The first trailer for Venom: The Last Dance has proven that there may be no room for Spider-Man in the upcoming Sony Spider-Man Universe sequel, but this may be for the best. Following Tom Hardy’s appearances as journalist Eddie Brock, the host of the Venom symbiote, in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the first trailer for his third solo movie was released on June 3, 2024. While raising excitement for the release of Venom: The Last Dance, the Marvel movie trailer also suggests one much-wanted battle won’t come to fruition.

During a May 2024 conversation with Deadline, Sony Motion Pictures Group chair Tom Rothman confirmed that Venom: The Last Dance would be the final movie in the series. Rothman noted that “the third and last Venom, is going to be huge,” teasing an action-packed, non-stop storyline for the symbiote’s final salvo, and Venom: The Last Dance’s first trailer supports this. Unfortunately, this kind of grandiose narrative will leave little time for Venom to face his most highly anticipated adversary, but this may not be a problem, as Venom’s live-action future could lie somewhere other than the SSU.

There’s No Room For Spider-Man In Venom: The Last Dance

After Spider-Man: No Way Home’s mid-credits scene, there were suspicions that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock could battle it out in Venom’s upcoming sequel. Venom: The Last Dance’s trailer and story details seem to rule this out entirely, however, due to the sheer number of other storylines and characters that the finale needs to balance. Eddie Brock and Venom find themselves fugitives in The Last Dance, on the run from human symbiote hunters – including Chiwetel Ejiofor’s character – and extraterrestrial villains alike, meaning a fight between Venom and Spider-Man would feel all too rushed.

In the early development stages of Venom: The Last Dance, an appearance by Tom Holland’s Spider-Man was a real possibility. Let There Be Carnage director Andy Serkis suggested Venom could meet Spider-Man in the future, while Holland himself confirmed talks with Amy Pascal regarding Spider-Man’s possible move to the SSU after the deal between Marvel Studios and Sony briefly broke down. Nevertheless, Venom: The Last Dance’s trailer neglected to tease the wall-crawler whatsoever, instead focusing on a storyline that may make Spider-Man’s appearance practically impossible.

Venom: The Last Dance Proves The Problem With Sony’s Spider-Man Universe

It is possible that Spider-Man’s appearance in Venom: The Last Dance could be kept under wraps until the movie’s release in October 2024. However, Spider-Man popping up in Venom’s upcoming sequel would be a huge draw for audiences, so Sony would perhaps benefit from including this huge detail in its marketing for The Last Dance. Instead, Spider-Man seemingly not showing up in The Last Dance further proves the problem with Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, as the franchise focused on Spider-Man-related characters from Marvel Comics hasn’t actually debuted the titular wall-crawler himself.

Venom’s cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home would have been the perfect jumping-off point to set up a battle between Spider-Man and the symbiote. While this is unlikely to occur during The Last Dance, it’s possible this could hint at a greater battle taking place in the MCU proper. There is still a piece of the Venom symbiote in the MCU’s Earth-616 (unless The Last Dance changes this). This means Venom could make the move to the MCU following his suspected demise in Venom: The Last Dance, leaving Eddie Brock, but teasing a bright future in opposition to Holland’s Spider-Man.