A major Venom: The Last Dance rumor has been debunked, shooting down a theory that connected the movie to The Amazing Spider-Man franchise. Tom Hardy returns to lead Venom: The Last Dance‘s ambitious story, marking what is said to be the final Venom movie in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. After the film’s trailers showed that a star from The Amazing Spider-Man was in the film, theories started to mount about whether that meant Andrew Garfield’s Marvel franchise would connect with Venom: The Last Dance in some way. Those theories have now been addressed.

Speaking with IGN, Venom: The Last Dance director Kelly Marcel revealed that Rhys Ifans is not playing The Amazing Spider-Man’s Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard, but a new character. Ifans’ Lizard was the main villain of Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man, returning years later in the MCU’s Spider-Man: No Way Home alongside multiverse villains. With Knull confirmed for Venom: The Last Dance, as well as other symbiotes and Xenophages, there is no need to add the Lizard as a villain. According to Marcel, Ifans’ character is fun and important to the movie. Check out the full quote below:

It’s not uncommon for actors to be cast as different Marvel characters across various films and this is no different. The best actors for the roles were cast and Rhys is no exception. He plays a new and different character in a really fun and important role, and I am so excited for people’s reaction to his wonderful performance.

What The Confirmation Of Rhys Ifans’ New Character Means For Venom 3

The Amazing Spider-Man Franchise Remains Separate

It would not make a lot of sense to include a very different version of Rhys Ifans’ Curt Connors in Venom: The Last Dance. From the little that has been shown of his Venom 3 character, it is possible to see that he is more light-hearted and loose than the serious Curt Connors/The Lizard that Ifans played in The Amazing Spider-Man and in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The upcoming SSU movie is also filled with villains already — with Knull and more — so there is no need for Ifans’ Lizard to be added to the count.

While confirming that Ifans is not playing the Lizard in Venom: The Last Dance, the SSU movie’s director teased what kind of role his new character has in the film. Ifans’ character is described as fun and important. While the actor has played some high-profile dramatic roles, like his Dr. Connors from The Amazing Spider-Man and, more recently, Otto Hightower in HBO’s House of the Dragon, Ifans has impeccable comedic timing. If the actor’s Venom: The Last Dance character is as fun as Ifans’ role in movies like Notting Hill, then the audience will surely love him.

Our Take On Venom 3’s Mysterious New Character

Rhys Ifans Is A Welcome Addition To The Venom Franchise

Ifans has shown his acting skills time and again, to the point that whenever he is up on the screen, anything can happen. I have enjoyed his comedic roles in the past, so I’m sure that his fun Venom: The Last Dance character will be exciting to watch. As for Marcel saying that he plays an important role in the film, there is a theory that the little boy Ifans’ character was seen with in the trailer could be a young Peter Parker. If Ifans’ mysterious character is protecting Peter Parker, that explains his importance in Venom: The Last Dance.