Summary
One actor who appears inDoctor Strangewill play another character in the upcomingVenom: The Last Dance. When asked how his new role might confuse fans, he just laughed it off and said they should watch it.
Marvel comics have inspired a lot of movies, includingVenom,a sentient alien symbiote with an amorphous and liquid-like form that lives inside a human host named Eddie Brock. The movie series debuted withVenomin 2018 and spawned two sequels,Venom: Let There Be Carnage(2018) andVenom: The Last Dance(2024). One actor joins the nextVenommovie but has already appeared in theMarvel Cinematic Universe(MCU) as an egomaniacal sorcerer. The actor will reportedly be playing a villain in the film, and he is thrilled with his new MCU role despite concerns that fans might be confused by his two characters in the franchise.
Chiwetel Ejiofor Addresses the Confusion Around His Role in Venom 3
Chiwetel Ejiofor made his MCU debut as Karl Mordo, a sorcerer under the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) in 2016’sDoctor Strange. He reprised his role in the 2022 sequelDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Mordo is meant to be killed off by Scarlet Witch inDoctor Strange 2, but the scene was scrapped. He remains canonically alive in the MCU. However, Ejiofor was also cast to join Tom Hardy in Sony Pictures’Venom: The Last Dance. He plays a military soldier tracking Eddie and Venom. In one scene in the trailer, he can be seen capturing a symbiote. Ejiofor’s role hasn’t been named, but there are rumors he plays the villainous Orwell Taylor. In aninterview with Josh Horowitz, he was asked about his new Marvel character and if he was concerned about fans being confused with his two roles in the MCU.
Ejiofor said:
I feel the best thing to do there is just watch the film.
He added that important conversations happen after everybody watches and engages in the film. For Ejiofor, pre-engagement convos are not as significant at this time. Instead, he shared his experience working with British screenwriter Kelly Marcel, who penned the movie, and Hardy, who headlined the film. He even complimented Hardy for portraying Venom remarkably. He said, “It was fantastic to work with Kelly [Marcel] in that world and to engage with a really special character that Tom [Hardy] has danced with. When you see on set when Venom arrives, you’re like, ‘Wow.’ It’s a real sort of moment.”
As forMordo’s story arc in theDoctor Strangesequel, Ejiofor said he hadn’t predicted it but found it fascinating. In one scene, Scarlet Witch killed the members of the Illuminati, including Peggy Carter, Blackagar Boltagon, Maria Rambeau, Reed Richards, and Charles Xavier. She left Mordo alive, but an original concept art forDoctor Strange 2revealed that he was supposed to be dead along with the others. Ejiofor said, “I felt like there was something potentially really exciting about where that could go. I like that broadly. I like the idea these characters and worlds can be explored in these really incredible ways.”
VenomandDoctor Strangeare in different universes in the MCU. While there are chances fans might be confused seeing Ejiofor playing two characters in the MCU, it won’t be as confusing if they just take his roles in different films as it is, as they aren’t related to each other. Also, it’s not new for Marvel to hire actors playing different roles in other films. For instance, Chris Evans was Jonathan “Johnny” Storm/Human Torch in twoFantastic Fourmovies before he became Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America. Evans reprised hisFantastic Fourrole inDeadpool & Wolverine. However, one of the most surprising castings of a former Marvel actor is probably Robert Downey Jr.’s.
RDJ played the fan-favorite and beloved character Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. RDJ’s superhero character died inAvengers: Endgame,but he rejoined the MCU as Doctor Doom for the next twoAvengersmovies —Avengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars.Downey Jr.’s casting confused many, including hisIron Manco-star Gwyneth Paltrow, who asked, “I don’t get it are you a baddie now?” RDJ will reportedly make hisDoctor Doom debut inThe Fantastic Four: First Steps. As for Ejiofor, it’s best to just take his new MCU role squarely.
