Note: Contains spoilers for Venom.
Tom Hardy's Spider-Man spin-off Venom is here, and like any self-respecting superhero movie, it has post-credits scenes. A mid-credits scene and post-credits scene, to be precise.
Here's what they mean, and how they might build towards Sony's superhero universe.
Mid-credits scene: Meet Carnage
The first scene shows Hardy's Eddie Brock visiting the famous San Quentin State Prison, just to the north of San Francisco. He's there in his capacity as a journalist to interview one of the prison's most dangerous inmates.
Woody Harrelson plays Carrot Top Cletus Kasady, who comics fans will know as Carnage, a supervillain in possession of another alien symbiote.
"When I get out of here – and I will – there's going to be carnage," he tells Eddie. Subtle, right?
In the comics, the Carnage symbiote is the offspring of Venom (which technically makes him its mother, we guess). It combines so fully with Kasady that the creature speaks of itself as 'I' rather than symbiotes' usual 'we', which denotes that they are two beings operating as one.
There's no doubt that Harrelson is lined up to play Carnage in the prospective Venom sequel. We might have to see how this one goes down first.
Post-credits scene: Into the Spider-Verse
The second scene is a bit of a cheat, as it's technically a preview for another movie entirely.
"Meanwhile, in another universe," reads the caption, before launching into a scene from the upcoming animated movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
We meet Miles Morales, the Spider-Man of that universe, as he visits the grave of the late Peter Parker. Just at that moment, a still living Peter Parker – the Spider-Man from another universe – shows up, and Miles accidentally knocks him out. The police arrive, forcing Miles to flee with the unconscious body. "A child dressed like Spider-Man dragging a homeless corpse behind a train," as one of the officers puts it.
It doesn't have any direct links to the rest of the movie, but it does indicate that Venom and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse exist in the same continuum – a Spider-Man multiverse, if you will. So perhaps Hardy's anti-hero could make an appearance in that film, or the properties converge at a later date.
We don't know what Sony is planning at this point, but it hints at a shared continuity earlier than we expected.
