Veteran Marvel star may not be retiring role after all; return "TBD"

Over the past decade, we have seen plenty of actors define Marvel Comics characters on the big screen. They headline major movies in a franchise, return for multiple sequels (and, in some cases, crossovers) and, eventually, retire the character for good. We have seen it in the Marvel Cinematic Universe a lot, with Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans retiring their respective roles as Iron Man and Captain America. We have seen it in the Fox Marvel movies with the X-Men stars, too.

Sometimes, however, stars reprise their roles again at some point. Hugh Jackman returned as Wolverine in the MCU's Deadpool and Wolverine, and both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield brought their Spider-Men back in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

There is one actor who has redefined a major Marvel character outside of the MCU, and even though it sounds like his time in the role is coming to an end, a new report suggests otherwise.

Tom Hardy rumored to return as Venom, likely in the MCU

Tom Hardy may be gearing up to close out his time headlining the Venom franchise for Sony Pictures, but that may not be the end of his time as the character in general. According to Marvel insider Alex Perez in a social media post, the story of Hardy's Eddie Brock "ain't done yet". Moreover, in a recent Q&A with fans via The Cosmic Circus, the insider answered a question about whether Hardy's Venom would play a big role in Spider-Man 4 with a simple answer of "TBD".

Hardy has portrayed the character in Sony's Venom trilogy, debuting in 2018's Venom, and returning in 2021's Venom: Let There Be Carnage. He's now set to reprise the role again in upcoming sequel Venom: The Last Dance, which is released this month and is expected to close out the trilogy.

Hardy seemingly confirmed that this film would be his final bow as the symbiotic Marvel antihero, telling fans "That's our lot - from me and the big guy - we loved every minute". And that could very well be true, but as Perez points out on social media platform Twitter "It may be your last Venom one, but your story ain't done yet". And with that, fans are instantly speculating that an appearance in the MCU is possible.

If it does happen, it wouldn't be Hardy's first appearance in the franchise. He made a brief cameo in the post-credits scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home when Eddie Brock and Venom were mysteriously transported to the world of the MCU. However, when they were getting settled at the bar, they were transported back to their own universe.

The trailer for Venom: The Last Dance seemingly recreates this scene, but on Venom's world, so it has led to speculation that it might set the stage for a crossover (a more significant one) between the two franchises. After all, Marvel Studios are currently telling the story of the Multiverse Saga right now, so it's more than possible that it could happen.

There are rumors that the new Spider-Man trilogy (which will bring Tom Holland back as Peter Parker) will see the titular hero tackle the symbiote arc, so could Hardy and his version of Venom be involved in that? Or could the bit of the symbiote that got left behind in the aforementioned post-credits scene play a role instead?

If Venom doesn't appear in the Spider-Man film series, he could always show up in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars as both of those films are expected to feature characters from all throughout the Marvel multiverse of movies. It would make sense to include one of the most popular in the world today.