Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Venom: The Last Dance character was officially given a name.
In Venom: The Last Dance (the longest entry in the Venom franchise), Eddie Brock and the Symbiote team up for what is speculated to be the final time, as the Lethal Protector yet again finds himself squaring off against another dastardly (and gooey) villain.
Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Venom 3 Character Revealed
A new promotional tie-in comic for Venom: The Last Dance posted by Sony Korea confirmed the identity of actor Chiwetel Ejiofor’s mysterious, military-affiliated character as General Rex Strickland.
But this is not the only Marvel character to which Ejiofor has lent his talents. Fans will recall that he portrayed Karl Mordo in 2016’s Doctor Strange and Mordo’s Earth-838 Variant in the sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
It’s also worth noting that Marvel film scooper DanielRPK claimed that Chiwetel Ejiofor was playing Orwell Taylor (Via ComicBookMovie), who would serve as Venom 3’s primary villain. This is now seemingly confirmed to be false. Additionally, The Last Dance’s antagonist appears to be Knull.
Who Is Venom 3’s Rex Strickland?
Some may wonder who Rex Strickland is, and they’d be somewhat justified. He isn’t the most well-known character to come out of the pages of Marvel Comics.
According to official Marvel lore, Strickland was a soldier during the Vietnam War injured on the battlefield protecting his fellow troops. But Nick Fury offered him a second chance in the form of a Symbiote similar to Venom.
Taking the appropriate codename of Tyrannosaurus, Rex and his squad members, who were also bonded with Symbiotes, lost control and began eating people alive indiscriminately. Eventually, Wolverine was sent to help put Tyrannosaurus down, but Rex and his Symbiote were killed.
It seems unlikely that Venom: The Last Dance will adapt this specific backstory for Rex Strickland. After all, the Vietnam War ended nearly 50 years ago, and Chiwetel Ejiofor certainly isn’t old enough to be playing someone who served in the conflict at age 47.
But it does seem plausible that Sony Pictures has taken the Rex Strickland character and used him as a military type who winds up coming into contact with a Symbiote and transforming into Tyrannosaurus. This hasn’t been seen in any marketing, but it’s not exactly a leap of logic either.
Of course, Tyrannosaurus isn’t the only Marvel character believed to show up in Venom: the Last Dance. Speculation has reached a fever pitch over the possible inclusion of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in the Venom threequel.
Venom: The Last Dance hits cinemas on Friday, October 25.
