In the most gruesome box-office battle of 2018, an antihero rose over the voice of an angel. Venom topped A Star Is Born to eventually reap over $213 million at domestic theaters (and $856 million worldwide). Naturally, that meant that Sony immediately launched into more Spider-Man spinoffs with a Tom Hardy-starring sequel first on the priority list. Well, Hardy’s beginning the week by following up on a post-credits scene that showcased the upcoming primary villain, Cletus Kasady, a.k.a., “Carnage.”
Last time we caught up with these guys, Sony was aggressively lining up Carnage to spread mayhem in a direct sequel. We saw Woody Harrelson as Cletus, a psychotic San Quentin State Prison inmate (serial killer) with a giant, bushy red hairdo. Harrelson was rocking that wig, and Cletus had personally requested that Hardy’s Eddie Brock interview him. And Cletus not-so-subtly declared, “When I get outta here … there’s gonna be … carnage.” Well, it looks like Cletus is out, and even though he’s got a different look, he’s keeping the wild color schemes alive.
Hardy posted this first look with a mere “Hello Cletus” and a flame emoji.
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Even a purposely dark and gloomy background can’t hide that shirt, which is really something. Venom didn’t make the history of Eddie and Cletus explicit, but they’re former cellmates. The comics also revealed that the Venom symbiote fused with Kasady, so those CGI effects should be fun to witness, and even more bizarre than this look.
We haven’t yet heard who will play the sequel’s other villain, Shriek (who can send sonic energy blasts and stir up violent emotions in folks), yet, although Variety reported that Naomie Harris is in the running. Michelle Williams will return as Anne Weying, and Andy Serkis is directing this installment.
Venom 2 licks its way into theaters on October 2.
