Film guide · 2018

VenomComplete Guide

The parts that are hard to follow from the film alone, explained with a story summary, a character map and key terms.

Released
2018
Runtime
112 min
Set in
Alternate universe

Good to know before watchingNo spoilers

Starts outside the MCU

It's a Sony Marvel film set in its own world at first. The series links up with the MCU later on.

No Spider-Man

Venom is the star; Spider-Man doesn't appear.

Lots of comedy

Eddie and Venom bicker like a comedy duo.

Watch the mid-credits

There's a scene setting up the sequel.

Character mapSpoilers

Who's who in Venom (2018), with Eddie at the center.

Because of copyright, we can't use stills, posters or any other images of the characters as they appear in the film. All face photos are freely licensed photos of the actors themselves (non-human characters are original illustrations made for this site; people without a photo are shown with initials).

Drag to move, pinch (or scroll on a computer) to zoom. Tap a person to read about them.

All characters

About the images

Face photos are freely licensed photos of the actors from Wikimedia Commons, cropped to a square and resized. Non-human characters are original illustrations made for this site, and people without a photo are shown with a placeholder (initials).

StorySpoilers

Read the story (spoilers up to the ending)

1. The crash

A Life Foundation rocket crashes while carrying alien life forms.

2. Losing everything

Eddie confronts the Foundation's CEO and loses his job and fiancée.

3. Venom

Sneaking into the lab, Eddie is bonded by a symbiote.

4. Two in one

Eddie and Venom bicker but work together.

5. The launch pad

The pair try to stop the CEO's plan.

Read the detailed scene-by-scene story

Key terms

Symbiotes
Alien life forms that live inside a host, giving them great strength.
The Life Foundation
A big company working on space exploration, secretly running dangerous experiments.
Venom
The name of the symbiote that bonds with Eddie.
Riot
A powerful symbiote, the leader of its kind.

Confusing parts, explainedSpoilers

Contains spoilers about the ending.

Why does Venom help Eddie?

At first it just needs a host, but over time it comes to like Eddie, and Earth.

What was Drake planning?

The Foundation's CEO, Drake, wanted to merge humans with symbiotes so people could survive in space, and experimented on many people to do it.

Who's the man in the mid-credits scene?

Cletus Kasady, a serial killer in prison. He's the villain of the next film.

Easy-to-miss details

Mrs. Chen's shop

Mrs. Chen, who runs the corner store near Eddie's place, appears throughout the series.

Snacks

Venom craves chocolate and 'bad guys.'

After the credits

The very end shows a preview from the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

The ending and post-creditsSpoilers

After the end credits

Mid-credits: Cletus Kasady appears in prison.

What to watch next

More Marvel movie guides