Venom: Let There Be Carnage is the sequel to the 2018 Venom movie. Starring Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock/Venom, the movie picks up shortly after the original ended. Venom is still being sought by law enforcement. Eddie is still a disgraced reporter. Eddie is also still single after his breakup with Anne Weying (Michelle Williams).
What happens in Venom: Let The Be Carnage is quite impressive. The movie introduces the villain Carnage/Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson). Cletus is an insane serial killer who is on death row. He bites Eddie only to discover his blood is unlike any he’s tasted before. As he is to be put to death, Cletus discovers he now has superpowers and transforms into the villain Carnage.
The rest of the movie is Eddie trying to reunite with his symbiote, Venom. They also try to track down Carnage to prevent mass destruction.
Honestly, I didn’t care for the first Venom movie much. Venom: Let There Be Carnage was a huge redemption in my eyes. The movie won’t be for everyone. The mixed reviews that have poured out are proof of that. That’s okay. Not every movie is for every viewer.
With that out of the way, we’re going to take a look at the leadership lessons in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. There were plenty. I found myself furiously scribbling in my Vizsla notebook. Today, we’re bringing those notes to you.
Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Venom: Let There Be Carnage
1. Be aware of dangerous situations:
Frances Barrison (Naomie Harris) was a product of St. Estes Home For Unwanted Children. She and Cletus had formed a unique bond. Cletus had even called Frances his one true light.
But… there was something unique about Frances. Frances had a superpower. She had the power to scream at a level that would incapacitate anyone in the area.
People unfamiliar with this supervillain may think she was a mutant. They would be right. In the comics, this character was called Shriek, as she is in the movie.
While being held in the depths of the Ravencraft Institute, Frances is given a newspaper article about Cletus. The guards approaching the cell wore ear protection. They knew what they were getting into and knew they had to have protection.
We have to be aware of the dangerous situations in our lives. There are places we shouldn’t be. There are things we shouldn’t do.
These are the dangerous times and places of our leadership. Maybe it is being alone with someone of the opposite sex. Maybe it is skimming money off of the books.
Whatever your dangerous situation is, be aware of it. Take precacutions so you don’t get caught up in trouble.
2. Notice what is around you:
Eddie had the opportunity to interview Cletus. Cletus was placed into a metal cage for the interview. Nearby, Cletus’ regular cell could be seen.
There were drawings on the walls. These drawings were hints to where Cletus had left the bodies of his victims. Eddie missed the drawings. Eddie did not.
Upon studying the drawings, Eddie uncovers the bodies. It’s the biggest break of his career. He almost missed it had it not been for Venom noticing the drawings.
There are signs all around us. They’re not carved into stone but they are there.
The signs are Bob acting slightly different on Monday morning. You discover months later it is because he is going through a divorce. Or you walk into the accounting department and your controller shuffles papers around uncomfortably. He’s been siphoning money out of the business and you almost saw proof.
The signs are there. You have to have open eyes. You have to notice what is around you.
3. Keep your vices under control:
Venom was hungry. He wanted to go out and hunt a bad guy. The hunt for a bad guy was so he could eat the brains of someone. A bad guy was better than a good guy.
Eddie wasn’t allowing this. He told Venom he could eat chickens and chocolate. No people.
This was Eddie keeping Venom’s vice under control.
What vices do you have? Are you keeping them under control?
You have the power to control yourself. You can tell yourself yes or no. Are you telling yourself yes or no to the right things? Work on keeping your vices under control.
4. Leaders can send mixed messages:
Anne is Eddie’s ex-girlfriend. At a dinner, Anne told Eddie she was engaged to her boyfriend, Dr. Dan Lewis (Reid Scott). She wanted Eddie to lie. To pretend he was happy for her.
Moments later, Anne gets mad at Eddie for lying to her. There were mixed messages being sent. On one hand, Anne wanted Eddie to lie. On the other hand, Anne wanted Eddie to tell the truth. She told him both of these things in a matter of minutes.
How many times are we like Anne? We tell our team one thing and then minutes later want something else from them?
We do this more than we’d like to admit. We are constantly sending out mixed messages.
We need to work on our communication. We need to make sure we’re not sending out mixed messages.
5. Venom:
I’m sorry I can’t mend a broken heart. Emotional pain lasts longer.
Eddie is heartbroken by the news of Anne’s engagement. His heart hurts. Venom recognizes this.
There’s a lot of things that Venom can do. He can heal Eddie’s broken bones. He also recognizes he can’t heal Eddie’s broken heart.
This is a great lesson for leaders.
Physical pain lasts for a short period of time. Emotional pain lasts a lot longer.
We have to understand people are going to struggle when they have relationship issues. They may not do their best work, be their sharpest, or feel like working after a breakup or tough day at home.
This doesn’t mean we allow for poor performance to continue. It does mean we have to be aware of what is happening in the lives of our people. If we’re not, we may overreact to the way a team member behaves.
6. Listen to your inner voice:
Eddie had a literal inner voice within him. The symbiote Venom could talk to Eddie. Eddie could hear him loud and clear.
Multiple times throughout the movie Venom shared an opposing view to Eddie.
Eddie thought Cletus would give him a scoop. Venom told him Cletus wouldn’t. Eddie thought it would be a great idea to go to Cletus’ execution. Venom didn’t.
Every time Eddie didn’t listen to Venom, something negative happened.
Listen to that still, small voice you hear. Your inner voice can often tell you of hidden dangers you may not yet understand.
Sometimes we call this your conscience. Other times it could be the voice of God.
Listen to the voice. You’ll be better off.
7. What is in us can infect others:
Cletus bit Eddie. When he did, he was taken aback. Cletus had tasted blood before. What he tasted in Eddie was not blood. It was something else.
This something else (the Symbiote) began to change Cletus. It gave him the power of Carnage, an evil Symbiote that brought carnage everywhere it went.
What was in Eddie infected Cletus.
We have to be aware of what is within us. Who we are and what we do can infect those around us.
Have a bad attitude? Your attitude will infect others. Have a poor work ethic? Your team will as well. Attentive, on-time, and aware of others? There’s a good chance your team will be too.
What is in you will infect your team. Make sure you’re infecting your team with positive attitributes.
8. Crazy attracts crazy:
Cletus was insane. He was a serial killer. He was a monster. Yet, he still found someone.
He attracted Frances. Frances was insane but not quite to the extent Cletus was. Yet, she desired Cletus.
Crazy attracted crazy.
The same goes for any organization. Crazy will attract crazy.
Be aware of your emotional state of mind. Are you being crazy? Irrational? That is what you will attract.
Calm, cool, collected? You’re going to attract more of those types of people.
Be what you want to attract.
9. Detective Mulligan (Stephen Graham):
Secrets want out. That’s why they’re so hard to keep.
Detective Mulligan knew Eddie was hiding something. He kept pressing Eddie for information.
Detective Mulligan thought there was something off about Eddie. Every crazy thing that had happened, Eddie had been nearby or there recently.
With that knowledge, Detective Mulligan told Eddie that secrets want out.
We can only keep so many secrets. There’s a pull on secrets where they want to come out.
Keep as few secrets as you can. If you try to keep secrets, they will try to find a way out. You may slip up and say something. You may accidentally respond harshly. Whatever it is, the secret will try to find a way to reveal itself.
10. Division will destroy you:
Venom and Eddie Brock had a good connection. They made a great team. They worked together well, for the most part.
On the other hand, Cletus and Carnage struggled to work together. They were at odds over Frances and whether or not she should live.
This scene in Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a great reminder of a Biblical principle. It’s also a principle many of us know from first-hand experience.
In the Bible, Matthew 12:25 states “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.”
Division is not good for us. Organizations and relationships cannot stand if they are broken.
Do your best to live in harmony with those you lead. Don’t let division be your downfall.
HUGE, MAJOR VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE SPOILERS BELOW
11. Give people what they desire:
Venom: Let There Be Carnage gave moviegoers something they had been clamoring for for years. The stinger for Venom: Let There Be Carnage connected the Sony Venom movies to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
We see Venom lounging around on an island, I like to believe this is Venom Island from the comic books.
Venom tells Eddie there are things he couldn’t understand but he was willing to show him some things. A portal opens and they are sucked through it. They are now in a stranger’s hotel room.
There’s a news report playing. It is J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) ranting about the menace of Spider-Man. It’s the same scene from Spider-Man: Far From Home where he reveals to the world that Spider-Man is Peter Parker (Tom Holland).
The clip continues and you then see Tom Holland’s Peter Parker on screen! The Sony Venom movies are now connected to the MCU through a multi-verse blip. WHOA!
This gave fans what they wanted. You could tell in the theater when there was a big POP from the audience. Everyone in the theater went crazy. It was a fantastic moment in movie history.
Are you giving people what they desire? We’re not looking at anything unethical, immoral, or wrong. I’m talking about positive things.
We need to give people a positive work environment. We need to give people a fair wage. We need to give people a place they are comfortable in.
By giving people what they desire, we help them feel like our organizations care about them. Give them what they want.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.