Relationships are tough. Whether it’s romantic or platonic, it can be a real challenge holding on to a serious connection. But anyone who has that special person they can’t imagine life without knows that it’s worth it. It’s a fact that Eddie Brock and Venom know all too well.

Brock and his symbiote pal strengthened their bond in the first Venom film, and pretty soon they’ll be back to do it again. The trailer for Venom: Let There Be Carnage has finally arrived, and it features our favorite symbiotic odd couple facing off against their greatest challenge yet; a crazed, murderous maniac with a symbiote of his own.

Of course, that’s not the only thing Brock and Venom have to worry about in their big follow up. If the trailer is any indication, the two will have a myriad of obstacles to overcome. Including a character with banshee-like powers, a suspicious detective, and a chocolate shortage! Oh, and the looming presence of a larger cinematic universe just around the corner.

Before we get too far into speculation town, let’s enjoy the sights and take a look at what the trailer for Venom: Let There Be Carnage has to offer:

My Roommate The Symbiote

Taking place roughly a year and a half after the events of the first film, Eddie Brock and Venom (both portrayed by Tom Hardy) are seemingly living a normal life. Or, whatever’s close enough to a normal life when you have a superpowered symbiote as your flatmate.

Making breakfast and singing oldies, Venom has taken kindly to regular life, though Eddie is understandably still a little shaken about his situation. Nevertheless, the two seem to be doing alright, even forming a good partnership with Mrs. Chen, the shop owner from the first film who discovered Eddie’s secret. She doesn’t tell anyone about Venom, and they protect her from any kind of danger. Plus, she gives them chocolate, so it’s a pretty sweet deal.

But this is a movie after all, and a superhero one at that, so it’s only a matter of time before things go downhill for our heroes once again. The trailer wastes no time in introducing us to its harbinger of chaos; Cletus Kasady.

Let There Be… Well You Know

Kasady (Woody Harrelson) was introduced to moviegoers for the first time in a post-credits scene at the end of the first film, leaving fans on a cliffhanger about where the character would go next. In fact, it’s Harrelson’s upcoming performance as the villain that fans are the most excited to see when Let There Be Carnage releases. No offense to to Brock and Venom, but there is a reason Carnage is sharing title duties this time around after all.

Speaking of, Kasady’s transformation from maniac on death row to one of Venom’s most dangerous adversaries is shown later in the trailer. After a botched execution gives him his symbiotic abilities (the reason purposefully left ambiguous in the trailer for theorists to go nuts with), Carnage is born. He escapes his prison, and seems to be looking for Brock/Venom. It’s not entirely clear what he wants with the pair just yet, but judging from Kasady’s voice over throughout the trailer, it’s safe to assume he’ll know just where to find them.

Kasady makes note of how similar he and Brock are, at least in his mind. The trailer doesn’t explicitly state it, but an official breakdown done by the film’s director, Andy Serkis, confirms that Brock has gone to speak to Kasady several times, and that villain will only talk to Brock and no other visitors.

With Kasady out and armed with a symbiote just as crazy as he is, it looks like the days of breakfast and show tunes are momentarily over for our heroes. Thankfully, it doesn’t look like they’ll be alone.

Introducing Other Key Players

Not much has been revealed about the plot of Let There Be Carnage, other than the fact that there will be a lot of… carnage. The title doesn’t just reference the comic book character, but also the likely result of the actions he’s going to take against Eddie Brock and Venom.

But Brock isn’t the only one trying to stop Cassidy. Detective Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham) plays a supporting role in the film as a detective investigating the connection between Brock, Kasady, and a string of murders that the latter has committed.

Savvy comic readers will recognize Mulligan’s name as the secret identity of Toxin, another symbiote from the comics. Toxin stems from Carnage the same way Carnage stemmed from Venom in the comics, though unlike his “father” he’s considered to be more of a good guy.

It’s too early to say whether Mulligan is on Brock’s side, or if he’s just a suspicious of him as he is Cassidy. We also don’t know if he’ll ever get his symbiote like his comic counterpart, but it’s clear from the trailer that he’ll be crossing paths with Brock and Kasady quite a bit.

Of course, Kasady may not be alone either. Also introduced in the trailer is Frances Barrison (Naomi Harris) the supervillain commonly known as Shriek.

Barrison keeps her moniker and her sound manipulative powers in the film, and though we don’t see much, the trialed does tease her inevitable escape using these powers. Barrison is described as Kasady’s love interest in the film, another reference to the comics. We’ll likely see the two pair up against Brock/Venom and Mulligan.

So… What About The Cinematic Universe?

The trailer gives us a lot to roll with in terms of speculation about the plot, but it also might give us some clues about Venom’s role in a much larger cinematic universe.

It’s worth noting that Let There Be Carnage will be the second film in the “Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters.” This mouthful of a title belong to a universe that includes Venom, its sequel, and the upcoming Morbius. However, fans have long speculated that the SPUMC will eventually merge, or at the very least interact, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and there’s quite a bit of evidence to support this.

Outside of the trailer, there’s the rumors that Tom Holland will reprise his role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man for a future Venom film (if not this one, then possibly Venom 3). Then there’s the speculation that Michael Keaton’s upcoming role in Morbius will be a reprise of his role as Vulture from Spider-Man: Homecoming. The trailer for Let There Be Carnage seems to add to the rumor pot.

Iconic Spider-Man symbols and locations, such as The Daily Bugle newspaper and the Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane, appear in the trailer. As well as a few references to spiders, like the one Kasady crushes in the trailer (though this could just be a reference to him wanting to crush Venom, not Spider-Man).

That official breakdown by Director Andy Serkis I mentioned earlier does make some note of where Venom currently stands in thel larger universe of superhero films. He doesn’t give much away, but Serkis’ words saying that Brock and the other characters are “unaware” of Spider-Man for the time being seems to suggest that they’ll be made aware somewhere down the line.

Now, all of this is speculation, and none of it means we will or won’t get a SPUMC and MCU crossover some point in the foreseeable future. We’ll just have to wait and see.

One thing’s for sure, when Venom: Let There Be Carnage releases on September 24, 2021, it’s sure to be a hit among those who have been waiting for more laughs, action, and a little bit of carnage from the Sony franchise.