One Popular Venom 3 Fan Theory Just Had Its Bubble Burst

Lacey Terrell/Sony Pictures

No chocolates or human heads to snack on here, only major spoilers for "Venom: The Last Dance."

However you thought the torrid love story between Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and Venom (also Tom Hardy) would end, it's safe to say even the biggest fans never imagined that "Venom: The Last Dance" (which /Film's Chris Evangelista reviewed here) would end things as definitively as it does. The brutish symbiote sacrifices himself to save the world in a blaze of glory, Eddie finally finds some measure of peace, and it all wraps up in a neat and tidy bow. Over the last six years, the "Venom" trilogy has defied expectations and everyday logic to become one of the more successful comic book franchises out there — despite never once actually pitting Spider-Man supervillain Venom against, you know, Spider-Man himself. But when "Spider-Man: No Way Home" opened up a multiverse of possibilities with all sorts of crossover potential, complete with a post-credits scene that seemed to bring part of the symbiote into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, many fan-theories quickly sprang up that "The Last Dance" would follow suit.

Not quite, as it turns out. Never mind that the various trailers for the threequel included a pair of curious casting choices that, for anyone who knows their Marvel history, only further fed fuel to the fire that "Venom" might double down on the multiverse. The addition of Chiwetel Ejiofor and Rhys Ifans were always bound to raise eyebrows, given the fact that both have suited up as Marvel comic book characters before. The two portray military man Rex Strickland and grungy UFO truther Martin in "The Last Dance," respectively, and both play surprisingly large roles in the story. But Ejiofor has also played "Doctor Strange" villain Baron Mordo in the MCU, while Ifans originally portrayed Curt Connors/The Lizard in "The Amazing Spider-Man" before reprising his role in "No Way Home."

Though all the pieces were in place for a major multiverse twist, "Venom: The Last Dance" debunks this fan-theory once and for all.

Laura Radford/Sony Pictures

If you spent much of "Venom: The Last Dance" waiting for a big reveal related to Rhys Ifans and Chiwetel Ejiofor's characters, you weren't alone. On the surface, it makes perfect sense why writer/director Kelly Marcel and the rest of the "Venom" creative team would be drawn to both actors for these specific roles. Ifans could play an obsessive, shaggy-haired weirdo in his sleep, which he did to great effect as one of the highlights of HBO's "House of the Dragon." Meanwhile, Ejiofor just oozes undertones of a buttoned-up, villainous threat that's perfect for a vengeful soldier. (It's worth pointing out that Andy Serkis' voice role as the main antagonist Knull technically fits the bill, considering his previous Marvel casting as Ulysses Klaue in "Avengers: Age of Ultron," but he's such a non-factor that it's doubtful anyone felt similarly about his casting.) Yet, given the fact that both actors have played such prominent roles in the MCU before and that Eddie Brock and Venom have come this close to jumping over to that franchise in the recent past, it raises the question of whether the distraction inherent in their casting was worth it or not.

Not that we're complaining about how it all went down, mind you — not completely, at least. To be clear, it's actually a relief that Marcel and Hardy resisted the urge to turn a simple, straightforward story singularly focused on Venom and Eddie into a franchise-expanding event movie that would only exist to set up a potential "Spider-Man 4" with Tom Holland. For an IP that tends to prioritize fan-service considerations above all else, there's something to be said for a comic book movie that dares to tell its own self-contained story instead and throw a middle finger towards worries about continuity.

Still, wouldn't it have been better to sidestep distractions entirely and simply cast anyone else for these two significant roles? Much of the "Last Dance" marketing cycle was dominated by confusion over the Marvel multiverse and the "Venom" franchise's place within it. By avoiding any potential crossover speculation whatsoever, maybe it would've been easier to engage with the threequel on its own terms and simply enjoy the ride.

"Venom: The Last Dance" is now playing in theaters.