Film Phase 4 — Multiverse Opens (2024–2025)

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Name: Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Released: 2021-10-01
Duration: 97 min
Cast: Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Reid Scott

"You are what you eat."

Released October 1, 2021 1h 37m ✦ Recommended

After finding a host body in investigative reporter Eddie Brock, the alien symbiote must face a new enemy, Carnage, the alter ego of serial killer Cletus Kasady.

Watch note

Cletus Kasady becomes Carnage. Mid-credits: Venom briefly crosses into the MCU via Strange's NWH spell — leaving a symbiote fragment behind in the MCU timeline. That fragment is the bridge to the MCU's Venom future.

Why It Matters in the MCU

The sequel compresses its runtime to ninety minutes and leans into what the first film discovered accidentally — that the Eddie/Venom relationship functions best as a domestic comedy with extreme violence at its margins. Woody Harrelson's Carnage is maximalist where Hardy's Venom is deadpan, and the contrast works as a foil even when the plot surrounding it is thin. The post-credits scene, connecting Venom to the MCU's Spider-Man continuity, is the franchise bridge Sony had been withholding since 2018.

Where It Fits in the MCU

Venom: Let There Be Carnage sits at position 95 of 133 in the MCU's story-chronological order, placing it within the Phase 4 — Multiverse Opens (2024–2025) era. It is rated Recommended — enriches the story but not strictly required. Watching in story-chronological order provides the most coherent character development experience — individual arcs build naturally toward the franchise's major crossover events, with each film's post-credits scenes carrying forward into what follows.