The buzz around Spider-Man: No Way Home has yet to die down. Just when you thought the whispers and theories would stop to clear way for the November release of The Eternals, October brought us the long awaited Venom: Let There Be Carnage. In Andy Serkis’ second installment of this anti-hero story, we get the chance to dive deeper into the relationship between Eddie Brock and the symbiote Venom — all as an elaborate set-up for the ultimate (and many say, inevitable) encounter with Spider-Man.

By now we know that Marvel has nearly perfected the mid-credit and end credit scenes, creating the perfect cliffhangers that leave Marvel fans at the furthest edge of their seats. To be a Marvel fan is to accept the painstaking wait and endure the constant theories rattling in their brain until the next film release.

— SPOILER WARNING —

The end credits scene

At the end of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, we are left with Eddie Brock and Venom on the run after defeating a vengeful Cletus Kasady (who was the host of Venom’s offspring, Carnage) and Shriek. While on the run from authorities and a having a fresher outlook on their relationship, Eddie and Venom are found on an island with their toes in the sand while watching the sunset on what looks like their version of a honeymoon.

Cut to later in the night and Eddie is sitting on a bed in their dingy hotel room watching a telenovela re-run, casually speaking with Venom about their time, vast knowledge, and experience while being a part of the symbiote hive mind. Venom then offers to give Eddie a glimpse of what they know but is abruptly interrupted by a glitch. This glitch places them in a significantly nicer hotel room during the day with J. Jonah Jameson of the Daily Bugle on the television revealing Spider-Man’s true identity (which was the ending in Spider-Man: Far From Home).

So does this mean Venom is officially part of the MCU?

While Eddie Brock and Venom were confirmed to have not known about Spider-Man’s existence following the eponymous 2018 film, it appears that Venom is made aware of his existence now. While watching the Daily Bugle on the television, Venom refers to Tom Holland’s Spider-Man as “that guy” — with an oddly familiar tone.

No one knows for sure when we will see these two finally come face-to-face on-screen, but Venom’s acknowledgement of Spider-Man is a huge tell. There’s really no telling if we will see Venom in the MCU as soon as December 17 (the Spider-Man: No Way Home theater debut), but this without a doubt confirms that we will be seeing them together at some point. They are one of the most iconic hero-villain duos in comic book history, and many feel that introducing Venom in the next Spider-Man film would seriously dilute their relationship.

As far as we are know, there will be three villains appearing in the next Spider-Man film — Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, and Electro (and possibly the Vulture, Sandman, and Lizard — which are not confirmed). The potential choice to include Venom on this villain roster would undoubtedly be one of the most irresponsible and messy Marvel set-ups of all-time.

Here are more October movies to watch.

Photo via WallpaperAccess