What actually happens
A comet with passengers
A probe from the bio-engineering company Life Foundation finds a comet covered in symbiotes, which are alien life forms that need a living host. It brings four samples back to Earth, and one escapes and crashes the ship in Malaysia. The company takes the other three to its San Francisco lab and learns that the symbiotes die without a host who breathes oxygen, and that human hosts often reject them with fatal results. Eddie Brock, an investigative journalist, learns about the human trials from a classified document that belongs to his fiancée Anne Weying, an attorney working for the company. He confronts the CEO, Carlton Drake, about it. Eddie and Anne both lose their jobs, and Anne ends the engagement.
Reading this instead of watching it is the correct decision. Scaredy Cat makes that decision automatic, for free.
Breaking into the lab, which goes poorly
Six months later, a scientist at the company named Dora Skirth contacts Eddie because the human trials disturb her, and she helps him sneak into the facility. Inside, Eddie finds his friend Maria held as a test subject. The scene people dread most is here, early in the movie: Eddie tries to free her, and the symbiote inside her moves into his body instead, leaving Maria dead. Eddie runs, showing strange symptoms, and turns to Anne for help. Her new boyfriend, Dr. Dan Lewis, gets involved too. Drake punishes Dora by exposing her to the last symbiote he has, which kills both. That makes the one inside Eddie the only survivor of the group.
A symbiote with a roommate problem
Drake sends mercenaries after the symbiote, and it wraps around Eddie as a huge creature and fights them off. It introduces itself as Venom and explains that its comet is hunting for worlds where symbiotes can take over the inhabitants and eat them. Eddie tries to turn in evidence against Drake at his old boss's office, gets surrounded by SWAT officers, and escapes with the strength Venom gives him. Anne drives him to Dan, who explains that the symbiote is damaging Eddie's organs. Eddie also works out that it is weak against high-pitched noise and fire. Venom insists the damage can be undone, but Anne uses an MRI machine to separate them. Drake's men then take Eddie.
Riot books a seat on the rocket
The fourth symbiote, Riot, travels from Malaysia to San Francisco by moving from one body to the next, and it bonds with Drake. Drake plans to fly it into space on a probe to bring back the rest of its kind. Anne bonds with Venom so the two of them can rescue Eddie, and when Eddie and Venom join again, Venom says he likes Eddie and wants to protect Earth from other symbiotes. After a long fight with Riot, Venom damages the probe as it lifts off. The probe explodes and takes both Riot and Drake with it. Eddie goes back to reporting, and Anne assumes Venom died in the blast. The two of them are still bonded, though, and they patrol San Francisco by eating criminals. Eddie later interviews Cletus Kasady, an imprisoned serial killer who promises he will cause carnage once he gets out.
The ending, explained
Venom damages the space probe while it is taking off, and it explodes, killing both Riot and Carlton Drake. Eddie goes back to journalism. Anne believes Venom was lost in the blast, but Eddie and Venom are still bonded and have started protecting San Francisco by eating criminals. In the last scene, Eddie interviews Cletus Kasady, an imprisoned serial killer, who tells him there will be carnage when he escapes. Maria and Dora Skirth died earlier, and Eddie and Anne are both alive.
The post-credits ruling
Yes, there is an end-credits scene, so stay in your seat.
✓ Spoiled safelyDog status: fine, no dog dies.
Questions people ask at 1am
Is Venom scary?
Venom is a 2.5 out of 10 with low dread. It's an action movie with a few jump scares and some body-horror moments around the symbiotes.
How does Venom end?
Venom and Eddie destroy the space probe, killing Riot and Carlton Drake in the explosion. Eddie and Venom stay bonded, and Eddie interviews the serial killer Cletus Kasady.
Does the dog die in Venom?
No, no dog dies in Venom. Some other animals do die on screen.
Is there a post-credits scene in Venom?
Yes, Venom has an end-credits scene, so stay in your seat.
What is a symbiote in Venom?
A symbiote is an alien life form from a comet that cannot survive without an oxygen-breathing host. In Venom, many human hosts reject them fatally, and Eddie Brock is the one who ends up bonded with a symbiote that stays.
