🎬 Venom 4: Eternal Darkness (2025) – The Symbiote’s Darkest Chapter Yet

Release Date: October 17, 2025
Director: Kelly Marcel
Screenplay: Kelly Marcel & Jeff Pinkner
Producers: Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Kelly Marcel
Studio: Sony Pictures / Marvel Productions
Rating: PG-13
🔥 Overview
Venom 4: Eternal Darkness plunges Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and his lethal symbiote Venom into their most harrowing ordeal yet—a battle not only for Earth but for the very soul of the symbiote race. Reuniting the creative team behind Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage, this fourth installment expands the saga into cosmic horror territory, introducing an ancient symbiote threat that could extinguish every light in the universe.
🕷️ What to Expect
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Cosmic Scale: After surviving Carnage and Shriek, Eddie and Venom discover a ruinous prophecy: an elder symbiote known as Eclipse (voice by Cate Blanchett) has awoken, capable of plunging entire planets into perpetual darkness.
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Moral Conflict: The bond between Eddie and Venom is tested as Venom’s primal instincts align more closely with Eclipse’s nihilistic vision—forcing Eddie to question whether the symbiote is truly his ally.
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Thrilling Action: From Hell’s Kitchen street fights to zero-gravity skirmishes aboard a derelict space station, the film pushes both stunt work and visual effects to new heights.
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Emotional Stakes: Anne Weying (Michelle Williams) returns, now leading a research initiative into “symbiote psychology.” Her discoveries about Venom’s origins become pivotal to saving him—and Earth.
👥 Cast & Characters
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Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock / Venom: Torn between his humanity and the alien’s hunger, Eddie must find a way to save both his host and the world.
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Michelle Williams as Anne Weying: Now a forensic psychiatrist specializing in symbiote cases, Anne provides the scientific key to Eclipse’s defeat.
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Woody Harrelson as Cletus Kasady / Carnage: In a chilling mid-film return, Carnage’s rampage intersects with Eclipse’s rise—creating chaos on two fronts.
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Naomie Harris as Dr. Serena Patel: A pioneering astrophysicist whose research into dark energy uncovers the symbiote prophecy.
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Cate Blanchett (voice) as Eclipse: The primordial symbiote goddess whose emergence threatens all life.
🎬 Production & Visuals
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Locations & Sets: Filmed on practical sets in Atlanta for street-level sequences; space-station interiors built at Sony’s Pinewood Atlanta Studios.
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Stunts & Effects: Real-world zero-gravity rigs for space scenes; Venom’s brutality enhanced with a blend of practical puppetry and state-of-the-art CGI by Industrial Light & Magic.
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Score: Ludwig Göransson returns with a dark, orchestral-electronic fusion—reflecting the film’s blend of horror and heroism.
🧠 Themes & Tone
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Light vs. Darkness: More than a physical battle, Venom 4 explores the existential struggle between creation and oblivion.
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Identity & Choice: Eddie’s fight to retain his humanity mirrors Venom’s internal conflict—questioning whether symbiotes are cursed predators or potential protectors.
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Sacrifice: As Eclipse’s shadow spreads, characters confront the ultimate question: what must you give up to save everything you love?
🎯 Why It Matters
Venom 4: Eternal Darkness marks a bold evolution for the franchise—expanding from New York street-level action into cosmic horror without losing the intimate, often darkly comic, dynamic between Eddie and Venom. With its high stakes, rich character work, and genre-blending scope, this chapter promises to redefine what a symbiote saga can be.
Prepare for a descent into shadow—where only the strongest light can prevail.