Post-credits for Venom: Let There Be Carnage revealed that Venom will appear in the MCU, but not everything is as it seems for this character. This sequel to Tom Hardy’s Spider-Man features Eddie Brock and the titular Symbiote once again forming an Odd Couple. In addition to Hardy, the sequel features several actors from the first film, released in 2018.

Michelle Williams reprises Anne Weying/She-Venom; Peggy Lu again plays Mrs. Chen; and Woody Harrelson, who first appeared in a post-credit scene in Venom, is back as the villain Cletus Kasady. Naomie Harris, a villainous Marvel character and Kasady’s love interest in the film, joined the star-studded cast as Frances Barrison/Shriek.

Venom as a real character?

The MCU is about to undergo a paradigm shift thanks to Spider-Man: No Way Home. The first trailer shows Peter Parker struggling under the weight of the world’s knowledge of his identity as Spider-Man. Doctor Strange is the only one he can turn to to make things right. Strange tries to erase Spider-identity Man’s by casting a powerful memory wipe spell, but it goes horribly wrong. Doctor Octopus and other Spider-Man villains make an appearance after the spell goes awry. And Spider-Man appears to be a target for them all.

Venom appears to enter the MCU in a post-credits scene from Venom 2, but that may not be the case. Brock and Venom are watching TV during the scene and are taken aback when their surroundings suddenly change. The decor of their room has improved, and a scene from Spider-Man: Far From Home featuring J. Jonah Jameson’s report on Spider-identity Man’s is playing on the television.

Seeing Tom Holland as Spider-Man confirms that Venom is now a real character in the MCU, and Doctor Strange’s failed No Way Home spell may be the reason for that. However, there’s a second possibility.

What about fake footage?

Even though Venom appears to be a part of the MCU, the Multiverse adds a layer of complexity. There is an infinite number of possibilities and timelines due to the Multiverse. While Venom may have entered another timeline due to these events, that doesn’t mean he’s part of the main MCU.

Even though the video playing on the screen resembles Jameson’s footage from Far From Home, it is completely different from that movie. Venom 2’s Peter Parker can be seen in his Spider-Man outfit but without his mask. The only exception is in the Far From Home post-credits scene, where he appears without his mask on. As a result, Marvel Studios has the freedom to take this story in a new direction.

Fans of Marvel should approach the franchise with caution. Fans were led to believe Evan Peters’ Quicksilver from the X-Men movies had joined the MCU when he appeared in WandaVision. The WandaVision epilogue, on the other hand, showed that this was not the case. Ralph Bohner was just a regular Joe pretending to be Quicksilver.

Marvel also has a history of deceiving viewers with trailers that feature doctored or fake footage to mislead them about the plot. This wouldn’t be the first time Marvel has duped fans with the Venom: Let There Be Carnage scene.