Summary
WhileVenomstarted out as just another Spider-Man villain, he ended up becomingsomuch more. What started out as just a costume change for one of Marvel’s heroes, eventually transformed into a brand-new character who has been both hero and villain.
Venom would eventually become an unbelievably popular character with a film trilogy to his name, his beginnings are actually surprisingly humble. Venom didn’t start out as the terrifying symbiote that everyone knows today. Instead, Venom started out as ablack suit for Spider-Man, with even its writers unaware of the story about to unfold.
The Black Suit’s First Comic: “Amazing Spider-Man” #252 (1984)
The suit’s origin would be revealed months later inSecret Wars
Originally, this was just a fancy costume change for Marvel’s next big event, but it later became one of the most important parts of Spider-Man’s history, and created one of the most popular characters Marvel has.
Marvel bought the black suit design from a fan named Randy Schueller, but no one could’ve imagined such a simple design would become so important to the history of Spider-Man, or how it would spawn such a popular character.
Every Version of Venom, Ranked From Weakest To Most Powerful
Venom is one of Marvel’s most popular characters, which has led to several different versions of the symbiote hero, and some are stronger than others.
Venom’s First Comic: “Amazing Spider-Man” #299 (1987)
by David Michelinie, Todd McFarlane, Bob McLeod, Bob Sharen, and Rick Parker.
Realizing that the black costume he was wearing was actually an alien symbiote, Spider-Man would desperately try to rid himself of it. This led Peter to a church where he used the church bells to remove the symbiote, but it quickly found a new host in Eddie Brock. Eddie was a former photographer for the Daily Globe, and he had lost his job due to Spider-Man proving one of his biggest stories to be a hoax. This humiliated Eddie and cost him everything. With his family abandoning him and unable to find any proper work, Eddie went to church to beg God for forgiveness for what he might be forced to do.
It was here, at this church, that Eddie just happened to be in the right place at the right time to become the next host for the Venom symbiote. With the symbiote’s knowledge of Spider-Man being Peter Parker,Eddie was empowered to take revenge on Spider-Man like never before.The fact the symbiote hated Spider-Manjust as much as Eddie did makes their bond nearly perfect, and he quickly became one of Spider-Man’s most dangerous villains. All of this and more was first seen inAmazing Spider-Man#300. The name Venom was inspired by Eddie being forced to write venomous drivel for the only tabloid job he could get.
Venom Would Haunt Spider-Man For Decades
Venom Was One Of Spider-Man’s Biggest Villains
Venom quickly became one of Spider-Man’s most dangerous enemies. While other villains like Doc Ock or Electro typically wanted something, like money or to rule over New York, Venom was different in his pure-minded hatred. All Venom wanted was the death of Spider-Man, and considering his immunity to Peter’s spider-sense, and his knowledge of Spider-Man’s secret identity, he had all the tools to be the most dangerous enemy in Spider-Man’s rogues gallery. This wouldn’t last for long though, and Venom’s absurd popularity would eventually have him outgrow his role as just another Spidey villain.
While there’s no denying that Venom certainly wanted Spider-Man dead, Venom still wasn’t a complete monster. He hated Spider-Man and viewed him as a monster, but he wasn’t willing to put innocents in danger to get to Spider-Man. While Venom would threaten characters like Aunt May,he never went through with hurting an innocent person intentionally.
When Spider-Man saved the life of Venom’s ex-wife, Venom realized that Spider-Man is a hero too. With this in mind, Venom made a deal with Spider-Man.As long as Spider-Man steered clear of Venom, Venom would leave Peter alone, which led to Venom’s first solo series.
With his vendetta against Spider-Man put on hold, Venom would return to the city he was born in, San Francisco. It’s here that his first limited run took place andVenom became the lethal protectorof the city. While Venom had no issue using lethal force against criminals, he only did it to try and protect the innocent. This story was a major look at who Venom was as a character when left to his own devises and put him in some ridiculous situations, such as finding a hidden city beneath San Francisco.
It was overall a fairly goofy story, as people often forget just how insane Venom was in his first few years. Venom was completely delusional about what he was doing and how he was helping people. While his heart was always in the right place, his methods were often far more extreme than necessary, and it rightly made characters like Spider-Man wary of letting Venom run amok on his own. Venom would continue getting limited-run series as Marvel realized just how popular the character was, and eventually, he got his own full-fledged ongoing.
Venom Would Evolve A Lot Over The Years
No Longer A Villain, Eddie Became His Own Kind Of Hero
Eddie Brock would continue struggling with doing the right thing over the years, but his morality would slowly shift from villain, to anti-hero, to full-blown hero. This was best shown in Donny Cates' run onVenomin 2016. In this series, Venom had fully moved into being a hero and had begun controlling his worst impulses, even promising to make amends with Miles when he believed he had hurt someone close to Miles. WhileEddie may still not get along with Spider-Man, the two have fully accepted one another as heroes. This version of Eddie is a far cry from the delusional killer of criminals that he was decades ago.
Thanks to actually getting a support network, such as his son Dylan and the other heroes of the marvel Universe, Venom has become a full-blown hero. While he was originally a brutal Spider-Man villain, he evolved into a street-level hero, and now he’s the King in Black. Eddie has become one of Marvel’s most powerful heroes as he functions on a cosmic level now, ruling over nearly all symbiotes. It’s been a long journey, but Eddie has never been healthier as a character, and while he still has some negative habits, it’s a long way from whoVenomused to be.
Venom
Venom is a symbiotic alien entity bonded with various human hosts, notably Eddie Brock and later Flash Thompson. It grants superhuman strength, agility, and a shape-shifting black costume. Initially a Spider-Man villain due to its origins, Venom evolved into an antihero, battling both villains and his own dark impulses. The character embodies themes of duality and redemption within the Marvel Universe.
