There was a time when it was hard to believe that Venom would ever become a movie headliner. The Marvel Comics villain was always one of Spider-Man's most popular villains, sure, but he was just that: A villain. But somehow, someway, the alien symbiote pulled it off, achieving similar levels of popularity as his more famous foe and headlining his own movie franchise.
Prior to the release of Venom, the character had played a supporting role in 2007's Spider-Man 3. The effects in that movie were very convincing, but audiences weren't sold as the film's complete overcrowding prevented any of its villains from shining. But that certainly wasn't the case in 2018's Venom, which gave Eddie Brock and the symbiote the spotlight in what can only be described as an absolutely bonkers movie.
Tom Hardy portrays the reluctant hero in the film series, who finds himself bonding with the alien symbiote living within him. Eddie and Venom make quite the pair, and fans all over the world have fallen in love with their completely chaotic relationship.
The Sony Pictures pair's story will end with Venom: The Last Dance and even though it's set to be a bittersweet ride, it looks like it's going to be an absolutely outrageously fun one, too. And with that in mind, that gives us the opportunity to reflect on the Venom franchise and rank all three of its movies.
Honorable mention: Spider-Man: No Way Home
Spider-Man: No Way Home may be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but it also holds a loose link to the Venom franchise. As Sony produces the Spider-Man movies for Marvel Studios, they were able to feature a reference to their Venom movie series due to the film's complex multiversal plot (which sees Spider-Man heroes and villains from across the multiverse make their presence felt on the MCU).
Tom Hardy appears in the post-credits scene, which picks up after the post-credits scene of Venom: Let There Be Carnage. He's sitting at a bar before he is pulled back into his own universe, leaving behind a trace of the alien symbiote for some poor soul in the MCU to potentially bond with.
Objectively, Spider-Man: No Way Home is the best movie that Venom has appeared in, but since it's not technically part of the Venom movie trilogy, we can't include it in the main ranking. That doesn't mean we can't honor it, however.
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