Spider-Man 4 is officially happening, with Tom Holland returning to play the iconic superhero after the landmark events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. The new film will be directed by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings‘ Destin Daniel Cretton and is currently slated to hit theaters in July 2026. While there are still plenty of moving parts involved in Spider-Man’s future, the upcoming film is expected to kick off another trilogy set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The new set of films has plenty of opportunities to expand Spider-Man’s mythos in the MCU, building up his character–and his Rogues Gallery.
There is no shortage of fan theories regarding Spider-Man 4. No Way Home reset the franchise, with Doctor Strange’s final spell restoring Spider-Man’s secret identity–and erasing the world’s memories of Peter Parker. Now left alone without any friends or family, Peter Parker has a fresh start during this “brand new day.” However, as is typical with Peter Parker, his life as Spider-Man will always catch up with him. While No Way Home hinted that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man could finally be on a collision course with Venom, there exists a chance to bring yet another dangerous supervillain to the MCU in future films. Carnage is a natural successor to Venom and the perfect final villain for Spider-Man’s next trilogy. Even better, bringing Carnage into the MCU could redeem the character after his botched appearance in the Venom trilogy.
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The New Spider-Man Trilogy Could Bring Back Carnage
Tom Holland Is About to Face Off Against Symbiotes in the MCU
Carnage isn’t likely to be Spider-Man 4‘s villain, but the new trilogy could be working toward the serial killing symbiote’s MCU debut. No Way Home‘s post-credit scene revealed that Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock left behind a sample of the Venom symbiote when he returned to his home universe. This sample of Venom will inevitably make its way to Peter Parker in Spider-Man 4, perhaps even giving Tom Holland the chance to don the iconic black symbiote suit. The first film of the new trilogy will likely explore Spider-Man’s exploits while bonded with the symbiote, eventually discovering that he must reject it. This would also pave the way for Venom to be the main villain of the second installment of the trilogy, as the symbiote joins with a more villainous host to destroy Spider-Man. With this turn of events, Carnage would be the best choice as a trilogy-ending villain in Spider-Man 6.
Carnage is one of the most dangerous symbiotes in Marvel Comics, making him the perfect villain to cap off another trilogy for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. Unpredictable and bloodthirsty, Carnage is a rampaging monster whose exploits challenge the very nature of Spider-Man’s heroism. He is the essence of all that is dangerous about human beings bonding with alien symbiotes, providing a poignant way for the MCU to close out a trilogy focused on the symbiotes. Although Carnage has been depicted in live-action before, he has never fought Spider-Man on the big screen. He would make the perfect final villain for Tom Holland’s new Spider-Man trilogy, wherein he would outshine any other foe that the web-slinging superhero has ever fought before.
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Venom: Let There Be Carnage Failed Cletus Kasady
Fans Weren’t Happy With How the Sony Spider-Man Universe Handled Carnage
One of the major reasons that Carnage should make his MCU debut is that fans weren’t particularly happy with the way that the villain was portrayed in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Woody Harrelson played Cletus Kasady, a serial killer locked away and sentenced to death for his many horrific murders. After the killer requests an interview from disgraced reporter Eddie Brock, things get tense between the two men, leading to a confrontation wherein Kasady bites Brock, unwittingly ingesting a piece of the Venom symbiote. Venom’s spawn eventually becomes the Carnage symbiote, bonding with Kasady and helping him break out of jail. Together with his girlfriend Shriek, Carnage goes on another killing spree, which eventually ends when he is killed in a fight with Venom at the end of the film.
The Venom films didn’t do justice to Carnage, disappointing many fans with his first live-action portrayal. Carnage was treated as little more than another dangerous symbiote, not unlike Riot in the first film. There wasn’t anything particularly special about Carnage besides his red coloring, which the movie tells viewers makes him more dangerous (even if his actions themselves don’t seem all that more threatening than those of any other villain in the series). Cletus Kasady, on the other hand, is trying way too hard to be Sony’s Joker. Bombastic and flamboyant in the villainous role, Harrelson has a vision for his character that isn’t dissimilar from Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, but it is hampered by the film’s weak story and bloodless carnage. What should have been the ultimate enemy for Eddie Brock and Venom ended up as a forgettable obstacle in a trilogy of lackluster villains.
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How the MCU Can Fix Carnage
Carnage Needs to Feel Like a Truly Dangerous Villain
A Carnage storyline in Spider-Man’s new trilogy can finally give the villain a chance to shine, but the MCU can’t make the same mistakes as Venom 2. Carnage needs to feel like a colossal threat, whose existence threatens the lives of countless innocent people. Many fans were disappointed that Let There Be Carnage was rated PG-13, believing that an R-rating would have allowed the film to depict more of Carnage’s brutality. It is highly unlikely that any Spider-Man film would be rated R, but this isn’t strictly necessary to depict Carnage in all his gruesome glory. Sometimes, the horror that isn’t shown onscreen is worse, allowing viewers to imagine the violence that took place beyond their sight. Let There Be Carnage made a meager attempt at utilizing this trick, but lazy cutaways aren’t enough. The new Spider-Man trilogy can get creative with its depictions of Carnage’s rampage, maintaining its PG-13 rating while still staying true to the villain’s bloody roots. Regardless of how the films approach it, Carnage only works when he leaves a trail of bodies behind him.
Even more importantly, Carnage is a villain who pushes his enemies farther than ever before. In Let There Be Carnage, Eddie Brock doesn’t have to make any difficult decisions in fighting Carnage and their battle essentially ends in a punching match. The best Carnage storylines are those in which his enemies must make compromises with who they are to beat him. In Marvel Comics’ “Maximum Carnage” storyline, the titular villain pushes Spider-Man so far as to actually try to kill him in a desperate attempt to end the death and suffering. Spider-Man, who vows to never take a life, is desperate enough to break his moral code to end Carnage permanently. While this didn’t come to pass, the fact that Spider-Man was pushed far enough to even consider killing Cletus Kasady shows just how terrifying the villain is. The MCU needs to capture this side of Carnage, depicting a character who is so evil that he even corrupts the good in others.
The Venom trilogy didn’t do justice to the character of Cletus Kasady/Carnage, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe can give the villain another chance. As the ultimate antagonist for a new Spider-Man trilogy, Carnage can push Tom Holland’s hero farther than he has ever gone before, proving himself to be one of the most dangerous Marvel villains of all time.
Spider-Man Homecoming 4
- Release Date
- July 24, 2026
- Cast
- Tom Holland , Zendaya , Jacob Batalon
- Studio(s)
- Columbia Pictures , Marvel Studios , Pascal Pictures
