Eddie Brock: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Marvel Comics fictional character}} |
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{{Superherobox| <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics--> |
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{{Multiple issues| |
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image=[[Image:VenomSBHImage.jpg|250px]] |
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{{Fan POV|date=June 2021}} |
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|caption=Eddie Brock as Venom |
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{{Overly detailed|date=June 2021}} |
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|character_name=Venom |
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{{Primary sources|date=June 2021}} |
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|real_name=Edward Allan "Eddie" Brock |
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}} |
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|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]] |
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{{Infobox comics character <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics--> |
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|debut=''Amazing Spider-Man'' vol. 1, #252 (alien symbiote)<br>''Amazing Spider-Man'' vol. 1, #298 (as Venom) |
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| character_name = Eddie Brock |
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|creators=[[David Michelinie]]<br>[[Todd McFarlane]]<br>(contested, see below) |
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| image = Venom (Eddie Brock - circa 1988).jpg |
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|alliances= |
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| caption = Eddie Brock as Venom in ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' #300 (May 1988).<br />Art by [[Todd McFarlane]]. |
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|aliases= |
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| converted = y |
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|powers=Alien symbiote grants the host all of Spider-Man's powers (having been formerly bonded with Spider-Man), as well as limited shapeshifting ability and the power to avoid detection by Spider-Man's "spider-sense". |
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| full_name = Edward Charles Allan Brock |
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|}} |
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| publisher = [[Marvel Comics]] |
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| debut = '''Hand that pushes Peter Parker onto train tracks:'''<br />''[[Web of Spider-Man]]'' #18 (September 1986)<br />'''As Eddie Brock:'''<br />''[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' #298 (March 1988)<ref>{{cite book |last1=Misiroglu |first1=Gina Renée |last2=Eury |first2=Michael |title=The Supervillain Book: The Evil Side of Comics and Hollywood |date=2006 |publisher=Visible Ink Press |isbn=9780780809772 |url=https://archive.org/details/supervillainbook0000gina/page/388/mode/2up |language=en}}</ref><br />'''As Venom:'''<br />'''(cameo appearance)'''<br />''[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' #299 (April 1988)<br />'''(full appearance)'''<br />''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #300 (May 1988)<ref name="ComicsPriceGuide">{{cite book|url=http://comicspriceguide.com/collection/marvel/amazing-spider-man/300/xbvwh |title="Amazing Spider-man #300", Comics Price Guide|access-date=February 20, 2015}}</ref><br />'''As Anti-Venom:'''<br />''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #569 (October 2008)<br />'''As Toxin:'''<br />''[[Venom (comic book)|Venom]]'' #17 (May 2012)<br />'''As Sleeper:'''<br />''Venom First Host'' #3 (August 2018) |
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| creators = [[David Michelinie]] (writer)<br />[[Todd McFarlane]] (artist) |
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| species = Human |
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| homeworld = [[New York City]] |
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| alliances = [[Sinister Six]]<br />[[Revengers]]<ref name="AvengersAnnual1" /><br />[[Savage Six]]<br />[[List of Marvel Comics teams and organizations#Daily Globe|Daily Globe]]<br />[[Symbiote (comics)|Symbiote]] Task Force<br />''[[Daily Bugle]]''<br />[[FBI]]<br />[[Venomverse|Venom-Army]]<br />[[X-Men Blue]]<ref>''Venom X-Men Blue Poison-X''</ref><br />[[Savage Avengers]] |
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| partners = [[Spider-Man]]<br />[[Vengeance (comics)|Vengeance]] |
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| aliases = [[Venom (Marvel Comics character)|Venom]], [[Anti-Venom (symbiote)|Anti-Venom]], [[Toxin (comics)|Toxin]], Sleeper, [[Captain Universe]] |
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| powers = [[Symbiote (comics)|Alien symbiote]] grants: |
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*Superhuman strength, speed, agility, and durability |
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*Ability to cling to most surfaces |
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*Organic webbing |
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*Limited shapeshifting and camouflage |
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*Symbiote's autonomous defense capabilities |
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*Undetectable by Spider-Man's "Spider-sense" |
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| cat = super |
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| subcat = Marvel Comics |
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| hero = y |
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| villain = y |
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| sortkey = Brock, Eddie |
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}} |
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'''[[Venom (comics)|Venom]]''' ('''Eddie Brock''') is a [[fictional]] [[Marvel Comics]] [[supervillain]] and [[anti-hero]] commonly thought to be an [[arch-enemy]] of [[Spider-Man]]. He first appeared in ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' #299 ([[1988#April|April 1988]]). |
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'''Edward Charles Allan''' "'''Eddie'''" '''Brock''' is a character<!-- Please do not specify what type of character you think they are. Categories like "superhero" & "supervillain" are subjective. It's better to use a generic term and let the reader decide for themselves.--> appearing in [[American comic book]]s published by [[Marvel Comics]]. The character was created by [[David Michelinie]] and [[Todd McFarlane]], making a [[cameo appearance]] in ''[[Web of Spider-Man]]'' #18 (September 1986),<ref>''Spider-Man Saga'' #4, February 1992</ref> before making his first full appearance in ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' #300 (May 1988)<ref name="ComicsPriceGuide" /> as the most well-known host of the '''[[Venom (character)|Venom]]''' [[Symbiote (comics)|symbiote]]. The character has since appeared in many Marvel Comics publications, including ''[[Venom (comic book)|Venom]]''. He has endured as one of Spider-Man's most prominent villains, and is regarded as one of his three [[Archenemy|archenemies]], alongside the [[Norman Osborn|Green Goblin]] and [[Doctor Octopus]]. He later evolved into an [[antihero]], slowly distancing himself from his initial goal to ruin Spider-Man's life to instead do good, even occasionally allying with Spider-Man. |
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In the original version of the story, Eddie Brock is a journalist who publicly exposes the identity of a man he believes is a serial killer, the [[Sin-Eater (comics)|Sin-Eater]], only to find his reputation ruined when Spider-Man captures the real killer. Disgraced and suicidal with a growing irrational hatred for Spider-Man, Brock comes into contact with an alien symbiote, rejected by Peter Parker. The symbiote bonds with him and they become Venom, together seeking out revenge against their mutual enemy. Though he repeatedly comes into conflict with Spider-Man, he also attempts to operate as a hero, albeit a violent one, seeking to save those he deems "innocent" and avoid any collateral damage in his clashes with Spider-Man. In 2008, after being separated from the Venom symbiote, he serves as the anti-hero host of the '''[[Anti-Venom (symbiote)|Anti-Venom]]''' symbiote which is sacrificed to help cure the "[[Spider-Island]]" epidemic during the 2011 storyline. In 2012, he was bonded to the [[Toxin (comics)|'''Toxin''']] symbiote, reuniting with the Venom symbiote in 2016. Though Brock is a human with no powers, the Venom symbiote suit bestows upon him a range of abilities including many of Spider-Man's powers. |
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'''Venom''' is the result of [[symbiosis]] between an [[Extraterrestrial life in popular culture|extraterrestrial]] [[symbiote (comics)|symbiote]] and Eddie Brock, a human host. Before this merger, Eddie was a reporter who held a personal grudge against both Spider-Man and Peter Parker. |
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Debuting in the [[Modern Age of Comic Books]], the character has featured in various Marvel-endorsed products outside of comics, including [[feature film]]s, [[:Category:Marvel Comics animation|animated television series]], and [[video games]]; and merchandise such as [[action figure]]s, and [[trading card]]s. [[Topher Grace]] portrays Eddie Brock/Venom in ''[[Spider-Man 3]]'' (2007), while [[Tom Hardy]] portrays [[Eddie Brock (Sony's Spider-Man Universe)|the character]] in [[Sony's Spider-Man Universe]]'s films ''[[Venom (2018 film)|Venom]]'' (2018), ''[[Venom: Let There Be Carnage]]'' (2021) and ''[[Venom: The Last Dance]]'' (2024)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Outlaw |first=Kofi |date=August 24, 2018 |title=Tom Hardy Is Already Signed for ''Venom'' Movie Trilogy |url=https://comicbook.com/marvel/2018/08/24/tom-hardy-venom-movie-trilogy/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180824232504/https://comicbook.com/marvel/2018/08/24/tom-hardy-venom-movie-trilogy/ |archive-date=August 24, 2018 |access-date=August 31, 2018 |website=[[ComicBook.com]]}}</ref> as well as a post-credits scene in the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] film ''[[Spider-Man: No Way Home]]'' (2021). |
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==Character history== |
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===The beginning=== |
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One of Spider-Man's most famous rogues and a fan-favorite character, the Eddie Brock incarnation of Venom was rated 33rd on the 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters by ''Empire'',<ref>[http://www.empireonline.com/50greatestcomiccharacters/default.asp?c=33 33 Venom], "The 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters", ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'', accessed July 2, 2011.</ref> and ranked 22nd on [[IGN]]'s list of 100 Greatest Comic Villains of All Time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://comics.ign.com/top-100-villains/22.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100416080151/http://comics.ign.com/top-100-villains/22.html |archive-date=2010-04-16 |title="22. Venom": "Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time"|website=[[IGN]]|url-status=dead |access-date=July 2, 2011}}</ref> Comics journalist and historian [[Mike Conroy (writer)|Mike Conroy]] writes of the character: "What started out as a replacement costume for Spider-Man turned into one of the Marvel web-slinger's greatest nightmares".<ref>[[Mike Conroy (writer)|Conroy, Mike]]. 500 Comicbook Villains, p.358, Collins & Brown, 2004.</ref> |
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Born in [[San Francisco]], Edward Allan Brock was raised in a [[Catholic]] upbringing to a cold and unloving father from whom he desperately tried to gain approval. Though as a child, he excelled in many subjects, particularly [[Athletics (track and field)|athletics]], his father's response was always in the form of half-hearted encouragments. After reading a newspaper article on the [[Watergate Scandal]], Brock quit athletics and switched his major to [[journalism]]. He moved to [[New York]] 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. At some point in his career, he married [[She-Venom#Anne Weying|Anne Weying]]. She was apparently attracted by his wit and gentility, traits he had always hidden from his father. Sensing an opportunity, Brock decided to investigate in the [[Sin-eater#Comics|Sin-Eater]] case and surprisingly came across someone actually confessing to the murders. Protecting his rights under the First Amendement, Brock interviewed the man as 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 turned out to be a compulsive confesser. 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. Blaming Spider-Man for ruining his career, Brock resumed his passion for athletics through weightlifting to reduce stress. Though his body grew to near-olympic standards, his rage 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 (comics)|symbiote]] Spider-Man had discarded lay waiting for him. |
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==Publication history== |
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[[Image:Venom-debut.png|thumb|left|150px|First full appearance of Venom, in ''Amazing Spider-Man'' vol. 1, #299]] |
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{{See also|Venom (comic book)|List of Venom titles}} |
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[[Venom (comics)|The symbiote]] discovers Eddie Brock, is attracted by his intense hatred of Spider-Man and bonds with Brock. Brock is imparted with the knowledge of Spider-Man's secret identity. Brock and the symbiote name themselves "Venom" and torment Spider-Man. The symbiote is later revealed to be attracted to Spider-Man,<ref>{{ Comic book reference| writer=[[David Michelinie]]| penciller=[[Todd McFarlane]]| inker=[[Todd McFarlane]]| story="The Sand and the Fury"|title=[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]| volume=| issue=317| date=July, [[1981]]|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]| page=| panel=}}</ref> and it attempts to leave Brock and reunite with Spider-Man. The bond between the symbiote and Brock is too strong, however, and the separation results in mental trauma to both. Brock is remanded to the [[Vault (comics)|Vault]], a prison for superpowered criminals, until he escapes by faking his death and murdering one of the guards. |
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===Creation and conception=== |
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The origin story is later [[retcon]]ned with Brock having been diagnosed with a form of cancer that increases his production of adrenaline.<ref>{{ Comic book reference| writer=[[Paul Jenkins]]| penciller=[[Humberto Ramos]]| inker=[[Wayne Faucher]]| story="The Hunger"|title=[[Spectacular Spider-Man]]| volume=2| issue=5| date=December, [[2003]] | publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]| page=| panel=}}</ref> Instead of their mutual hatred of Spider-Man, Brock's increased adrenaline production, on which the symbiote feeds, is the primary reason for their bonding. The bonding also saves Brock from his cancer. |
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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. The question of who created the character of Venom became an issue of contention in 1993 when Michelinie wrote to the comic book industry magazine ''[[Wizard (magazine)|Wizard]]'', which had referred to Michelinie in issue #17 as "co-creator" of Venom. In his letter, printed in issue #21 (May 1993), Michelinie wrote that he was the character's sole creator, while acknowledging that without McFarlane the character would not have attained the popularity it did.<ref>''[[Wizard (magazine)|Wizard]]'' #21 (May 1993)</ref> |
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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 backstory would be derived, well before McFarlane was assigned to the art duties on ''Amazing''. Because the artist who illustrates a character's first published appearance is generally credited as its co-creator (especially if that artist is the one who designs the character's visual appearance),<ref>Cronin, Brian (April 2, 2009). [https://www.cbr.com/comic-book-legends-revealed-201/ "Comic Book Legends Revealed #201"]. [[CBR.com]].</ref> Venom represents a complex situation, because the costume from which Venom's appearance is derived was not designed by McFarlane.<ref name=PeterDavid>[[David, Peter]] (June 4, 1993). "[http://www.peterdavid.net/2010/07/05/the-wacko-theory/#more-4742 The Wacko Theory]", ''[[Comics Buyer's Guide]]'', Reprinted in the collection ''But I Digress'' (1994). pp. 104–106</ref> |
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===Progeny=== |
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Venom is subdued and incarcerated when the plague-spreading super-villain, [[Styx and Stone|Styx]], renders the symbiote unconscious.<ref>{{ Comic book reference| writer=[[David Michelinie]]| penciller=[[Erik Larsen]]| inker=[[Mark Machlan]]| story="Stalking Feat" | title=[[Amazing Spider-Man]]| volume=1| issue=333| date=June, [[1990]]|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]| page=| panel=}}</ref> The symbiote finds and bonds with Brock, aiding in his escape. During the escape, the symbiote gives birth and leaves its spawn, which bonds to Brock's cell-mate Cletus Kasady, creating [[Carnage (comics)|Carnage]].<ref>{{ Comic book reference| writer=[[David Michelinie]]| penciller=[[Mark Bagley]]| inker=[[Randy Emberlin]]| story="Gun From the Heart"|title=[[Amazing Spider-Man]]| volume= 1| issue=345| date=March, [[1991]] | publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]| page=| panel=}}</ref> |
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[[Erik Larsen]] 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 preexisting 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 commercial.<ref>''Wizard'' magazine #23, July 1993</ref> |
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Venom abducts Spider-Man to a remote island where they fight. Spider-Man fakes his death to convince Venom that his vendetta is over, and Venom resigns himself to life on the island.<ref>{{ Comic book reference| writer=[[David Michelinie]]| penciller=[[Erik Larsen]]| inker=[[Randy Emberlin]]| story="The Boneyard Hop" | title=[[Amazing Spider-Man]]| volume= 1| issue=347| date=May, [[1991]] | publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]| page=| panel=}}</ref> Venom's retirement ends when Spider-Man, unable to defeat Carnage, returns and enlists Venom's aid.<ref>{{ Comic book reference| writer=[[David Michelinie]]| penciller=[[Mark Bagley]]| inker=[[Randy Emberlin]]| story="Carnage"|title=[[Amazing Spider-Man]]| volume= 1| issue=362| date=May, [[1992]]|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]| page=| panel=}}</ref> In the 1993 Spider-Man [[crossover (comics)|crossover]] storyline "[[Maximum Carnage]]", Venom teams up with Spider-Man and a number of other heroes to defeat Carnage when he and a team of powerful supervillains overtake New York City. |
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The preexisting elements that dealt with the symbiote costume itself—to which Michelinie did not contribute—have also been noted. The original idea of a new costume for Spider-Man that would later become the character Venom was conceived of by a Marvel Comics reader from [[Norridge, Illinois]] named Randy Schueller.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Cronin, Brian|url=http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2007/05/16/randy-schuellers-brush-with-comic-history/|title=Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed Extra: Randy Schueller's Brush With Comic History ||publisher=CBR.com|date=May 16, 2007|access-date=September 11, 2010|archive-date=October 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023055636/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2007/05/16/randy-schuellers-brush-with-comic-history/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Marvel purchased the idea for $220.00 after the editor-in-chief at the time, [[Jim Shooter]], sent Schueller a letter acknowledging Marvel's desire to acquire the idea from him, in 1982. Schueller's design was then modified by [[Mike Zeck]], becoming the Symbiote costume.<ref>[http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/Spidey_005.JPG August 3, 1992 letter from Jim Shooter to Randy Schueller] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104171743/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/Spidey_005.JPG |date=November 4, 2015 }}. Comic Book Resources. Retrieved November 21, 2011</ref> For example, 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 [[Julia Carpenter|Spider-Woman]], with artists [[Mike Zeck]] and [[Rick Leonardi]], as well as others, designing the black-and-white costume.<ref name=PeterDavid/> |
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After Carnage is born, Venom assumes the rest of his progeny (the Life Foundation symbiotes [[Scream (comics)|Scream]], [[Lasher (comics)|Lasher]], [[Riot (comics)|Riot]], [[Phage (comics)|Phage]], and [[Agony (comics)|Agony]]) will turn out the same way, and thus should be destroyed. However, the Life Foundation symbiotes are afraid of becoming like Venom, and instead want his help controlling their symbiotes so they can use them for good. Eddie refuses to help them and Scream goes insane and kills them (''Venom: Separation Anxiety'' #4). When Scream later reforms, she aids Venom a couple of times. The remains of the other four symbiotes merge to form [[Hybrid of the New Warriors|Hybrid]], who considers Venom a threat. |
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Writer/artist [[John Byrne (comics)|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 (character)|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 left the title. It was writer [[Tom DeFalco]] and artist [[Ron Frenz]] who had established that the costume was a sentient alien being, and that it was vulnerable to high sonic energy during their run on ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' that preceded Michelinie's.<ref>[[John Byrne (comics)|Byrne, John]]. [http://www.byrnerobotics.com/FAQ/listing.asp?ID=7&T1=Miscellaneous+Questions#96 "How is it that JB "created" Venom?"]. "Frequently Asked Questions". Byrne Robotics. Retrieved July 2, 2011.</ref> 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.<ref name=PeterDavid/> |
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Venom is put on trial,<ref>{{ Comic book reference| writer=[[Larry Hama]]| penciller=[[Josh Hood]]| inker=[[Derek Fisher]]| story="On Trial" | title=[[Venom]]| volume=| issue=1| date=March, [[1997]]|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]| page=| panel=}}</ref> his symbiote held in check with a chemical inhibitor. Carnage is called as a witness, but he overcomes his own inhibitor and attacks. Venom, Spider-Man, and [[Daredevil (comics)|Daredevil]] subdue Carnage. Venom absorbs the Carnage symbiote and joins the [[Sinister Six]], but Venom turns on the other members, crippling [[Sandman (Marvel Comics)|Sandman]] and [[Electro (comics)|Electro]] before making peace with Spider-Man. |
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In an interview with Tom DeFalco, McFarlane states that Michelinie did indeed come up with the idea of Venom and the character's basic design ("a big guy in the black costume"). However, he contends that it was he (McFarlane) who gave Venom his monster-like features. He claims; "I just wanted to make him kooky and creepy, and not just some guy in a black suit".<ref>''Comics Creators on Spider-Man'', pg 148, Tom DeFalco. (Titan Books, 2004)</ref> |
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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 commits suicide after seeing Spider-Man in his black suit. Venom loses his chance for revenge when the powerful human/alien hybrid known as [[Senator Ward]] forcefully removes the symbiote from Brock once more. |
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This dispute arose at a time when the merits of artists as collaborators and writers were being debated in the industry, a discussion prompted by the popularity of artists such as McFarlane, Larsen, and other founders of [[Image Comics]].<ref>Wallace, Dave (February 10, 2007). [http://comicsbulletin.com/complete-todd-mcfarlane-spider-man/ "The Complete Todd McFarlane Spider-Man"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109173741/http://comicsbulletin.com/complete-todd-mcfarlane-spider-man/ |date=2014-11-09 }}. Comics Bulletin.</ref><ref>{{cite comic|writer=[[Larsen, Erik]]|artist=Larsen, Erik|story=Fin Addicts|title=[[The Savage Dragon]]|issue= #20|date=July 1995|publisher=[[Image Comics]]|pages=29 = 33}}</ref> |
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The Carnage symbiote gives birth to the [[Toxin (comics)|Toxin]] symbiote. Carnage attempts to kill the newborn Toxin, but Venom opposes him until he realizes that Toxin's policeman host will not ally with him, and calls a truce with Carnage to destroy Toxin, who is aided by Spider-Man. Spider-Man and Toxin drive off Carnage and Venom.<ref>{{ Comic book reference| writer=[[Peter Milligan]]| cowriters=| penciller=[[Clayton Crain]]| copencillers=| inker=[[Clayton Crain]]| coinker=| title="[[Venom vs. Carnage]]"|date= December, [[2004]] || publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]| id=}}</ref> |
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Venom's existence was first indicated in ''Web of Spider-Man'' #18 (Sept. 1986), when he shoves [[Spider-Man|Peter Parker]] in front of a subway train without Parker's spider-sense warning him, though only Brock's hand is seen on-panel. The next indication of Venom's existence was in ''Web of Spider-Man'' #24 (March 1987), when Parker has climbed out of a high story window to change into Spider-Man, but finds a black arm coming through the window and grabbing him, again without being warned by his spider-sense. |
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===Clone of the symbiote=== |
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{{see|She-Venom}} |
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An alien race secretly operating within the United States government clones the Venom symbiote. Venom absorbs the clone, gaining its knowledge, and he decides to carry out the aliens' orders.<ref>{{ Comic book reference| writer=[[Daniel Way]]| cowriters=| penciller=[[Francisco Herrera]]| copencillers=[[Paco Medina]], , [[Sean Galloway]] ''et al''| inker=[[Carlos Cuevas]]| coinker=[[Juan Vlasco]], [[Wayne Faucher]] ''et al''| title="[[Venom]] 1-14" | date= April, [[2003]] || publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]| id=}}</ref> Before he does, however, Brock learns that he has cancer and will die if he does not permanently bond with the symbiote.<ref>{{ Comic book reference| writer=[[Paul Jenkins]]| penciller=[[Humberto Ramos]]| inker=[[Wayne Faucher]]| story="The Hunger" | title=[[Spectacular Spider-Man]]| volume=2| issue=4| date=November, [[2003]]|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]| page=| panel=}}</ref> The Symbiote rejects Brock, not desiring to be bonded with his diseased body any longer. Ultimately, Spider-Man tricks the symbiote into permanently merging with Brock.<ref>{{ Comic book reference| writer=[[Paul Jenkins]]| penciller=[[Humberto Ramos]]| inker=[[Wayne Faucher]]| story="The Hunger"|title=[[Spectacular Spider-Man]]| volume=2| issue=5| date=December, [[2003]] | publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]| page=| panel=}}</ref><!--this paragraph makes no sense. what are the aliens orders? why would the symbiote not want to bond with brock?--> |
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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 (comics)|symbiote]] grafted onto the body of a human female; seeking revenge for the deaths of her husband and miscarried baby who would accidentally die as the unfortunate result of Spider-Man battling another supervillain. Due to cultural sensibilities at the time and issues with the character's back story potentially angering the [[moral majority]], Salicrup forced Michelinie to create a male character instead. 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 bought by Salicrup before McFarlane was ever assigned to the book.<ref name="ComicPop">{{cite web |author=Big Shots |title=David Michelinie |date=23 July 2014 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sBuFsRrLco&t=1252s | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109053920/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sBuFsRrLco| archive-date=2020-11-09|via=YouTube |publisher=ComicPop |access-date=5 January 2020}}</ref> In a 2014 interview with the [[YouTube]] channel ComicPop, Michelinie said he was disappointed that the female character arc was never explored, but felt that changing the character to male ultimately had minimal effect on his vision for the character. In the same interview, Michelinie remarked that he was largely happy with the treatment Eddie Brock had received by successive Marvel writers.<ref name="ComicPop" /> |
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=== Separation === |
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Following the revelation of his cancer, 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.<ref>{{ Comic book reference| writer=[[Mark Millar]]| penciller=[[Terry Dodson]]| inker=[[Rachel Dodson]]| story="Venomous" | title=[[Marvel Knights: Spider-Man]]| volume=| issue=7| date=December, [[2004]]|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]| page=| panel=}}</ref> Angelo Fortunato, the Don's son, became the second Venom for a brief period of time. However, Angelo 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 due to the symbiote, Brock slit his wrists in an alley and was seen waiting to die. However, he was found before his death and survived the [[suicide]] attempt. Eddie is currently recovering in a hospital.<ref>{{ Comic book reference| writer=[[Mark Millar]]| penciller=[[Frank Cho]]| inker=[[Frank Cho]]| story="Venomous"|title=[[Marvel Knights: Spider-Man]]| volume=| issue=8| date=January, [[2005]] | publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]| page=| panel=}}</ref> When [[Peter Parker]] has unmasked himself publicly as Spider-Man, Eddie was among the many who watched the revelation. |
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==Fictional character biography== |
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==Personality== |
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===Backstory=== |
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The 1993 limited series ''[[Venom: Lethal Protector]]'' describes Brock's history before bonding with the symbiote. As a child, Edward Charles Allan Brock<ref name="PlanetSymbiote1"/> is raised in a [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] household in [[San Francisco]]. Eddie's mother Jamie dies from complications during his birth. As a result, his father [[Carl Brock]] is cold and unaffectionate towards him. Eddie excels in academics and sports in an attempt to earn his father's approval but does not succeed. In college, Brock switches his major to journalism after reading an article on the [[Watergate scandal]]. At one point after getting drunk, he accidentally hit and killed a child with Carl's car. Eddie wanted to get what he deserved, but his father did not let him to go to prison much to Eddie's dismay.<ref>''Venom'' vol. 4 #10. Marvel Comics.</ref> After graduating and romancing [[Anne Weying]], he moves to New York City and obtains a job as a journalist for the [[List of Marvel Comics teams and organizations#Daily Globe|Daily Globe]]. Though he proves himself to be a highly talented journalist, his father still only treats him with indifference.<ref name="LethalProtector3"/> |
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As a reporter, Brock investigates the serial killer [[Sin-Eater (comics)|Sin-Eater]] and is contacted by Emil Gregg, who claims to be the killer.<ref name="Amazing300"/> Pressured by the authorities to reveal the killer's identity, Brock writes an exposé announcing Gregg as the Sin-Eater. However, the real Sin-Eater is caught by Spider-Man and Brock is revealed to have been interviewing a compulsive confessor. Brock is fired from his job in disgrace and Anne divorces him. Unable to find reputable work, he is forced to work for tabloid magazines<ref name="Amazing300"/> and Carl disowns him.<ref name="LethalProtector3"/> Unable to cope with his own mistakes, Brock becomes obsessed with gaining revenge against Spider-Man, blaming him for catching the real Sin-Eater. Brock takes up bodybuilding to reduce stress but his anger and depression remain.<ref name="Amazing300"/> Meanwhile, Spider-Man uses the sound of bells at a church to remove his [[Venom (character)|symbiote]] costume after realizing it is attempting to permanently bond with him.<ref name="WebofSpiderMan1"/> His professional and personal life shattered, Brock contemplates suicide and goes to the same church, where he prays to God for forgiveness.<ref name="Amazing300"/> The Symbiote, having waited in the rafters of the church since leaving Spider-Man, senses Brock<ref name="LethalProtector1"/> and bonds with him, granting him powers equal and greater to those of Spider-Man, and imparting knowledge of Spider-Man's secret identity.<ref name="Amazing300"/> |
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Venom's 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. (''Venom; Funeral Pyre #1-3'') |
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===Venom=== |
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Though it has been repeatedly established that wearing a symbiote enhances aggressive emotions, it is implied that Eddie is a dangerous psychopath even without his other. 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. (''Venom; Separation anxiety #1-4'') |
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Venom begins a campaign of torment against Peter, who is still unaware of his existence. He first pushes Peter in front of a moving subway and later reaches from behind a window and dislodges him as he scales a building, both times without activating his spider-sense.<ref>{{Cite comic|writer=[[David Michelinie]]|penciller=[[Marc Silvestri]]|inker=[[Kyle Baker]]|story=The Longest Road|title=Web of Spider-Man|volume=1|issue= #18|date=September 1986|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref><ref>{{Cite comic|writer=[[David Michelinie]] and Len Kaminski|penciller=Del Barras|inker=Vince Colletta|story=High Stakes|title=Web of Spider-Man|volume=1|issue= #24|date=March 1987|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> He eventually terrorizes Spider-Man's wife [[Mary Jane Watson|Mary Jane]],<ref name="Amazing299"/> and baits the hero to his apartment for their first confrontation, where Venom reveals his true identity to Spider-Man, claiming "You may call me Venom, for that's what I'm paid to spew out these days!" Spider-Man discovers that the Symbiote has completely bonded with Brock and cannot be killed without also killing Brock. Eventually Venom is tricked into weakening himself by expending too much webbing until the suit lacks enough material to produce more.<ref name="Amazing300"/> Venom is incarcerated in the [[Vault (Marvel Comics)|Vault]], from which he makes repeated escapes and escape attempts, only to suffer defeats and returns to the Vault.<ref name="Amazing315"/><ref>{{Cite comic|writer=[[Mark Gruenwald]]|penciller=[[Paul Ryan (cartoonist)|Paul Ryan]]|inker=Danny Bulanadi|story=Flies in a Cathedral|title=[[Quasar (comics)|Quasar]]|volume=1|issue= #6|date=January 1990|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref><ref>{{Cite comic|writer=[[Danny Fingeroth]]|penciller=[[Ron Lim]]|inker=Fred Fredericks and James Sanders III|title=Avengers: Deathtrap, The Vault|date=1991|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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Brock eventually fakes suicide and escapes after being taken to the morgue.<ref>{{Cite comic|writer=David Michelinie|penciller=Erik Larsen|inker=Mike Machlan|title=The Amazing Spider-Man|volume=1|issue= #330–331|date=1990|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> During a battle with Spider-Man, the Symbiote is seemingly killed by the plague-inducing villain [[Styx and Stone|Styx]], giving its life to protect Brock. Brock is incarcerated and Spider-Man disposes of the Symbiote's remains.<ref name="Amazing333"/> The Symbiote survives by entering a comatose state to fight off the illness<ref name="Amazing346"/> and it returns to Brock, enabling him to again escape from jail. During the escape, the symbiote asexually reproduces and leaves behind its spawn.<ref name="Amazing345"/> The offspring quickly bonds to Brock's cellmate, [[Cletus Kasady]], creating [[Carnage (character)|Carnage]].<ref name="Amazing345"/><ref name="Amazing361"/> Venom abducts Spider-Man and transports him to a remote island to do battle. Spider-Man fakes his own death to convince Venom that his vendetta is over. Venom, content with the outcome, resigns himself to life on the island.<ref name="Amazing347"/> Spider-Man eventually faces Carnage but is unable to defeat him. Spider-Man is forced to ask Venom for help, promising him freedom in exchange.<ref name="Amazing362"/> However, after they defeat Carnage, Spider-Man betrays Venom (who had also resumed his plan of revenge and tried to throttle the arachnoid hero to death) by summoning the [[Fantastic Four]] and sending him back to prison.<ref name="Amazing363"/> |
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Eddie is however capable of compassion. He has repeatedly shown himself to perform feats of heroic nobility, ranging from saving people falling from buildings (''Venom: Sinner takes all #5'') to throwing himself in front of bullets. |
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===Anti-hero=== |
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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 recieved 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 (''Venom; Nights of Vengeance #3''). However, he did try several times to recindle his relationship with Anne, until her death which left him devastated. |
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After seeing a photo of Spider-Man's recently returned parents, Brock escapes from prison,<ref name="Amazing373"/> and kidnaps them.<ref name="Amazing374"/> During the resulting fight, Brock's ex-wife, [[Anne Weying]], is nearly crushed under a falling ferris wheel, but Spider-Man saves her. Seeing this act, Venom makes peace with Spider-Man.<ref name="Amazing375"/> In ''Venom: Lethal Protector'' (1993), Venom moves to San Francisco and acts as the protector of an underground society of homeless people.<ref name="LethalProtector1"/> He is later taken prisoner by the [[Life Foundation]] who harvest the last five spawn within the symbiote to create super-powered policemen and Brock is forcibly separated from the symbiote.<ref name="LethalProtector4"/> With Spider-Man's help, Brock is reunited with the symbiote and they seemingly destroy his spawn, Phage, Lasher, Riot, [[Scream (comics)|Scream]] and Agony, before escaping.<ref name="LethalProtector5"/> After saving the homeless people, Venom is accepted into their society and remains their protector.<ref name="LethalProtector6"/> |
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In the 1993 crossover ''[[Maximum Carnage]]'', Carnage reemerges and begins a massacre in New York City, and Brock returns to help, feeling responsible. Venom finds he is no match for Carnage, and seeks help from Spider-Man, but Spider-Man refuses to work with Venom's violent methods.<ref name="Amazing378"/> Venom, accompanied by [[Black Cat (Marvel Comics)|Black Cat]], [[Cloak and Dagger (characters)|Cloak]], [[Morbius]] and eventually a desperate Spider-Man,<ref name="WebofSpiderMan102"/> repeatedly confront Carnage and his allies.<ref name="SpiderMan36"/><ref name="Spectacular202"/><ref name="WebofSpiderMan103"/><ref name="SpiderMan37"/> Venom ultimately tackles Carnage into high-voltage generators, rendering Carnage unconscious and allowing his capture by the Avengers. Brock goes into hiding.<ref name="Unlimited2"/> |
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==Powers and abilities== |
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{{see also|Symbiote (comics)}} |
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Brock returns in the 1994 limited series ''[[Venom: Separation Anxiety|Separation Anxiety]]'', in which he is captured and separated from the symbiote for a government research project. Venom's spawn: Phage, Lasher, Scream, Riot, and Agony are revealed to still be alive and arrive to free Brock,<ref name="Separation1"/> seeking his help to gain control over their symbiotes.<ref name="Separation2"/><ref name="Separation3"/> Brock is ultimately reunited with the symbiote, but the experience forces him to evaluate his relationship with the costume.<ref name="Separation4"/> The 1995 ''"[[Planet of the Symbiotes]]"'' event continued the narrative from ''Separation Anxiety'', with Brock forcing the symbiote to leave him, concerned about how much influence it may be having on him.<ref name="PlanetSymbiote1"/> The symbiote unleashes a telepathic scream of sorrow and pain that attracts the other members of its species to Earth.<ref name="PlanetSymbiote1"/> The story follows the efforts of Brock, Spider-Man, and [[Scarlet Spider]] ([[Ben Reilly]]) to stop the invasion and defeat an escaped and empowered Carnage.<ref name="PlanetSymbiote2"/><ref name="PlanetSymbiote3"/><ref name="PlanetSymbiote4"/> Brock is forced to bond completely and irrevocably with the symbiote to inflict psychic trauma on the symbiotes, causing them to commit suicide.<ref name="PlanetSymbiote5"/> |
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As a result of the symbiote's former bond with 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). |
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===Return to villainy=== |
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[[Image:MVenom.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Mutated Venom.]] |
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When Anne Weying is shot by a new Sin-Eater, Brock forces the Symbiote to bond with her to heal her injuries.<ref name="Sinner2"/> In the process she temporarily becomes She-Venom but Brock demands the Symbiote return after Ann loses control and kills a pair of muggers, leaving Ann traumatized.<ref name="Sinner3"/> Brock helps kill the new Sin-Eater.<ref name="Sinner5"/> Ann is taken into custody by the police as they try to hunt Venom and Brock sends her his Symbiote so she can escape.<ref name="AlongCame1"/><ref name="AlongCame2"/> As She-Venom she again struggles to control herself, with Brock, Weying and current Spider-Man [[Ben Reilly]] becoming caught in the middle of a joint DEA/FBI operation against a major drug smuggler when Weying and Brock rendezvous at the same location where the drug group are meeting.<ref name="AlongCame3"/> When Brock takes back the Symbiote, Anne tells him to keep himself and the Symbiote away from her after witnessing his brutality against the criminals.<ref name="AlongCame4"/> |
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Brock is captured in his sewer hideout and put on trial, with [[Daredevil (Marvel Comics character)|Matt Murdock]] acting in his defense, his symbiote held in check by a chemical inhibitor.<ref name="OnTrial1"/> Cletus Kassady is called as a witness, but when the case becomes heated both Kassady and Brock overcome their inhibitors.<ref name="OnTrial2"/> Venom, Spider-Man, and Daredevil team up and subdue Carnage. However, before the trial can continue Venom is unexpectedly taken into custody by a secret government organization offering him amnesty in exchange for him becoming their agent.<ref name="OnTrial3"/> Though Venom at first enjoyed his newfound immunities, he left after being abandoned during a dangerous mission.<ref>{{Cite comic| writer=Larry Hama| penciller=Josh Hood| copencillers=Derec Aucion| inker=Eric Connan| coinkers=Scott Koblish|title=Venom: License to Kill| issue= #3| date=August 1997| publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> After receiving a head wound, Eddie suffers [[amnesia]]. He is later separated from the symbiote, which is presumed killed by the government Overreach Committee.<ref>''Venom: Finale'' mini-series</ref> |
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The symbiote is capable of enhancing the strength of its host to varying degrees. Due to Eddie Brock's natural physical strength from weight-training, his strength as Venom is greatly increased, far in excess of Spider-Man's, though his full strength often fluctuates. Venom has demonstrated strength ranging from only slightly greater than Spider-Man's to being capable of trading blows with high-powered individuals such as [[Juggernaut (comics)|Juggernaut]]. |
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The symbiote survives and tracks down the amnesiac Brock, turning him into Venom again. Venom infiltrates Ravencroft prison seeking Carnage and absorbs the Carnage Symbiote.<ref name="SpiderMan10V2"/> Brock temporarily joins the [[Sinister Six]] to get Spider-Man but after being betrayed by them,<ref name="SpiderMan12V2"/> he begins hunting down the members for revenge. He ultimately cripples [[Sandman (Marvel Comics)|Sandman]] by biting him and taking out a chunk of his mass, leading to Sandman's apparent death.<ref name="SpiderMan16V2"/> He also causes serious wounds to Electro and Kraven the Hunter.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=October 2018}} |
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Venom's body is highly resistant to physical injury, capable of withstanding assault from high-calibre bullets as well as attacks from super powered individuals. 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 faster rate than normal human healing allows. The symbiote is also capable of healing injuries and illness that current human medical care cannot such as cancer. |
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Venom's rivalry with Spider-Man is renewed when Ann, who lives in fear since bonding with the Symbiote, commits suicide after seeing Brock become Venom. Venom however, believes Spider-Man swinging by Ann's window in his black costume to be the cause.<ref name="Amazing460"/> Before he can take revenge however, the Symbiote is forcefully removed from him by the human/alien hybrid [[Senator Ward (comics)|Senator Ward]] to learn more about symbiosis.<ref name="Amazing463"/> An alien race, secretly operating within the United States government, clones the Venom symbiote. Venom absorbs the clone, gains its knowledge, and decides to carry out the aliens' orders.<ref>{{Cite comic| writer=[[Daniel Way]]| penciller=Francisco Herrera| copencillers=Paco Medina, Sean Galloway ''et al.''| inker=Carlos Cuevas| coinkers=[[Juan Vlasco]], Wayne Faucher ''et al.''| title=[[Venom (Marvel Comics character)|Venom]] #1–14 |date = April 2003|| publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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[[Image:Undueballistictrauma.gif|thumb|250px|right|The symbiote makes Venom virtually bulletproof.]] |
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===Cancer and post-Venom=== |
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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. |
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[[Image:Eddiebrockcancer.PNG|135px|left|thumb|Eddie Brock, separated from the symbiote, dying from cancer in ''[[The Sensational Spider-Man]]'' vol. 2 #39 (August 2007). Art by [[Rick Hoberg]]]] |
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The 2003 story "The Hunger" introduced new elements to Brock's origin, revealing that Brock had cancer before joining with the symbiote, and that it chose to bond with Brock not only for his hatred towards Spider-Man, but also because the cancer causes the release of adrenaline, which feeds the symbiote. Brock is left reliant on the suit to live, and pursues Spider-Man also out of fear that he will take the symbiote back, rather than just for revenge over his lost career.<ref name="Spectacular5"/> Brock dies after the symbiote leaves him for Spider-Man, not wanting a diseased host. Spider-Man tricks the symbiote into again bonding with Brock, reviving him.<ref name="Spectacular5"/> |
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When Carnage gives birth to a new symbiote, Venom names it [[Toxin (comics)|Toxin]] and hopes to turn it into an ally.<ref name="VenomCarnage2"/> When Toxin shows compassion, Venom tries to kill him.<ref name="VenomCarnage3"/> Toxin is rescued by Spider-Man and Black Cat.<ref name="VenomCarnage4"/> |
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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, making Venom a deadly foe. |
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In the 2004 story "Venomous", Brock experiences a crisis of faith and decides to sell the symbiote, knowing he will rapidly die from his cancer without it, intending to donate the $100 million received from the sale to charity on the grounds that the symbiote would find another host once he dies anyway.<ref name="SensationalV26"/> The symbiote is purchased by crime boss [[Don Fortunato]] for his son [[Angelo Fortunato]].<ref name="SensationalV27"/> Angelo briefly becomes the second Venom but proves an unworthy host, and the symbiote abandons him mid-jump allowing him to fall to his death. Upon learning of Angelo's death, Brock feels responsible and attempts suicide by slitting his wrists.<ref name="SensationalV28"/> Brock next appeared in the 2007 story "The Last Temptation of Eddie Brock", where he is rapidly succumbing to cancer, and experiencing hallucinations of "Venom". Finding a comatose Aunt May in the same hospital, dying from a gunshot, the Venom hallucination persuades him to kill her. Brock, dressed in a novelty replica of Spider-Man's black costume at the demand of "Venom",<ref name="SensationalV238"/> murders an "[[Angel of mercy (criminology)|angel of mercy]]" nurse to test if he can still kill, but ultimately refuses to kill May because she is innocent. When Peter visits May, he finds Eddie, who has repeatedly cut his own wrists to get rid of "Venom". Eddie asks for Peter's forgiveness before jumping out of a window, but Peter manages to catch him. Awakening chained to his bed, Brock finds he can still see "Venom" but tells him that he accepts its presence as long as it knows that Brock is in control.<ref name="SensationalV239"/> |
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The symbiote is capable of mimicking the appearance of any form of clothing, camouflaging with its surroundings, and even mimicking other people. |
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===Anti-Venom=== |
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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 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 defeated Venom by forcing the symbiote to continually fire off its webbing, after correctly deducing that it uses its own substance to create it. |
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[[File:Anti-Venom (Eddie Brock).jpg|thumb|upright|Eddie Brock's first appearance as '''[[Anti-Venom]]'''. Art by [[John Romita Jr.]]]] |
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The 2008 story ''[[New Ways to Die]]'' features the return of Brock. Matt Murdock convinces a court of law that Brock is not responsible for his actions while bonded to the symbiote and has criminal charges against him dropped.<ref name="Amazing568"/> Brock gets a job at a soup kitchen under [[Mister Negative|Martin Li]]. Brock is unknowingly cured of his cancer by Li, who possesses special abilities, and Brock believes it to be a miracle.<ref name="Amazing568"/> After Brock is attacked by the new Venom, [[Mac Gargan]], the symbiote attempts to reunite with Brock. Brock's skin becomes [[Corrosive substance|caustic]] to the symbiote, and he is enveloped in a new white symbiote forged from the remnants of the Venom symbiote in his body bonding with his white blood cells charged with Li's healing energy,<ref name="Amazing568"/> becoming [[Anti-Venom]]. Brock defeats Gargan and nearly kills the Venom symbiote. When Brock detects remnants of the symbiote inside Spider-Man, he attempts to "cure" him, draining radiation from his body and nearly de-powering him.<ref name="Amazing569"/> While later saving Spider-Man from Norman Osborn, Brock again fights a battle-suit enhanced Gargan and the recovering symbiote.<ref name="Amazing572"/><ref name="Amazing573"/> Gargan hits Anti-Venom with his stinger, injecting a poisonous formula that seemingly destroys Brock's suit. When Gargan attempts to kill Brock, the Venom symbiote stops him. Brock's Anti-Venom suit later reforms.<ref name="Amazing573"/> |
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Brock later faces Negative and discovers that he and Li are the same person. Learning that the man he idolized is a supervillain causes a breakdown for Brock, making him question his faith, referring to himself as a monster.<ref name="AmazingExtra2"/> After this revelation he becomes increasingly unstable mentally, murdering small-time criminals as he did during his "lethal protector" days. He briefly and reluctantly [[Team-up|teams up]] with the [[Punisher]] to stop a drug cartel that kidnapped a friend of Brock's.<ref>''Anti Venom: New Ways to Live''</ref> In ''"The Return of Anti-Venom"'' (2011), Brock is unable to expose Negative's true identity, believing no one will trust him. Anti-Venom starts a crusade against Negative, attacking his criminal operations.<ref name="Amazing663"/> When Anti-Venom realizes that May Parker also knows Negative's identity, he decides to attack Negative directly before Negative can silence her.<ref name="Amazing663"/> Brock teams up with Spider-Man and the new [[Wraith (Yuri Watanabe)|Wraith]] to fight Negative. Wraith uses her technology to publicly reveal Mister Negative is Martin Li, sending him into hiding. Spider-Man and Anti-Venom call a truce to their rivalry.<ref name="Amazing664"/> |
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The symbiote is weak against sonics and fire. |
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In a 2011 ''New Avengers'' storyline, Brock joins [[Wonder Man]]'s [[Revengers#Earth-616|Revengers]] to destroy the New Avengers.<ref name="RevengersCBR"/> During the 2011 "[[Spider-Island]]" storyline in which 99% of New York City's population are transformed into spiders mind-controlled by [[Queen (Marvel Comics)|Adriana Soria]], Brock is forced to sacrifice the symbiote—and being Anti-Venom—so that it can be converted into a powerful curative capable of healing the infected millions.<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #668</ref><ref name="Amazing670"/><ref name="Amazing671"/> |
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In some incarnations, the symbiote (and, by extension, Venom) requires a certain chemical (most likely [[phenethylamine]]) to stay sane and healthy, which has been said to be found abundantly in two sources: [[chocolate]] and human brain tissue. Thus, Venom is forced to steal/purchase large amounts of chocolate or become an unwilling cannibal who devours the brains of those he kills. |
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== |
===Bonded to Toxin=== |
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A powerless Brock returns in ''Venom'' [[List of Venom titles|vol. 2]] #15 (2012), where he kills the symbiotes [[Hybrid (Scott Washington)|Hybrid]] and Scream as part of a crusade to destroy the aliens entirely, believing them to be evil.<ref name="Venom15"/> After failing to kill the newest [[Flash Thompson#Agent Venom|Venom]], Brock is captured by the villain [[Crime Master#Bennett Brant|Crime Master]] and forcibly bonded with the Toxin symbiote.<ref name="Venom17"/> Brock (who is being controlled by the Toxin symbiote) then tracks down Venom and attempts to kill him, but is defeated.<ref name="Venom18"/> Eddie and Agent Venom face off once more at Crime Master's HQ, and Flash is able to subdue Toxin and separate Eddie from the symbiote using a flamethrower. Just before Flash can get Eddie out, the Toxin symbiote grabs hold of him and drags him into the flames.<ref name="Venom21"/> Eddie and the Toxin symbiote both survive the flames and track Flash to [[Philadelphia]].<ref name="Venom32"/> Now in control of the Toxin symbiote, he confronts Flash in the high school where he works as a gym teacher.<ref name="Venom22"/> After helping Flash defend the students from a group of cybernetic parasites, Eddie forms a truce with him, promising to leave Flash alone as long as he has the Venom symbiote under control (similar to the truce he had with Spider-Man). Eddie subsequently leaves Philadelphia to resume his vigilante activities.<ref>''Venom'' vol. 2 #35 (May. 2013)</ref> |
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{{See also|Venom (comics)}} |
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While fighting a drug cartel, Brock is approached by FBI agent Claire Dixon and invited to join the team she has assembled to hunt down and capture Cletus Kasady, which also includes [[John Jameson (comics)|John Jameson]], and Manuela Calderon, a survivor of one of Kasady's massacres, although Brock secretly plans to kill Kasady.<ref>''Carnage'' vol. 2 #1</ref> After Kasady's defeat, Brock gives up the Toxin symbiote.<ref>''Carnage'' vol. 2 #15</ref> |
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===Ultimate Venom=== |
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[[Image:Ultimate venom.jpg|thumb|right|140px|Ultimate Venom as he originally appears.]][[Image:EddieBrockJr.jpg|thumb|left|Eddie Brock, Jr.]] |
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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, 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 a flash caused when some power cables come in contact with water on the street. Later, in the [[Ultimate Spider-Man (video game)|''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. |
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===Return as Venom=== |
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In ''Ultimate Spider-Man'', Venom is much more physically powerful than Spider-Man, although he is not as fast or agile. He cannot create organic webbing, instead using extruded tentacles to swing from building to building. 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 regular Venom, not only activates Peter Parker's [[spider-sense]], but overloads it to the point that Peter is in such pain that he sometimes cannot move. Unlike the mainstream Venom, Ultimate Venom is not specifically vulnerable to sonics or fire, nor is he particularly concerned about killing innocent bystanders. In fact, the only way to prevent the suit from consuming Eddie is to allow the suit to "feed" on the random humans around Venom. |
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Eddie Brock decides to help the FBI against the new villainous Venom. With the FBI and Spider-Man, Brock is able to separate the symbiote from its new host, Lee Price. In the process, Spider-Man's actions cause the symbiote to rekindle its previous hatred for him. Brock then breaks the symbiote out of custody and bonds with it again, declaring his love for it and now regularly referring to it as "my darling" and "love".<ref>''Venom'' vol. 3 #6</ref> After stopping a robbery, Brock encounters [[Scorpion (Mac Gargan)|Scorpion]] and manages to defeat him, until the symbiote takes him to a church and reveals that it attacked the priest. After finding out about a monster attack, Brock encounters a dinosaur at the church and discovers it belongs to [[Alchemax]]. While talking to Alchemax's CEO [[Liz Allan]], he learns that the mastermind is [[Stegron|Stegron the Dinosaur Man]]. Brock then finds his lair, but is spotted and captured by Stegron's dinosaurs.<ref>''Venom'' #150-151</ref> Venom found that remnants of Stegron's Dinosaur People experiments were living in the sewers, and he had to defend them from Kraven the Hunter, Shriek, and the NYPD. With help from Tana of the Dinosaur People, Venom states to the NYPD that the Dinosaur People were surviving in the sewers and that they were not killing anyone. Upon hearing this, the NYPD arrest Kraven the Hunter and Shriek with the police captain stating that he will have a lot of paperwork to file on this.<ref>''Venom'' #156-158</ref> |
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During the Venom Inc. storyline, Eddie helps Spider-Man, [[Black Cat (Marvel Comics)|Black Cat]], and [[Flash Thompson]] (now under the guise of Agent Anti-Venom) take down Lee Price again, who had bonded himself with Venom's clone Mania and was using it to take over the New York criminal underground. Eddie then tells Black Cat to give up her criminal empire, telling her that [[New York City]] always needs more heroes.<ref>''Venom'' #160-161</ref><ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #792</ref> |
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As a character, compared to his classic Marvel counterpart, Eddie Brock Jr. is a thinly built man who does not seem to be affiliated with any [[religion]]. He does, however, retain the original's vindictiveness and obsessiveness. |
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In the "Go Down Swinging" storyline, Eddie is blackmailed by J. Jonah Jameson into helping defend Spider-Man's inner circle against [[Norman Osborn]], who has bonded himself with the Carnage symbiote to become the Red Goblin. Jameson sends Eddie to defend [[Mary Jane Watson]] at the [[Stark Tower Complex]] and while she does not trust him, Mary Jane disables Stark Tower's anti symbiote defenses to allow Eddie to fight Norman. Spider-Man arrives and teams up again with Eddie to stop Red Goblin, but the villain overpowers them both. With nothing left to offer in the fight against Osborn and Carnage, Eddie allows Peter to take the Venom symbiote for himself to even the odds against his foe. Because of his offering and valiant defense of Mary Jane, Spider-Man forgives Eddie for everything he had done to him in the past.<ref>''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #800</ref> |
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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. |
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In ''Venom First Host'', Venom after gave birth to its last offspring (described by Venom to Eddie as "our child"), Eddie gets attacked by a Warbride [[Skrull]] until a [[Kree]] intervened and started battling the Skrull. Eddie got convinced by the symbiote to save the "blue skin", so he stopped the Skrull and saved the Kree. At Alchemax, the Kree revealed to Eddie that his name is [[Venom (Marvel Comics character)#Tel-Kar|Tel-Kar]] and that he was Venom's first host. When the symbiote refused to go back to Tel-Kar, infuriated Tel-Kar threatened them that he would bond to the offspring and transform it into a monster, if he did not get "his" symbiote back. Venom who loved its child got back with Tel-Kar and then he went to his spaceship. Then Eddie confronted the Skrull who had attacked them and she introduced herself as M'Lanz and tells him that she was tasked to stop Tel-Kar. She reveals to Eddie that Tel-Kar's body was biologically altered so he would have full control over Venom's mind. Then the offspring bonded to Eddie calling itself '''[[Sleeper (symbiote)|Sleeper]]''' and him with M'Lanz went after Tel-Kar. They went to a Skrull research lab which contained a deadly bioweapon that Tel-Kar had planned to use on the Skrulls. When battling Tel-Kar, he separates himself from Venom because he did not need it anymore allowing Eddie to re-bond with Venom and Sleeper bonding to M'Lanz leaving Tel-Kar to explode with the lab by the Kree Empire. After M'Lanz leaves Eddie with the symbiotes on Earth, Eddie cuts every connection to Alchemax, and after that he and [[Harry Osborn]] talk for a while. Then Tel-Kar shows up in Eddie's apartment and threatens to kill him and the humanity using the bioweapon but Sleeper steals the weapon and Tel-Kar tried to kill Sleeper, but Venom intervened and got injured. Eddie rushes to Tel-Kar throwing both of them out in the street. Suddenly Sleeper bonds to Tel-Kar lobotomizing him as a punishment for what he did to them. Then Sleeper with Tel-Kar's body bids Eddie farewell and leaves Earth to explore the cosmos.<ref>''Venom First Host'' #1. Marvel Comics.</ref> |
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The ''[[Spider-Man 3]]'' [[#Spider-Man 3|film version]] of Eddie Brock is based on Junior in name<ref name="Con">{{cite video | people=Sam Raimi | year=2006 | title=''Spider-Man 3'' | url= | medium=Trailer | publisher=[[Comic-Con]]}}</ref> and romantic interests.<ref name="ultimate">{{cite news | title=Ultimate Superhero Preview | publisher=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] | pages=78, 80, 81, 230 | date =[[2006-09-29]] | accessdate=2006-09-29 }}</ref> |
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===King in Black=== |
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Venom has recently been announced to be in [[Ultimates 3]]., set to be released this summer. What his role in the series is still to be shown, although the Ultimate Black Panther will be making a debut in the same story. This has been met with mix reactions from fans. |
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In the ''Venom'' ongoing series, Eddie is seen struggling with the symbiote, which has returned to its violent ways. Using [[anti-depressants]], Eddie is able to calm the symbiote and reassert control over it. While working as a freelance photographer he stumbles upon an arms deal between a gang of criminals and the mercenary [[Jack O'Lantern (Marvel Comics)|Jack O'Lantern]]. The deal turns violent and Eddie uses the symbiote to take down Jack. The symbiote then completely overtakes Eddie, compelled by a mysterious external influence, nearly killing Jack in the process before being subdued and captured by a man named [[Rex Strickland]]. Strickland tells Eddie that despite what was previously thought, the Venom symbiote was not the first to arrive on Earth. Strickland explains that the US Government bonded special forces operatives to symbiotes during the [[Vietnam War]]. These soldiers later went rogue, and Eddie is tasked with rescuing them and defeating their symbiotes. Though Eddie is able to locate Strickland's men, his symbiote is again taken over by the mysterious outside influence and briefly separates from him. The symbiote again bonds with Eddie and tells him that “God is coming”.<ref>''Venom'' #1-2</ref> |
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Soon afterward, a massive dragon made up of thousands of symbiotes attacks [[New York City]]. Eddie resolves to stop the monster before it destroys the city. Before he can intervene he is attacked by [[Miles Morales]], who uses his "Venom Blast" ability to break Venom out of the "symbiote god's" influence. Miles and Eddie form a temporary truce, and the two manage to temporarily stop the symbiote god's rampage. The symbiote god then reveals itself as a being named [[Knull]]. Knull separates Eddie from his symbiote, promising to purge the influence of humanity from it.<ref>''Venom'' #3</ref> But then Miles attacked Knull and both Eddie with Venom and Miles started falling until Venom grew a pair of wings and saved Eddie and Miles. After leaving Miles behind, Eddie went to Rex and put a hole in his head revealing that Rex was actually the symbiote ("Tyrannosaurus") that was bonded to the original Rex Strickland. After that, they tricked the dragon to come to them and started attacking it with sonic-based weapons which weaken it. Then Eddie puts the dragon with Rex in the furnace and incinerated it to death, while Eddie and Venom got wounded in the process.<ref>''Venom'' #5. Marvel Comics.</ref> |
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===Marvel Zombies=== |
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{{see also|Marvel Zombies}} |
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[[Image:MARZOM HC 2NDED CVR.jpg|thumb|right|100px|Zombie Venom]] |
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Eddie Brock recovers, and the [[Maker (character)|Maker]] interrogates him about the incident revolving around the Grendel symbiote and Knull while stating that he is not the Mister Fantastic that he is familiar with. In addition, he also talked about how the Venom symbiote was in a feral state and has been deleting Eddie's bad memories like when he found out that his father had remarried and has a child named [[Dylan Brock]]. When Maker throws a scalpel at Eddie Brock, the Venom symbiote emerges from his shirt and catches it. Though the Venom symbiote is currently brain dread. When Eddie asks Maker if he would be able to restore it, Maker states that the only way to do that is to connect it to the Symbiote hive mind and the last person to do that was the late [[Flash Thompson]]. As Maker comments that he has ways of extracting the information he needs, Eddie asks in a distraught voice if Flash is really dead.<ref>''Venom'' vol. 4 #7. Marvel Comics.</ref> Sometime after, Maker reveals to Eddie that he got hold of Venom's remnants left in Flash's body prior to becoming Anti-Venom, which contained his genetic memory, and tells Eddie that it can help restore the symbiote. Maker also tells to Eddie that he's planning to get more samples from Flash's dead body, but Eddie who now considers Flash as a brother unleashes the symbiote to Maker and gets the sample. Afterward, he tries to escape the facility, but the sample goes to his symbiote taking the form of Flash's version of the suit. Now the symbiote with the mind of Flash Thompson helps Eddie to escape and then Eddie goes to Flash's grave to admit that Flash was a better host than him.<ref>''Venom #8''. Marvel Comics.</ref> |
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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, a rotting carcass, Eddie's body is withering 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". |
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After a failed attempt to win his father's affection, he gets to know Dylan, until he got seriously sick. Then Dylan takes Eddie to a hospital, where Maker found him again. After a confrontation with the symbiote, he recovers the memories that the symbiote had erased finds out that Dylan is actually his own son with Anne Weying.<ref>''Venom'' #12. Marvel Comics.</ref> During [[Malekith the Accursed|Malekith]]'s invasion on Earth, Eddie temporarily uses the Dark Elf Witch's totem to transform into a Venom-look alike, and immediately resist being the Accursed elf's servant at will.<ref>''Venom'' #13-16. Marvel Comics.</ref> |
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==Appearances in other media== |
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===Television=== |
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[[Image:Smvenom-10.png|thumb|right|180px|right|Venom and Spider-Man in ''[[Spider-Man: The Animated Series]]'']] |
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After being framed by a resurrected Knullified Cletus Kasady for the murder of Lee Price, Eddie and Dylan are on the run and rescued by Venom, while seeking help from many available superheroes in New York, such as Peter, Miles, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and the Avengers, including the villains Mac Gargan and Maker, in order for Dylan, as well as [[Normie Osborn]] to be tested if they have symbiote codex within them.<ref>''Absolute Carnage'' (2019). Marvel Comics.</ref> Upon learning his son is Knull's current vessel and would be his host, Eddie and Dylan were originally with Maker but was interrupted by a mysterious bounty hunter in a painted War Machine Mark III suit named "Virus" (who is actually Mac Gargan), and both Eddie and Dylan end up in a universe overrun by Knullified heroes and villains led by Codex (the fallen alternate universe's Dylan). He and Dylan are rescued by Agent Symbiotes (such as the alternate Anne Weying, Spider-Man, Deadpool, and a reformed Cletus Kasady/Carnage) and Mr. Fantastic. Dylan eventually learns that not only he is Eddie's son, but also Anne's. With temporary help from the prime universe's Mac Gargan, Dylan manages to purify his older counterpart and free the Earth. One year later after spending time with alternate Anne, at a time when Eddie and Dylan return to prime Earth, they happened to learn Knull has been re-awakened and begin a full-scale invasion on Earth.<ref>''Venom'' Vol. 4 #28-30. Marvel Comics.</ref> |
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*'''''[[Spider-Man: The Animated Series]]'''''<br> Like the comics' version of Venom, the version in this '90s 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 an Earth-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 Spider-Man, he 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. Both Brock and Venom were voiced by [[Hank Azaria]]. |
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**'''Character appearances:''' |
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***"[[Night of the Lizard]]" (as Brock) |
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***"[[The Spider Slayer]]" (as Brock) |
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***"[[Return of the Spider Slayers]]" (as Brock) |
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***"[[The Alien Costume, Part One]]" (as the symbiote) |
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***"[[The Alien Costume, Part Two]]" (as the symbiote) |
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***"[[The Alien Costume, Part Three]]" (as Venom) |
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***"[[Venom Returns]]" (as Venom) |
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***"Carnage" (as Venom) |
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==Powers and abilities== |
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*'''''[[Spider-Man Unlimited]]'''''<br>Venom has also appeared in the later television series, ''Spider-Man Unlimited''. Throughout this series, Venom is seen working together with Carnage in an effort to perpetuate the spread of an alien hive mind throughout the series' Counter-Earth. Within this series, Venom also displays powers markedly similar to that of Carnage. |
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{{Main|Symbiote (comics)#Powers and abilities}} |
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Eddie Brock is a human and has no superpowers without the Symbiote. Prior to joining with the Symbiote, he possesses olympic-level strength from engaging in repeated, significant weight-training exercise.<ref name="Amazing300"/><ref name="LethalProtector4"/> |
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After separating from the Symbiote and suffering from cancer, Brock loses much of his physical muscle and possesses the strength of an average human.<ref name="AvengersAnnual1"/><ref name="SensationalV238"/> Brock's cancer is cured in the 2008 story "New Ways to Die", and he is later shown with a restored large physique.<ref name="NewWaysToLive1"/> He is also shown to be a proficient fighter and capable of using specialized weaponry to defeat symbiote-empowered enemies.<ref>''Venom'' #15 and #17. Marvel Comics.</ref> |
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In an interview, David Michelinie stated that the reason Brock was written to be at the peak of human physical condition in the Marvel Universe was because editor [[Jim Salicrup]] felt that having an average human with no super powers becoming stronger than Spider-Man by simply bonding with the Symbiote did not seem believable. Michelinie later clarified in the interview that a healthy Eddie Brock is stronger without super powers than Peter Parker is without his super powers, which explains how the Symbiote is able to make him stronger than Spider-Man.<ref name="ComicPop" /> Michelinie later toyed with this concept in early Venom stories in [[The Amazing Spider-Man]] such as ''Venom vs. Spider-Man Round 2'' and ''Venom Returns''.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} In both of these stories Eddie is seen lifting weights and training himself without the help of the symbiote, remarking that making himself inherently stronger and more fit will enable the symbiote to grant him even greater super strength, speed, and agility.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=January 2020}} |
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Once Eddie became the new King in Black, he attended almost god-like abilities through the symbiotes Hive Mind. It granted him near omnipresent powers through the eyes of billions of symbiotes and is also capable of remote-piloting the symbiotes, though with consent unlike Knull, no matter how far away they in the universe. He also discover that he can access through the memories of the symbiotes (including his own memories), some that which are from history or even beyond dimensions; Eddie even believe that with time and patience, he may be able to travel through and even change certain events. The only consequence to obtaining this new status is that due to being a human, his body is already rapidly aging due to connecting to the hive for the past few months. |
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===As Venom=== |
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As Venom, Brock gains several abilities similar to those of Spider-Man, the Symbiote's former host, including superhuman strength, speed, agility and reflexes as well as the ability to adhere to most surfaces with his hands and feet. The Symbiote is also able to project a web-like substance from its body, similar to Spider-Man's. However, this webbing is produced organically by the Symbiote from its own mass, which means that overuse can weaken the alien until it is able to regenerate.<ref name="Amazing300"/> The Symbiote can also send out tendrils which can be used to grab or manipulate items from a distance.<ref name="Amazing333"/> When bonded with the host, the Symbiote allows the host to bypass Spider-Man's spider-sense, preventing the hero from sensing attacks. The Symbiote is susceptible to harm from high-pitched sonic frequencies which can cause it to be severely weakened or killed. The bond between the Symbiote and Brock was strong enough that using sonics against the Symbiote could also stun and kill Brock.<ref name="Amazing300"/> |
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Venom's body is highly resistant to injury, capable of outright stopping bladed weapons,<ref name="AmazingAnnual25"/> bullets,<ref name="Amazing333"/> and it can help its host survive in hostile environments by filtering air, allowing survival underwater<ref name="Amazing347"/> and in toxic environments. Venom can also morph his appearance, to create disguises at will,<ref name="Amazing300"/><ref name="Amazing333"/> and camouflage itself,<ref name="LethalProtector3"/> even emulating water.<ref name="Amazing347"/> It is also capable of psychically detecting its offspring; however, this ability can be blocked.<ref name="Amazing362"/> This sense can be used by Brock even when separated from the suit, allowing him to detect and be detected by the Symbiote and its children.<ref name="Separation2"/><ref name="Separation3"/> The Symbiote is capable of healing any injury and illness at an increased rate, allowing the host to survive otherwise-mortal damage.<ref name="Sinner2"/> The Symbiote and host are capable of sharing knowledge, the Symbiote being able to pass on information from previous hosts to future ones.<ref name="SensationalV27"/> |
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===As Anti-Venom=== |
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Anti-Venom is created when the healing energies of Martin Li cause Brock's white-blood cells and traces of the Venom Symbiote still within his body to combine into a new suit composed of human/alien hybrid antibodies possessing powerful restorative abilities.<ref name="Amazing568"/><ref name="Amazing572"/> Brock is capable of rapidly healing significant injury as Anti-Venom, recovering almost instantly after being shot in the head and suffering damage to his brain.<ref name="Amazing664"/><ref name="AntiVenomNewWaystoLive"/> However, this healing ability can be negated by the energy of Mr. Negative, counteracting the energy of Martin Li.<ref name="Amazing664"/> Anti-Venom is able to detect when others are ill<ref name="NewWaysToLive1"/> and "cure" or "cleanse" them. He is able to cure ailments from hepatitis to removing narcotics and even radiation from a person's body.<ref name="NewWaysToLive1"/><ref name="Amazing571"/> Following a failed attempt to "cure" Spider-Man by removing the radiation in his body, Anti-Venom now automatically cancels out Spider-Man's powers whenever the two are in close proximity to one another.<ref name="Amazing663"/><ref name="Amazing571"/> |
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As Anti-Venom, Brock's suit is corrosive to the Venom symbiote, inflicting pain and damage on the suit to the point of causing it to dissolve.<ref name="Amazing569"/><ref name="Amazing570"/> He displays similar abilities to Venom, possessing super strength, speed,<ref name="AntiVenomNewWaystoLive3"/> negating Spider-Man's spider-sense,<ref name="Amazing570"/> and being able to block damage entirely from some guns and knives.<ref name="AntiVenomNewWaystoLive"/><ref name="AntiVenomNewWaystoLive3"/> He is also capable of extending and morphing the suit to create disguises,<ref name="Amazing571"/> form items such as shields,<ref name="NewWaysToLive1"/> extend his reach,<ref name="Amazing663"/> attack from a distance,<ref name="AntiVenomNewWaystoLive3"/> and create tendrils.<ref name="NewWaysToLive1"/> Anti-Venom is also immune to the weaknesses of the Venom Symbiote, showing no damage or effect from direct blasts of fire, heat and sound.<ref name="AntiVenomNewWaystoLive"/><ref name="Amazing571"/> The only shown weaknesses of the Symbiote are a highly toxic "super venom" created as a direct countermeasure using remnants of Anti-Venom's suit, and Mr. Negative's energy.<ref name="Amazing572"/> The "super venom" causes the suit to immediately dissolve.<ref name="Amazing573"/> Mr. Negative is shown capable of using his energy to weaken or nullify the healing abilities of the suit.<ref name="Amazing664"/> |
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==Reception== |
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* In 2022, ''[[Screen Rant]]'' ranked Venom 7th in their "10 Most Powerful Silk Villains In Marvel Comics" list.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harn |first=Darby |date=2022-11-30 |title=10 Most Powerful Silk Villains In Marvel Comics |url=https://screenrant.com/silk-most-powerful-silk-villains-marvel-comics/ |access-date=2022-12-03 |website=ScreenRant |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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* In 2022, ''[[Screen Rant]]'' included Venom in their "10 Best Marvel Characters Who Made Their Debut In Spider-Man Comics" list.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Norman |first=Dalton |date=2022-05-17 |title=The 10 Best Marvel Characters Who Made Their Debut In Spider-Man Comics |url=https://screenrant.com/marvel-comics-best-characters-debuts-spider-man-issues/ |access-date=2023-01-26 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref> |
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==Other versions== |
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{{Main|Alternative versions of Venom}} |
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The character appears in several [[parallel universe (fiction)|alternate universe]] titles in which the character's history, circumstances and behavior may vary slightly or extensively from the mainstream setting. |
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==In other media== |
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{{See also|Venom (character) #In other media}} |
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===Television=== |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears in ''[[Spider-Man (1994 TV series)|Spider-Man]]'' (1994), voiced by [[Hank Azaria]].<ref name="Spidy-TV">{{cite web|title= Spider-Man on TV|website= IGN|url= http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/05/03/spider-man-on-tv?page=3|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080424153033/http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/05/03/spider-man-on-tv?page=3|archive-date= 2008-04-24|url-status= dead}}</ref> Introduced in the three-part episode "[[The Venom Saga|The Alien Costume]]", this version is a journalist for the ''[[Daily Bugle]]'' until he is fired by [[J. Jonah Jameson]] for falsely reporting Spider-Man as a thief who stole a foreign object from astronaut [[John Jameson (character)|John Jameson]]'s spaceship. Brock later bonds with the Venom symbiote to seek revenge against Spider-Man under the belief that the webslinger ruined his journalism career, only to be defeated and separated. In the episodes "Venom Returns" and "Carnage", Brock is reunited with the Venom symbiote and joins forces with Spider-Man and [[Iron Man]] to defeat [[Carnage (character)|Carnage]], [[Baron Mordo]], and [[Dormammu]] before he and Venom sacrifice themselves to ensure the villains' defeat. |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears in ''[[Spider-Man Unlimited]]'' (1999), voiced by [[Brian Drummond]].<ref name="Spidy-TV"/> He and Carnage travel to [[Counter-Earth (comics)|Counter-Earth]] to join the Synoptic, a hive mind of symbiotes, and ally themselves with the [[High Evolutionary]] while secretly helping the Synoptic grow more powerful to infect the planet's population with symbiotes. In the episode "One is the Loneliest Number", Brock is briefly separated from the Venom symbiote and is shown to have become dependent on it for survival. In the series finale, the High Evolutionary separates Venom and Carnage from their respective hosts, but the two symbiotes succeed in unleashing the Synoptic on Counter-Earth. |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears in ''[[The Spectacular Spider-Man (TV series)|The Spectacular Spider-Man]]'', voiced by [[Benjamin Diskin]].<ref name="comicmix">{{cite web|title=The Spectacular Spider-Man review in comicmix.|url=http://www.comicmix.com/news/2008/07/07/review-the-spectacular-spider-man-animated-series/|access-date=25 November 2010|date=2008-07-07}}</ref> This version is a childhood friend of Peter Parker and [[Gwen Stacy]] who attended [[Midtown High School (comics)|Midtown High]]. However, over the course of the first season, a series of misunderstandings causes Brock to eventually resent Parker and Spider-Man. By the episodes "Intervention" and "Nature vs. Nurture", Spider-Man attempts to destroy the symbiote that Brock was studying, but he frees and bonds with it, transforming into Venom to destroy Spider-Man, only to be foiled and separated. Throughout the second-season episodes "First Steps", "Growing Pains", and "Identity Crisis", Brock manipulates Spider-Man into reuniting him with the Venom symbiote so he can seek revenge against the webslinger, only to be defeated and separated once more before he is taken into custody for treatment. |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears in ''[[Spider-Man (2017 TV series)|Spider-Man]]'' (2017),<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/marvels-spider-man-returns-to-xd-with-hour-long-premiere-in-june/ | title='Marvel's Spider-Man' Returns to XD with Hour-Long Premiere in June| date=2018-05-23}}</ref> voiced by [[Ben Pronsky]].<ref name="benpronskyepicstream">{{cite web|title=Spider-Man: Maximum Venom Voice Actor Discusses His Experience Voicing Venom|url=https://epicstream.com/news/NicoParungo/Spider-Man-Maximum-Venom-Voice-Actor-Discusses-His-Experience-Voicing-Venom/|access-date=21 August 2021|date=2021-08-21|archive-date=2021-08-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210821213405/https://epicstream.com/news/NicoParungo/Spider-Man-Maximum-Venom-Voice-Actor-Discusses-His-Experience-Voicing-Venom/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode|title=Dead Man's Party|series=Spider-Man|network=Disney XD|season=2|number=6|airdate=July 16, 2018}}</ref> Following cameo appearances in the episodes "How I Thwipped My Summer Vacation" and "Between Ock and a Hard Place", in which he works under J. Jonah Jameson at the ''Daily Bugle'' and slowly grows envious of Peter Parker, Brock returns in the episode "Dead Man's Party", in which is assigned to take pictures of the V-252 symbiote before merging with it, with his jealousy of Parker revising the organism's memories of its previous bond with Spider-Man. Dubbing himself Venom, Brock battles Spider-Man, only to be driven back by air horns. In the episode "Venom Returns", Brock takes Parker's friends and acquaintances hostage and exposes his secret identity, but [[Miles Morales]] dons a spare Spider-Man costume to refute the claim. Spider-Man defeats Venom using a sonic device to destabilize the symbiote, which also leaves Brock in a [[coma]]. In the episode "Superior", the symbiote abandons Brock after mutating to the point of no longer needing a host. |
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===Film=== |
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*'''Protagonist'''<br>Venom's first appearance in a motion picture was originally to be as the star of the now [[defunct film]], ''Venom'', written by [[David Goyer]] and produced by New Line Pictures. Venom would have been portrayed as an [[anti-hero]], and Carnage would have been the villain. The script was not produced, and the film rights to the Venom character ultimately reverted to [[Sony]].[http://ugo.com/channels/filmTv/features/davidgoyer/] |
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*'''''Spider-Man'' (2002)'''<br>In the 2002 film ''[[Spider-Man (film)|Spider-Man]]'', it is mentioned that a ''Daily Bugle'' photographer named "Eddie" hasn't been able to get a good photo of Spider-Man. Presumably this is Eddie Brock (which the DVD's "Weaving the Web" pop-up factoids feature confirms). In the novelization of the film Eddie actually has a [[cameo appearance|cameo]] and is mentioned by his full name, with [[J. Jonah Jameson]] unwittingly making an ironic allusion to Venom by screaming "Would it kill you to get a decent suit!?". Brock was set to be played by R.C. Everbeck; a cameo role was filmed, but was subsequently cut from the film during production. |
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====''Spider-Man 3''==== |
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[[Image:Sm3 wp2 1280x1024.jpg|145px|thumb|right|Eddie Brock becoming Venom in ''Spider-Man 3'']] |
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Edward "Eddie" Brock, Jr, played by [[Topher Grace]], will appear in the third part of the [[Spider-Man film series]]. The character's name, specifically the addition of "[[Junior]]," is taken from the [[#Ultimate Venom|Ultimate continuity version mentioned above]]. However, this version of Eddie is said to be an amalgamation of Eddie Brocks, rather than based solely on one. [[movie trailer|Trailers]] and interviews indicate Eddie will act as a mirror to [[Peter Parker]] in terms of employment and romantic interests. He works at the [[Daily Bugle]] as a [[photographer]], and is one of the first to get a picture of Spider-Man wearing [[symbiote (comics)|a new black costume]]. At one point in a trailer, Eddie is pushed against a wall by an angry Parker. On that same wall hangs a framed [[headline]] which reads "Spider-Man Shows His True Colors". To compound matters, Eddie's girl [[Gwen Stacy]] begins to pursue Parker romantically. A scene from an exclusive trailer released at [[Comic Con]] in 2006 also finds Eddie sitting alone in a church saying, "I want you to kill Peter Parker." The original [[teaser trailer]] for the film shows Parker ripping off the living, black, symbiotic costume in an active belltower, then cuts to Eddie looking up and saying "Parker" in shock. Another trailer that shows a scene of the symbiote dripping from the ceiling onto Brock. Indeed, has been indicated that Brock will merge with the symbiote to form Venom. |
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| footer = [[Topher Grace]] (''left'') and [[Tom Hardy]] (''right'') have portrayed Eddie Brock in film. |
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====Sam Raimi film series==== |
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* Eddie Brock appears in a deleted scene in ''[[Spider-Man (2002 film)|Spider-Man]]'' (2002), portrayed by R.C. Everbeck.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/starlog_magazine-356JPG/page/n31/mode/2up|magazine=[[Starlog]]|title=Faces in the Web|last=Jankiewicz|first=Pat|issue=356|page=32|date=June 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2004-12-07 |title=The Spiderman Movie - Richard C. Everbeck |url=http://thespidermanmovie.com/Spider-man-2002/Actors/Everbeck-Richard2.html |access-date=2023-12-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041207075303/http://thespidermanmovie.com/Spider-man-2002/Actors/Everbeck-Richard2.html |archive-date=2004-12-07 }}</ref> Additionally, an "Eddie" is referenced as a photographer employed by the ''[[Daily Bugle]]'' who was unable to obtain pictures of [[Peter Parker (Sam Raimi film series)|Spider-Man]], to [[J. Jonah Jameson (film character)|J. Jonah Jameson]]'s disdain.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://screenrant.com/spiderman-2002-eddie-brock-rc-everbeck-cut/ | title=Spider-Man's Original Eddie Brock Explains a Weird Venom Plot-Hole | website=[[Screen Rant]] | date=10 April 2022 }}</ref> Brock also makes a brief appearance in the film's novelization when Peter Parker first meets Jameson.<ref>{{cite book |last=David|first=Peter |date=2002|title=Spider-Man|pages=197–198}}</ref> |
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* Eddie Brock appears in ''[[Spider-Man 3]]'' (2007), portrayed by [[Topher Grace]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hollywood.com/category/movies | title=Movies | date=11 July 2023 }}</ref> This version is a freelance photographer, Peter Parker's rival at the ''Daily Bugle'', and in a relationship with [[Gwen Stacy]]. After Peter is bonded to an [[Symbiote (comics)|alien symbiote]] and it negatively influences his behavior, he exposes Brock for falsifying a photograph to incriminate Spider-Man as a criminal to get a staff photographer job at the ''Bugle'', resulting in Brock getting fired and blacklisted from every newspaper in New York City. Upon seeing Peter dating Gwen, Brock heads to a church and prays for God to kill Peter before bonding with the symbiote after Peter rejects it and becomes Venom. Now knowing Peter is Spider-Man, Venom finds and allies with [[Sandman (Marvel Comics)|Sandman]] to kill the webslinger before kidnapping [[Mary Jane Watson (Sam Raimi film series)|Mary Jane Watson]] to use her as bait for a trap. The [[Harry Osborn (Sam Raimi film series)|New Goblin]] joins the fray to help Spider-Man, but Venom knocks him off of his glider and attempts to kill Peter with it. However, the New Goblin sacrifices himself to save the webslinger. Peter eventually realizes the symbiote is vulnerable to high-frequency soundwaves and separates it from Brock using steel pipes. Just as Peter throws one of the New Goblin's pumpkin bombs at the symbiote, Brock attempts to rejoin it and is killed along with it. |
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* In July 2007, a spin-off of ''Spider-Man 3'' following Brock was being developed,<ref>{{cite news | author=Paul Fischer | url=http://www.darkhorizons.com/news07/aviarad.php | archive-url=https://archive.today/20071227211231/http://www.darkhorizons.com/news07/aviarad.php | url-status=dead | archive-date=2007-12-27 | title=Interview: Avi Arad for "Bratz" | work=[[Dark Horizons]] | date=2007-07-24 | access-date=2009-05-20 }}</ref> with Topher Grace being considered to reprise his role.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://deadline.com/2008/09/exclusive-sony-sets-sam-raimi-studio-may-shoot-4-and-5-at-same-time-6868/ | title=EXCLUSIVE: Sony Locks in Sam Raimi & Tobey Maguire in 'Spider-Man 4'; Studio May Shoot '4' and '5' at the Same Time | date=5 September 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/09/05/venom-takes-two | title=Venom Takes Two | date=5 September 2008 }}</ref> In September 2008, [[Paul Wernick]] and [[Rhett Reese]] signed on to write.<ref name=backtoback>{{cite news|author=Leslie Simmons |title=Two more films on the way |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=2008-09-06 |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3id9a975e26c8545c5c2f2858ae93969c4 |url-access=registration |access-date=2008-09-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910043118/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3id9a975e26c8545c5c2f2858ae93969c4 |archive-date=September 10, 2008 }}</ref> [[Marvel Entertainment]] would have produced the film,<ref>Fleming, Mike. [http://weblogs.variety.com/bfdealmemo/2009/10/more-details-on-the-ross-venom-film-.html "More Details on the Ross 'Venom' Film"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011065709/http://weblogs.variety.com/bfdealmemo/2009/10/more-details-on-the-ross-venom-film-.html |date=2009-10-11 }}, ''Variety'', October 7, 2009</ref> but the project was ultimately cancelled. In March 2012, plans for a new solo film emerged. [[Josh Trank]] was in talks to direct after [[Gary Ross]] left the project.<ref>Melrose, Kevin (March 7, 2012). [http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2012/03/07/chronicle-director-josh-trank-in-talks-for-sonys-venom/ "''Chronicle'' Director Josh Trank in Talks For Sony's Venom"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018135432/http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2012/03/07/chronicle-director-josh-trank-in-talks-for-sonys-venom/ |date=2015-10-18 }}. Comic Book Resources.</ref> |
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==== Sony's Spider-Man Universe ==== |
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Early images indicate that the film incarnation of Venom may borrow elements from other versions of the character, and from the film's version of Spider-Man. A digital model of Venom appeared on the web briefly, and showed Venom to look like the [[Todd McFarlane|McFarlane]] & [[Mark Bagley|Bagley]] rendition of the character. However, the model had the same raised black webbing on its body that Spider-Man's film costume uses. This model also appeared to have large [[muscle]]s. A white spider symbol was present and Venom's mouth seemed to take elements from the [[#Television|'90s animated series]], in that Venom has large, distinct "lips". A prototype Venom action figure appeared for [[pre-order]]ing on a website internet in January 2007. The figure showed Venom's costume to look much like Spider-Man's, only black/decolored where it would be red/blue.<ref>[http://www.sideshowtoy.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=4327 Venom action figure]</ref> |
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{{further|Eddie Brock (Sony's Spider-Man Universe)}} |
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was |
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* In March 2016, Sony hired [[Dante Harper]] to write the solo film's script with [[Avi Arad]] and Matt Tolmach producing. At the time, the film was not planned to have any connection to the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] version of [[Peter Parker (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Spider-Man]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kit|first1=Borys|title='Spider-Man' Spinoff 'Venom' Revived at Sony (Exclusive)|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/spider-man-spinoff-venom-revived-872844|access-date=March 5, 2016|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=March 4, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://collider.com/spider-man-spin-off-movies-the-dark-tower-trailer/|title=Tom Rothman on 'Spider-Man' Spin-Off Movies and When We'll See the First 'Dark Tower' Trailer|website=Collider|last=Weintraub|first=Steven|date=October 10, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/spider-man-spinoff-venom-revived-872844|title='Spider-Man' Spinoff 'Venom' Revived at Sony (Exclusive)|work=The Hollywood Reporter|last=Kit|first=Borys|date=March 4, 2016}}</ref> A year later, following the success of Spider-Man's appearances in ''[[Captain America: Civil War]]'' (2016) and ''[[Spider-Man: Homecoming]]'' (2017), Sony announced ''[[Venom (2018 film)|Venom]]'' (2018). [[Scott Rosenberg]] and Jeff Pinker were hired to write the script and make the film the first in a series of Spider-Man character-related spin-off films called the "Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters", later renamed to [[Sony's Spider-Man Universe]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Sony announce Venom movie will be out next year|url=https://vaunter.co/film-tv/sony-venom-movie-confirmed/0160110|access-date=March 16, 2017|work=Vaunter|date=March 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317133715/https://vaunter.co/film-tv/sony-venom-movie-confirmed/0160110|archive-date=March 17, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{cite news|title=Venom will reportedly be an R-rated kickoff to a Marvel universe at Sony|url=http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/venom-will-reportedly-be-an-r-rated-kickoff-at-a-sony-marvel-universe-188|access-date=March 27, 2017|work=JoBlo|date=March 27, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://mobile.twitter.com/SonyPictures/status/865629713225572352?p=v|title=Twitter|website=mobile.twitter.com}}</ref> In May 2017, [[Tom Hardy]] signed on to portray Eddie Brock and [[Ruben Fleischer]] was set to direct.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/venom-movie-2018-tom-hardy-star-ruben-fleischer-direct-1004115 | title=Tom Hardy to Star in 'Venom,' Ruben Fleischer to Direct| website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]| date=19 May 2017}}</ref> Additionally, [[Voice acting|voice actor]] Brad Venable provides additional voice work for Venom.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Venom's Voice Is Changing in the Upcoming Sequel — and Not for the Reason You'd Think|url=https://www.distractify.com/p/who-does-the-voice-of-venom|access-date=2021-05-13|website=Distractify|date=10 May 2021|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Inside the Voice Actors Booth: Brad Venable| date=21 March 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGWlpil_gqA&t=1063s| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/FGWlpil_gqA| archive-date=2021-10-30|language=en|access-date=2021-05-13}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Venom|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/movies/Venom/Venom/|access-date=2021-05-13|website=Behind The Voice Actors|language=en-US}}</ref> In June 2017, [[Amy Pascal]] claimed that the film would be "adjunct" to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://screenrant.com/venom-silver-sable-spider-man-homecoming-movies-connections/|title=Venom & Black Cat Movies Will Be 'Adjuncts' to the MCU's Spider-Man|last=Auger|first=Andrew|website=Screen Rant|date=June 18, 2017|access-date=June 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170618195917/http://screenrant.com/venom-silver-sable-spider-man-homecoming-movies-connections/|archive-date=June 18, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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* Hardy reprised his role as Brock in ''[[Venom: Let There Be Carnage]]'' (2021).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2019/01/venom-sequel-woody-harrelson-carnage-marvel-1202530997/ |title=Sony's 'Venom' Sequel Taking Shape: Woody Harrelson's Carnage On The Way? |last=Boucher |first=Geoff |date=January 7, 2019 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108050743/https://deadline.com/2019/01/venom-sequel-woody-harrelson-carnage-marvel-1202530997/ |archive-date=January 8, 2019 |access-date=January 8, 2019}}</ref> The film was released on October 1, 2021.<ref name="Oct2021Date2">{{Cite web |last=Couch |first=Aaron |date=September 6, 2021 |title='Venom: Let There Be Carnage' Moves Up 2 Weeks |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/venom-let-there-be-carnage-release-date-1235008962/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210906162034/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/venom-let-there-be-carnage-release-date-1235008962/ |archive-date=September 6, 2021 |access-date=September 6, 2021 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref> After defeating Cletus Kasady / Carnage, Brock and Venom are transported to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the mid-credits scene, where they witness that universe's [[J. Jonah Jameson (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|J. Jonah Jameson]] expose Spider-Man's true identity as [[Peter Parker (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Peter Parker]], as seen in the films ''[[Spider-Man: Far From Home]]'' (2019) and ''[[Spider-Man: No Way Home]]'' (2021). In the latter film's mid-credits scene, Eddie and Venom begin to familiarize themselves with the new universe they found themselves in, learning about its heroes and a major event known as [[the Blip]], only to be suddenly taken back to their home universe by [[Stephen Strange (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Doctor Strange]]. However, the pair inadvertently leave behind a piece of the symbiote. |
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*Hardy reprised his role as Brock in ''[[Venom: The Last Dance]]'' (2024).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Outlaw |first=Kofi |date=August 24, 2018 |title=Tom Hardy Is Already Signed for ''Venom'' Movie Trilogy |url=https://comicbook.com/marvel/2018/08/24/tom-hardy-venom-movie-trilogy/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180824232504/https://comicbook.com/marvel/2018/08/24/tom-hardy-venom-movie-trilogy/ |archive-date=August 24, 2018 |access-date=August 31, 2018 |website=[[ComicBook.com]]}}</ref> |
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===Video games=== |
===Video games=== |
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==== ''Spider-Man'' games ==== |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a boss in the [[Sega Mega-CD]] version of ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thevenomsite.com/search/label/Video%2BGames%2B-%2BVenom|title=The Venom Site|accessdate=11 March 2023}}</ref> |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in ''[[Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neoseeker.com/Games/Products/SNES/spiderman_and_venom_maximum_carnage/ |title=Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage (SNES) |work=Neoseeker |publisher=Neoseeker.com |date=2012-09-11 |access-date=2013-12-20}}</ref> |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in ''[[Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety]]''.<ref name="EGM77">{{cite magazine|title=Review Crew: Separation Anxiety|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=77|publisher=Sendai Publishing|date=December 1995|page=42}}</ref> |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a boss in ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foes]]''.<ref name="gamefaqs">[http://www.gamefaqs.com/snes/571254-spider-man-lethal-foes/data ''Spider-Man: Lethal Foes''] at [[GameFAQs]]</ref> |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as the final boss of ''[[Spider-Man (1995 video game)|Spider-Man]]'' (1995).<ref>{{cite magazine|title=ProReview: Spider-Man|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=70 |date=May 1995|page=64}}</ref> |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a boss, later a supporting character, in ''[[Spider-Man (2000 video game)|Spider-Man]]'' (2000), voiced by [[Daran Norris]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Spider-Man|magazine=[[Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine]]|date=March 2002|page=34}}</ref> After being attacked by an impostor Spider-Man, Brock becomes Venom again to exact revenge by kidnapping Spider-Man's wife [[Mary Jane Watson]]. When he learns of this, Spider-Man chases Venom through the city and the sewers, eventually defeating him in his lair and saving Mary Jane. After learning Spider-Man was framed, Venom offers to make amends by helping him find the culprit. |
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* The [[Ultimate Marvel]] incarnation of Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in and the final boss of ''[[Ultimate Spider-Man (video game)|Ultimate Spider-Man]]'' (2005), voiced by Daniel Capallaro and [[Arthur Burghardt]] respectively.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/15/sports/othersports/15char.html?emc=eta1&_r=0 | title=Battling Trouble on Both Sides of the Law | last=Herold | first=Charles | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date=October 15, 2005 | access-date=2014-01-21}}</ref> Brock and Venom are hunted, later captured, by [[Silver Sable]] on behalf of [[Bolivar Trask]], who wants to experiment on the [[Symbiote (comics)|symbiote]]. After escaping and defeating a Carnage symbiote-possessed Spider-Man, Eddie absorbs it from him, gaining complete control over his own symbiote in the process. Though Spider-Man stops him from killing Trask, Venom later escapes from prison and does so anyway. |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as the final boss of the ''[[Spider-Man 3 (video game)|Spider-Man 3]]'' film tie-in game, with Topher Grace reprising his role.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Navarro|first1=Alex|title=Spider-Man 3 Review|url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/spider-man-3-review/1900-6170210/|website=[[GameSpot]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|access-date=August 6, 2016|date=May 7, 2007}}</ref> Similarly to the film, Brock is initially Peter Parker's rival at the ''[[Daily Bugle]]'' and competes against him when they are both given the same assignment. After being humiliated by Spider-Man and losing a promotion to Parker, Brock vows revenge against both and becomes Venom after Parker rejects the symbiote and it attaches to him. Brock blackmails the [[Sandman (Marvel Comics)|Sandman]] into helping him kill Spider-Man, only to be killed. |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in ''[[Spider-Man: Friend or Foe]]'', voiced by [[Quinton Flynn]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Quinton-Flynn/|title=Quinton Flynn (visual voices guide) - Behind The Voice Actors|accessdate=11 March 2023}}</ref> He and several supervillains fight Spider-Man until they are all attacked by P.H.A.N.T.O.M.s under [[Mysterio]]'s command. Venom is captured along with the other villains, placed under mind control, and sent to [[Transylvania]] to retrieve a meteor shard located there. Spider-Man defeats Venom and destroys the mind-control device before the latter joins forces with the web-slinger to exact revenge on Mysterio.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/2007/10/09/spider_man_friend_or_foe_pc_review|title=Spider-man: Friend or Foe - PC - Review|author=Aceinet|publisher=GameZone|date=2007-10-09|access-date=2014-01-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202223825/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r32954.htm|archive-date=2009-02-02|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as the final boss of ''[[Spider-Man: Web of Shadows]]'', voiced by [[Keith Szarabajka]]. He attacks Manhattan with an army of symbiotes, leading to Spider-Man joining forces with [[S.H.I.E.L.D.]], the [[Kingpin (character)|Kingpin]], and many others to defeat him.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/06/09/spider-man-web-of-shadows-first-look|title=Spider-Man: Web of Shadows First Look - IGN|date=9 June 2008|via=www.ign.com}}</ref> Following several encounters, Spider-Man confronts Venom on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s [[Helicarrier]] after the latter takes on a giant, five-headed form. Despite destroying four of the heads, he fails to kill Venom, so he appeals to Brock's better nature. Once he emerges, Spider-Man can choose to kill Venom himself or allow Brock to sacrifice himself to kill Venom. |
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** In the [[PlayStation 2|PS2]] and [[PlayStation Portable|PSP]] versions of the game, Venom is captured and brainwashed by the [[Tinkerer (Marvel Comics)|Tinkerer]] after he attacks Manhattan with his symbiote army and the final boss is a giant symbiote with seven heads that contain Venom's consciousness. |
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** In the [[Nintendo DS]] version, Venom is not the cause of the invasion. In his efforts to stop it, he allies himself with Spider-Man after he defeats him. |
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* Eddie Brock / Anti-Venom appears as a boss in ''[[Spider-Man: Edge of Time]]'', voiced by [[Steve Blum]].<ref>Kato, Matthew. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110403033659/http://www.gameinformer.com/games/spider-man_edge_of_time/b/xbox360/archive/2011/03/31/save-peter-parker-in-spider-man-edge-of-time.aspx "Edge of Time"], ''[[Game Informer]]'', August 31, 2014</ref> This version is a reformed anti-hero who was brainwashed by several mind control devices implanted by [[Alchemax]] scientist Walker Sloan, who intends to change history. After witnessing Anti-Venom kill Spider-Man via Sloan's time portal, [[Spider-Man 2099]] works to prevent this from happening as well as stop Sloan. Though he warns his predecessor about his impending death, the present day Spider-Man ignores him to save innocents from Anti-Venom's rampage. Just before he dies, the future Spider-Man rescues his predecessor and takes his place in the fight against Anti-Venom; removing his mind control implants in the process. Enraged, Anti-Venom attacks Sloan and inadvertently knocks them and Otto Octavius into Sloan's time portal, fusing them all into the monstrous '''Atrocity''' (voiced by [[Fred Tatasciore]]),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Fred-Tatasciore/|title=Fred Tatasciore (visual voices guide) - Behind The Voice Actors|accessdate=11 March 2023}}</ref> equipped with Octavius' tentacles and Anti-Venom's ability to negate the present-day Spider-Man's powers. Once the Spider-Men defeat Atrocity and the mastermind behind Sloan's plot, they successfully undo all of the scientist's changes to history. |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears in the mobile version of ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014 video game)|The Amazing Spider-Man 2]]'', voiced again by [[Benjamin Diskin]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/The-Amazing-Spider-Man-2-IOS/Venom/|title=Venom|website=Behind The Voice Actors}}</ref> Originally a photographer who tricks Spider-Man into fighting crooks, allowing Brock to take pictures of him in action, he later investigates [[Oscorp]], but gets caught, forcing Spider-Man to save him. Upon investigating a second time, Brock discovers the company's illegal activities and is transformed into Venom, who goes on a rampage until Spider-Man defeats him and removes the symbiote. Brock tells him what happened before passing out and Spider-Man takes him to the hospital. |
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* Eddie Brock as Venom, Anti-Venom, and Toxin all appear as playable characters in ''[[Spider-Man Unlimited (video game)|Spider-Man Unlimited]]'' (2014).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://toucharcade.com/2016/08/10/spider-man-unlimited-is-partying-like-its-2099/ | title='Spider-Man Unlimited' is Partying Like it's 2099 in its Latest Update | date=August 10, 2016 | author=Musgrave, Shaun | publisher=TouchArcade | access-date=February 12, 2017}}</ref> Additionally, Brock as Venom also serves as a boss in the "Symbiote Dimension" limited time event. |
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==== Other games ==== |
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*''Spider-Man'' ([[Game Boy Color]]) |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes]]''.<ref name="History">{{cite web|last=Elston|first=Brett|date=April 20, 2010|title=Marvel vs Capcom: a history of the Vs fighting series|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/marvel-vs-capcom-a-history-of-the-vs-fighting-series/|access-date=February 8, 2017|website=[[GamesRadar]]}}</ref> |
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*''The Amazing Spider-Man'' ([[Game Boy]]) |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes]]'', voiced by Rod Wilson.<ref name="History" /> |
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* ''[[Spider-Man: The Animated Series (video game)]]'' ([[Sega Genesis]] and [[Super Nintendo]]). |
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* Eddie Brock appears as a playable character in ''[[Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects]]'', voiced by Jason Bryden.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2005-09-22|title=Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects|url=http://m.ign.com/articles/2005/09/23/marvel-nemesis-rise-of-the-imperfects-4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Marvel-Nemesis-Rise-of-the-Imperfects|access-date=December 28, 2018}}</ref> |
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*''[[Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage]]'' ([[Sega Genesis]], [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]]) |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears in the [[Xbox 360]] version of ''[[Marvel: Ultimate Alliance]]'', voiced by [[Steve Blum]]. He appears via the "Villains Pack" DLC.<ref>{{cite web|title=Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (Gold Edition)|url=http://www.ign.com/games/marvel-ultimate-alliance/xbox-360-908243|access-date=March 19, 2017|website=[[IGN]]}}</ref> Additionally, his Ultimate Marvel design appears as an alternate skin. |
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*''[[The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin]]'' ([[Sega Genesis]], [[Sega CD]]) |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears in ''[[LittleBigPlanet]]'' via the "Marvel Costume Kit 3" DLC.<ref name="LittleBigPlanetMCK3">{{cite web|title=Marvel Costume Kit 3|url=http://www.littlebigplanet.com/en/downloadable_content_items/1090?t=US|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622031935/http://www.littlebigplanet.com/en/downloadable_content_items/1090?t=US|archive-date=June 22, 2013|access-date=December 30, 2012|publisher=[[Sony]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Venom – LittleBigPlanet™|url=http://www.littlebigplanet.com/en-us/game_guide/ps3/downloadable_content/venom_costume/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110117105407/http://www.littlebigplanet.com/en-us/game_guide/ps3/downloadable_content/venom_costume/|archive-date=2011-01-17|access-date=2011-02-08|publisher=Littlebigplanet.com}}</ref> |
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*''[[Spider-Man & Venom: Separation Anxiety]]'' ([[Sega Genesis]], [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]], [[Personal computer|PC]]) |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as an alternate skin for [[Mac Gargan]]'s incarnation in the [[PlayStation 3|PS3]], [[Xbox 360]], [[PlayStation 4|PS4]], [[Xbox One]], and [[Personal computer|PC]] versions of ''[[Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2]]''.<ref>{{cite web|date=2009-05-29|title=Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 Video Game, E3 09: Exclusive Villains Trailer HD | Video Clip | Game Trailers & Videos|url=http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-marvel-ultimate/49810|access-date=2011-02-08|publisher=GameTrailers.com}}</ref> |
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*''[[Spider-Man (video game)|Spider-Man]]'' (PC, [[PlayStation 2]], [[Nintendo 64]], [[Dreamcast]]) |
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* Eddie Brock as Venom and Anti-Venom appear as playable characters in ''[[Marvel Super Hero Squad Online]]''.<ref>{{cite web|date=June 8, 2010|title=Gazillion Announces Marvel Super Hero Squad Online|url=http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/84367|access-date=December 29, 2012}}</ref> |
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*''[[Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes]]'' ([[Dreamcast]], [[PlayStation]], [[Arcade game|Arcade]]) |
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* Eddie Brock / Anti-Venom appears in ''[[Marvel: Avengers Alliance]]''.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|date=2014-03-12|title=Playdom Game Closures: Playdom Support|url=https://playdom.zendesk.com/entries/42806613-Playdom-com-Game-Closures|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140321013810/https://playdom.zendesk.com/entries/42806613-Playdom-com-Game-Closures|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 21, 2014|access-date=2014-03-20|publisher=Playdom.com}}</ref> |
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*''[[Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes]]'' ([[Dreamcast]], [[PlayStation 2]], [[Xbox]], Arcade) |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in ''[[Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth]]'', voiced by [[Roger Craig Smith]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Fletcher|first=JC|date=May 10, 2012|title=Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth on Kinect and Wii U from Ubisoft|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/10/marvel-avengers-battle-for-earth-on-kinect-and-wii-u-from-ubiso/|access-date=May 18, 2012|work=[[Joystiq]]}}</ref> |
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*''[[Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects]]'' ([[Nintendo DS]], [[PlayStation Portable]], [[PlayStation 2]], [[Xbox]], [[GameCube]]) |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in ''[[Marvel Heroes (video game)|Marvel Heroes]]'', voiced by [[Neil Kaplan]]. Additionally, Brock's Anti-Venom and Toxin forms appear as alternate skins.<ref>{{cite web|date=2013-06-04|title=After 4 years in development, online game Marvel Heroes debuts | GamesBeat|url=https://venturebeat.com/2013/06/04/after-4-years-of-work-gazillions-marvel-heroes-online-game-debuts/#GpBTpTqpSJ4TeIvZ.99|access-date=2013-08-28|publisher=Venturebeat.com}}</ref> |
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*''[[Ultimate Spider-Man (video game)|Ultimate Spider-Man]]'' ([[Nintendo DS]], [[Game Boy Advance]], [[GameCube]], [[PlayStation 2]], [[Personal computer|PC]], [[Xbox]], [[Mobile phone|Mobile]]) |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in ''[[Marvel Puzzle Quest]]''.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} |
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*''[[Spider-Man: The Video Game|Spider-Man'' arcade game]] |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character and boss in ''[[Lego Marvel Super Heroes]]'', voiced by [[Dave Boat]].<ref>Conditt, Jessica (May 26, 2013). [http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/26/lego-marvel-super-heroes-adds-venom-human-torch-to-the-roster/ "Lego Marvel Super Heroes adds Venom, Human Torch to the roster"]. [[Joystiq]].</ref> |
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*''[[Spider-Man 3 (video game)|Spider-Man 3]]'' ( [[Wii]], [[Nintendo DS]], [[PlayStation Portable]], [[Xbox 360]], and [[PlayStation 3]]]). |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in ''[[Disney Infinity 2.0]]'', voiced by [[Matt Lanter]].{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character and occasional boss in ''[[Marvel Contest of Champions]]''.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in ''[[Marvel: Future Fight]]''.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in ''[[Disney Infinity 3.0]]'', voiced again by Matt Lanter.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in ''[[Marvel Avengers Academy]]'', voiced by Brian Stivale.<ref>{{cite web|title=Brian Stivale ǀ Voices.com|url=https://www.voices.com/people/chestivale|access-date=September 20, 2017|website=Voices.com}}</ref> |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a downloadable playable character in ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite]]'',<ref>{{cite web|last=Lada|first=Jenni|date=September 18, 2017|title=Every Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite's DLC Character Announced|url=http://www.siliconera.com/2017/09/18/every-marvel-vs-capcom-infinites-dlc-character-announced/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919022331/http://www.siliconera.com/2017/09/18/every-marvel-vs-capcom-infinites-dlc-character-announced/|archive-date=September 19, 2017|access-date=September 18, 2017|website=[[Siliconera]]}}</ref> voiced by [[Andrew Morgado]]. |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears in ''[[Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2]]''.<ref>{{cite web|date=July 21, 2017|title=Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2: New Characters Added to the Game|url=http://comicbook.com/gaming/2017/07/20/lego-marvel-super-heroes-2-gets-new-screens-details-and-howard-t/|access-date=July 22, 2017|website=Comic Book}}</ref> Spider-Man, [[Kamala Khan|Ms. Marvel]], [[She-Hulk]], [[Spider-Woman (Gwen Stacy)|Spider-Gwen]], and [[Spider-Man 2099]] break into [[Alchemax]], but are attacked by scientists infected by Venom and Carnage's symbiotes. Later, [[Green Goblin#2099|Green Goblin 2099]] uses a shard of the [[Features of the Marvel Universe#Extradimensional places|Nexus of All Realities]] to fuse Venom and Carnage into a new creature he can control that Spider-Man dubs "'''Carnom'''". Carnom is defeated by the heroes, who free him from the Goblin's control. As the heroes claim the shard, Carnom pursues Goblin 2099 in retaliation for his abuse. Carnom is also available as a playable character.<ref>{{cite web|date=July 20, 2017|title=Howard the Duck and Carnom come to Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2|url=https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2017/07/sdcc-howard-the-duck-iron-duck-and-carnom-come-to-lego-marvel-super-heroes-2/|access-date=July 22, 2017|website=Flickering Myth}}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a boss and playable character in ''[[Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order]]'', voiced again by Steve Blum.<ref>{{cite web|author=Fischer, Tyler|date=May 24, 2019|title=New Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 Boss Fight Gameplay Features Venom and Electro|url=http://comicbook.com/gaming/2019/05/24/marvel-ultimate-alliance-3-nintendo-switch-gameplay-venom-electro/|access-date=August 17, 2019|website=Comic Book}}</ref> After being broken out of the [[Raft (comics)|Raft]], Venom joins the [[Sinister Six]] and fights a group of heroes alongside [[Electro (Marvel Comics)|Electro]]. After being defeated, Spider-Man persuades Venom to join the heroes' side and help save the universe, though Venom maintains his animosity towards him. |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears in ''[[Marvel's Midnight Suns]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/22641096/marvels-midnight-suns-announcement-trailer-xcom-firaxis-gamescom-2021|title=Marvel's Midnight Suns is the next game from the XCOM team|first=Charlie|last=Hall|date=August 25, 2021|website=Polygon}}</ref> voiced by [[Darin De Paul]].{{citation needed|date=February 2023}} He initially appears in the main game as one of [[Lilith (Marvel Comics)|Lilith]]'s Fallen before becoming a downloadable playable character via the "Redemption" DLC. |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in ''[[Marvel Rivals]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Marvel Rivals Coming To Consoles, PS5 Beta And Exclusive Spidey Costume Confirmed |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/marvel-rivals-coming-to-consoles-ps5-beta-and-exclusive-spidey-costume-confirmed/1100-6523816/ |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=GameSpot |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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===Miscellaneous=== |
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==Disputed creator credit== |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears in ''[[The Ultimate Spider-Man (short story collection)|The Ultimate Spider-Man]]'' short story collection book as part of the short story "An Evening in the Bronx with Venom", by [[Keith R.A. DeCandido]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Gerry Conway and Leah Wilson |title = Webslinger: Unauthorized Essays On Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man|publisher =Smart Pop |year =2007 | isbn = 978-1933771069| page = 32}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marvelmasterworks.com/library_novels_marvel.html|title=Marvel novels|access-date=October 7, 2016|language=en|publisher=Marvel Master Works}}</ref> |
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* Eddie Brock / Venom appears in the [[Adi Shankar's Bootleg Universe]] fan film ''Truth In Journalism'', portrayed by [[Ryan Kwanten]]. This version is a disturbed and disgraced investigative journalist obsessed with redeeming his public image, indifferent to the suffering of others. Additionally, he takes inspiration from ''[[Man Bites Dog (film)|Man Bites Dog]]''{{'}}s Ben (portrayed by [[Benoît Poelvoorde]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/venom-truth-journalism-short-film-video-review-interview-adi-shankar/|title=Venom {{'}}''Truth in Journalism''{{'}} Short Film — Interview with Producer Adi Shankar [Updated]|last=Frappier|first=Rob|publisher=[[Screen Rant]]|date=July 31, 2013|accessdate=2013-07-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2013/08/06/adi-shankar-talks-his-marvel-short-film-truth-in-journalism|title=Adi Shankar Talks His Marvel Short Film "''Truth in Journalism''"|last=Collura|first=Scott|publisher=[[IGN]]|date=August 6, 2013|accessdate=2013-08-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.studiodaily.com/2013/11/venom-strikes-again-in-truth-in-journalism/|title=Venom Strikes Again in "''Truth in Journalism''"|last=Heilman|first=Dan|publisher=Studio Daily|date=November 14, 2013|accessdate=2013-11-14}}</ref> |
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==References== |
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{{main|Venom creator credit dispute}} |
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{{Reflist|refs= |
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<ref name="AlongCame1">{{Cite comic|story=Along Came A Spider: Part 1 – Along Came A Spider|title=[[Venom (Marvel Comics character)|Venom]]| volume=1| issue=1| date=January 1996 |publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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Some controversy surrounds the creation of the Venom character. Although [[David Michelinie]] and [[Todd McFarlane]] are thought of as the creators, controversy exists due to the concepts of the character, such as Spider-Man's black costume, existing long before McFarlane's involvement. Additionally, the Venom character did appear in comics, albeit heavily concealed, before McFarlane contributed his design elements. Michelinie argues that McFarlane's design elements were minor compared to the background and personality of Venom which McFarlane had no part in developing. |
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<ref name="AlongCame2">{{Cite comic| writer=[[Larry Hama]]|artist=Joe St. Pierre, Tom Grindberg| story=Along Came A Spider: Part 2 – ...And Sat Down Beside Her|title=[[Venom (Marvel Comics character)|Venom]]| volume=1| issue=2| date=February 1996 |publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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==References== |
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<div class="references-small"> |
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<ref name="AlongCame3">{{Cite comic| writer=Larry Hama|penciller=Joe St. Pierre| inker= Mark McKenna| story=Along Came A Spider: Part 3 – Cut To The Chase|title=[[Venom (Marvel Comics character)|Venom]]| volume=1| issue=3| date=March 1996 |publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<references/> |
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</div> |
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<ref name="AlongCame4">{{Cite comic| writer=Larry Hama|artist=Joe St. Pierre| story=Along Came A Spider: Part 4 – And Frightened Miss Muffet Away|title=[[Venom (Marvel Comics character)|Venom]]| volume=1| issue=4| date=April 1996 |publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing299">{{Cite comic| writer=[[David Michelinie]]|penciller=[[Todd McFarlane]]|inker= Bob McLeod| story=Survival of the Hittist |title=[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]| volume=1| issue=299| date=April 1988|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing300">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie|artist=Todd McFarlane| story=Venom|title=[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]| issue=300| date=May 1988|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing315">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie| penciller=Todd McFarlane| story=A Matter of Life and Debt|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| volume=1| issue=315| date=May 1989|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing333">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie| penciller=[[Erik Larsen]]| inker=Mark Machlan|story=Stalking Feat|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| volume=1| issue=333| date=June 1990|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing345">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie| penciller=[[Mark Bagley]]| inker=Randy Emberlin|story=Gun From the Heart|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| volume=1| issue=345| date=March 1991|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing346">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie| penciller=Erik Larsen| inker=Randy Emberlin|story=Elliptical Pursuit|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| volume=1| issue=346| date=April 1991|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing347">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie| penciller=Erik Larsen| inker=Randy Emberlin|story=The Boneyard Hop|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| volume=1| issue=347| date=May 1991|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing361">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie| penciller=Mark Bagley| inker=Randy Emberlin|story=Savage Genesis|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| volume=1| issue=361| date=April 1992|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing362">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie| penciller=Mark Bagley| inker=Randy Emberlin|story=Savage Alliance|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| volume=1| issue=362| date=May 1992|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing363">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie| penciller=Mark Bagley| inker=Randy Emberlin|story=Savage Alliance|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| volume=1| issue=363| date=June 1992|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing373">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie| penciller=Mark Bagley| inker=Randy Emberlin|story=The Bedlam Perspective|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| volume=1| issue=373| date=January 1993|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing374">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie| penciller=Mark Bagley| inker=Randy Emberlin|story=Murder On Parade|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| volume=1| issue=374| date=February 1993|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing375">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie| penciller=Mark Bagley| inker=Randy Emberlin|story=The Bride of Venom|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| volume=1| issue=375| date=March 1993|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing378">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie| penciller=Mark Bagley| inker=Randy Emberlin|story=Maximum Carnage: Chapter 3 – Demons On Broadway|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| volume=1| issue=378| date=June 1993|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing460">{{Cite comic| writer=Howard Mackie| artist=Erik Larsen, John Beatty| inker=Randy Emberlin|story=Mirror Mirror|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| volume=2| issue=19| date=July 2000|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing463">{{Cite comic| writer=Howard Mackie| penciller=John Romita Jr.| inker=Scott Hanna|story=Distinguished Gentleman From New York: Part 1|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| volume=2| issue=22| date=October 2000|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing568">{{Cite comic| writer=[[Dan Slott]]| penciller=[[John Romita Jr.]]| inker=Klaus Janson|story=New Ways to Die: Part 1 – Back With Vengeance|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| issue=568| date=October 2008|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing569">{{Cite comic| writer=Dan Slott| penciller=John Romita Jr.| inker=Klaus Janson|story=New Ways to Die: Part 2 – The Osborn Supremacy|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| issue=569| date=October 2008|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing570">{{Cite comic| writer=Dan Slott| penciller=John Romita Jr.| inker=Klaus Janson|story=New Ways to Die: Part 3 – The Killer Cure|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| issue=570| date=November 2008|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing571">{{Cite comic| writer=Dan Slott| penciller=John Romita Jr.|inker=Klaus Janson| story=New Ways to Die: Part 4 – Opposites Attack|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| issue=571| date=October 2008|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing572">{{Cite comic| writer=Dan Slott| penciller=John Romita Jr.|inker=Klaus Janson| story=New Ways to Die: Part 5 – Easy Targets|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| issue=572| date=November 2008|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing573">{{Cite comic| writer=Dan Slott| penciller=John Romita Jr.|inker=Klaus Janson| story=New Ways to Die: Part 6 – Weapons of Self Destruction|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| issue=573| date=December 2008|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing663">{{Cite comic| writer=Dan Slott| penciller=Giuseppe Camuncoli| story=The Return of Anti-Venom – Part 2: The Ghost of Jean DeWolff|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| issue=663| date=August 2011|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing664">{{Cite comic| writer=Dan Slott, Christos Gage| penciller=Giuseppe Camuncoli| story=The Return of Anti-Venom – Part 2: Revelation Day|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| issue=664| date=August 2011|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing670">{{Cite comic| writer=Dan Slott| penciller=Humberto Ramos |inker= Victor Olazaba| story=Spider-Island: Part 4 – Spiders, Spiders Everywhere|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| issue=670| date=November 2011|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Amazing671">{{Cite comic| writer=Dan Slott| penciller=Humberto Ramos |inker=Carlos Cuevas, Victor Olazaba| story=Spider-Island: Part 5 – A New Hope|title=The Amazing Spider-Man| issue=671| date=December 2011|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="AmazingAnnual25">{{Cite comic|writer=David Michelinie|penciller=Paris Cullins|inker=Bud LaRosa|story=The Truckstop of Doom!|title=The Amazing Spider-Man Annual|volume=1|issue=25|date=1991|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="AmazingExtra2">{{Cite comic| writer=Dan Slott|penciller=Chris Bachalo|inker=Tim Townsend, Jon Sibal, Jaime Mendoza, Chris Bachalo| story=Black and White|title=[[The Amazing Spider-Man]] Extra!|issue=2 | date=March 2009|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="AntiVenomNewWaystoLive">{{Cite comic| writer=Zeb Wells|artist=Paulo Siqueira, Chad Hardin| story=Anti-Venom: New Ways to Live|title=The Amazing Spider-Man Presents| issue=2| date=December 2009|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="AntiVenomNewWaystoLive3">{{Cite comic| writer=Zeb Wells|artist=Paulo Siqueira, Amilton Santos| story=Anti-Venom: New Ways to Live|title=The Amazing Spider-Man Presents| issue=3| date=February 2010|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="AvengersAnnual1">{{Cite comic| writer=[[Brian Michael Bendis]] |artist= Gabriel Dell'Otto| title=New Avengers Annual| volume=1| issue=1| date=November 2011|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="LethalProtector1">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie|artist=Mark Bagley| story=Dark Soul Drifting|title=[[Venom: Lethal Protector]]| volume=1| issue=1| date=February 1993|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="LethalProtector3">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie|artist=Mark Bagley| story=A Verdict of Innocence|title=Venom: Lethal Protector| volume=1| issue=3| date=April 1993|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="LethalProtector4">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie|story=Deadly Birth|title=Venom: Lethal Protector| volume=1| issue=4| date=May 1993|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="LethalProtector5">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie| story=Symbiocide|title=Venom: Lethal Protector| volume=1| issue=5| date=June 1993|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="LethalProtector6">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie|artist=Ron Lim| story='Frisco Kill|title=Venom: Lethal Protector| volume=1| issue=6| date=July 1993|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="NewWaysToLive1">{{Cite comic| writer=Zeb Wells|artist=Paulo Siqueira| story=Anti-Venom – New Ways to Live|title=The Amazing Spider-Man Presents| issue=1| date=November 2009|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="OnTrial1">{{Cite comic| writer=[[Larry Hama]]|penciller=Josh Hood|inker=[[Derek Fisher]]| story=On Trial: Part 1 – Law & Order|title=Venom | volume=1| issue=1| date=March 1997|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="OnTrial2">{{Cite comic| writer=Larry Hama|penciller=Josh Hood| inker=Derek Fisher| story=On Trial : Part 2 – Disorder In The Court|title=Venom | volume=1| issue=2| date=April 1997|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="OnTrial3">{{Cite comic| writer=Larry Hama|penciller=Josh Hood| inker=Derek Fisher| story=On Trial : Part 3 – Trial And Error|title=Venom | volume=1| issue=3| date=May 1997|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="PlanetSymbiote1">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie|artist=Dave Hoover|inker=Ralph Cabrera |story=[[Planet of the Symbiotes]] : Chapter 1 – The Far Cry|title=[[The Amazing Spider-Man]] Super Special| volume=1| issue=1| date=1995 |publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="PlanetSymbiote2">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie|artist=Joe St. Pierre|inker=Greg Adams |story=Planet of the Symbiotes : Chapter 2 – Lurkers|title=[[Spider-Man]] Super Special| volume=1| issue=1| date=July 1995|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="PlanetSymbiote3">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie|artist=Kyle Hotz|inker=Armando Gil |story=Planet of the Symbiotes: Chapter 3 – Monster World|title=Venom Super Special| volume=1| issue=1| date=August 1995|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="PlanetSymbiote4">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie|artist=Darick Robertson|inker=Arne Starr |story=Planet of the Symbiotes: Chapter 4 – Invasion|title=[[The Spectacular Spider-Man]] Super Special| volume=1| issue=1| date=September 1995|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="PlanetSymbiote5">{{Cite comic| writer=David Michelinie|artist=Steve Lightle|inker= |story=Planet of the Symbiotes :Conclusion – Mortal Victory|title=[[Web of Spider-Man]] Super Special| volume=1| issue=1| date=1995|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="SensationalV26">{{Cite comic| writer=[[Mark Millar]] |penciller=[[Terry Dodson]] |inker = [[Rachel Dodson]]| story=Venomous|title=[[The Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2)]]| volume=2| issue=6| date=November 2004|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="SensationalV27">{{Cite comic| writer=Mark Millar |penciller=Terry Dodson |inker = Rachel Dodson| story=Venomous|title=The Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2)| volume=2| issue=7| date=December 2004|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="SensationalV28">{{Cite comic| writer=Mark Millar |artist = [[Frank Cho]]| story=Venomous|title=The Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2)| volume=2| issue=8| date=January 2005|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="SensationalV238">{{Cite comic| writer=Roberto Agguire-Sacasa |artist=Lee Weeks| story=The Last Temptation of Eddie Brock : Part 1|title=[[The Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2)]]| volume=2| issue=38| date=August 2007|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="SensationalV239">{{Cite comic| writer=Roberto Agguire-Sacasa |artist=Rick Hoberg, Stefano Gaudiano, Clayton Crain| story=The Last Temptation of Eddie Brock : Part 2|title=The Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2)| volume=2| issue=39| date=September 2007|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Separation1">{{Cite comic| writer=Howard Mackie|artist=[[Ron Randall]]|inker=Sam De La Rosa| story=Apart|title=[[Venom: Separation Anxiety]]| issue=1| date=December 1994|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Separation2">{{Cite comic| writer=Howard Mackie|artist=Ron Randall|inker=Sam De La Rosa| story=Lost Souls|title=Venom: Separation Anxiety| issue=2| date=January 1995|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Separation3">{{Cite comic| writer=Howard Mackie|artist=Ron Randall|inker=Sam De La Rosa| story=Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow|title=Venom: Separation Anxiety| issue=3| date=February 1995|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Separation4">{{Cite comic| writer=Howard Mackie|artist=Ron Randall|inker=Sam De La Rosa| story=Reunion|title=Venom: Separation Anxiety| issue=4| date=March 1995|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Sinner2">{{Cite comic| writer=[[Larry Hama]]|penciller=Greg Lunziak|inker=Scott Kublish| story=Sinner Takes All: Part 2 – Redeemable Upon Request|title=Venom| volume=1| issue=2| date=September 1995|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Sinner3">{{Cite comic| writer=Larry Hama|penciller=Greg Lunziak|inker=Jimmy Palmiotti, Ken Branch| story=Sinner Takes All: Part 3 – Eve of Destruction|title=Venom| volume=1| issue=3| date=October 1995|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Sinner5">{{Cite comic| writer=Larry Hama|penciller=Ted Halsted|inker=Jimmy Palmiotti, Ralph Cabrera| story=Sinner Takes All: Part 5 – A Time to Kill and A Time to Heal|title=Venom| volume=1| issue=5| date=December 1995|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Spectacular202">{{Cite comic|writer=J. M. Dematteis|penciller=Sal Buscema|inker=Joe Rosen|story=Maximum Carnage: Chapter 9 – The Turning Point|title=[[The Spectacular Spider-Man]]|volume=1|issue=202|date=July 1993|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Spectacular5">{{Cite comic|writer=[[Paul Jenkins (writer)|Paul Jenkins]]|penciller=Humberto Ramos|inker=Wayne Faucher|story=The Hunger: Part 5|title=[[The Spectacular Spider-Man]]|volume=2|issue=5|date=December 2003|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="SpiderMan36">{{Cite comic|writer=[[Terry Kavanagh]]|penciller=[[Tom Lyle]]|inker=Scott Hanna|story=Maximum Carnage : Chapter 8 – Hate Is In The Air|title=[[Peter Parker: Spider-Man|Spider-Man]]|volume=1|issue=36|date=July 1993|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="SpiderMan37">{{Cite comic|writer=Terry Kavanagh|penciller=Tom Lyle|story=Maximum Carnage : Chapter 12 – The Light|title=Spider-Man|volume=1|issue=37|date=August 1993|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="SpiderMan10V2">{{Cite comic|writer=[[Howard Mackie]]|penciller=[[John Romita Jr.]]|inker=Scott Hanna|story=Venom Triumphant|title=Spider-Man|volume=2|issue=10|date=October 1999|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="SpiderMan12V2">{{Cite comic|writer=Howard Mackie|penciller=John Romita Jr.|inker=Scott Hanna|story=Another Return of The Sinister Six: Part 2|title=Spider-Man|volume=2|issue=12|date=December 1999|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="SpiderMan16V2">{{Cite comic|writer=Howard Mackie|penciller=John Romita Jr.|inker=Scott Hanna|story=Cliché|title=Spider-Man|volume=2|issue=16|date=April 2000|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Unlimited2">{{Cite comic|writer=Tom DeFalco|story=The Hatred, The Horror and the Hero|title=Spider-Man Unlimited|volume=1|issue=2|date= August 1993|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Venom15">{{Cite comic| writer=Rick Remender| penciller= Lan Medina | inker= Nelson Decastro| coinkers=Terry Pallot| story=Home Again | title=Venom |issue=15| date = June 2012| publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Venom17">{{Cite comic| writer=Rick Remender| cowriters=Cullen Bunn |penciller= Kev Walker |inker= Terry Pallot |story=Savage Six: Prologue | title=Venom |volume= 2| issue=17| date = May 2012| publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Venom18">{{Cite comic| writer=Rick Remender| cowriters=Cullen Bunn |penciller= Lan Medina | inker= Nelson DeCastro | story=Savage Six: Part 1| title=Venom |volume= 2| issue=18| date = May 2012| publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Venom21">{{Cite comic| writer=Rick Remender| cowriters=Cullen Bunn |penciller= Lan Medina | inker= Nelson DeCastro |story=Savage Six: Part 4| title=Venom |volume= 2| issue=21| date = July 2012| publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Venom22">{{Cite comic| writer=Rick Remender| cowriters=Cullen Bunn |penciller= Lan Medina | inker= Nelson DeCastro |story=Savage Six: Part 5| title=Venom |volume= 2| issue=22| date = July 2012| publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Venom32">{{Cite comic| writer=Cullen Bunn| penciller= Declan Shalvey | inker= Lee Loughridge |story=Toxic Lifestyle| title=Venom |volume= 2| issue=32|date = March 2013| publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="VenomCarnage2">{{Cite comic| writer=Peter Milligan|artist=Clayton Crain| story=Cops and Monsters| title=Venom vs. Carnage|issue=2| date = October 2004|| publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="VenomCarnage3">{{Cite comic| writer=Peter Milligan| artist=Clayton Crain| story=The Monster Inside Me| title=Venom vs. Carnage| issue=3| date= November 2004| publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="VenomCarnage4">{{Cite comic| writer=Peter Milligan| artist=Clayton Crain| inker=[[Clayton Crain]]| story=Do The Right Thing| title=Venom vs. Carnage| issue=4| date = December 2005| publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="WebofSpiderMan1">{{Cite comic|writer=[[Louise Simonson]]|penciller=Greg Lo Rocque|inker=Jim Mooney|story=Til Death Do Us Part|title=Web of Spider-Man|volume=1|issue=1|date= April 1984|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="WebofSpiderMan102">{{Cite comic|writer=[[Terry Kavanagh]]|penciller=[[Alex Saviuk]]|inker=Don Hudson|story=Maximum Carnage: Chapter 6 – Sinking Fast|title=Web of Spider-Man|volume=1|issue=102|date= July 1993|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="WebofSpiderMan103">{{Cite comic|writer=Terry Kavanagh|penciller=Alex Saviuk|inker=Don Hudson|story=Maximum Carnage: Chapter 10 – Sin City|title=Web of Spider-Man|volume=1|issue=103|date= August 1993|publisher=Marvel Comics}}</ref> |
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<ref name="RevengersCBR">{{cite web |first=Dave| last=Richards |website=[[Comic Book Resources]] |url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=34028 |title=Old Foes, Friends Return in Bendis' "New Avengers" |date=August 22, 2011|access-date= September 12, 2011}}</ref> |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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{{Portal|1980s|United States|Comics|Speculative fiction}} |
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*[http://marvel.com/universe/Venom Venom on the Marvel Universe Character Bio Wiki] |
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*[http://marvel.com/universe/ |
* [http://marvel.com/universe/Brock,_Eddie Eddie Brock] at the Marvel Universe Wiki |
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* {{Comicbookdb|type=character|id=1224|title=Venom (Eddie Brock)}} |
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* [http://www.spiderfan.org/characters/venom.html Venom's profile at Spiderfan.org] |
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* [http://marvel.com/news/comicstories.687 Unlimited Highlights: The History of Venom] at Marvel.com |
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* [[MarvelDatabase:Venom|Marvel Database: Venom]] |
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* {{Marveldatabase|Edward_Brock_(Earth-616)|Edward Brock}} |
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* [https://comicvine.gamespot.com/eddie-brock/4005-6733 Eddie Brock] at Comic Vine |
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* [https://spiderman.fandom.com/wiki/Eddie_Brock Eddie Brock] at Spider-Man Wiki |
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{{Symbiote Family and Hosts}} |
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[[Category:1988 introductions]] |
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{{Sinister Six}} |
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Latest revision as of 23:44, 5 January 2025
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|
Eddie Brock | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance | Hand that pushes Peter Parker onto train tracks: Web of Spider-Man #18 (September 1986) As Eddie Brock: The Amazing Spider-Man #298 (March 1988)[1] As Venom: (cameo appearance) The Amazing Spider-Man #299 (April 1988) (full appearance) The Amazing Spider-Man #300 (May 1988)[2] As Anti-Venom: The Amazing Spider-Man #569 (October 2008) As Toxin: Venom #17 (May 2012) As Sleeper: Venom First Host #3 (August 2018) |
Created by | David Michelinie (writer) Todd McFarlane (artist) |
In-story information | |
Full name | Edward Charles Allan Brock |
Species | Human |
Place of origin | New York City |
Team affiliations | Sinister Six Revengers[3] Savage Six Daily Globe Symbiote Task Force Daily Bugle FBI Venom-Army X-Men Blue[4] Savage Avengers |
Partnerships | Spider-Man Vengeance |
Notable aliases | Venom, Anti-Venom, Toxin, Sleeper, Captain Universe |
Abilities | Alien symbiote grants:
|
Edward Charles Allan "Eddie" Brock is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane, making a cameo appearance in Web of Spider-Man #18 (September 1986),[5] before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #300 (May 1988)[2] as the most well-known host of the Venom symbiote. The character has since appeared in many Marvel Comics publications, including Venom. He has endured as one of Spider-Man's most prominent villains, and is regarded as one of his three archenemies, alongside the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus. He later evolved into an antihero, slowly distancing himself from his initial goal to ruin Spider-Man's life to instead do good, even occasionally allying with Spider-Man.
In the original version of the story, Eddie Brock is a journalist who publicly exposes the identity of a man he believes is a serial killer, the Sin-Eater, only to find his reputation ruined when Spider-Man captures the real killer. Disgraced and suicidal with a growing irrational hatred for Spider-Man, Brock comes into contact with an alien symbiote, rejected by Peter Parker. The symbiote bonds with him and they become Venom, together seeking out revenge against their mutual enemy. Though he repeatedly comes into conflict with Spider-Man, he also attempts to operate as a hero, albeit a violent one, seeking to save those he deems "innocent" and avoid any collateral damage in his clashes with Spider-Man. In 2008, after being separated from the Venom symbiote, he serves as the anti-hero host of the Anti-Venom symbiote which is sacrificed to help cure the "Spider-Island" epidemic during the 2011 storyline. In 2012, he was bonded to the Toxin symbiote, reuniting with the Venom symbiote in 2016. Though Brock is a human with no powers, the Venom symbiote suit bestows upon him a range of abilities including many of Spider-Man's powers.
Debuting in the Modern Age of Comic Books, the character has featured in various Marvel-endorsed products outside of comics, including feature films, animated television series, and video games; and merchandise such as action figures, and trading cards. Topher Grace portrays Eddie Brock/Venom in Spider-Man 3 (2007), while Tom Hardy portrays the character in Sony's Spider-Man Universe's films Venom (2018), Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) and Venom: The Last Dance (2024)[6] as well as a post-credits scene in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).
One of Spider-Man's most famous rogues and a fan-favorite character, the Eddie Brock incarnation of Venom was rated 33rd on the 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters by Empire,[7] and ranked 22nd on IGN's list of 100 Greatest Comic Villains of All Time.[8] Comics journalist and historian Mike Conroy writes of the character: "What started out as a replacement costume for Spider-Man turned into one of the Marvel web-slinger's greatest nightmares".[9]
Publication history
[edit]Creation and conception
[edit]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. The question of who created the character of Venom became an issue of contention in 1993 when Michelinie wrote to the comic book industry magazine Wizard, which had referred to Michelinie in issue #17 as "co-creator" of Venom. In his letter, printed in issue #21 (May 1993), Michelinie wrote that he was the character's sole creator, while acknowledging that without McFarlane the character would not have attained the popularity it did.[10]
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 backstory would be derived, well before McFarlane was assigned to the art duties on Amazing. Because the artist who illustrates a character's first published appearance is generally credited as its co-creator (especially if that artist is the one who designs the character's visual appearance),[11] Venom represents a complex situation, because the costume from which Venom's appearance is derived was not designed by McFarlane.[12]
Erik Larsen 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 preexisting 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 commercial.[13]
The preexisting elements that dealt with the symbiote costume itself—to which Michelinie did not contribute—have also been noted. The original idea of a new costume for Spider-Man that would later become the character Venom was conceived of by a Marvel Comics reader from Norridge, Illinois named Randy Schueller.[14] Marvel purchased the idea for $220.00 after the editor-in-chief at the time, Jim Shooter, sent Schueller a letter acknowledging Marvel's desire to acquire the idea from him, in 1982. Schueller's design was then modified by Mike Zeck, becoming the Symbiote costume.[15] For example, 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, with artists Mike Zeck and Rick Leonardi, as well as others, designing the black-and-white costume.[12]
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 left the title. It was writer Tom DeFalco and artist Ron Frenz who had established that the costume was a sentient alien being, and that it was vulnerable to high sonic energy during their run on The Amazing Spider-Man that preceded Michelinie's.[16] 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.[12]
In an interview with Tom DeFalco, McFarlane states that Michelinie did indeed come up with the idea of Venom and the character's basic design ("a big guy in the black costume"). However, he contends that it was he (McFarlane) who gave Venom his monster-like features. He claims; "I just wanted to make him kooky and creepy, and not just some guy in a black suit".[17]
This dispute arose at a time when the merits of artists as collaborators and writers were being debated in the industry, a discussion prompted by the popularity of artists such as McFarlane, Larsen, and other founders of Image Comics.[18][19]
Venom's existence was first indicated in Web of Spider-Man #18 (Sept. 1986), when he shoves Peter Parker in front of a subway train without Parker's spider-sense warning him, though only Brock's hand is seen on-panel. The next indication of Venom's existence was in Web of Spider-Man #24 (March 1987), when Parker has climbed out of a high story window to change into Spider-Man, but finds a black arm coming through the window and grabbing him, again without being warned by his spider-sense.
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; seeking revenge for the deaths of her husband and miscarried baby who would accidentally die as the unfortunate result of Spider-Man battling another supervillain. Due to cultural sensibilities at the time and issues with the character's back story potentially angering the moral majority, Salicrup forced Michelinie to create a male character instead. 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 bought by Salicrup before McFarlane was ever assigned to the book.[20] In a 2014 interview with the YouTube channel ComicPop, Michelinie said he was disappointed that the female character arc was never explored, but felt that changing the character to male ultimately had minimal effect on his vision for the character. In the same interview, Michelinie remarked that he was largely happy with the treatment Eddie Brock had received by successive Marvel writers.[20]
Fictional character biography
[edit]Backstory
[edit]The 1993 limited series Venom: Lethal Protector describes Brock's history before bonding with the symbiote. As a child, Edward Charles Allan Brock[21] is raised in a Roman Catholic household in San Francisco. Eddie's mother Jamie dies from complications during his birth. As a result, his father Carl Brock is cold and unaffectionate towards him. Eddie excels in academics and sports in an attempt to earn his father's approval but does not succeed. In college, Brock switches his major to journalism after reading an article on the Watergate scandal. At one point after getting drunk, he accidentally hit and killed a child with Carl's car. Eddie wanted to get what he deserved, but his father did not let him to go to prison much to Eddie's dismay.[22] After graduating and romancing Anne Weying, he moves to New York City and obtains a job as a journalist for the Daily Globe. Though he proves himself to be a highly talented journalist, his father still only treats him with indifference.[23]
As a reporter, Brock investigates the serial killer Sin-Eater and is contacted by Emil Gregg, who claims to be the killer.[24] Pressured by the authorities to reveal the killer's identity, Brock writes an exposé announcing Gregg as the Sin-Eater. However, the real Sin-Eater is caught by Spider-Man and Brock is revealed to have been interviewing a compulsive confessor. Brock is fired from his job in disgrace and Anne divorces him. Unable to find reputable work, he is forced to work for tabloid magazines[24] and Carl disowns him.[23] Unable to cope with his own mistakes, Brock becomes obsessed with gaining revenge against Spider-Man, blaming him for catching the real Sin-Eater. Brock takes up bodybuilding to reduce stress but his anger and depression remain.[24] Meanwhile, Spider-Man uses the sound of bells at a church to remove his symbiote costume after realizing it is attempting to permanently bond with him.[25] His professional and personal life shattered, Brock contemplates suicide and goes to the same church, where he prays to God for forgiveness.[24] The Symbiote, having waited in the rafters of the church since leaving Spider-Man, senses Brock[26] and bonds with him, granting him powers equal and greater to those of Spider-Man, and imparting knowledge of Spider-Man's secret identity.[24]
Venom
[edit]Venom begins a campaign of torment against Peter, who is still unaware of his existence. He first pushes Peter in front of a moving subway and later reaches from behind a window and dislodges him as he scales a building, both times without activating his spider-sense.[27][28] He eventually terrorizes Spider-Man's wife Mary Jane,[29] and baits the hero to his apartment for their first confrontation, where Venom reveals his true identity to Spider-Man, claiming "You may call me Venom, for that's what I'm paid to spew out these days!" Spider-Man discovers that the Symbiote has completely bonded with Brock and cannot be killed without also killing Brock. Eventually Venom is tricked into weakening himself by expending too much webbing until the suit lacks enough material to produce more.[24] Venom is incarcerated in the Vault, from which he makes repeated escapes and escape attempts, only to suffer defeats and returns to the Vault.[30][31][32]
Brock eventually fakes suicide and escapes after being taken to the morgue.[33] During a battle with Spider-Man, the Symbiote is seemingly killed by the plague-inducing villain Styx, giving its life to protect Brock. Brock is incarcerated and Spider-Man disposes of the Symbiote's remains.[34] The Symbiote survives by entering a comatose state to fight off the illness[35] and it returns to Brock, enabling him to again escape from jail. During the escape, the symbiote asexually reproduces and leaves behind its spawn.[36] The offspring quickly bonds to Brock's cellmate, Cletus Kasady, creating Carnage.[36][37] Venom abducts Spider-Man and transports him to a remote island to do battle. Spider-Man fakes his own death to convince Venom that his vendetta is over. Venom, content with the outcome, resigns himself to life on the island.[38] Spider-Man eventually faces Carnage but is unable to defeat him. Spider-Man is forced to ask Venom for help, promising him freedom in exchange.[39] However, after they defeat Carnage, Spider-Man betrays Venom (who had also resumed his plan of revenge and tried to throttle the arachnoid hero to death) by summoning the Fantastic Four and sending him back to prison.[40]
Anti-hero
[edit]After seeing a photo of Spider-Man's recently returned parents, Brock escapes from prison,[41] and kidnaps them.[42] During the resulting fight, Brock's ex-wife, Anne Weying, is nearly crushed under a falling ferris wheel, but Spider-Man saves her. Seeing this act, Venom makes peace with Spider-Man.[43] In Venom: Lethal Protector (1993), Venom moves to San Francisco and acts as the protector of an underground society of homeless people.[26] He is later taken prisoner by the Life Foundation who harvest the last five spawn within the symbiote to create super-powered policemen and Brock is forcibly separated from the symbiote.[44] With Spider-Man's help, Brock is reunited with the symbiote and they seemingly destroy his spawn, Phage, Lasher, Riot, Scream and Agony, before escaping.[45] After saving the homeless people, Venom is accepted into their society and remains their protector.[46]
In the 1993 crossover Maximum Carnage, Carnage reemerges and begins a massacre in New York City, and Brock returns to help, feeling responsible. Venom finds he is no match for Carnage, and seeks help from Spider-Man, but Spider-Man refuses to work with Venom's violent methods.[47] Venom, accompanied by Black Cat, Cloak, Morbius and eventually a desperate Spider-Man,[48] repeatedly confront Carnage and his allies.[49][50][51][52] Venom ultimately tackles Carnage into high-voltage generators, rendering Carnage unconscious and allowing his capture by the Avengers. Brock goes into hiding.[53]
Brock returns in the 1994 limited series Separation Anxiety, in which he is captured and separated from the symbiote for a government research project. Venom's spawn: Phage, Lasher, Scream, Riot, and Agony are revealed to still be alive and arrive to free Brock,[54] seeking his help to gain control over their symbiotes.[55][56] Brock is ultimately reunited with the symbiote, but the experience forces him to evaluate his relationship with the costume.[57] The 1995 "Planet of the Symbiotes" event continued the narrative from Separation Anxiety, with Brock forcing the symbiote to leave him, concerned about how much influence it may be having on him.[21] The symbiote unleashes a telepathic scream of sorrow and pain that attracts the other members of its species to Earth.[21] The story follows the efforts of Brock, Spider-Man, and Scarlet Spider (Ben Reilly) to stop the invasion and defeat an escaped and empowered Carnage.[58][59][60] Brock is forced to bond completely and irrevocably with the symbiote to inflict psychic trauma on the symbiotes, causing them to commit suicide.[61]
Return to villainy
[edit]When Anne Weying is shot by a new Sin-Eater, Brock forces the Symbiote to bond with her to heal her injuries.[62] In the process she temporarily becomes She-Venom but Brock demands the Symbiote return after Ann loses control and kills a pair of muggers, leaving Ann traumatized.[63] Brock helps kill the new Sin-Eater.[64] Ann is taken into custody by the police as they try to hunt Venom and Brock sends her his Symbiote so she can escape.[65][66] As She-Venom she again struggles to control herself, with Brock, Weying and current Spider-Man Ben Reilly becoming caught in the middle of a joint DEA/FBI operation against a major drug smuggler when Weying and Brock rendezvous at the same location where the drug group are meeting.[67] When Brock takes back the Symbiote, Anne tells him to keep himself and the Symbiote away from her after witnessing his brutality against the criminals.[68]
Brock is captured in his sewer hideout and put on trial, with Matt Murdock acting in his defense, his symbiote held in check by a chemical inhibitor.[69] Cletus Kassady is called as a witness, but when the case becomes heated both Kassady and Brock overcome their inhibitors.[70] Venom, Spider-Man, and Daredevil team up and subdue Carnage. However, before the trial can continue Venom is unexpectedly taken into custody by a secret government organization offering him amnesty in exchange for him becoming their agent.[71] Though Venom at first enjoyed his newfound immunities, he left after being abandoned during a dangerous mission.[72] After receiving a head wound, Eddie suffers amnesia. He is later separated from the symbiote, which is presumed killed by the government Overreach Committee.[73]
The symbiote survives and tracks down the amnesiac Brock, turning him into Venom again. Venom infiltrates Ravencroft prison seeking Carnage and absorbs the Carnage Symbiote.[74] Brock temporarily joins the Sinister Six to get Spider-Man but after being betrayed by them,[75] he begins hunting down the members for revenge. He ultimately cripples Sandman by biting him and taking out a chunk of his mass, leading to Sandman's apparent death.[76] He also causes serious wounds to Electro and Kraven the Hunter.[volume & issue needed]
Venom's rivalry with Spider-Man is renewed when Ann, who lives in fear since bonding with the Symbiote, commits suicide after seeing Brock become Venom. Venom however, believes Spider-Man swinging by Ann's window in his black costume to be the cause.[77] Before he can take revenge however, the Symbiote is forcefully removed from him by the human/alien hybrid Senator Ward to learn more about symbiosis.[78] An alien race, secretly operating within the United States government, clones the Venom symbiote. Venom absorbs the clone, gains its knowledge, and decides to carry out the aliens' orders.[79]
Cancer and post-Venom
[edit]The 2003 story "The Hunger" introduced new elements to Brock's origin, revealing that Brock had cancer before joining with the symbiote, and that it chose to bond with Brock not only for his hatred towards Spider-Man, but also because the cancer causes the release of adrenaline, which feeds the symbiote. Brock is left reliant on the suit to live, and pursues Spider-Man also out of fear that he will take the symbiote back, rather than just for revenge over his lost career.[80] Brock dies after the symbiote leaves him for Spider-Man, not wanting a diseased host. Spider-Man tricks the symbiote into again bonding with Brock, reviving him.[80]
When Carnage gives birth to a new symbiote, Venom names it Toxin and hopes to turn it into an ally.[81] When Toxin shows compassion, Venom tries to kill him.[82] Toxin is rescued by Spider-Man and Black Cat.[83]
In the 2004 story "Venomous", Brock experiences a crisis of faith and decides to sell the symbiote, knowing he will rapidly die from his cancer without it, intending to donate the $100 million received from the sale to charity on the grounds that the symbiote would find another host once he dies anyway.[84] The symbiote is purchased by crime boss Don Fortunato for his son Angelo Fortunato.[85] Angelo briefly becomes the second Venom but proves an unworthy host, and the symbiote abandons him mid-jump allowing him to fall to his death. Upon learning of Angelo's death, Brock feels responsible and attempts suicide by slitting his wrists.[86] Brock next appeared in the 2007 story "The Last Temptation of Eddie Brock", where he is rapidly succumbing to cancer, and experiencing hallucinations of "Venom". Finding a comatose Aunt May in the same hospital, dying from a gunshot, the Venom hallucination persuades him to kill her. Brock, dressed in a novelty replica of Spider-Man's black costume at the demand of "Venom",[87] murders an "angel of mercy" nurse to test if he can still kill, but ultimately refuses to kill May because she is innocent. When Peter visits May, he finds Eddie, who has repeatedly cut his own wrists to get rid of "Venom". Eddie asks for Peter's forgiveness before jumping out of a window, but Peter manages to catch him. Awakening chained to his bed, Brock finds he can still see "Venom" but tells him that he accepts its presence as long as it knows that Brock is in control.[88]
Anti-Venom
[edit]The 2008 story New Ways to Die features the return of Brock. Matt Murdock convinces a court of law that Brock is not responsible for his actions while bonded to the symbiote and has criminal charges against him dropped.[89] Brock gets a job at a soup kitchen under Martin Li. Brock is unknowingly cured of his cancer by Li, who possesses special abilities, and Brock believes it to be a miracle.[89] After Brock is attacked by the new Venom, Mac Gargan, the symbiote attempts to reunite with Brock. Brock's skin becomes caustic to the symbiote, and he is enveloped in a new white symbiote forged from the remnants of the Venom symbiote in his body bonding with his white blood cells charged with Li's healing energy,[89] becoming Anti-Venom. Brock defeats Gargan and nearly kills the Venom symbiote. When Brock detects remnants of the symbiote inside Spider-Man, he attempts to "cure" him, draining radiation from his body and nearly de-powering him.[90] While later saving Spider-Man from Norman Osborn, Brock again fights a battle-suit enhanced Gargan and the recovering symbiote.[91][92] Gargan hits Anti-Venom with his stinger, injecting a poisonous formula that seemingly destroys Brock's suit. When Gargan attempts to kill Brock, the Venom symbiote stops him. Brock's Anti-Venom suit later reforms.[92]
Brock later faces Negative and discovers that he and Li are the same person. Learning that the man he idolized is a supervillain causes a breakdown for Brock, making him question his faith, referring to himself as a monster.[93] After this revelation he becomes increasingly unstable mentally, murdering small-time criminals as he did during his "lethal protector" days. He briefly and reluctantly teams up with the Punisher to stop a drug cartel that kidnapped a friend of Brock's.[94] In "The Return of Anti-Venom" (2011), Brock is unable to expose Negative's true identity, believing no one will trust him. Anti-Venom starts a crusade against Negative, attacking his criminal operations.[95] When Anti-Venom realizes that May Parker also knows Negative's identity, he decides to attack Negative directly before Negative can silence her.[95] Brock teams up with Spider-Man and the new Wraith to fight Negative. Wraith uses her technology to publicly reveal Mister Negative is Martin Li, sending him into hiding. Spider-Man and Anti-Venom call a truce to their rivalry.[96]
In a 2011 New Avengers storyline, Brock joins Wonder Man's Revengers to destroy the New Avengers.[97] During the 2011 "Spider-Island" storyline in which 99% of New York City's population are transformed into spiders mind-controlled by Adriana Soria, Brock is forced to sacrifice the symbiote—and being Anti-Venom—so that it can be converted into a powerful curative capable of healing the infected millions.[98][99][100]
Bonded to Toxin
[edit]A powerless Brock returns in Venom vol. 2 #15 (2012), where he kills the symbiotes Hybrid and Scream as part of a crusade to destroy the aliens entirely, believing them to be evil.[101] After failing to kill the newest Venom, Brock is captured by the villain Crime Master and forcibly bonded with the Toxin symbiote.[102] Brock (who is being controlled by the Toxin symbiote) then tracks down Venom and attempts to kill him, but is defeated.[103] Eddie and Agent Venom face off once more at Crime Master's HQ, and Flash is able to subdue Toxin and separate Eddie from the symbiote using a flamethrower. Just before Flash can get Eddie out, the Toxin symbiote grabs hold of him and drags him into the flames.[104] Eddie and the Toxin symbiote both survive the flames and track Flash to Philadelphia.[105] Now in control of the Toxin symbiote, he confronts Flash in the high school where he works as a gym teacher.[106] After helping Flash defend the students from a group of cybernetic parasites, Eddie forms a truce with him, promising to leave Flash alone as long as he has the Venom symbiote under control (similar to the truce he had with Spider-Man). Eddie subsequently leaves Philadelphia to resume his vigilante activities.[107]
While fighting a drug cartel, Brock is approached by FBI agent Claire Dixon and invited to join the team she has assembled to hunt down and capture Cletus Kasady, which also includes John Jameson, and Manuela Calderon, a survivor of one of Kasady's massacres, although Brock secretly plans to kill Kasady.[108] After Kasady's defeat, Brock gives up the Toxin symbiote.[109]
Return as Venom
[edit]Eddie Brock decides to help the FBI against the new villainous Venom. With the FBI and Spider-Man, Brock is able to separate the symbiote from its new host, Lee Price. In the process, Spider-Man's actions cause the symbiote to rekindle its previous hatred for him. Brock then breaks the symbiote out of custody and bonds with it again, declaring his love for it and now regularly referring to it as "my darling" and "love".[110] After stopping a robbery, Brock encounters Scorpion and manages to defeat him, until the symbiote takes him to a church and reveals that it attacked the priest. After finding out about a monster attack, Brock encounters a dinosaur at the church and discovers it belongs to Alchemax. While talking to Alchemax's CEO Liz Allan, he learns that the mastermind is Stegron the Dinosaur Man. Brock then finds his lair, but is spotted and captured by Stegron's dinosaurs.[111] Venom found that remnants of Stegron's Dinosaur People experiments were living in the sewers, and he had to defend them from Kraven the Hunter, Shriek, and the NYPD. With help from Tana of the Dinosaur People, Venom states to the NYPD that the Dinosaur People were surviving in the sewers and that they were not killing anyone. Upon hearing this, the NYPD arrest Kraven the Hunter and Shriek with the police captain stating that he will have a lot of paperwork to file on this.[112]
During the Venom Inc. storyline, Eddie helps Spider-Man, Black Cat, and Flash Thompson (now under the guise of Agent Anti-Venom) take down Lee Price again, who had bonded himself with Venom's clone Mania and was using it to take over the New York criminal underground. Eddie then tells Black Cat to give up her criminal empire, telling her that New York City always needs more heroes.[113][114]
In the "Go Down Swinging" storyline, Eddie is blackmailed by J. Jonah Jameson into helping defend Spider-Man's inner circle against Norman Osborn, who has bonded himself with the Carnage symbiote to become the Red Goblin. Jameson sends Eddie to defend Mary Jane Watson at the Stark Tower Complex and while she does not trust him, Mary Jane disables Stark Tower's anti symbiote defenses to allow Eddie to fight Norman. Spider-Man arrives and teams up again with Eddie to stop Red Goblin, but the villain overpowers them both. With nothing left to offer in the fight against Osborn and Carnage, Eddie allows Peter to take the Venom symbiote for himself to even the odds against his foe. Because of his offering and valiant defense of Mary Jane, Spider-Man forgives Eddie for everything he had done to him in the past.[115]
In Venom First Host, Venom after gave birth to its last offspring (described by Venom to Eddie as "our child"), Eddie gets attacked by a Warbride Skrull until a Kree intervened and started battling the Skrull. Eddie got convinced by the symbiote to save the "blue skin", so he stopped the Skrull and saved the Kree. At Alchemax, the Kree revealed to Eddie that his name is Tel-Kar and that he was Venom's first host. When the symbiote refused to go back to Tel-Kar, infuriated Tel-Kar threatened them that he would bond to the offspring and transform it into a monster, if he did not get "his" symbiote back. Venom who loved its child got back with Tel-Kar and then he went to his spaceship. Then Eddie confronted the Skrull who had attacked them and she introduced herself as M'Lanz and tells him that she was tasked to stop Tel-Kar. She reveals to Eddie that Tel-Kar's body was biologically altered so he would have full control over Venom's mind. Then the offspring bonded to Eddie calling itself Sleeper and him with M'Lanz went after Tel-Kar. They went to a Skrull research lab which contained a deadly bioweapon that Tel-Kar had planned to use on the Skrulls. When battling Tel-Kar, he separates himself from Venom because he did not need it anymore allowing Eddie to re-bond with Venom and Sleeper bonding to M'Lanz leaving Tel-Kar to explode with the lab by the Kree Empire. After M'Lanz leaves Eddie with the symbiotes on Earth, Eddie cuts every connection to Alchemax, and after that he and Harry Osborn talk for a while. Then Tel-Kar shows up in Eddie's apartment and threatens to kill him and the humanity using the bioweapon but Sleeper steals the weapon and Tel-Kar tried to kill Sleeper, but Venom intervened and got injured. Eddie rushes to Tel-Kar throwing both of them out in the street. Suddenly Sleeper bonds to Tel-Kar lobotomizing him as a punishment for what he did to them. Then Sleeper with Tel-Kar's body bids Eddie farewell and leaves Earth to explore the cosmos.[116]
King in Black
[edit]In the Venom ongoing series, Eddie is seen struggling with the symbiote, which has returned to its violent ways. Using anti-depressants, Eddie is able to calm the symbiote and reassert control over it. While working as a freelance photographer he stumbles upon an arms deal between a gang of criminals and the mercenary Jack O'Lantern. The deal turns violent and Eddie uses the symbiote to take down Jack. The symbiote then completely overtakes Eddie, compelled by a mysterious external influence, nearly killing Jack in the process before being subdued and captured by a man named Rex Strickland. Strickland tells Eddie that despite what was previously thought, the Venom symbiote was not the first to arrive on Earth. Strickland explains that the US Government bonded special forces operatives to symbiotes during the Vietnam War. These soldiers later went rogue, and Eddie is tasked with rescuing them and defeating their symbiotes. Though Eddie is able to locate Strickland's men, his symbiote is again taken over by the mysterious outside influence and briefly separates from him. The symbiote again bonds with Eddie and tells him that “God is coming”.[117]
Soon afterward, a massive dragon made up of thousands of symbiotes attacks New York City. Eddie resolves to stop the monster before it destroys the city. Before he can intervene he is attacked by Miles Morales, who uses his "Venom Blast" ability to break Venom out of the "symbiote god's" influence. Miles and Eddie form a temporary truce, and the two manage to temporarily stop the symbiote god's rampage. The symbiote god then reveals itself as a being named Knull. Knull separates Eddie from his symbiote, promising to purge the influence of humanity from it.[118] But then Miles attacked Knull and both Eddie with Venom and Miles started falling until Venom grew a pair of wings and saved Eddie and Miles. After leaving Miles behind, Eddie went to Rex and put a hole in his head revealing that Rex was actually the symbiote ("Tyrannosaurus") that was bonded to the original Rex Strickland. After that, they tricked the dragon to come to them and started attacking it with sonic-based weapons which weaken it. Then Eddie puts the dragon with Rex in the furnace and incinerated it to death, while Eddie and Venom got wounded in the process.[119]
Eddie Brock recovers, and the Maker interrogates him about the incident revolving around the Grendel symbiote and Knull while stating that he is not the Mister Fantastic that he is familiar with. In addition, he also talked about how the Venom symbiote was in a feral state and has been deleting Eddie's bad memories like when he found out that his father had remarried and has a child named Dylan Brock. When Maker throws a scalpel at Eddie Brock, the Venom symbiote emerges from his shirt and catches it. Though the Venom symbiote is currently brain dread. When Eddie asks Maker if he would be able to restore it, Maker states that the only way to do that is to connect it to the Symbiote hive mind and the last person to do that was the late Flash Thompson. As Maker comments that he has ways of extracting the information he needs, Eddie asks in a distraught voice if Flash is really dead.[120] Sometime after, Maker reveals to Eddie that he got hold of Venom's remnants left in Flash's body prior to becoming Anti-Venom, which contained his genetic memory, and tells Eddie that it can help restore the symbiote. Maker also tells to Eddie that he's planning to get more samples from Flash's dead body, but Eddie who now considers Flash as a brother unleashes the symbiote to Maker and gets the sample. Afterward, he tries to escape the facility, but the sample goes to his symbiote taking the form of Flash's version of the suit. Now the symbiote with the mind of Flash Thompson helps Eddie to escape and then Eddie goes to Flash's grave to admit that Flash was a better host than him.[121]
After a failed attempt to win his father's affection, he gets to know Dylan, until he got seriously sick. Then Dylan takes Eddie to a hospital, where Maker found him again. After a confrontation with the symbiote, he recovers the memories that the symbiote had erased finds out that Dylan is actually his own son with Anne Weying.[122] During Malekith's invasion on Earth, Eddie temporarily uses the Dark Elf Witch's totem to transform into a Venom-look alike, and immediately resist being the Accursed elf's servant at will.[123]
After being framed by a resurrected Knullified Cletus Kasady for the murder of Lee Price, Eddie and Dylan are on the run and rescued by Venom, while seeking help from many available superheroes in New York, such as Peter, Miles, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and the Avengers, including the villains Mac Gargan and Maker, in order for Dylan, as well as Normie Osborn to be tested if they have symbiote codex within them.[124] Upon learning his son is Knull's current vessel and would be his host, Eddie and Dylan were originally with Maker but was interrupted by a mysterious bounty hunter in a painted War Machine Mark III suit named "Virus" (who is actually Mac Gargan), and both Eddie and Dylan end up in a universe overrun by Knullified heroes and villains led by Codex (the fallen alternate universe's Dylan). He and Dylan are rescued by Agent Symbiotes (such as the alternate Anne Weying, Spider-Man, Deadpool, and a reformed Cletus Kasady/Carnage) and Mr. Fantastic. Dylan eventually learns that not only he is Eddie's son, but also Anne's. With temporary help from the prime universe's Mac Gargan, Dylan manages to purify his older counterpart and free the Earth. One year later after spending time with alternate Anne, at a time when Eddie and Dylan return to prime Earth, they happened to learn Knull has been re-awakened and begin a full-scale invasion on Earth.[125]
Powers and abilities
[edit]Eddie Brock is a human and has no superpowers without the Symbiote. Prior to joining with the Symbiote, he possesses olympic-level strength from engaging in repeated, significant weight-training exercise.[24][44]
After separating from the Symbiote and suffering from cancer, Brock loses much of his physical muscle and possesses the strength of an average human.[3][87] Brock's cancer is cured in the 2008 story "New Ways to Die", and he is later shown with a restored large physique.[126] He is also shown to be a proficient fighter and capable of using specialized weaponry to defeat symbiote-empowered enemies.[127]
In an interview, David Michelinie stated that the reason Brock was written to be at the peak of human physical condition in the Marvel Universe was because editor Jim Salicrup felt that having an average human with no super powers becoming stronger than Spider-Man by simply bonding with the Symbiote did not seem believable. Michelinie later clarified in the interview that a healthy Eddie Brock is stronger without super powers than Peter Parker is without his super powers, which explains how the Symbiote is able to make him stronger than Spider-Man.[20] Michelinie later toyed with this concept in early Venom stories in The Amazing Spider-Man such as Venom vs. Spider-Man Round 2 and Venom Returns.[citation needed] In both of these stories Eddie is seen lifting weights and training himself without the help of the symbiote, remarking that making himself inherently stronger and more fit will enable the symbiote to grant him even greater super strength, speed, and agility.[volume & issue needed]
Once Eddie became the new King in Black, he attended almost god-like abilities through the symbiotes Hive Mind. It granted him near omnipresent powers through the eyes of billions of symbiotes and is also capable of remote-piloting the symbiotes, though with consent unlike Knull, no matter how far away they in the universe. He also discover that he can access through the memories of the symbiotes (including his own memories), some that which are from history or even beyond dimensions; Eddie even believe that with time and patience, he may be able to travel through and even change certain events. The only consequence to obtaining this new status is that due to being a human, his body is already rapidly aging due to connecting to the hive for the past few months.
As Venom
[edit]As Venom, Brock gains several abilities similar to those of Spider-Man, the Symbiote's former host, including superhuman strength, speed, agility and reflexes as well as the ability to adhere to most surfaces with his hands and feet. The Symbiote is also able to project a web-like substance from its body, similar to Spider-Man's. However, this webbing is produced organically by the Symbiote from its own mass, which means that overuse can weaken the alien until it is able to regenerate.[24] The Symbiote can also send out tendrils which can be used to grab or manipulate items from a distance.[34] When bonded with the host, the Symbiote allows the host to bypass Spider-Man's spider-sense, preventing the hero from sensing attacks. The Symbiote is susceptible to harm from high-pitched sonic frequencies which can cause it to be severely weakened or killed. The bond between the Symbiote and Brock was strong enough that using sonics against the Symbiote could also stun and kill Brock.[24]
Venom's body is highly resistant to injury, capable of outright stopping bladed weapons,[128] bullets,[34] and it can help its host survive in hostile environments by filtering air, allowing survival underwater[38] and in toxic environments. Venom can also morph his appearance, to create disguises at will,[24][34] and camouflage itself,[23] even emulating water.[38] It is also capable of psychically detecting its offspring; however, this ability can be blocked.[39] This sense can be used by Brock even when separated from the suit, allowing him to detect and be detected by the Symbiote and its children.[55][56] The Symbiote is capable of healing any injury and illness at an increased rate, allowing the host to survive otherwise-mortal damage.[62] The Symbiote and host are capable of sharing knowledge, the Symbiote being able to pass on information from previous hosts to future ones.[85]
As Anti-Venom
[edit]Anti-Venom is created when the healing energies of Martin Li cause Brock's white-blood cells and traces of the Venom Symbiote still within his body to combine into a new suit composed of human/alien hybrid antibodies possessing powerful restorative abilities.[89][91] Brock is capable of rapidly healing significant injury as Anti-Venom, recovering almost instantly after being shot in the head and suffering damage to his brain.[96][129] However, this healing ability can be negated by the energy of Mr. Negative, counteracting the energy of Martin Li.[96] Anti-Venom is able to detect when others are ill[126] and "cure" or "cleanse" them. He is able to cure ailments from hepatitis to removing narcotics and even radiation from a person's body.[126][130] Following a failed attempt to "cure" Spider-Man by removing the radiation in his body, Anti-Venom now automatically cancels out Spider-Man's powers whenever the two are in close proximity to one another.[95][130]
As Anti-Venom, Brock's suit is corrosive to the Venom symbiote, inflicting pain and damage on the suit to the point of causing it to dissolve.[90][131] He displays similar abilities to Venom, possessing super strength, speed,[132] negating Spider-Man's spider-sense,[131] and being able to block damage entirely from some guns and knives.[129][132] He is also capable of extending and morphing the suit to create disguises,[130] form items such as shields,[126] extend his reach,[95] attack from a distance,[132] and create tendrils.[126] Anti-Venom is also immune to the weaknesses of the Venom Symbiote, showing no damage or effect from direct blasts of fire, heat and sound.[129][130] The only shown weaknesses of the Symbiote are a highly toxic "super venom" created as a direct countermeasure using remnants of Anti-Venom's suit, and Mr. Negative's energy.[91] The "super venom" causes the suit to immediately dissolve.[92] Mr. Negative is shown capable of using his energy to weaken or nullify the healing abilities of the suit.[96]
Reception
[edit]- In 2022, Screen Rant ranked Venom 7th in their "10 Most Powerful Silk Villains In Marvel Comics" list.[133]
- In 2022, Screen Rant included Venom in their "10 Best Marvel Characters Who Made Their Debut In Spider-Man Comics" list.[134]
Other versions
[edit]The character appears in several alternate universe titles in which the character's history, circumstances and behavior may vary slightly or extensively from the mainstream setting.
In other media
[edit]Television
[edit]- Eddie Brock / Venom appears in Spider-Man (1994), voiced by Hank Azaria.[135] Introduced in the three-part episode "The Alien Costume", this version is a journalist for the Daily Bugle until he is fired by J. Jonah Jameson for falsely reporting Spider-Man as a thief who stole a foreign object from astronaut John Jameson's spaceship. Brock later bonds with the Venom symbiote to seek revenge against Spider-Man under the belief that the webslinger ruined his journalism career, only to be defeated and separated. In the episodes "Venom Returns" and "Carnage", Brock is reunited with the Venom symbiote and joins forces with Spider-Man and Iron Man to defeat Carnage, Baron Mordo, and Dormammu before he and Venom sacrifice themselves to ensure the villains' defeat.
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears in Spider-Man Unlimited (1999), voiced by Brian Drummond.[135] He and Carnage travel to Counter-Earth to join the Synoptic, a hive mind of symbiotes, and ally themselves with the High Evolutionary while secretly helping the Synoptic grow more powerful to infect the planet's population with symbiotes. In the episode "One is the Loneliest Number", Brock is briefly separated from the Venom symbiote and is shown to have become dependent on it for survival. In the series finale, the High Evolutionary separates Venom and Carnage from their respective hosts, but the two symbiotes succeed in unleashing the Synoptic on Counter-Earth.
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears in The Spectacular Spider-Man, voiced by Benjamin Diskin.[136] This version is a childhood friend of Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy who attended Midtown High. However, over the course of the first season, a series of misunderstandings causes Brock to eventually resent Parker and Spider-Man. By the episodes "Intervention" and "Nature vs. Nurture", Spider-Man attempts to destroy the symbiote that Brock was studying, but he frees and bonds with it, transforming into Venom to destroy Spider-Man, only to be foiled and separated. Throughout the second-season episodes "First Steps", "Growing Pains", and "Identity Crisis", Brock manipulates Spider-Man into reuniting him with the Venom symbiote so he can seek revenge against the webslinger, only to be defeated and separated once more before he is taken into custody for treatment.
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears in Spider-Man (2017),[137] voiced by Ben Pronsky.[138][139] Following cameo appearances in the episodes "How I Thwipped My Summer Vacation" and "Between Ock and a Hard Place", in which he works under J. Jonah Jameson at the Daily Bugle and slowly grows envious of Peter Parker, Brock returns in the episode "Dead Man's Party", in which is assigned to take pictures of the V-252 symbiote before merging with it, with his jealousy of Parker revising the organism's memories of its previous bond with Spider-Man. Dubbing himself Venom, Brock battles Spider-Man, only to be driven back by air horns. In the episode "Venom Returns", Brock takes Parker's friends and acquaintances hostage and exposes his secret identity, but Miles Morales dons a spare Spider-Man costume to refute the claim. Spider-Man defeats Venom using a sonic device to destabilize the symbiote, which also leaves Brock in a coma. In the episode "Superior", the symbiote abandons Brock after mutating to the point of no longer needing a host.
Film
[edit]Sam Raimi film series
[edit]- Eddie Brock appears in a deleted scene in Spider-Man (2002), portrayed by R.C. Everbeck.[140][141] Additionally, an "Eddie" is referenced as a photographer employed by the Daily Bugle who was unable to obtain pictures of Spider-Man, to J. Jonah Jameson's disdain.[142] Brock also makes a brief appearance in the film's novelization when Peter Parker first meets Jameson.[143]
- Eddie Brock appears in Spider-Man 3 (2007), portrayed by Topher Grace.[144] This version is a freelance photographer, Peter Parker's rival at the Daily Bugle, and in a relationship with Gwen Stacy. After Peter is bonded to an alien symbiote and it negatively influences his behavior, he exposes Brock for falsifying a photograph to incriminate Spider-Man as a criminal to get a staff photographer job at the Bugle, resulting in Brock getting fired and blacklisted from every newspaper in New York City. Upon seeing Peter dating Gwen, Brock heads to a church and prays for God to kill Peter before bonding with the symbiote after Peter rejects it and becomes Venom. Now knowing Peter is Spider-Man, Venom finds and allies with Sandman to kill the webslinger before kidnapping Mary Jane Watson to use her as bait for a trap. The New Goblin joins the fray to help Spider-Man, but Venom knocks him off of his glider and attempts to kill Peter with it. However, the New Goblin sacrifices himself to save the webslinger. Peter eventually realizes the symbiote is vulnerable to high-frequency soundwaves and separates it from Brock using steel pipes. Just as Peter throws one of the New Goblin's pumpkin bombs at the symbiote, Brock attempts to rejoin it and is killed along with it.
- In July 2007, a spin-off of Spider-Man 3 following Brock was being developed,[145] with Topher Grace being considered to reprise his role.[146][147] In September 2008, Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese signed on to write.[148] Marvel Entertainment would have produced the film,[149] but the project was ultimately cancelled. In March 2012, plans for a new solo film emerged. Josh Trank was in talks to direct after Gary Ross left the project.[150]
Sony's Spider-Man Universe
[edit]- In March 2016, Sony hired Dante Harper to write the solo film's script with Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach producing. At the time, the film was not planned to have any connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of Spider-Man.[151][152][153] A year later, following the success of Spider-Man's appearances in Captain America: Civil War (2016) and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Sony announced Venom (2018). Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinker were hired to write the script and make the film the first in a series of Spider-Man character-related spin-off films called the "Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters", later renamed to Sony's Spider-Man Universe.[154][155][156] In May 2017, Tom Hardy signed on to portray Eddie Brock and Ruben Fleischer was set to direct.[157] Additionally, voice actor Brad Venable provides additional voice work for Venom.[158][159][160] In June 2017, Amy Pascal claimed that the film would be "adjunct" to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[161]
- Hardy reprised his role as Brock in Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021).[162] The film was released on October 1, 2021.[163] After defeating Cletus Kasady / Carnage, Brock and Venom are transported to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the mid-credits scene, where they witness that universe's J. Jonah Jameson expose Spider-Man's true identity as Peter Parker, as seen in the films Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). In the latter film's mid-credits scene, Eddie and Venom begin to familiarize themselves with the new universe they found themselves in, learning about its heroes and a major event known as the Blip, only to be suddenly taken back to their home universe by Doctor Strange. However, the pair inadvertently leave behind a piece of the symbiote.
- Hardy reprised his role as Brock in Venom: The Last Dance (2024).[164]
Video games
[edit]Spider-Man games
[edit]- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a boss in the Sega Mega-CD version of The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin.[165]
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage.[166]
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety.[167]
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a boss in The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foes.[168]
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as the final boss of Spider-Man (1995).[169]
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a boss, later a supporting character, in Spider-Man (2000), voiced by Daran Norris.[170] After being attacked by an impostor Spider-Man, Brock becomes Venom again to exact revenge by kidnapping Spider-Man's wife Mary Jane Watson. When he learns of this, Spider-Man chases Venom through the city and the sewers, eventually defeating him in his lair and saving Mary Jane. After learning Spider-Man was framed, Venom offers to make amends by helping him find the culprit.
- The Ultimate Marvel incarnation of Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in and the final boss of Ultimate Spider-Man (2005), voiced by Daniel Capallaro and Arthur Burghardt respectively.[171] Brock and Venom are hunted, later captured, by Silver Sable on behalf of Bolivar Trask, who wants to experiment on the symbiote. After escaping and defeating a Carnage symbiote-possessed Spider-Man, Eddie absorbs it from him, gaining complete control over his own symbiote in the process. Though Spider-Man stops him from killing Trask, Venom later escapes from prison and does so anyway.
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as the final boss of the Spider-Man 3 film tie-in game, with Topher Grace reprising his role.[172] Similarly to the film, Brock is initially Peter Parker's rival at the Daily Bugle and competes against him when they are both given the same assignment. After being humiliated by Spider-Man and losing a promotion to Parker, Brock vows revenge against both and becomes Venom after Parker rejects the symbiote and it attaches to him. Brock blackmails the Sandman into helping him kill Spider-Man, only to be killed.
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, voiced by Quinton Flynn.[173] He and several supervillains fight Spider-Man until they are all attacked by P.H.A.N.T.O.M.s under Mysterio's command. Venom is captured along with the other villains, placed under mind control, and sent to Transylvania to retrieve a meteor shard located there. Spider-Man defeats Venom and destroys the mind-control device before the latter joins forces with the web-slinger to exact revenge on Mysterio.[174]
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as the final boss of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, voiced by Keith Szarabajka. He attacks Manhattan with an army of symbiotes, leading to Spider-Man joining forces with S.H.I.E.L.D., the Kingpin, and many others to defeat him.[175] Following several encounters, Spider-Man confronts Venom on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier after the latter takes on a giant, five-headed form. Despite destroying four of the heads, he fails to kill Venom, so he appeals to Brock's better nature. Once he emerges, Spider-Man can choose to kill Venom himself or allow Brock to sacrifice himself to kill Venom.
- In the PS2 and PSP versions of the game, Venom is captured and brainwashed by the Tinkerer after he attacks Manhattan with his symbiote army and the final boss is a giant symbiote with seven heads that contain Venom's consciousness.
- In the Nintendo DS version, Venom is not the cause of the invasion. In his efforts to stop it, he allies himself with Spider-Man after he defeats him.
- Eddie Brock / Anti-Venom appears as a boss in Spider-Man: Edge of Time, voiced by Steve Blum.[176] This version is a reformed anti-hero who was brainwashed by several mind control devices implanted by Alchemax scientist Walker Sloan, who intends to change history. After witnessing Anti-Venom kill Spider-Man via Sloan's time portal, Spider-Man 2099 works to prevent this from happening as well as stop Sloan. Though he warns his predecessor about his impending death, the present day Spider-Man ignores him to save innocents from Anti-Venom's rampage. Just before he dies, the future Spider-Man rescues his predecessor and takes his place in the fight against Anti-Venom; removing his mind control implants in the process. Enraged, Anti-Venom attacks Sloan and inadvertently knocks them and Otto Octavius into Sloan's time portal, fusing them all into the monstrous Atrocity (voiced by Fred Tatasciore),[177] equipped with Octavius' tentacles and Anti-Venom's ability to negate the present-day Spider-Man's powers. Once the Spider-Men defeat Atrocity and the mastermind behind Sloan's plot, they successfully undo all of the scientist's changes to history.
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears in the mobile version of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, voiced again by Benjamin Diskin.[178] Originally a photographer who tricks Spider-Man into fighting crooks, allowing Brock to take pictures of him in action, he later investigates Oscorp, but gets caught, forcing Spider-Man to save him. Upon investigating a second time, Brock discovers the company's illegal activities and is transformed into Venom, who goes on a rampage until Spider-Man defeats him and removes the symbiote. Brock tells him what happened before passing out and Spider-Man takes him to the hospital.
- Eddie Brock as Venom, Anti-Venom, and Toxin all appear as playable characters in Spider-Man Unlimited (2014).[179] Additionally, Brock as Venom also serves as a boss in the "Symbiote Dimension" limited time event.
Other games
[edit]- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes.[180]
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, voiced by Rod Wilson.[180]
- Eddie Brock appears as a playable character in Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects, voiced by Jason Bryden.[181][182]
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears in the Xbox 360 version of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, voiced by Steve Blum. He appears via the "Villains Pack" DLC.[183] Additionally, his Ultimate Marvel design appears as an alternate skin.
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears in LittleBigPlanet via the "Marvel Costume Kit 3" DLC.[184][185]
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as an alternate skin for Mac Gargan's incarnation in the PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, and PC versions of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2.[186]
- Eddie Brock as Venom and Anti-Venom appear as playable characters in Marvel Super Hero Squad Online.[187]
- Eddie Brock / Anti-Venom appears in Marvel: Avengers Alliance.[188]
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth, voiced by Roger Craig Smith.[189]
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in Marvel Heroes, voiced by Neil Kaplan. Additionally, Brock's Anti-Venom and Toxin forms appear as alternate skins.[190]
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in Marvel Puzzle Quest.[citation needed]
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character and boss in Lego Marvel Super Heroes, voiced by Dave Boat.[191]
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in Disney Infinity 2.0, voiced by Matt Lanter.[citation needed]
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character and occasional boss in Marvel Contest of Champions.[citation needed]
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in Marvel: Future Fight.[citation needed]
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in Disney Infinity 3.0, voiced again by Matt Lanter.[citation needed]
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in Marvel Avengers Academy, voiced by Brian Stivale.[192]
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a downloadable playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite,[193] voiced by Andrew Morgado.
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2.[194] Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, Spider-Gwen, and Spider-Man 2099 break into Alchemax, but are attacked by scientists infected by Venom and Carnage's symbiotes. Later, Green Goblin 2099 uses a shard of the Nexus of All Realities to fuse Venom and Carnage into a new creature he can control that Spider-Man dubs "Carnom". Carnom is defeated by the heroes, who free him from the Goblin's control. As the heroes claim the shard, Carnom pursues Goblin 2099 in retaliation for his abuse. Carnom is also available as a playable character.[195]
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a boss and playable character in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, voiced again by Steve Blum.[196] After being broken out of the Raft, Venom joins the Sinister Six and fights a group of heroes alongside Electro. After being defeated, Spider-Man persuades Venom to join the heroes' side and help save the universe, though Venom maintains his animosity towards him.
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears in Marvel's Midnight Suns,[197] voiced by Darin De Paul.[citation needed] He initially appears in the main game as one of Lilith's Fallen before becoming a downloadable playable character via the "Redemption" DLC.
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears as a playable character in Marvel Rivals.[198]
Miscellaneous
[edit]- Eddie Brock / Venom appears in The Ultimate Spider-Man short story collection book as part of the short story "An Evening in the Bronx with Venom", by Keith R.A. DeCandido.[199][200]
- Eddie Brock / Venom appears in the Adi Shankar's Bootleg Universe fan film Truth In Journalism, portrayed by Ryan Kwanten. This version is a disturbed and disgraced investigative journalist obsessed with redeeming his public image, indifferent to the suffering of others. Additionally, he takes inspiration from Man Bites Dog's Ben (portrayed by Benoît Poelvoorde).[201][202][203]
References
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External links
[edit]- Eddie Brock at the Marvel Universe Wiki
- Venom (Eddie Brock) at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- Unlimited Highlights: The History of Venom at Marvel.com
- Edward Brock on Marvel Database, a Marvel Comics wiki
- Eddie Brock at Comic Vine
- Eddie Brock at Spider-Man Wiki
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