Does Venom die in Venom 3? The Last Dance title explained

Venom 3 is the last outing for this round of symbiote movies, leaving many to wonder if Venom dies in the big finale of The Last Dance. (Warning: major spoilers ahead!)

For years, a solo Venom movie was caught in the throes of development, its fate being tossed around like a turd in the wind. Then, in 2018, we finally got our hands on not just one Venom flick, but what turned out to be the first in an entire trilogy dedicated to the alien lifeform. 

Now, The Last Dance has closed out the series. It’s the last time (allegedly) that we’ll be seeing Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock and Venom in their toxic yet lovable relationship. So, the stakes are high, but does that mean we lose our favorite symbiote? 

Here’s everything you need to know about whether Venom dies, including details on why it’s called The Last Dance.

Does Venom die in The Last Dance?

Yes, Venom dies after dousing himself in acid in order to save Eddie and the Earth from Knull and his Xenophage army.

Knull has been after Venom and Eddie the entire movie, sending his Xenophage minions down to Earth to capture the Codex Key. What’s the Codex Key, you ask? Well, because Venom brought Eddie back to life, the two have a deep biological connection that creates a Codex Key.

The Xenophage can see the key when Venom is in his true form. The only way to destroy the key is if either Eddie or Venom dies, thus breaking the connection. The two argue about it earlier in the film, neither wanting to die and/or sacrifice themselves.

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But when Eddie is under threat and the Xenophage army is coming through the portals at an alarming rate during the final Area 51 battle, Venom has a realization. He doesn’t want Eddie to die, and so decides to sacrifice himself, taking the Xenophage troops with him.

Venom says goodbye to Eddie and leaves their hiding place, taking on his full form and absorbing the Xenophage bodies into his own. He walks under the vats of acid stored by the military in the area, which they had been using to destroy equipment as Area 51 shuts down.

Venom helps an injured Strickland to the control panel, where he gives the command for the acid to be unleashed. Venom spits out Eddie, placing a metal door on top of his body to protect him as acid rains down on him and the Xenophages. 

It takes a couple of activations for the acid to do any real damage, and Strickland eventually lets off a grenade to kill himself, Venom, and the dying Xenophages.  

Why is it called The Last Dance?

‘The Last Dance’ title is simply a nod to the fact that it’s the last time Eddie and Venom are together, as well as the fact that Venom 3 is Tom Hardy’s (supposedly) last run as Eddie Brock.

By all accounts, it’s just a nice way of saying “the end”. The title is actually referenced in the film itself, when Eddie and Venom wind up in Vegas. 

After bumping into Mrs. Chen at the slots in a Vegas casino, she invites them up to her suite. She turns the jukebox on, asking if she can have “one last dance” with Venom. 

Venom quickly takes over and the two have a boogie, all before the Xenophage comes crashing in, followed shortly after by Strickland and his crew.

Venom: The Last Dance is in theaters now.

For more, find out if Spider-Man is in Venom 3. You can also find out what’s going on with Spider-Man 4, and find out who’s stronger: Knull or Thanos.