In the post-credits scene of Venom, we were introduced to Woody Harrelson as Cletus Kasady, the serial killer that fans know is destined to become Carnage, Venom’s offspring and nemesis. And sure enough, Venom 2 will see Eddie Brock and his symbiote battle Kasady when he escapes from prison.
Filming’s been underway on the sequel for a while in the UK now, but this morning, star Tom Hardy finally revealed our first look at Harrelson in character. No, we still don’t know exactly how he’ll look as Carnage, but seeing as that will be coming from the VFX department, the design probably hasn’t even been finalized yet.
What this photo – seen below – does show us, though, is how Kasady will appear in Venom 2. And as you can see, his look has been updated from his Venom cameo, as they’ve thankfully replaced that terrible, unconvincing wig with one that resembles actual human hair.
As well as the new ‘do, Kasady is depicted wearing a garish red Hawaiian shirt and a skull pendant around his neck. Both are likely little nods to his eventual transformation into Carnage. The name of his supervillain alter ego was obviously dropped in Venom as well, when he promised that “there’s gonna be carnage” when he breaks out of jail.
Leaked plot details have pointed to Brock connecting Cletus to the destruction of his childhood orphanage, which only adds to his long list of crimes and gets him sent for execution. Kasady will escape, however, with Brock’s evidence fueling his hatred of the investigative journalist. It’s currently unclear how he’ll come by his own symbiote, though.
Of course, Harrelson won’t be the only villain on Eddie’s tail in the movie, as Kasady will be joined by Frances Barrison/Shriek, his girlfriend and partner in crime. It’s been reported that Naomie Harris is playing the role, but this has still yet to be confirmed.
For now, though, we can tell you with absolute certainty that Venom 2 is directed by Andy Serkis and is due to hit theaters on October 2nd.