Venom: Let There Be Carnage is 90 minutes of fun and chaos, culminating in an epic battle sequence between the movie’s hero and its villain.
There is much to love about the Venom sequel, as you can read in Inverse’s review. However, there is also much to talk about — especially when it comes to those final scenes.
While we may still be freaking out about that post-credits scene, there is one moment in Venom 2’s ending that teases what we could expect in a third Venom movie. Here is a breakdown of Let There Be Carnage’s ending and the new potential hero (or villain) it introduces.
Venom 2 ending, explained
Venom: Let There Be Carnage ends with Eddie Brock and Venom teaming up after a short break-up to take down the villain Cletus Kasady aka Carnage (Woody Harrelson).
After Cletus rescues his long-time love, Frances Barrison, aka Shriek (Naomie Harris), from her imprisonment, they go to a cathedral to host their own “red wedding.” They bring along some extra witnesses, San Francisco detective Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham) and Eddie’s ex Anne (Michelle Williams), to lure Venom to their location.
Shriek wants revenge on Mulligan for shooting her in the eye, as seen in the flashback at the start of the movie. Cletus wants revenge on Eddie for betraying his trust and moving up his death sentence. Carnage, meanwhile, intends to kill his father: Venom.
Once Eddie and Venom show up, the battle begins, as the pair fight Cletus/Carnage. Because the symbiotes are sensitive to sound — and Shriek’s ability is shrieking violently — she becomes a hindrance to Carnage. That creates a divide between Carnage and his host Cletus, who loves Shriek and doesn’t want her to get hurt. In the middle of the fight, Carnage strikes her.
This is the moment at which Eddie and Venom realize that Cletus and Carnage are not bonded; thus, Carnage will be easier to defeat than they initially realized. With assists from Anne and her fiancé, Dan (Reid Scott), Eddie and Venom successfully destroy Cletus and Carnage.
Venom 2 ending: Comics explain what happens to Patrick Mulligan
While Carnage is defeated in the Venom sequel, it is not entirely deceased. During the final battle, Carnage left a piece of itself in detective Patrick Mulligan. The last time we see Mulligan, he’s lying on the cathedral rafters, with his eyes glowing bright blue.
In the comics, Patrick Mulligan also becomes Toxin, the third biggest symbiote in the Marvel Universe. Toxin is an offspring of Carnage, who made his first appearance in the 2004 series Venom vs. Carnage.
After Carnage births Toxin in that series, the newborn symbiote supplants itself in Mulligan, similar to what we see in the film. However, Carnage doesn’t die in the comics and instead teams up with Venom to destroy Toxin. Knowing how powerful Toxin could become in time, Venom and Carnage were concerned that Mulligan’s position as a cop would make Toxin a hero, not a villain. He could be a significant threat to the symbiote bad guys. In the end, Venom and Carnage fail to beat Toxin, who does become a formidable hero in his own right.
Venom 2 ending: Will Patrick Mulligan be in Venom 3?
Patrick Mulligan will likely return in Venom 3. The fact that Let There Be Carnage lingered on Mulligan’s glowing eyes at the end tells us he’ll be back, and that he won’t be the same.
But will Mulligan be a friend or foe? That’s tougher to determine. Venom is much more of a hero than an anti-hero in the film series, especially compared to his depiction in the comics. While Eddie Brock and Mulligan had a contentious relationship in the sequel, they were on the same side. Therefore, it’s likely that the same dynamic will carry through into the third movie.
However, Venom 3 could subvert expectations and turn Mulligan/Toxin into a villain, who will be an excellent match for Eddie/Venom. It would be a missed opportunity not to see these human-symbiote pairs take part in a battle.
We’ll have to wait and see. After all, it seems like the multiverse is the next big thing on Eddie and Venom’s plate.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage is now playing in theaters.
