Commentary — ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ Continues An Annoying Villain Trend
by Frank Martin
There was always going to be a question as to who the villains in a Venom film would be as the title character is often considered a villain. In recent years, a prominent symbiote villain named Knull emerged in the comics and was chosen as the ultimate foe in Venom: The Last Dance. However, the plot of the movie wasn’t about stopping Knull (Andy Serkis) himself. Instead, it centered on preventing his release, so Knull was never a direct threat in the film. This is one of the most annoying trends in movies: a prominent villain is built up as a threat but never acts on upon it. This Venom film didn’t invent the trope, but it definitely continued it.
After Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) died and his symbiote (also Hardy) brought him back to life, the pair created a Codex. Ages ago, the symbiote species locked away their creator Knull in a prison with the Codex serving as the only key that could release him. In order to break free, Knull sends xenophages after Venom. With the help of other symbiotes, he manages fend off the assault, but the symbiote ultimately sacrifices its own life to destroy the Codex and prevent Knull’s release.
From the very start of film, Knull is positioned as the main threat and obstacle. The xenophage that he sends after the Codex is a pale substitute to this foreboding villain. It feels as if the film falls short of meeting its true threat by not allowing Knull an opportunity to fight Venom. This is a trend that appears in other films, such as The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Sauron is depicted as the ultimate enemy, but he never actually appears in the film (for reasons of lore and fidelity to the novel). It’s certainly possible that they were holding out on making Knull the antagonist in a subsequent film as he did appear in a post-credit scene, but as Venom: The Last Dance was built up as the final film in the trilogy, they should have given Venom his most dangerous challenge.
Venom: The Last Dance is now streaming on Netflix.
