Warning: This article contains spoilers for Venom: The Last Dance
Sony’s Spider-Man universe may have just replaced Venom with Marvel Comics’ Agony next Venom: The Last Dance. Venom: The Last Dance is now in theaters, closing in on the live-action Venom trilogy with an explosive final release. The film walks a fine line between high-octane action sequences and emotional moments between Venom and Eddie Brock, while also introducing a host of original and adapted Marvel Comics characters. The most significant of these is Knull, the clandestine archvillain of Venom: The Last Dance which was created to impact more Spider-Man films in the future.
While scenes of Knull were few and far between, his Xenophage army posed a nearly insurmountable challenge in their search for the codex attached to Venom. After several failed attempts to end the threat of the Xenophages, Venom takes down Area 51 and enlists the help of the symbiotes trapped there, who begin to bond with the facility’s various staff members and band together to overcome the Xenophages. This culminates in Venom’s death and the death of everyone except one symbiote.
Juno Temple’s Payne Bonds With A Symbiote That’s Probably Agonizing
Dr. Payne releases a familiar-looking symbiote to bond
Juno Temple’s Payne is an original character loosely based on Marvel Comics’ Dr. Paine, a sadistic doctor with a penchant for questionable experiments. While Temple’s Payne isn’t overtly villainous, she shows an affinity for symbiotes above humanity that can seem somewhat obsessive. During the tumultuous final sequence of Venom: The Last Dance, Dr. Payne grabs a symbiote to rescue it from the chaos. Before fully cleaning the installation Payne willingly bonds with the inner symbiote to escape to safety before Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Rex Strickland blows up the facility.
Fortunately for Dr. Payne and Sadie, Dr. Payne’s new symbiote is able to cover a significant distance thanks to some unique lightning-based powers. It is implied that these powers arose from the sparks of electricity surrounding the symbiote vial and from Payne’s experience of being struck by lightning. Based on the pink/violet color of Dr. Payne’s new symbiote, however, and its long symbiote head”hair“, It’s safe to assume this new symbiote is Agony from Marvel Comics.
Agony Marvel Comics History and Powers Explained
Agony is typically portrayed as the vile offspring of poison
Agony was forcibly created from the Venom symbiote by the Life Foundation, the organization that made its live-action debut in Poison. This purple symbiote was one of five that included Riot, the arch-villain symbiote in Poison. These symbiotes were created as enforcers for the Life Foundationwho tried to protect the interests of their shareholders in the event of a global catastrophe, becoming the Guardian Symbiotes.
Agony and his brothers would go through a cavalcade of hosts throughout their history in Marvel Comicseven teaming up to become Hybrids on several occasions, one of which was with Deadpool as the host. Agony and his brothers would also become Knull’s slaves during his attack on Earth and Eddie Brock’s family. Agony was last seen as part of Wilson Fisk’s Thunderbolts team in Marvel Comics, but was again defeated.
Agony’s powers are similar to those of other symbiotes. The agony, however, received an extra dose of strength from the US government. Just like your brothers, Agony possesses a small unique power in the form of acid generationallowing her to spit corrosive acid – similar to the acid eventually used to dissolve Venom and the Xenophages he fought in Area 51. The MCU’s Agony, however, did not immediately demonstrate these powers and instead appears to boast an entirely different set of powers. single.
Venom 3’s Agony Powers Explained
Venom: The Last Dance Seems to Give Agony Electric Powers
When Agony breaks free from his flask and teams up with Dr. Payne, It looks like they both have electrical powers. This was hinted at when Agony’s containment vial crackled with electricity and was foreshadowed by Payne’s lightning scars. Upon bonding, this electricity seemed to form a power unique to the new symbiotic relationship.
Although the Agony symbiote did not deploy these powers in an offensive way. Payne only released the symbiote at the last minute, while Venom, Eddie and Rex Strickland retreated to deal with the Xenophages. This scene, however, showed that Agony can move at an extremely fast paceallowing the symbiote, Dr. Payne, and Sadie to clear Area 51 in enough time to prevent the catastrophic explosion caused by Strickland and Venom’s self-sacrifice.
Venom 3 Agony Comics Changes Explained
Agony’s powers differ substantially from the comics
Admittedly, there are some striking differences between Marvel Comics’ Agony and Sony’s Spider-Man Universe Agony. The hair, color, and arrival alongside other Guardian Symbiotes like Lasher and Hybrid are convincing signs that this is the symbiote Sony should be adapting with Dr. Payne, but that’s where the similarities end. While Venom’s unwitting children are not always villains in Marvel Comics, they are instead driven to villainy in most cases, the fact that Agony rescued Sadie in its final act goes against its Marvel Comics characterization.
Furthermore, the Electric powers and super speed are new additions to the symbiote’s power pool. The fact that Agony’s live-action debut came so close to corrosive acid that it became a significant MacGuffin is also hard to ignore, and feels like a nod from Sony to Agony’s more comedic powers. Given that Agony only had a few minutes of screen time, only time will tell if Sony will make changes to the character to better suit his comic book counterpart. Where that might lie, however, remains to be seen.
Is Sony planning an Agony spin-off movie?
It would be in line with Sony’s current habits
The fact that Agony was the only surviving symbiote to emerge from Area 51 is hard to ignore. Tom Hardy has stated that this will be his last Venom film, and Venom’s death underscores that point. With that in mind, it certainly seems like Venom: Let There Be Carnage specifically created a spin-off film for Agonypotentially as the chosen successor to Venom in Sony’s Spider-Man universe.
Agony is a relatively minor character in Marvel Comics, primarily comprising one part of a more prominent group in the form of the Guardian Symbiotes, with her most prominent solo outing being as part of Carnage’s hive mind. Yet, Having an Agony-only spinoff film would be in line with Sony’s current MO when it comes to adapting peripheral characters from Spider-Man lore like Madame Web. Furthermore, the threat of Knull still looms as the mid-credits scene confirms that the supernatural god still intends to wreak havoc on Venom’s now-deprived universe.
Still, Knull’s inherent ties to the symbiotes mean there should be a symbiote champion to lead the charge.
This could mean that other anti-heroes from Sony’s Spider-Man universe (and perhaps Spider-Man himself) will pick up the slack by facing off against the arch-villain normally associated with Venom. Still, Knull’s inherent ties to the symbiotes mean there should be a symbiote champion to lead the charge. Dr. Payne is an interesting character who fits the antihero profile, as she demonstrates a certain disregard for human life in the service of scientific discovery. With the exception of an announcement from Sony that Venom: The Last Dance In fact, Venom’s replacement debuted, the possibility of Agony’s return is purely speculation.
Venom 3 is the third and final chapter in Sony’s symbiote trilogy, starring Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock. It follows the events of Let There Be Carnage, where the antihero fought serial killer Cletus Kasady, and Spider-Man: No Way Home, where Brock was briefly transported to the MCU across the multiverse.
Release Dates for Sony’s Upcoming Marvel Movies
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December 13, 2024