Eddie Brock

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Venom (Eddie Brock)
File:VenomSBHImage.jpg
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceAmazing Spider-Man #252 (alien symbiote)
Amazing Spider-Man #299 (partial appearance as Venom)
Amazing Spider-Man #300 (full appearance as Venom)
Created byDavid Michelinie
Todd McFarlane
In-story information
Alter egoEdward Allan [1] Charles "Eddie" Brock
Team affiliationsSinister Six
Daily Globe
AbilitiesAlien symbiote grants the host all of Spider-Man's powers as well other superhuman abilities;
  • Superhuman strength, durability, reflexes and agility
  • Wall-Crawling
  • Organic Webbing
  • Shape-shifting
  • Accelerated Healing Factor
  • Immunity to Spider-Man's "spider-sense"

Venom (Edward "Eddie" Charles Brock), is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain and anti-hero generally credited to David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. Wizard Magazine rated him the 67th greatest villain of all time.[2]

While most of Spider-Man's most prominent enemies were introduced in the 1960s, Venom was not brought about until the late 1980s. For much of the 1990s he was Spider-Man's most visible adversary, with the possible exception of Carnage, whom Venom and Spider-Man actually teamed up to battle in the epic "Maximum Carnage" storyline. Venom has an enthusiastic stand-alone fan-base, and this enthusiasm towards the character was cited by the filmmakers of Spider-Man 3 as one of the main reasons why they decided to include him in the film.

He first made a partial appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 (April 1988), and he made his first full appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #300.

Venom is the result of symbiosis between the extraterrestrial "Venom" symbiote and Eddie Brock, a human host. Before this merger, Eddie was a journalist who held a personal grudge against Spider-Man. Eddie Brock, as Venom, is one of Spider-Man's deadliest foes and is one of the most well-known villains in both the Marvel universe and Spider-Man's rogue gallery. He appears as an antagonist in the film Spider-Man 3 and is portrayed by Topher Grace.

Publication history

Writer David Michelinie and artist Todd McFarlane are generally credited with the character's creation, based on a number of plot ideas and concepts from various other creators, though the degree to which McFarlane should be credited with co-creating the character has been a source of dispute in the comic book industry. Venom's existence was first indicated in Web of Spider-Man #18 (September 1986), when he shoved Peter Parker in front of a subway train without Parker's spider-sense warning him, though only Brock's hand was seen on-panel (It would later be established that the alien symbiote, having once been grafted to Parker, did not trigger his spider-sense). The next indication of Venom's existence was given in Web of Spider-Man #24 (March 1987), when Peter Parker had climbed out of a high story window to change into Spider-Man, but found a black arm coming through the window and grabbing him, again without being warned by his spider-sense. He then made a partial appearance on the final page of The Amazing Spider-Man #298, in which he was obscured by shadow, before making his first full appearance on the final page of #299 (May 1988).

The question of who created the character of Venom became an issue of contention in 1993 when writer David Michelinie wrote in to the comic book industry magazine Wizard, which had referred to Michelinie in issue #17 (January 1993) as the "co-creator" of Venom. In his letter, which was printed in issue #21 (May 1993), Michelinie contended, despite his praise of McFarlane, without whom he conceded the character would not have attained the popularity that it did, that he was the sole creator of the character. Michelinie pointed out that Venom's earliest appearances were in Web of Spider-Man #18 (September 1986), written by Michelinie and drawn by Marc Silvestri; and Web of Spider-Man #24, plotted by Michelinie, scripted by Len Kaminski, and drawn by Del Barras.[3]

The character would remain unseen and inactive until Amazing Spider-Man editor Jim Salicrup required a villain for that book’s 300th issue, and Michelinie suggested a villain consisting of the alien symbiote grafted onto the body of a human female. Salicrup accepted the suggestion, but changed the character to a male. Michelinie then devised the Eddie Brock identity. Michelinie contends that the plots for issues #298-299, as well as the visual descriptions of the character, were written and brought by Salicrup before McFarlane was ever assigned to the book.

Writer Peter David corroborated Michelinie’s view in his But I Digress column in the June 4, 1993 Comics Buyer's Guide, in which he stated that Michelinie discussed the ideas behind the character with him at the time of its creation. At that time, David was the writer on The Spectacular Spider-Man and wrote the "Sin Eater" storyline from which Eddie Brock’s back story would be derived, well before McFarlane was assigned to the art duties on Amazing. Because artists who design the costumes or appearances of major characters and/or illustrate their first appearances are generally credited as co-creators, Venom is a complex situation, because the costume from which Venom's appearance is derived was not designed by McFarlane. [4]

Erik Larsen, who followed McFarlane as artist on Amazing, and who added Venom's pointy teeth and tongue as well as the green drool to Venom's appearance, responded to Michelinie's letter with one of his own that was printed in Wizard #23 (July 1993), in which he dismissed Michelinie's contributions to the character, arguing that Michelinie merely "swiped" the pre-existing symbiote and its powers to place it on a character whose motivations were poorly conceived, one-dimensional, unbelievable, and clichéd. Larsen also argued that it was McFarlane’s rendition of the character that made it sellable.[5]

The pre-existing elements that dealt with the symbiote costume itself - to which Michelinie did not contribute - have also been noted. For example, editor Jim Shooter came up with the idea of switching Spider-Man to a black-and-white costume, possibly influenced by the intended costume design for the new Spider-Woman. Artists Mike Zeck and Rick Leonardi, as well as others, designed the black-and-white costume. Writer/artist John Byrne asserts on his website that the idea for a costume made of self-healing biological material was one he originated when he was the artist on Iron Fist to explain how that character’s costume was constantly being torn and then apparently repaired by the next issue, explaining that he ended up not using the idea on that title, but that Roger Stern later asked him if he could use the idea for Spider-Man's alien costume. Stern in turn plotted the issue in which the costume first appeared but then moved on and it was writer Tom DeFalco and artist Ron Frenz who had established that the costume was a sentient alien being and also that it was vulnerable to high sonic energy during their run on The Amazing Spider-Man that preceded Michelinie's.[6] Regardless, Peter David's position is that Michelinie is the sole creator, since the idea of creating a separate character using the alien symbiote was Michelinie’s, as was Eddie Brock's backstory, and that without the idea to create such a character, the character would not have existed.[7]

This dispute arose at a time when artists such as McFarlane and Larsen were enjoying a great deal of popularity and clout with readers, and capitalizing on their popularity by publishing creator-owned books with their new company, Image Comics, and it is possible that this issue was a subtext of the greater debate over the importance of writers versus artists that was being waged in the industry at the time. Prior to McFarlane's departure from Marvel, the company stated that Venom was a creation of McFarlane's, and Michelinie shared credit as co-creator.[citation needed] Regardless of the issues surrounding his creation, Venom was created under a work-for-hire contract and Marvel owns all rights to the character.

Throughout most of his career in print, Brock's sole motivation for hating Spider-Man was because he proved that a story Brock wrote was wrong, and the symbiote was attracted to his hatred. As noted above this was considered a one-dimensional and sloppy motivation. Thus, years later, in 2003, Paul Jenkins attempted to give more dimension to Brock's hatred. In the second volume of Spectacular Spider-Man Jenkins revealed that Brock had cancer and the symbiote was attracted to it. The symbiote's feeding of the cancer kept Brock alive and his hatred of Spider-Man stemmed from the fear that he would accept the symbiote back, leaving him to be taken by the cancer.

Fictional character biography

Early life

Born in San Francisco, Edward Allan Charles Brock was raised in a Roman Catholic upbringing by a cold and unloving father from whom he desperately tried to gain approval. Though he excelled in many subjects as a child, particularly athletics, his father's response was always in the form of half-hearted encouragements, due to the fact that Eddie's birth had caused the death of his late wife. After reading a newspaper article on the Watergate Scandal in college, Brock quit athletics and switched his major to journalism.

Upon graduating, he moved to New York City and obtained a job at the Daily Globe, a rival of the Daily Bugle. He proved himself to be highly talented, though even this could not get his father's approval.[8] At some point in his career, he married Anne Weying. She was apparently attracted by his wit and gentility, traits he had always hidden from his father.

Bonding with the symbiote

File:Firstvenom.jpg
Venom's first full appearance from Amazing Spider-Man #299.
Art by Todd McFarlane.

Brock's life would take a turn for the worse when he was diagnosed with cancer and was told by his doctor he may not live long. Hoping to make the best of his last days and take his mind off the cancer, Brock buried himself in his work. He begin to investigate a series of murders perpetrated by a serial killer nicknamed the Sin-Eater, and surprisingly came across someone actually confessing to the murders. Brock interviewed the man and The Globe's popularity soared. However, with the authorities pressing for a suspect, Eddie was forced to reveal his subject's identity. To his horror though, it turned out that Spider-Man had caught the real killer and the man he had been interviewing was nothing more than a compulsive confessor. Fired from his job in disgrace, Brock's father practically disowned him and refused to see his son again. With no decent publishers willing to hire him, Eddie was forced to work for sleazy tabloid magazines. Now with his fear of the cancer growing, Brock resumed his passion for athletics through weight training to reduce stress. Though his body grew to near-Olympic standards, his depression remained. Tiring of her husband's incessant brooding, Anne divorced him. With both his professional and personal life shattered, Brock contemplated suicide and went to Our Lady of Saints Church where he pleaded to God for forgiveness, unaware the symbiote Spider-Man had discarded lay waiting for him.

Attracted by the adrenaline caused by his cancer, the symbiote bonded with Brock, feeding off the cancer and keeping him alive. It also gave him superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, agility and an ability to cling to any surface; all powers that it received from Spider-Man. Grateful for the power it gave him and for stopping the cancer from killing him, Brock accepted the symbiote. However he knew that the symbiote thought of him as a second rate meal compared to Spider-Man and thus Brock turned the wallcrawler into his personal demon knowing that as long as he lives, there is a chance he will accept the symbiote back leaving Brock to die. The symbiote took advantage of Brock's hatred since it was still angry at Spider-Man for rejecting it. Imparting him with the knowledge of Spider-Man's secret identity, Brock and the symbiote named themselves "Venom" (as a reference to the fact that they knew everything about Spider Man, let alone had all his strengths and none of his weaknesses, apart from their natural shortcomings) and tormented Spider-Man and his family. The symbiote's "love" for Spider-Man, made it attempt to leave Brock and reunite it's former host.[9]

Progeny

Main article: Carnage (comics)

Venom was subdued and incarcerated when the plague-spreading super-villain, Styx, rendered the symbiote unconscious.[10]The symbiote found and bonded with Brock, aiding in his escape. During the escape, the symbiote reproduces, and its offspring bonds to Brock's cell-mate Cletus Kasady, creating Carnage.

Venom later abducted Spider-Man, and took him to a remote island. Spider-Man faked his death to convince Venom that his vendetta was over, and Venom resigned himself to life on the island.[11]Venom's "retirement" ended when Spider-Man, unable to defeat Carnage, returned to enlist Venom's aid.[12] In the 1993 Spider-Man crossover storyline "Maximum Carnage", Venom teamed up with Spider-Man and a number of other heroes to defeat Carnage when he and a team of powerful supervillains took over New York City. His willingness to kill the villains caused a deep rift with many of his allies, who only wished to subdue them.

Having made peace with Spider-Man after he rescued Brock's ex-wife, Venom moves back to Brock's hometown of San Francisco, where he acted as the protector of an underground society descended from survivors of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Venom continued his mission of protecting innocent people, though there were mistakes along the way. For example, Eddie believed he was killing a corrupt businessman but instead accidentally slayed a cleaning lady who was enjoying a break in her boss' chair. Venom also worked to protect the underground society from exploitation on the part of business concerns who cared nothing about killing. Also, during this time, he had a brief relationship with a woman named Beck. This lady and several other members of the society under his protection were taken hostage by alien-afflicted mercenaries known as 'Stalkers'. Venom teamed up with the mystical anti-hero known as Vengeance in a rescue attempt. Most of the hostages escaped before Venom and his ally had to personally fight for the life of Beck and another woman who had feelings for Eddie Brock.

His career as a lethal protector was cut short when the Spider-Man clone known as Ben Reilly hunted him down and separated Brock from the symbiote after an intense battle.

Five other spawns of Venom were created by the Life Foundation, to act as "super-cops" for its planned fallout shelter society. Due to his past experiences with Carnage, Venom assumed the rest of his progeny (the Life Foundation symbiotes Scream, Lasher, Riot, Phage, and Agony) would turn out the same way, and thus should be destroyed. However, the Life Foundation symbiotes were afraid of becoming like Carnage, and instead wanted Venom's help controlling their symbiotes so they could use them for good. Even though the Life Foundation symbiotes rescued him from imprisonment, Brock refused to help them and Scream goes insane and kills them (Venom: Separation Anxiety #4). When Scream later reformed, she aided Venom several times. The remains of the other four symbiotes merge to form Hybrid, who considers Venom a threat.

Planet of the symbiotes

For a while, Eddie began to have doubts as to the nobility of his cause and temporarily abandoned his alien other. The telepathically projected grief of the symbiote attracted a scouting party of other members of its own species which began possessing people and forcing them to steal the material needed to create a portal to their home world. When the portal opened, the symbiotes invaded New York, taking over the bodies of both civilians and superheroes alike. Eddie rejoined with the Venom symbiote to assist Spider-Man and Ben Reilly in fighting the other symbiotes. Venom convinced the heroes to distract the symbiotes while he concentrated on creating a "psychic scream" that would render the invaders unconscious. To Spider-Man and Ben's horror, however, the attack actually resulted in the death of every alien symbiote on the planet. In order to create this scream the symboite and Eddie Brock were permanently merged into one being.

Venom on trial

Brock was captured in his sewer hideout and put on trial, with Matt Murdock acting in his defense,[13] and his symbiote held in check with a chemical inhibitor. Carnage was called as a witness, but he overcame his own inhibitor and attacked. Venom, Spider-Man, and Daredevil teamed up and subdued Carnage. However, before the trial could continue, Venom was unexpectedly taken into custody by a secret government organization who offered him amnesty if he joined them as an agent. Though Venom at first relished his new found immunities, he left after being abandoned during a dangerous mission.[14] This would lead to Eddie Brock being given selective amnesia from a head wound and later being separated from the symbiote, which was presumed killed by the government Overreach Committee[15].

The symbiote had in fact survived and tracked down the amnesiac Brock, turning him into Venom again. Venom then infiltrated Ravencroft prison, slaughtered the guards and temporarily absorbed the Carnage symbiote. He joined the Sinister Six, but turned on the other members after they mocked him, crippling Sandman and Electro before making peace with Spider-Man.

Like all prior agreements with Spider-Man, this peace was short-lived, as Venom's hatred for Spider-Man was renewed when Anne Weying, driven over the edge by fear of her husband, committed suicide after seeing Spider-Man in his black suit. Venom lost his chance for revenge when the powerful human/alien hybrid known as Senator Ward forcefully removed the symbiote from Brock once more.

The Carnage symbiote gave birth to the Toxin symbiote. Carnage attempted to kill the newborn Toxin, but Venom opposed him until he realized that Toxin's policeman host would not ally with him. Venom called a truce with Carnage in order to destroy Toxin, who was aided by Spider-Man. Spider-Man and Toxin drove off Carnage and Venom.[16]

Clone of the symbiote

An alien race, secretly operating within the United States government, cloned the Venom symbiote. Venom absorbed the clone, gaining its knowledge, and decided to carry out the aliens' orders.[17] Before he did, however, Brock knew that he would die if he did not permanently bond with the symbiote.[18] The Symbiote rejected Brock, not desiring to be bonded with a diseased body anymore. Ultimately, Spider-Man tricked the symbiote into permanently merging with Brock.[19]

Separation

After bonding once more with the symbiote, Brock had a religious awakening and decided against permanently merging with the symbiote. Brock instead chose to sell the symbiote to crimelord, Don Fortunato, intending to donate the $100 million received to charity before dying.[20] Angelo Fortunato, the Don's son, became the second Venom for a brief period of time. However, Angelo began killing innocent people in his quest for glory and later proved to be a weak host for the Symbiote, being humiliated in a battle with Spider-Man. The symbiote abandoned Angelo mid-leap, and the subsequent fall killed Fortunato. Upon hearing that Angelo had died, and that he used his newfound powers to kill innocent people, Brock slit his wrists in an alley and was seen waiting to die.[21]The symbiote then became attached to Mac Gargan, better known as the Scorpion at the time, and is currently still with him as he is now a member of the Thunderbolts. It was later revealed that Brock was found just in time to be saved and he survived the suicide attempt. When Peter Parker unmasked himself publicly as Spider-man, Eddie was among the millions who witnessed the event. He is shown in the hospital to be rapidly succumbing physically to his cancer and experiencing hallucinations of the symbiote, representing his dark side. After a while of being tormented by his other, he spots Mary Jane Watson Parker watching over Aunt May who has been seriously wounded by a bullet. Eddie has no idea what to do, but his dark side then persuades him to order a black suit similar to Peter's and put it on.

Making a decision to go and try to murder Aunt May while she's in a coma, Eddie Brock ordered a dress-up costume of Spider-Man's black costume and set out to kill her, first murdering a nurse for getting in his way. But after sneaking into Aunt May's room, Brock had a change of heart, finding he could not murder someone as innocent as Aunt May. Peter entered the room moments later to find Brock sitting on the shattered window, and having slit his own wrists dozens of times to get rid of Venom, and said to Peter that he [Brock] had done too many terrible things to live on, and jumped off, attempting suicide a third time, but Peter broke his fall by catching him with two strands of webbing. Awakening chained to his bed, Brock decided to take better control of himself for the remaining days he has left. He tells his dark side that it's all right if they are together forever, as long as they know that Eddie Brock is in charge.

Personality

Unlike most of Spiderman's enemies, Venom has little interest in wealth, money or power: he only wants to kill Spiderman. A major theme of Eddie Brock's villainy (or anti-heroism) is protecting the innocent. His usage of lethal force in his battle against crime is often compared with The Punisher. Though both view murder as an acceptable method of crime fighting, there are several important differences between the two. Unlike the Punisher, who does what he perceives as his duty with emotional detachment, Venom makes little effort of hiding the obvious glee he experiences in terrifying and butchering those he considers guilty. Also unlike the Punisher, whose sole goal in life is to track down and destroy criminals, Venom does not actively seek them. He is much more concerned about protecting the victims of crime rather than focusing solely on eliminating the perpetrators.[22]

Eddie isn't always consistent with his methods, though some times he recognizes the inconsistency. He deeply regretted having to kill one of the guards when he escaped the Vault the first time, even giving the dead man a parting platonic kiss. Eddie doesn't always recognize his methods are flawed. He once 'rescued' a little girl from a clown he thought was threatening her. Eddies fearsome appearance, with his huge tongue and long teeth, terrified the girl, rendering her mute for some time afterwards.

He does get it right sometimes. He has repeatedly shown himself to perform feats of heroic nobility, ranging from saving people falling from buildings[23] to throwing himself in front of bullets. This has been used against him, as some of his opponents know he will let them escape in order to rescue an innocent civilian.

Venom considers his methods and willingness to kill as a more efficient means of crime-fighting than his contemporary, Spider-Man. During the Maximum Carnage storyline, there are several occasions where Spider-Man's moral inhibitions cause him to physically prevent Venom from finishing a defeated or disadvantaged Carnage, usually leading Carnage's escape or recovery. Venom's opinion, that Carnage only "feels alive when he's taking lives" has been proven correct by the number of times Kasady has escaped from custody and went on to murder more innocents. Spider-Man's inability to kill may in fact be partially responsible for the atrocities villains such as Carnage commit when Venom is willing to finish them for good.

Before his religious re-awakening, Brock showed himself to be prone to extremely violent mood swings whenever separated from his other, showing none of the joviality displayed when fighting as Venom. In fact, he'd even brood over his crimes, expressing a great deal of guilt until once again being rejoined and once again becoming the lethal protector.[24]

Even after their divorce, Eddie was totally devoted to his wife Anne, the first person to have ever treated him with the affection he never received from his father. Though he did once find himself in the position to start a new relationship, he never followed through with it, stating that he was "too dangerous" to romantically commit himself.[25] However, he did try several times to rekindle his relationship with Anne, until her death, which left him devastated.

Because the symbiote and Eddie Brock are two separate entities that have bonded together, Venom often refers to itself as "We" rather than "I." Venom is an amalgam of Brock and the symbiote, creating a new being while keeping the previous two beings intact. Though they agree on many things (initial hatred for Spider-Man, protection of the innocent, etc.), they are not as in sync as Cletus Kasady and the Carnage symbiote, who refers to itself by saying, "I am Carnage", rather than "We are Venom."

Upon his entry into hospital life, Brock became much toned down and depressed, while trying to fend off his murderous side, which is actually a hallucination of his "other". After murdering a nurse and almost attacking Peter Parker's aunt, he was overwhelmed by remorse and was able to take control.

Powers and abilities

See also: Symbiote (comics)

As a result of the symbiote's former host, Spider-Man, it grants its hosts abilities parallel to those of the wall-crawler (i.e. superhuman strength, agility, and reflexes, and the ability to adhere to walls). However, the symbiote does not appear to have inherited its former host's "Spider Sense".

File:Undueballistictrauma.gif
The symbiote makes Venom virtually bulletproof.

The symbiote is capable of enhancing the strength of its host to varying degrees. Due to Eddie Brock's muscular physique and natural physical strength from weight-training, his strength as Venom is superhuman, superior to that of Spider-Man before the recent increase in some of Spider-Man's powers. Although the symbiote gives Eddie Brock enhanced agility, his speed and reflexes are not as great as Spider-Man's. Venom has demonstrated strength ranging from only slightly greater than Spider-Man's to defeating the Juggernaut.

Venom's body is highly resistant to physical injury, capable of withstanding assault from high-caliber weapons as well as attacks from super powered beings. The suit also protects Brock from any type of extremely sticky substance. Venom is also capable of surviving in harmful areas for long periods of time such as underwater or in toxic gases, the symbiote filtering breathable air to the host. Additionally, the symbiote is capable of healing injuries in the host at a vastly faster rate than normal human healing allows. The symbiote is also capable of healing injuries and illness that current human medical care cannot.

File:MVenom.jpg
Mutated Venom.

The symbiote contains a small 'dimensional aperture', similar to a pocket, that allows the host to carry items upon his/her person without adding mass to the costume. It also possesses some limited psychic ability, making it capable of obtaining information from its hosts and even other people and symbiotes simply by touch. This ability allowed Eddie Brock to know the secret identity of Spider-Man when the symbiote bonded with him. It can, however, be forced to forget information if the symbiote is inflicted with heavy trauma. The symbiote is also capable of psychically detecting its offspring; however, this ability can be blocked.

Due to Spider-Man being a host to the symbiote, Venom, and as a result his offspring, is able to bypass Spider-Man's spider-sense. As such, Venom is capable of attacking Spider-Man without alerting him.

The symbiote is capable of mimicking the appearance of any form of clothing, camouflaging with its surroundings, and even mimicking other people, therefore he can even make himself invisible.

The suit can also shoot webbing similar to that of Spider-Man, albeit from the back of the host's hand instead of the wrist, but as this is made from the symbiote itself, overuse slightly weakens it. However, the symbiote is still capable of producing vast amounts of this webbing before it is forced to stop. Furthermore, it does have an upper limit as to how much webbing it can produce. In Amazing Spider-Man vol. 1, #300, Spider-Man defeats Venom by forcing the symbiote to continually fire off its webbing, after correctly deducing that it uses its own substance to create it. In addition to using the suit as webbing, the symbiote has also been used in the form of tendrils and tentacles to attack.

The symbiote is particularly vulnerable to sonics and fire.

Though it hasn't been fully explained, Venom is immune to Ghost Rider's penance stare.[26]

Eddie Brock's tenacity and the symbiote's disposition to brutality are both a gift and a curse in combat. Venom's fighting style does not incorporate agility or subtlety as much as Spider-Man's, often relying on frontal assaults that usually leave him and his opponents injured. Despite this and a seeming disregard for his personal safety, Venom has proven himself to be a very deadly fighter. He has been seen defeating enemies theoretically stronger and faster than himself, such as Carnage during the Maximum Carnage storyline.

As Venom, the symbiote gives Brock an echoed double voice.

Other versions

See also: Venom (comics)

Ultimate Venom

File:Ultimate venom.jpg
Ultimate Venom in his original appearance; Eddie Brock having bonded with 'The Suit'. Art by Mark Bagley.
File:EddieBrockJr.jpg
Eddie Brock, Jr. before becoming Venom.

In Ultimate Spider-Man, Eddie Brock, Jr. is Peter Parker's closest childhood friend. Instead of a sentient alien, the Venom symbiote is a genetically-engineered protoplasmic "suit" designed by Richard Parker and Edward Brock, Sr. Parker intends it to be used for medical purposes in his quest to cure cancer but Brock Sr. is more interested in the military applications of the suit.

After the deaths of both men, Eddie continues the research. Peter Parker meets up with Eddie and the pair bond over their shared history before Eddie informs Peter of their legacy. Peter returns at night, determined to continue his father's research by taking a sample, but it instead bonds with him. After nearly being driven to murder by the suit (and even momentarily becomes Venom), Peter warns Eddie of its danger and takes the sample to an industrial smoke stack where he destroys it. Eddie, after having his romantic intentions rejected by Gwen Stacy becomes furious with Peter when he caught him destroying their "inheritance". Eddie then uses a second, larger sample and becomes Venom. The suit takes full control of Eddie, driving him to viciously attack Peter at his high school. Venom disappears after being electrocuted by some power cables in contact with water on the street. Venom is set to reappear in the third volume of the Ultimates.

Later, in the Ultimate Spider-Man video game, Eddie gains full control of the Venom suit after he absorbs the remnants of the first sample in Peter's blood. In doing so, he develops the familiar white spider symbol on his chest. In Ultimate Spider-Man, Venom is much more physically powerful than Spider-Man, although he is not as fast or agile. On one rare occasion Spider-Man was able to defeat Venom using his speed, and a well-placed uppercut. He cannot create organic webbing, instead using extruded tentacles to swing from building to building. Nor does he have the cloaking ability.

He could also grab any human around him and consume their life force, then spitting out the drained body (this was how to restore health as Venom in Ultimate Spider-Man). He was not weakened by sound but electricity was strong against him and the suit drains Brock so much he must consume life force to stay in check. In the Ultimate Spider-Man video game, he quickly leaps from building to building, jumping several hundred feet in a single bound. "Ultimate Venom", unlike the "Amazing" Venom, not only activates Peter Parker's spider-sense, but overloads it to the point that Peter is in such pain that he's paralyzed.

It is revealed that the dormant suit particles in Peter's blood want to join with Venom which is what causes the pain, but stops and doesn't happen again after Venom absorbs the particles from Peter and gains control over the suit. Unlike the Venom from "The Amazing Spider-Man", Ultimate Venom is not specifically vulnerable to sonics or fire, nor is he particularly concerned about killing innocent bystanders. In fact, the suit appears to be weak against electricity (Peter jumped onto a powerline to stop it from eating him when he was wearing it and Venom disappeared for 3 months after stepping on a livewire. Electro also mentions this when testing the suit for Trask Industries.) and the only way to prevent the suit from consuming Eddie is to allow the suit to "feed" on the random humans around Venom. (However, when Spider-Man took the suit, even though it tried to take over his mind and body, it can be safely assumed that due to Peter's father's D.N.A. in the suit, it became more stable and didn't need to feed on outside sources.)

Eddie Brock Jr. is one of the most heavily modified characters in the Ultimate Marvel universe, bearing little similarities to his classic Marvel counterpart. Compared to the original character, Eddie Brock Jr. is a young, scientifically minded and thinly built man. The suit is also different appearing more purple than Earth-616's Venom in which the suit is dark blue. He does, however, retain the original's vindictiveness and obsessiveness. His vengeful vendetta and his belief that Parker has betrayed him and that he must pay because he is evil. During the "Double Trouble" story arc, a reporter named Eddie Brock was seen at a press conference held by Justin Hammer. Though his face was never shown, he was asking questions for the Daily Globe. He does not appear to be connected in any way with the Eddie Brock who becomes Venom - this may simply be an example of a character being inserted into the Ultimate Marvel universe before his backstory was fully fleshed out. The Spider-Man 3 film version of Eddie Brock seems to be based on an amalgam of "Ultimate" Eddie and the "Amazing" Eddie. His build, name,[27] and romantic interests are all shared with Ultimate Eddie, while his occupation (connection to journelism) and his history and jealous motivations are drawn from the "Amazing" version, as well as his hairstyle.[28]

He will next appear in Ultimates 3 in a yet to be revealed role, although cover art has shown him preparing to fight the Ultimates (the Ultimates have Spider-Man on their side as well) alongside, for some unknown reason, the Brotherhood of Mutants. The white spider symbol is also present on his chest.

Marvel Zombies

See also: Marvel Zombies

Venom appears in the Marvel Zombies mini-series where an alternate Earth is over-run with a virus that turns people, namely most of the heroes and villains, into zombies. In this reality, Eddie's body is a rotting carcass and no longer a suitable host, causing the symbiote to begin to die as there are no normal humans left for it to take. Eddie loses his "edge" thereafter, and Zombie Spider-Man kills him. The fate of the symbiote is unknown, but the organism is presumed dead, as the Earth is later described as devoid of all "intelligent life".

In other media

Television

Spider-Man: The Animated Series

File:Smvenom-10.png
Venom in Spider-Man: The Animated Series.

Like the comics' version of Venom, the version in this 1990s cartoon is a former reporter named Eddie Brock who becomes bonded to an alien symbiote that was once attached to Spider-Man. The symbiote's origin is altered however, the alien being brought to Earth from a Moon-based space exploration. During their return, the astronauts are assaulted by the symbiote and crash their ship in the center of New York where Spider-Man arrives to help, inadvertently collecting the Symbiote when he leaves. Realizing that the symbiote's benefits are outweighed by the negative emotions it is creating in him, Spider-Man uses the sound of bells in a church tower to force it to leave his body where it bonds with a webbed-up Brock hanging below. Despite the fact that he is a popular character, Venom was only featured in a handful of episodes. In "Carnage", when Carnage tries to take Ashley with him as he is being sucked into an interdimensional portal, Venom tackles Carnage, causing him to lose his grip on Ashley. As he is being sucked into the portal with Carnage, Brock quickly unmasks the symbiote from his face and looks at Ashley, his last words to her being "I'll always love you!" before he disappears into the alternate dimension forever.

Both Brock and Venom were voiced by Hank Azaria.

Spider-Man Unlimited

Venom made several appearances in the show Spider-Man Unlimited. He and Carnage are attempting to conquer Counter-Earth with an invasion of symbiotes, which, unlike the Venom and Carnage symbiotes, don't bond with people, they simply possess them. Venom was voiced by Brian Drummond.

The Spectacular Spider-Man

Eddie Brock will appear in the Spectacular Spider-Man, due out in 2008. He will be Curt Connors' assistant and will have closer ties to Peter Parker. He will become Venom before the end of the first season and will be a major threat to Spider-Man.[29]

Film

Venom's first appearance in a motion picture was originally planned for a titular film written by David S. Goyer and produced by New Line Cinema, in which Venom would have been portrayed as an antihero, and Carnage the antagonist. Goyer said in an interview the film rights to Venom ultimately reverted to Sony.[30]

A Daily Bugle photographer named "Eddie" is mentioned in the first Spider-Man film. Spider-Man 3 includes Eddie Brock and Venom among the antagonists.

Marvel Comics executive Avi Arad said in a 2007 interview about future Marvel movies, "I'm making Venom", providing no further details.[31]

Spider-Man 3

Topher Grace plays Venom in the 2007 feature film Spider-Man 3. In the film, Eddie Brock, Jr. is the new freelance photographer who vies for a position with the newspaper the Daily Bugle.

To get editor J. Jonah Jameson's attention, he provides a staged picture of Spider-Man committing a criminal act as he wears the symbiotic suit. Peter Parker eventually exposes the truth, and Jameson, who is angered by this, fires Eddie from the Daily Bugle. He later spots Peter with Gwen Stacy going to a Jazz club and becomes mad and wants revenge. When Brock goes to church and asks God to smite Parker for ruining his life, he finds Spider-Man removing the symbiotic suit, exposing himself to be Peter Parker. The symbiote latches onto Brock and as a result transforms into the monstrous Venom. He gains Peter's superhuman abilities except they are greater. The former photographer then plots revenge against the person who got him fired and (in his mind) stole his girl.

File:Venomoviepic7.png
Venom lunges at Spider-Man.

Venom recruits Sandman, who is on the run from Spider-Man, to help finish off the superhero. Venom and Sandman kidnap Peter Parker's girlfriend Mary Jane Watson to lure Parker to them. Parker arrives and fights Venom and Sandman, eventually assisted by his former nemesis Harry Osborn. With the help of Parker, Harry manages to subdue Sandman with his Goblin arsenal and rescue Mary Jane. Peter then chases Venom to inside the metal building and is brutally subdued by the villain. In an ultimate attempt to kill Parker, Venom impales Harry with his own spiked glider, mirroring his father's death, only this time for a heroic purpose. Nonetheless, Venom cruelly tosses Harry aside. Determined to defeat Venom once and for all, Parker traps his enemy in a circle of upright metal pipes, ringing them at a frequency that subdues the symbiote. As the symbiote's pain affects Brock as well, Parker extracts him from the symbiote with his webbing. The now-separated symbiote then begins to grow taller and expand itself. Parker subdues it again by ringing the pipes and then proceeds to throw one of Harry's pumpkin bombs at it in an attempt to annihilate it, but Brock dives back into the cage along with the bomb. Just as the symbiote begins to re-bond with Brock, the bomb explodes. When the dust settles, there is no sign of Brock or the symbiote.

Video games

Early appearances

Please note: This is a chronological bibliography based on continuity order. Any appearance of the symbiote as a separate entity will not be listed.

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #26
Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #12
Web of Spider-Man Annual #8
Web of Spider-Man #18 (pushes Peter Parker in front of subway train without triggering spider-sense)
Web of Spider-Man #24 (black arm grabs Peter Parker)
Amazing Spider-Man #298 (appears in shadows)
Amazing Spider-Man #299 (cameo appearance)
Amazing Spider-Man #300 (first full appearance)
Amazing Spider-Man #315
Amazing Spider-Man Annual #25
Amazing Spider-Man #316
Amazing Spider-Man #317
Quasar #6 (cameo; attempts to escape from the Vault)
Amazing Spider-Man #330
Amazing Spider-Man #331
Amazing Spider-Man #332
Amazing Spider-Man #333
Amazing Spider-Man #344
Amazing Spider-Man #345
Amazing Spider-Man #346
Amazing Spider-Man #347
Darkhawk #13
Darkhawk #14
Amazing Spider-Man #362
Amazing Spider-Man #363
Web of Spider-Man #94
Sprits of Vengeance #4
(cameo) Web of Spider-Man #95
Spirits of Vengeance #5
Web of Spider-Man #96
Spirits of Vengeance #6
Amazing Spider-Man #373
Amazing Spider-Man #374
Amazing Spider-Man #375

References

  1. ^ Planet of the Symbiotes #1
  2. ^ Wizard #177
  3. ^ Wizard #21; May 1993)
  4. ^ David, Peter; "The Wacko Theory"; Comics Buyer’s GuideJune 4, 1993; Reprinted in the collection But I Digress (1994); pages 104-106
  5. ^ Wizard #23; July 1993)
  6. ^ byrnerobotics.com FAQ
  7. ^ David, Peter; 1993
  8. ^ David Micheline (w). Venom: Lethal Protector, no. 4 (May 1993). Marvel Comics.
  9. ^ David Michelinie (w), Todd McFarlane (p), Todd McFarlane (i). "The Sand and the Fury" The Amazing Spider-Man, no. 317 (July 1989). Marvel Comics.
  10. ^ David Michelinie (w), Erik Larsen (p), Mark Machlan (i). "Stalking Feat" Amazing Spider-Man, vol. 1, no. 333 (June 1990). Marvel Comics.
  11. ^ David Michelinie (w), Erik Larsen (p), Randy Emberlin (i). "The Boneyard Hop" Amazing Spider-Man, vol. 1, no. 347 (May 1991). Marvel Comics.
  12. ^ David Michelinie (w), Mark Bagley (p), Randy Emberlin (i). "Savage Alliance" Amazing Spider-Man, vol. 1, no. 362 (May 1992). Marvel Comics.
  13. ^ Larry Hama (w), Josh Hood (p), Derek Fisher (i). "On Trial" Venom, no. 1 (March 1997). Marvel Comics.
  14. ^ Larry Hama (w), Josh Hood, Derec Aucion (p), Eric Connan, Scott Koblish (i). Venom: License to Kill, no. 3 (August 1997). Marvel Comics.
  15. '^ Venom: Finale mini-series
  16. ^ Peter Milligan (w), Clayton Crain (p), Clayton Crain (i). "Venom vs. Carnage" (December 2004). Marvel Comics.
  17. ^ Daniel Way (w), Francisco Herrera, Paco Medina,, Sean Galloway et al (p), Carlos Cuevas (i). "Venom 1-14" (April 2003). Marvel Comics.
  18. ^ Paul Jenkins (w), Humberto Ramos (p), Wayne Faucher (i). "The Hunger" Spectacular Spider-Man, vol. 2, no. 4 (November 2003). Marvel Comics.
  19. ^ Paul Jenkins (w), Humberto Ramos (p), Wayne Faucher (i). "The Hunger" Spectacular Spider-Man, vol. 2, no. 5 (December 2003). Marvel Comics.
  20. ^ Mark Millar (w), Terry Dodson (p), Rachel Dodson (i). "Venomous" Marvel Knights: Spider-Man, no. 7 (December 2004). Marvel Comics.
  21. ^ Mark Millar (w), Frank Cho (p), Frank Cho (i). "Venomous" Marvel Knights: Spider-Man, no. 8 (January 2005). Marvel Comics.
  22. ^ Venom: Funeral Pyre #1-3
  23. ^ Venom: Sinner Takes All #5
  24. ^ Venom; Separation Anxiety #1-4
  25. ^ Venom: Nights of Vengeance #3
  26. ^ Spirits of Venom #4
  27. ^ Sam Raimi (2006). Spider-Man 3 (Trailer). Comic-Con.
  28. ^ "Ultimate Superhero Preview". Empire. 2006-09-29. pp. 78, 80, 81, 230. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0708/29/index.htm
  30. ^ Ugo.com (no date): "David Goyer Interview"
  31. ^ Dark Horizons (July 24, 2007): "Exclusive Interview: Avi Arad for Bratz"
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