Every Easter Egg & Marvel Reference Explained
Mia Walsh Venom: Let There Be Carnage is filled with Marvel references and other Easter eggs. Here's every Spider-Man/Marvel connection in Tom Hardy's sequel.
Warning: Contains spoilers for Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
There are plenty of Easter eggs and Marvel references to be found in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Sony launched its own Marvel universe based around Spider-Man villains in 2018 with Tom Hardy's Venom. The movie was a massive hit financially and allowed the studio to move forward with plans for Venom 2. Like the first film, the sequel stars Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock in a story that is separate from Tom Holland's Spider-Man and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, Venom 2 takes a deeper dive into Eddie's world and that of the symbiotes.
The story of Venom: Let There Be Carnage picks up after the events of the first film and Eddie's first encounter with Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson). He continues to meet with the serial killer and works with Venom to solve the mystery of where Kasady's victims were buried. This leads to Kasady getting the death sentence, but he gets an extra chance at life after biting Brock and getting a piece of the Venom symbiote in his system - transforming him into Carnage. Eddie's life takes a dark turn, though, after he learns that Anne Weying (Michelle Williams) is engaged to another man. This eventually leads to Eddie and Venom splitting up before eventually reuniting to try and bring down Carnage and Shriek (Naomie Harris).
Venom: Let There Be Carnage doesn't draw its story from a specific comic run, but it is heavily influenced by the years of Marvel Comics that have focused on Venom and Carnage. As a result, the movie is filled with references to the comics, other pieces of pop culture, and even other superhero movie franchises. Here's every Easter egg and Marvel reference in Venom 2.
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St. Estes Home For Unwanted Children
The Marvel references start early in Venom 2, as viewers are quickly introduced to St. Estes Home For Unwanted Children. This is where Cletus was raised as a young boy following the death of his family members. St. Estes Home is taken straight out of the pages of Marvel Comics, although in there it is known as St. Estes Home For Boys. Venom 2 changes its subtitle to include all children, allowing the movie to make this where Cletus meets Frances Barrison as a kid. The two characters eventually return to St. Estes and burn it to the ground. In the comics, the location meets a similar fate and Cletus is believed to have been responsible. It is also the place where Carnage fights Spider-Man for the first time, but that didn't happen in Venom 2.
How Carnage's Origin Compares To The Comics
On top of a fairly faithful backstory for Cletus Kasady, Venom 2 brings his origin as Carnage to life in a similar but unique fashion. The parts of Carnage's origin that the movie gets right includes this version of the symbiote being a creation of Venom and Kasady obtaining it in prison. However, Venom: Let There Be Carnage making Cletus get the Carnage symbiote by biting Eddie isn't quite how it went down in the comics. Cletus and Eddie were cellmates at Ryker's Island at a time when Eddie was separated from Venom. His symbiote partner eventually came to rescue him and left a piece of himself behind, which then bonded to Cletus and became the origin for Carnage.
Sonny & Cher
One of the biggest non-Marvel references included in Venom: Let There Be Carnage comes with Eddie and Venom's pet chickens. Instead of eating them as Eddie intended, Venom named them Sonny and Cher after the popular music duo. They were active musicians from 1964 to 1977 and grew in popularity thanks to their two hit TV shows. Cher emerged from this musical duo to become a huge star, so being the name of Venom's pet chicken is hardly her greatest accomplishment.
Ravencroft Returns
Venom: Let There Be Carnage visits another popular Spider-Man location, and one movie viewers have seen in the past. After Shriek leaves St. Estes Home, she becomes a prisoner at Ravencroft Institute. Frances spends decades at the institution and waiting for Cletus to come to save her. Ravencroft has been a recurring facility in Spider-Man stories ever since it first appeared in 1991. This is the place where Carnage first meets Shriek in the comics too, although Venom 2 put its own spin on that story by making it the place he rescues her from. Sony previously used Ravencroft in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 as a place for Electro to be kept and experimented on.
A Possible Siegfried Farber
During the Ravencroft portion of Venom 2, audiences are introduced to Dr. Gazzo, who is a minor Ravencroft character from the comics. It is while she is walking through the institution that the movie might also include a reference to another Marvel character: Siegfried Farber. The character is not associated with Spider-Man, Venom, or Carnage in the comics, as he was instead a member of Baron von Strucker's Nazi group known as Blitzkrieg Squad. That might mean that Venom 2's Siegfried is not meant to be a reference, but it is an unusual name to specifically use.
The Daily Bugle
One of the biggest Marvel references included in Venom: Let There Be Carnage is The Daily Bugle. The newspaper is a staple of Marvel thanks to Spider-Man. The original Venom made no mention of The Daily Bugle, as it instead referenced Eddie working for the Daily Globe in the past. Now, Eddie is shown to be working for The Daily Bugle in Venom 2. The Easter egg is much more fascinating when the font of the logo is taken into consideration. The Daily Bugle logo is the exact same one used in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. The MCU put its own spin on it and made J. Jonah Jameson an Alex Jones-type talking head, but Venom 2 uses a more traditional version of the newspaper. However, the movie doesn't confirm the speculation that this means Tom Hardy's Venom originates from the same universe as Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man.
Stan Lee Cameo
Prior to Stan Lee's passing in 2018, the legendary Marvel creator was commonly featured in various Marvel movies. His cameos were something every viewer kept an eye out for, and Venom: Let There Be Carnage continues the recent trend of referencing Stan Lee in other ways. Venom 2's Stan Lee cameo comes as Eddie enters a local shop in search of food, and one of the magazines he passes has Stan Lee's face on it. Since Stan Lee had a small cameo at the end of the original Venom, it now appears that this particular Lee character was actually something of a celebrity.
Venom Downplays Spider-Man's Iconic Line
Known to some as the Peter Parker Principle, Stan Lee repurposed the phrase "With great power comes great responsibility" to make it an iconic Spider-Man line. A version of the line first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #15, with a wider audience hearing it in 2002's Spider-Man when Uncle Ben said it to Peter. However, Venom 2 makes a mockery of Peter Parker's guiding principle. Venom remarks during the movie that "responsibility is for the mediocre," a clear jab at Spider-Man.
Every Hero Has An Origin Story
There is also a reference to Spider-Man's origin story in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. When Cletus is preparing for his execution, he writes a letter to Eddie that includes the line, "every hero has an origin story." It is at this exact moment that a spider crawls along the postcard and Cletus kills it. This moment could be seen as a reference to Peter Parker's origin. A radioactive spider bite is how Peter gets his powers in the comics. However, Cletus has other plans for the spider as he proceeds to lick the blood and guts of his latest victim instead of possibly gaining superpowers this way.
The Lethal Protector
Venom 2 also references the antihero's other comic moniker, The Lethal Protector. This comes when Venom suggests that this should be his and Eddie's new crime-fighting name. The Lethal Protector name originates from Venom's first solo comic series, Venom: Lethal Protector. This story was a major inspiration behind the first Venom movie, as it follows Eddie's move from New York to San Francisco and shows him move further away from villain status as Venom. Eddie seems to accept the Lethal Protector name by the end of Venom: Let There Be Carnage too.
Enter Toxin
It is in Venom 2's ending that the movie quickly references another symbiote is coming to the universe, known as Toxin. The movie gives Detective Mulligan a sizable role as he pressures Eddie to give him any information from talking to Cletus. Mulligan seemingly dies at Shriek's hand during the finale, but Venom: Let There Be Carnage shows there is more to his story. The shot of Mulligan's eyes opening and glowing is a tease of his comic arc as Carnage's symbiote son Toxin. There isn't a great explanation provided in the movie for how this transformation is possible, but Mulligan's future as Toxin will presumably be explored in Venom 3.
A Symbiote Hive Mind
During the post-credits scene for Venom 2, the movie also makes reference to the symbiote hive mind Venom's alien race is known to have in the comics. The origins of the symbiote hive has changed throughout the years of Marvel Comics, with the more recent King in Black event connecting Knull to the creation of the symbiote. The symbiote hive mind transcends time and space in the comics, giving anyone connected to its great power. Venom: Let There Be Carnage teases that Venom's knowledge is vast and might even connect him to Topher Grace's Spider-Man 3 Venom.
Tom Holland's Spider-Man Appears
The very end of Venom 2's post-credits scene includes the biggest Marvel reference of the whole movie, as Tom Holland's Spider-Man appears. This comes after Eddie Brock seemingly is transported to the main MCU timeline as a result of the multiverse. Eddie sees J. Jonah Jameson's report from the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home about Peter Parker being Spider-Man. This quick cameo from Spider-Man (and J. Jonah Jameson) has massive ramifications on Venom's future, as well as Spider-Man's and the MCU. Venom: Let There Be Carnage's tease should eventually lead to Hardy's Venom and Holland's Spider-Man finally crossing over, bringing the important comic relationship to the screen once more.
