Eddie Brock
| Venom | |
|---|---|
| File:Venomlethal1.jpg Cover to Venom: Lethal Protector #1. Art by Mark Bagley | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Amazing Spider-Man #252 (alien symbiote) Amazing Spider-Man #298 (as Venom) |
| Created by | David Michelinie Todd McFarlane |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Eddie Brock/Angelo Fortunato/Mac Gargan |
| Team affiliations | Sinister Six |
| Abilities | A human host linked to an alien symbiote whose previous link with Spider-Man created the equivalents of his abilities. In addition, the being can produce its webbing, change its appearance and cannot be detected by Spider-Man's spider-sense |
Venom (Eddie Brock) is a comic book supervillain (sometimes referred to as an anti-hero) in the Marvel Comics universe, and an enemy of Spider-Man. Writer David Michelinie and artist Todd McFarlane are generally credited with the character's creation, based on a number of plot ideas and concepts from various other creators, though the degree to which McFarlane should be credited with co-creating the character has been a source of dispute in the comic book industry (see below). Venom's existence was first indicated in Web of Spider-Man #18 (September 1986), when he shoved Peter Parker in front of a subway train, though he did not appear on-panel. Another hint was given in Web of Spider-Man #24 (March 1987), when Peter Parker had climbed out of a high story window to change and go into action but found an arm coming through the window and grabbing him, despite his spider-sense not warning him. He then made a partial appearance on the final page of The Amazing Spider-Man #298, in which he was obscured by shadow, before making his first full appearance on the final page of #299 (May 1988). The character’s popularity soared during the 1990s.
Character biography
While embroiled in a major crossover storyline fighting the Secret Wars on an alien planet, Spider-Man acquired an alien costume. It responded to his thoughts, was able to mimic street clothes and seemed to provide an inexhaustible supply of webbing. Unfortunately, once on Earth, Spider-Man learned that the costume was in fact a sentient symbiote, that desired to fuse permanently with Spider-Man, and which enveloped him at night as he slept, using his unconscious body to go out and fight crime. With the aid of Mister Fantastic, Spider-Man managed to have the costume removed. The costume made one more attempt to bond itself to Spider-Man, but was forcibly rejected. Weakened by the rejection, the costume slithered away, presumably to die.
Meanwhile, reporter Eddie Brock had been penning a number of articles in The Daily Globe on the recent Sin-Eater case, a storyline that ran in Amazing Spider-Man’s sister title, The Spectacular Spider-Man. Following a false lead, he proceeded to write a series of columns identifying Emil Gregg as the perpetrator of the crimes. When Spider-Man caught the real criminal, policeman Stan Carter, Emil Gregg was discovered to be a compulsive confessor. The Globe became a laughingstock, and it fired Brock, who was shunned by his peers, and forced to write scathing celebrity exposes and alien abduction drivel for the scandal rags. Brock took up weight lifting in the hopes of reducing his stress, but was unsuccessful in alleviating his obsessive hatred of Spider-Man. Planning to kill himself, Eddie went to a church to apologize to God for not being strong enough to handle life. In that church, Eddie was found by the alien costume, which bonded itself to the failed reporter. The process left both, already emotionally unstable individuals, permanently damaged. Adopting the name Venom in reference to the tawdry stories he was forced to write after falling from grace as a reporter, the new symbiotic pair decided to take their revenge on Spider-Man.
It is interesting to note that this 'origin' story has been in some ways retconned in order to add depth to the characters involved. It is revealed that Eddie was diagnosed with cancer before the Sin-Eater case, and was told he had little more than 3 months to live. It is this, not the Sin-Eater situation, which finally drove Eddie to decide to kill himself.
The symbiote's motivations were also changed. It was originally implied that the symbiote sought Eddie because they both had a hatred of Peter Parker/Spider-Man, but the revised canon is that the form of cancer Eddie had came with an enhanced production of adrenaline - exactly what the symbiote feeds off of.
Venom is jet black with a large symbol of a white black widow spider on his chest. He has a gaping mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth, a long, lolling tongue, and is often depicted with drooling a green slime-like substance. He is stronger than Spider-Man and his webbing, which the symbiote generates from the mass of its own body, is more durable than Spider-Man's mechanically-generated webs. The symbiote's shapeshifting ability allows Venom to camouflage himself like a chameleon or to assume the likeness of nearly any person. Venom also has the ability to remain undetected by Spider-Man's spider-sense, making him one of Spider-Man's deadliest foes. However, the symbiote is highly vulnerable to fire and high-frequency sound.
Despite his lethal ability and homicidal hatred of Spider-Man, Venom remains curiously protective of those he considers innocent. He will generally avoid killing bystanders or innocents in his quest for vengeance. Of course, the fact that he is insane means that his definition of "innocent" and "necessary casualties" fluctuate as his needs demand. He has teamed up with Spider-Man on several occasions, most notably to battle the symbiote's homicidal offspring, Carnage, and has occasionally worked alongside other anti-heroes and superheroes. Since then, however, Venom has on several occasions renewed his quest to see Peter Parker/Spider-Man (and, on occasion, Spider-Man's clone, Ben Reilly) dead. Shortly after that, Venom had an epic struggle with the returned Spider-Clone, Ben Reilly, who was Scarlet Spider at the time and managed to separate Brock and the symbiote.
A clone of the Venom symbiote recently appeared, killing - unlike the original symbiote - most of its hosts. The only two to survive it for a significant period were the Antarctic researcher Patricia Robertson, thanks to technology, and the X-Man Wolverine, thanks to his healing factor. The series ended with Robertson being fully absorbed by the symbiote, before Brock's symbiote absorbed the clone.
After being rejoined, Venom's killer instincts surfaced once again, and little by little he became a threat to innocent people as well. He acquired selective amnesia (Brock no longer remembers Peter is Spider-Man, and the symbiote doesn't seem to make any effort to remind him of that.) Brock absorbed Cletus Kasady's symbiote (who then found another one) and joined the Sinister Six shortly after the reboot. But he soon regretted it and then tried to kill his former teammates. He left Sandman near death, after biting a great chunk out of him, and attacked Electro, leaving him also for dead. He made some sort of peace with Spidey (again), only to foolishly blame him for something as farfetched as his wife's suicide. Venom lost his chance for revenge when the powerful human/alien hybrid known as Senator Ward split Brock and the symbiote apart again.
Venom returned later on to reveal that Eddie Brock had cancer, and he could not survive without a permanent merge with the symbiote. In the end, Spider-Man convinces the symbiote to go through with this "permanent merge." However, Eddie went through a religious awakening, and Brock sold the symbiote to the crimelord Don Fortunato, intending to donate the $100 million received to charity before dying. Angelo Fortunato became the second Venom for a brief period of time (technically, the Venom clone and its hosts were not really Venom). Upon hearing that Angelo Fortunato, the Don's son, had died after the symbiote abandoned him in mid-air jump, Brock slit his wrists in an alley, and his fate is uncertain.
After Angelo's death, the symbiote bonded with Mac Gargan, the Scorpion, and became part of the new Sinister Twelve. While he was swiftly defeated by Spider-Man, as the Avengers dealt with the rest of the Twelve, he remains bonded with the symbiote. Mac Gargan is now the third Venom. It should be noted that the symbiote itself is a sentient entity capable of rational thought.
As popular as the Eddie Brock incarnation of Venom was, it is unlikely that the character will remain inactive or separated from the symbiote for long.
Powers and abilities
The various Venoms possess abilities nearly identical to that of Spider-Man, based on the symbiote's time bonded with the wall-crawler; being superhumanly strong, agile, has superhuman reflexes, and able to adhere to walls. Venom's living costume has the ability to take the appearance of most people, and blend in with their surroundings. They can also shoot webbing similar to that of Spider-Man, but as this is made from the symbiote itself, overuse weakens it.
The amount of power each of the hosts has is determined by the symbiote itself, within the ability of the symbiote to grant them. While bonded to Spider-Man, it only slightly increased his abilities, but made Eddie Brock considerably stronger than Spider-Man and allowed him limited chameleonic abilities, and immediately granted Angelo Fortuano its full abilities - a factor in its abandonment of him when he failed to succeed to his liking - while the former Scorpion has only used the symbiote once, and it is unclear to what extent he has been enhanced.
The original Venom, Eddie Brock, had some notable skills aside from his superhuman abilities granted by his costume. He was highly skilled in investigative journalism and deductive reasoning. He was also extremely athletic, especially in terms of strength; his strength was of the order of an Olympic athlete. There was some relationship between the costume's ability to augment his strength and the physical condition he was in; the better shape he was in, the stronger the costume made him. As a result, he was considerably stronger than Spider-Man.
In some incarnations, the symbiote (and, by extension, Venom) requires a certain chemical to stay sane and healthy. This chemical is only found in two sources: chocolate and human brain tissue. Thus, in these incarnations, Venom is either forced to steal/purchase large amounts of chocolate or becomes a cannibal, devouring the brains of those he kills.
Controversy Over Creator Credit
The question of who created the character of Venom became an issue of contention in 1993 when writer David Michelinie wrote in to the comic book industry magazine Wizard, which had referred to Michelinie in issue #17 (January 1993) as the "co-creator" of Venom. In his letter, which was printed in issue #21 (May 1993), Michelinie contended, despite his praise of McFarlane, without whom he conceded the character would not have attained the popularity that it did, that he was the sole creator of the character. Michelinie pointed out that Venom's earliest appearances were in Web of Spider-Man #18 (Sept. 1986), written by Michelinie himself, and drawn by Marc Silvestri, wherein the unseen character (whom Michelinie originally conceived of at the time as a female bonded with the alien symbiote) shoved Peter Parker in front of a subway train, and Web of Spider-Man #24 plotted by Michelinie, scripted by Len Kaminski and drawn by Del Barras, wherein the unseen character sneaked into Peter Parker's hotel room and was able to grab him through the window, both times the assailant apparently not triggering Parker’s spider-sense.
The character would remain unseen and inactive until Amazing Spider-man editor Jim Salicrup required a villain for that book’s 300th anniversary issue, and after Michelinie suggested the female-symbiote character, Salicrup changed the character to a male. Michelinie then devised the Eddie Brock identity. Michelinie contends that the plots for issues #298-299, as well as the visual descriptions of the character, were written and bought by Salicrup before McFarlane was ever assigned to the book.
Writer Peter David corroborated Michelinie’s view in his But I Digress column in the June 4, 1993 Comics Buyer's Guide, in which he related that Michelinie discussed the ideas behind the character with David at the time of its creation, since at the time, David was the writer on The Spectacular Spider-Man who wrote the Sin Eater story from which Eddie Brock’s back story would be derived, long before McFarlane was assigned to the art duties on Amazing. Because artists who design the costumes or appearances of major characters and/or illustrate their first appearances are generally credited as the co-creators of them, Venom represents a complex situation, because the costume from which Venom's appearance is derived was not designed by McFarlane, and the only aspects of Venom’s appearance to which McFarlane contributed were his long teeth and tongue.
Erik Larsen, who followed McFarlane as artist on Amazing, and who added the green drool to Venom’s appearance (and who would go on to found Image Comics with McFarlane), responded to Michelinie's letter with one of his own that was printed in Wizard #23 (July 1993), in which he dismissed Michelinie's contributions to the character, arguing that Michelinie merely "swiped" the pre-existing symbiote and its powers to place it on a character whose motivations were poorly conceived, one-dimensional, not believable, and clichéd. Larsen also argued that it was McFarlane’s rendition of the character that made it sellable.
The pre-existing elements that dealt with the symbiote alien costume itself (and not the human counterpart) that Michelinie had nothing to do with have also been noted. For example, editor Jim Shooter came up with the idea of switching Spider-Man to a black-and-white costume, possibly influenced by the intended costume design for the new Spider-Woman. Artists Mike Zeck and Rick Leonardi, as well as others, designed the black-and-white costume. Writer/artist John Byrne asserts on his website that the idea for a costume made of self-healing biological material was one he originated when he was the artist on Iron Fist to explain how that character’s costume was constantly being torn and then apparently repaired by the next issue, explaining that he ended up not using the idea on that title, but that Roger Stern later asked him if he could use the idea for Spider-Man's alien costume. Stern in turn plotted the issue in which the costume first appeared but then moved on and it was writer Tom DeFalco and artist Ron Frenz who had established that the costume was a sentient alien being and also that it was vulnerable to high sonic energy during their run on The Amazing Spider-Man that preceded Michelinie's. 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.
It is perhaps not coincidental that this dispute arose at a time when artists such as McFarlane and Larsen were enjoying a great deal of popularity and clout with readers, and exploiting their popularity by publishing creator-owned books with their new company, Image Comics, and it is possible that this issue was a subtext of the greater debate over the importance of writers versus artists that was being waged in the industry at the time.
Source: But I Digress by Peter David; 1994; pages 104-106; Reprinted from the June 4, 1993 Comics Buyer’s Guide
Source: http://www.byrnerobotics.com/FAQ/listing.asp?ID=7&T1=Miscellaneous+Questions#96
Source: Correspondence with Peter David.
Source: Wizard #21 (May 1993)
Source: Wizard #23 (July 1993)
Other versions of Venom
Ultimate Venom
In the Ultimate Marvel universe, Eddie Brock is Peter Parker's childhood friend, and the symbiote is not an alien, but the creation of their fathers. Richard Parker intended it to be used for medical purposes, but Brock Sr. was more interested in the military applications. Eddie continued his father's research, and created two symbiotes. One bonded with Peter, leading to a variant of the "alien spider costume" storyline. Afterwards, he warned Eddie of the dangers of the symbiotes, but Brock nonetheless bonded with the other one, becoming Venom. It's interesting to note that whilst the original version of Venom had a personal vendetta on Spider-Man, he just knew he was Peter Parker, this version had a vendetta against Peter and the Spider-Man identity meant nothing to him.
What If? Series
In the What If? Series, it was asked What if Venom had possesed The Punisher? What If? Cover
Instead of finding Eddie Brock at the clock tower, the symbiote encounters Frank Castle, the Punisher, lighting candles for his wife and children moments before Eddie Brock arrives. The symbiote sees the Punisher and decides to use Castle as a host. The Punisher uses his the symbiote's powers of strength and shapechanging to bring a more powerful and intense campaign against criminals than ever before. He uses the symbiote's shapechanging powers to create machine guns from his forearms, spraying symbiote "bullets". The symbiote makes itself appear much like normal Venom, supplementing a white skull with protruding spider arms for the standard black widow. Castle kills many criminals mercilessly, even killing Tombstone and The Kingpin. Spider-Man and Daredevil encounter The Punisher and even try stopping him with a sonic disrupter blast failing to seperate them but gives the Punisher enough time to realize the symbiote's attempt at taking over his body. He battles the symbiote through will and tells the symbiote that he will commit suicide, killing both himself and the symbiote, if it does not aid him in his war against criminals. The symbiote agrees, needing the Punisher to survive. The Punisher then continues his revenge on criminals, fully in control of the symbiote and more powerful than ever before. The Watchers are amazed at how the Punisher was able to tame the symbiote.
Venom in video games
Venom has also appeared as a playable character in several video games. He was a playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom and Marvel vs. Capcom 2. He also appeared in the Spider-Man game Spider-Man: Maximum Carnage and starred in Venom: Separation Anxiety, both of which were based on actual comic book plotlines. He also appeared in the "Spider-Man" video game for the PS1 as a boss (twice). In the Spider-Man arcade game Venom must be fought three times: Twice normally, and once when he has grown ten times his normal height. After defeating the main antagonist Dr. Doom, as a surprise final challenge, the player must fight off a series of Doom-created clones of the symbiote. In the upcoming video game based on the Ultimate Spider-Man storyline, Venom is a playable character and can wander about the massive virtual city at will, described as being 'Like Grand Theft Auto but with web shooters.' A major difference between the way Spider-Man and Venom play, other than the different attack moves, is the fact that the symbiote is said to be constantly feeding off of Brock, represented in the game by his health meter constantly draining at a slow rate. Venom can replenish his health at any time by 'feeding' off of helpless and innocent pedestrians to the symbiote. Venom is also an unlockable character in Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects.
Cultural
- Venom appeared in the Spider-Man animated series. In The Alien Costume, part 1, Eddie Brock tells Jameson that Spider-Man stole the Promethum X at the shuttle, to mention it was the Rhino. In The Alien Costume, part 2, Jameson finds out that Brock was lying to him, and Jameson fires Brock once again. At the belltower, Spider-Man webs Eddie Brock onto the bell. In the end, the symbiote bonded with Brock. In the episode, The Alien Costume, part 3, Eddie Brock and the symbiote became Venom, and fights Spider-Man. In the end, Spider-man made the symbiote and Eddie Brock seperated, and Spider-Man puts the symbiote at the rocket. In the episode Venom Returns, Venom Returns, at Ravencroft Sanitarium, Eddie Brock and the symbiote are together again, and he is ordered by Dormammu to steal the probe at Stark Enterprises. When Venom battles Spider-Man and Iron Man, he is easily defeated by two heroes. In the episode, Iron Man, Venom, and Spider-Man are partners to battle Carnage, Baron Mordo, and Dormammu. In the end, Venom makes a sacrifice to save his love, Dr. Ashley Kafka. Venom was voiced by Hank Azaria
Before Eddie Brock became Venom, his episode appearances were:
Night of the Lizard - Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson offers 1,000 dollars to any Bugle reporter for getting a photo of the Lizard; Eddie Brock attempts to earn this the reward. As Brock is trying to take a picture of the Lizard, he is overcome by fear. Spider-Man arrives on the scene and Eddie Brock takes cover and hides in the bushes. Margaret Connors (wife of Dr. Curt Connors) then reveals to Spider-Man the tale of her husband's scientific experiments with reptiles in his hope to regrow his lost arm and how this led to his transformation into the Lizard. Brock, overhearing this, write down the story and heads back to the Daily Bugle to publish the expose', but is stopped by Spider-Man and webbed him onto a lamppost. The following morning, Eddie tries in vain to tell Jameson and the police that Dr.Curt Connors is the Lizard, and narrated the incident that he was going to send his story to the bugle, but Spider-Man webbed him onto a lamppost. When Eddie opens the door, he sees Curt Connors back to normal, thus refuting his claim.
The Spider-Slayer - Flash Thompson, while dressed as Spider-Man, is captured by one of the Spider-Slayer robots. Eddie Brock is at Spencer Smythe's lab in the hope to expose Spider-Man's secret identity on T.V. When Brock unmasks Spider-Man, he 'discovers' that Spider-Man is Flash Thompson. J. Jonah Jameson realized that Thompson is not Spider-Man, and realized that Brock is making a fool out of him. During an explosion at Spencer Smythe's lab, Eddie Brock rushes towards the exit. At the Daily Bugle, Jameson sends Brock to his office to talk. Jameson tells Brock that the other networks are laughing at him, and Eddie Brock tells to Jameson that it wasn't his fault, it was Spider-Man's fault. Jonah Jameson had immediately fired Brock from the bugle.
The Return of the Spider Slayers - When Eddie Brock is attacked by one of the Spider-Slayer robots, Spider-Man proceeds to rescue him.
- Although he did not appear in the two Spider-Man movies directed by Sam Raimi, Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson (played by J.K. Simmons) mentions a phographer named "Eddie" in dialogue during a scene in the newsroom in Spider-Man (an indication that in the continuity of the Raimi movies, "Eddie" is either freelance, or works for the Bugle, and not The Daily Globe.
- The ECW wrestler Nova often wore outfits of inspired by comic book superheroes. He wore a Venom-style outfit at the Hardcore Heaven 2000 Pay-Per-View.
Bibliography
Solo series and oneshots
- Spider-Man: The Trial of Venom oneshot (1992)
- Venom: Lethal Protector #1-6 (February – July, 1993)
- Venom: Funeral Pyre #1-3 (August – October, 1993)
- Venom: The Madness #1-3 (November, 1993 – January, 1994)
- Venom: The Enemy Within #1-3 (February – March, 1994)
- Hulk vs. Venom oneshot (April, 1994)
- Venom: The Mace #1-3 (May – July, 1994)
- Venom: Nights of Vengeance #1-4 (August – November, 1994)
- Venom: Separation Anxiety #1-4 (December, 1994 – March, 1995)
- Venom: Carnage Unleashed #1-4 (April – July, 1995)
- Venom: Sinner Takes All #1-5 (August – December, 1995)
- Venom Super Special oneshot (August, 1995)
- Rune vs. Venom oneshot (December, 1995)
- Venom: Along Came a Spider #1-4 (January – April, 1996)
- Venom: The Hunted #1-3 (May – July, 1996)
- Venom: The Hunger #1-4 (August – November, 1996)
- Venom: Tooth and Claw #1-3 (December, 1996 – February, 1997)
- Venom: On Trial #1-3 (March – May, 1997)
- Venom: License to Kill #1-3 (June – August, 1997)
- Venom: Seed of Darkness oneshot (July, 1997)
- Venom: Sign of the Boss #1-2 (September – October, 1997)
- Venom: Finale #1-3 (November, 1997 – January, 1998)
- Spider-Man: Venom Agenda oneshot (January, 1998)
- Venom #1-18 (June, 2003 – November, 2004)
- Venom vs. Carnage #1-4 (August – December, 2004)
Reprints
- Venom: The Return oneshot (1990; reprints Amazing Spider-Man (1963 series) 330-347, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #25)
- Venom: Deathtrap: The Vault graphic novel (March, 1993; reprints Avengers: Deathtrap: The Vault)
- Venom: Shiver trade paperback (2004; reprints Venom #1-5)
- Venom: Run trade paperback (2004; reprints Venom #6-13)
- Venom: Twist trade paperback (2005; reprints Venom #13-18)
- Venom vs. Carnage trade paperback (2005; reprints Venom vs. Carnage #1-4)
Venom is allegedly also going to be an antagonist, along with Sandman in the third Spider-Man movie, wherein he is to be played by Topher Grace.