is of course a reference to Detective Patrick Mulligan, who eventually goes on to become the vigilante known as Toxin. Toxin is the Symbiote offspring of Carnage, and uses his Venom-like powers to protect the streets and people of New York City by assisting the NYPD. Time will tell if Graham will suit-up as Toxin in the sequel, but it’s safe to assume that the seeds will be planted for it to happen down the road.
Toxin has been an ally to not only Spider-Man, but to the Avengers as well throughout the comics. Having Graham, a well established actor with the flare to play a really awesome, dark character, is really exciting. Graham and Serkis have worked before, most notably on FX’s remake of A Christmas Carol back in 2019.
Image: ScreenRant
Serkis also revealed that Venom: Let There Be Carnage is, “not aware of Spider-Man.” That doesn’t confirm nor deny the possibility that it is in the MCU, or could perhaps phase over to the MCU at some point. Serkis explained that the seeds are set, with the reference to The Daily Bugle amongst “other things” in the movie. With the new licensing agreement between Sony and Disney, which will allow Disney to stream their movies on Disney+ or Hulu starting in 2022 which goes through 2026, anything is possible.
Tom Holland’s contract with Disney is up after Spider-Man: No Way Home, as well as an unknown crossover appearance in the near future. I am willing to bet that a new deal either has already been struck, or will be agreed upon in the coming months. This licensing agreement between the two studios is a major one for Disney. All Spider-Man movies and Venom movies were named in the initial article as movies that will be added to Disney+ in 2022. Wouldn’t it be odd if from 2022-2026 Disney+ has all eight Spider-Man movies, with Sony making Tom Holland-lead Spidey movies that aren’t distributed through Disney? Yes, yes it would be, which makes a new deal happening seem all the more legit very shortly.
Image: ComicBook.com
The trailer also revealed Carnage’s deranged love interest Shriek. Naomie Harris will play the villainess, and her moments in the trailer were pretty intriguing. She’s been tested on and I have a feeling that Ravencroft Institute (Arkham Asylum of Marvel Comics), which is where Cletus Kasady was moved to in the trailer, seems like where we’ll meet this insane villain. She is one of Spider-Man and Venom’s most deadly foes, and provides a great tandem when working with Carnage.
Many of Spider-Man's most insane villains call Ravencroft Institute their home for a while. That's where Shriek got her start, and after a run-in with fellow inmate Carnage, Shriek's path to super-villainy was born. Whether teamed with Carnage or on her own, Shriek is easily one of the most fascinating Marvel villains.
Image: Comic Book Resources
Tragically, though, Shriek's criminal rampages all stem from a traumatic childhood, just like Carnage. Her lack of a strong mother figure feeds into Shriek's criminal insanity and her compulsive need to create a twisted super-villain family of her own. Her desire to feel wanted, and lust for Carnage, has made her into a “monster” of sorts, who is willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants.
Shriek's mutant powers, yes she’s a mutant (X-Men) in the comics, allow her to manipulate sound energy. She can deploy that power in a number of interesting ways. As her name suggests, Shriek can fire destructive blasts of sound at her enemies, while she can also use this energy for defensive purposes, such as creating sonic shields or even allowing her to flying.
What truly makes Shriek a dangerous opponent, however, is that she can see the darkest parts of a person's mind and use her powers to manipulate their emotions accordingly. She literally plays on a person's worst fears, and because symbiote-powered heroes like Venom are especially vulnerable to sound, Shriek is more than a match for Eddie Brock. Carnage eventually learned that the same applies to him as well.
Image: USA Today
If you thought that Shriek’s origin was pretty intense, allow me to fully introduce you to Carnage. Cletus Kasady’s parents died when he was very young, and he lived with his grandmother until the age of eight. She sent him off to an orphanage after he pushed her down the stairs, and found out that Cletus had actually dropped a toaster into a bathtub, killing his mother. At the orphanage, Cletus expressed his love for a fellow orphan, and when she laughed at him, he pushed her in front of a bus and went on to burn down the orphanage. This further fueled his path to insanity and rage as a cannibalistic murderer. Yeah… It’s safe to say that he has one of the most insane origins in the history of comics.
It is believed that the makers of the film are aiming for a universe of their own that will feature all of the super-villains of the Spider-Man universe. The upcoming sequel, which has been described as buddy-cop dramedy by many, is scheduled to release September 24, 2021, only in theaters.