365 Marvel Comics Paper Cut-Out SuperHeroes - One Hero, Every Day, All Year…May 19th - VenomT

365 Marvel Comics Paper Cut-Out SuperHeroes - One Hero, Every Day, All Year…

May 19th - Venom

The one time villain and current hero known as Venom is a composite being made up of a sentient alien Symbiote with a liquid-like form, who survives by bonding with a humanoid host. This parasite/host combination affords the symbiotic being enhanced powers and refers to itself as ‘Venom.’

The Venom Symbiote has bonded with a number of different humans, including Peter Parker, Mac Gargan and Flash Thompson, yet its preferred and most frequent host has been Eddie Brock. Brock is a former journalist who bore a grudge against Spider-Man. The Brock/Symbiote version of Venom has had numerous battles against Spider-Man as well as other heroes of the Marvel Universe. Eventually Brock was able to tame the bloodlust of the Symbiote and Venom would go on to be a vigilante, eventually becoming a lethal protector of the innocent in San Francisco.  Eddie’s path toward becoming a hero has been turbulent, with stints as a governmental assassin and periodic relapses into villainy.  

Temporarily parting ways with the Venom symbiote, Eddie began to seek redemption for his dark past, bonding to the Anti-Venom and Toxin symbiotes, before returning as Venom and finally becoming  a true hero.

Battles against Knull, the self-proclaimed ‘God of the Symbiotes,’ resulted in Eddie’s discovery that he has an adolescent-aged son named Dylan.  Eddie ended up freeing Knull from his prison so to save his son from the villainous Carnage, and then later defeated Knull during the Symbiote king’s invasion to Earth.  This resulted in Eddie becoming the new ‘King in Black’ and leader of the Symbiote Hive.  The Venom Symbiote has since been passed down to Eddie’s son, Dylan, whilst Eddie tends to the Hive.  

A version of Venom/Eddie Brock has appeared in the Sony Pictures’ movies, Spider-Man 3, portrayed by actor Topher Grace, as well as Venom and Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage, where the character is portrayed by actor Tom Hardy. 

The Symbiote first appeared in Marvel Super Heroes Secret War #8 (1984); Eddie Brock first appeared in Web of Spider-Man Vol. 1 #18 (1986); whereas Venom first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 #300 (1988).