Eddie Brock

Eddie Brock
File:EddieBrock.jpg Eddie Brock as Venom, as seen in Amazing Spider-Man #300 (May 1988). Art by Todd McFarlane.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	as Eddie Brock: Web of Spider-Man #18 (September 1986) as Venom: Amazing Spider-Man #299 (April 1988) as Anti-Venom: Amazing Spider-Man #569 (October 2008)
Created by	David Michelinie Todd McFarlane
In-story information
Alter ego	Edward Allan Charles Brock
Team affiliations	Sinister Six Daily Globe Daily Bugle The New York Times
Notable aliases	Venom Anti-Venom
Abilities	Alien symbiote

Eddie Brock is a fictional character, a supervillain turned antihero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer David Michelinie and artist Todd McFarlane, the character first appeared in Web of Spider-Man #18 (September 1986). He is best known as the first incarnation of the Spider-Man villain Venom.

Debuting in the Modern Age of Comic Books, the character of Eddie Brock has featured in other Marvel-endorsed products such as animated television series; video games; a feature film and merchandise such as action figures and trading cards. Eddie Brock's incarnation of Venom was rated 33rd on Empire's 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters, and was the 22nd greatest villain on IGN's 100 Greatest Comic Villains of all time.

Publication history

Creation and conception

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. 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 saying also he believed that without McFarlane the character would not have attained the popularity it did.

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 artists who design the costumes or appearances of major characters and/or illustrate their first appearances are generally credited as co-creators, Venom represents a complex situation, because the costume from which Venom's appearance is derived was not designed by McFarlane.

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.

File:AmazingSpider-Man346.jpg

Erik Larsen, who followed Todd McFarlane as artist on Amazing Spider-Man, added Venom's tongue as well as the drool to the character's appearance.

The preexisting elements that dealt with the symbiote costume itself - to which Michelinie did not contribute - have also been noted. For example, editor Jim Shooter came up with the idea of switching Spider-Man to a black-and-white costume, possibly influenced by the intended costume design for the new Spider-Woman, with artists Mike Zeck and Rick Leonardi, as well as others, desiging the black-and-white costume (though a 2007 Comic Book Resources story contends that a fan suggested a black costume for the Spider-Man prior to this, for which he was paid by Shooter.) 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 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.

In an interview with Tom DeFalco, McFarlane claims 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."

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

Publication

Venom's existence was first indicated in Web of Spider-Man #18 (Sept. 1986), when he shoved Peter Parker in front of a subway train without Parker's spider-sense warning him, though only Brock's hand was seen on-panel. The next indication of Venom's existence was in Web of Spider-Man #24 (March 1987), when Parker had climbed out of a high story window to change into Spider-Man, but found a black arm coming through the window and grabbing him, again without being warned by his spider-sense.

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

Throughout most of his career in print, Brock's sole motivation for hating Spider-Man was because the webslinger's capture of the villain Sin Eater exposed the man who had previously confessed to Brock to being responsible for the Sin Eater's crimes as a compulsive confessor, thus destroying Brock's credibility and reputation as a journalist, with the symbiote being attracted to Brock's hatred. In 2003, writer Paul Jenkins, in the second volume of Spectacular Spider-Man, revealed Brock had cancer, and that the symbiote was attracted to him not only because of his hatred for Spider-Man, but also because Brock's cancer released adrenaline, which the symbiote fed off of. The same story also revealed that Venom has also leeched energy from the adrenal glands many other cancer patients. This story revealed that the symbiote's feeding off the cancer kept Brock alive, and that his hatred of Spider-Man, though originally stemming from the Sin-Eater hoax, was augmented by the fear that Spider-Man would someday accept the symbiote back, leaving Brock to be taken by the cancer.

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."

Fictional character biography

As a child, Edward Allan Charles Brock is raised in a Roman Catholic household in San Francisco, his mother dead due to complications of his birth. Eddie's father is shown to be loving but left cold and unaffectionate because of the death of his wife. Eddie constantly attempts to obtain his father's approval, though even after excelling in school, he only receives half-hearted encouragements. Though exceptional in athletics, Brock switches his major in college to journalism after reading an article on the Watergate scandal. Upon graduating, he moves to New York City and as a member of the Associated Press, he obtains a job as a journalist for the Daily Globe. He proves himself to be highly talented, though even this does not get his father's approval. He eventually marries Anne Weying, who is attracted by his wit and gentility.

Bonding with the symbiote

File:Venom origin in church.jpg

Eddie Brock first bonding with the Venom symbiote

Afterwards, Brock buries himself in his work. He investigates the serial killer nicknamed Sin-Eater, and surprisingly finds someone actually confessing to the murders. Hoping to get an exclusive, Brock writes an article revealing the man as the Sin-Eater, which is published by the Globe. However, the real Sin-Eater was later caught by Spider-Man, and it is revealed that Brock had been interviewing a compulsive confessor. Brock is fired from his job in disgrace, and his father practically disowns him. With no decent publishers willing to hire him, he is forced to work for sleazy tabloid magazines. Brock blames Spider-Man for his downfall. Now with his fear of the cancer growing, Brock resumes his passion for athletics through weight training to reduce stress. Though his body grows to near-Olympic standards, his anger and depression remain, causing Anne to divorce him. With both his professional and personal life shattered, Brock contemplates suicide and goes to a church where he prays to God for forgiveness, unaware the symbiote Spider-Man has discarded remains in the church, and is waiting for him.

Attracted by Brock's matching resentment towards Spider-Man, the symbiote bonds with Brock, feeding off his cancer and keeping him alive in the process. Brock now possessed powers similar to those of Spider-Man, though he learns that the symbiote thinks of him as a second-rate host compared to Spider-Man. Brock's hatred for Spider-Man twists the symbiote's own emotions and drives it even more insane. Brock, knowing that the symbiote could potentially go back to Spider-Man, leaving him to die, and also blaming Spider-Man for his misfortune, becomes determined to torment and kill Spider-Man and his family. The symbiote imparts him with the knowledge of Spider-Man's secret identity, and Brock names himself "Venom", for he claims he's poison to Peter Parker and Spider-Man.

Venom

File:Venomamazingspiderman299.png

Eddie Brock as the first Venom in the final panel of ASM #299.

Brock, now bonded with the symbiote, pushed Peter Parker in front of a moving subway without activating his spider-sense. Venom next confronted Mary Jane Watson-Parker, and then battled Spider-Man for the first time. He was convicted and incarcerated in the Vault, but in time escaped from the Vault by mimicking a fallen guard. He traveled to New York, preventing the holdup of a truck stop on the way there; Venom confronted the Black Cat, and battled Spider-Man in a meat-packing plant. He then encountered Peter Parker as Eddie Brock at Parker's Aunt May's house. Spider-Man defeated Venom by tempting the costume to reattach itself to him.

Later, Venom escaped from the Vault again during the massive "Acts of Vengeance" breakout, but was returned by Quasar. Venom engineered a failed prison break from the Vault, and killed a warden. He eventually faked a suicide at the Vault by coating himself with a layer of synthetic skin generated by the symbiote, and escaped the Vault from its morgue. He then saved a baby while battling Spider-Man.

Progeny

After being rendered unconscious by the plague-inducing villain called Styx, the symbiote is removed, and Brock is incarcerated to await trial. The symbiote finds Brock, enabling him to escape from jail, though the symbiote reproduces at the same time. The offspring quickly bonds to Brock's cell mate, Cletus Kasady, creating Carnage. Soon after, Venom trapped Spider-Man in a cryogenics chamber. Venom abducts Spider-Man, and transports him to a remote island where Spider-Man fakes his own death to convince Venom that his vendetta was over. Venom, content with the outcome, resigns himself to life on the island. Once Spider-Man becomes unable to defeat Carnage, he enlists Venom's help to defeat Carnage and other supervillains. His willingness to kill the villains causes a deep rift with many of his allies, who only wish to subdue them.

Venom soon makes peace with Spider-Man after Anne Weying is rescued by him, so he moves back to San Francisco, where he acts as the protector of an underground society of homeless people who live in an abandoned section of the city that was buried in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Sometime later, he is taken prisoner by the Life Foundation, and is forcefully made to spawn five more symbiotes. With the help of Spider-Man, he escapes the prison, managing to incapacitate the other symbiotes. He is later involved in conflicts with corrupt businessmen and a group of extraterrestrial mercenaries known as 'Stalkers', who kidnap various members of the society, including two romantic interests of Brock. After rescuing them, Ben Reilly finds Venom, separating the symbiote from Brock after an intense battle. After defecting from the Foundation, the symbiotes forcefully birthed from Venom seek his help to keep themselves from becoming like Carnage, but he refuses to help. Their leader, Scream eventually goes insane and kills the other four, who eventually reform into Hybrid. Scream eventually enters a normal state of mind, and seeks to help Venom.

Brock soon abandons the symbiote after having doubts as to the nobility of his cause, and its telepathically projected grief attracts other members of its species. They create a portal to their home world, allowing them to invade New York and take over its inhabitants. Brock eventually becomes Venom once again, working with Spider-Man and Ben Reilly to defeat the symbiotes. He manages to create a "psychic scream" designed to incapacitate them, though it ends up killing all of them.

On trial

Brock is captured in his sewer hideout and put on trial, with Matt Murdock acting in his defense, and 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 team up and subdue Carnage. However, before the trial can continue, Venom is unexpectedly taken into custody by a secret government organization who offered him amnesty if he joined them as an agent. Though Venom at first relished his new found immunities, he left after being abandoned during a dangerous mission. This would lead to Eddie Brock being given selective amnesia from a head wound and later being separated from the symbiote, which is presumed killed by the government Overreach Committee.

The symbiote in fact survives and tracks down the amnesiac Brock, turning him into Venom again (it is worth mentioning that after this point the symbiote seems to often dominate Brock, losing all morals and even saying I instead of we). Venom then infiltrates Ravencroft prison, slaughters the guards, and temporarily absorbs the Carnage symbiote. He joins the Sinister Six, but turns on the other members after they mock him, crippling Sandman and Electro before making peace with Spider-Man.

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

The Carnage symbiote gives birth to the Toxin symbiote. Carnage attempts to kill the newborn Toxin, but Venom opposes him until he realizes that Toxin's policeman host would not ally with him. Venom calls a truce with Carnage in order to destroy Toxin, who is aided by Spider-Man. Spider-Man and Toxin drive Carnage and Venom away.

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. Before he does, however, Brock knows that he will die if he does not permanently bond with the symbiote. The Symbiote rejects Brock, not desiring to be bonded with a diseased body anymore. Ultimately, Spider-Man tricks the symbiote into merging with Brock again.

Separation

A dying Eddie Brock, separated from the symbiote

After bonding once more with the symbiote, Brock has a religious awakening and decides against permanently merging with the symbiote. Brock instead chooses to sell the symbiote to crime lord Don Fortunato, intending to donate the $100 million received to charity before dying. Angelo Fortunato, the Don's son, becomes the second Venom for a brief period of time. However, Angelo begins killing innocent people in his quest for glory and later proves to be a weak host for the Symbiote, being humiliated in a battle with Spider-Man. The symbiote abandons Angelo mid-leap, and the subsequent fall kills him. Upon hearing about this, Brock feels responsible and attempts to commit suicide by slitting his wrists, but survives.

The symbiote then becomes attached to Mac Gargan, better known as the Scorpion at the time. When Peter Parker unmasks himself publicly as Spider-Man, Brock is among the millions of witnesses. He is shown in the hospital, rapidly succumbing physically to his cancer and experiencing hallucinations of the symbiote, representing his dark side. He spots Mary Jane Watson Parker watching over a comatose Aunt May, who has been seriously wounded by a bullet. Brock has no idea what to do, but his dark side then persuades him to kill Aunt May.

Brock orders a dress-up costume of Spider-Man's black costume and sets out to kill her, first murdering a nurse for getting in his way. At the last minute, he has a change of heart, finding he cannot murder someone as innocent as Aunt May. When Peter Parker comes to visit Aunt May, he finds Eddie, who has cut his own wrists several times in a desperate attempt to get rid of Venom, at the window. Eddie tells Peter that while he's done terrible things, he's not a terrible person, and asks for his forgiveness before jumping out the window. Peter breaks his fall by catching him with two strands of webbing. Awakening chained to his bed, Brock decides to take better control of himself in the short time he has left. He tells his dark side that he accepts its presence, as long as it knows that Eddie Brock is in control.

Anti-Venom

Eddie Brock's first appearance as Anti-Venom

While praying at church, Brock is discovered by philanthropist Martin Li, who is secretly the super-villain Mister Negative. After Matt Murdock proves in a court of law that Brock was not responsible for his actions while bonded to the symbiote and has the charges dropped, Li gets Brock a job in his soup kitchen. A touch from Mr. Negative completely cures Eddie's cancer and the remnants of the Venom symbiote within his body bond to his white-blood-cells. Upon being assaulted by Mac Gargan, the Venom symbiote attempts to leave Gargan to bond with Brock again. However, Brock's skin is caustic to his former symbiote, and as a white substance seeps out of his pores covering his body, Brock becomes Anti-Venom (also known as White-Venom). He engages Venom in a fight, and after receiving some help from Spider-Man, weakens and nearly destroys the symbiote. However, he also feels some remnants of the symbiote inside Peter's blood and begins "curing" him as well, sucking radiation from Spider-Man's blood in the process and nearly de-powering him.

Later, Thunderbolts guards arrive to take the disabled Gargan to the ship while Songbird and Radioactive Man battle Spider-Man and Anti-Venom. During the battle, Anti-Venom almost rids Radioactive Man of his powers, but he is saved by Songbird. After the fight, Anti-Venom sneaks on the Thunderbolts' ship and steals back Peter Parker's camera, looted by Norman Osborn in a bid to reverse engineer the tracing system allowing the camera to zero on Spider-Man's chest. He is able to help Peter escape Osborn's tracer, and forewarn him about his next move, in a show of friendship and good-will. It also appears he no longer knows Spider-Man's identity, remarking that he wasted a lot of time being angry at Peter Parker, when Spider-Man has been taking his "own" pictures.

Anti-Venom then leads Spider-Man to Oscorp and the two split up. Brock disguises himself as Spider-Man to distract the other Thunderbolts while Spider-Man goes after Osborn. After webbing Songbird and Radioactive Man to a wall, Anti-Venom faces Gargan, who is now wearing a new Scorpion battle-suit to protect his recovering symbiote. After a gruelling battle, Gargan, as Scorpion, hits Anti-Venom with his stinger and injects a poisonous formula that seemingly destroys Brock's suit. Gargan advances to kill Brock but is met with resistance by his Venom symbiote. The symbiote gains strength and breaks though Gargan's battlesuit, refusing to let Gargan kill Brock. Gargan explains that the suit still loves Brock too much and gives up, but he promises Brock that he will get past this problem and someday finish him off, to which Brock replies: "Not if I kill you first." Unbeknownst to Gargan, Brock's Anti-Venom suit reforms. Now a fugitive for helping Spider-Man and fighting the Thunderbolts, Brock is back on the streets, planning to continue his former vigilante antihero career with seemingly increased religious emphasis as The Anti-Venom.

After curing heroin addict Jenna Cole of her addiction, Eddie finds himself fighting Mister Negative's Inner Demons (who are using the same "cure" Mac Gargan had used to try to kill him with). Upon defeating them, Brock is the first person to find out that Martin Li is Mister Negative. Discovering the man he idolized is also a supervillain causes a breakdown for Eddie, both making him question his faith and lament that no one will believe the truth he knows, because he is a monster.

Working with Jenna Cole, Eddie is now fighting crime in the sleazier areas of New York, having disassociated themselves from the F.E.A.S.T. foundation. As Anti-Venom he "cures" the streets of drug traders after Jenna goes undercover to lure them out. Since the revelation of Mr. Li's dual identity, Eddie has become increasingly mentally unstable, struggling to control his murderous impulses, which he refers to as his "devil", while at the same time being aggressively protective of Jenna, referring to her as his "angel". At a drug bust, Eddie walks in on the Quintas gang after they've captured Jenna. Before he can attack, the Punisher intervenes and they slaughter the criminals until a gang member takes Jenna hostage. Eddie stops Castle from shooting the gang member through Jenna, but the Punisher shoots Anti-Venom in the head with a shotgun after realizing he is Eddie Brock. Anti-Venom recovers and attacks the Punisher in retaliation. The gang member escapes with Jenna, and Eddie and the Punisher declare a temporary truce. The Punisher tries to kill Eddie again at the border and drops him off at a Quintas compound. When Eddie talks on the phone to the leader of the Quintas gang and finds that Jenna is doing drugs again, he loses control and tears one of the Quintas in half in a fit of rage. After killing the remaining guards, Eddie rejoins the Punisher and the two launch an attack on the Quintas. At the end of the raid, Eddie finds a severely drugged Jenna, who seems afraid of his Anti-Venom costume, but manages to calm her down. The Punisher attempts to snipe Eddie from a distance but appears to reconsider, due to Eddie convincing him he is too much of "a good guy", although he claims it was because he had run out of ammo.

Other versions

Main article: Alternate versions of Venom

The character appears in several alternate universe titles in which the character's history, circumstances and behavior vary from the mainstream setting.

Powers and abilities

Main article: Symbiote (comics)

The symbiote consists of alien material made of tough, flexible fibers of organic polymers which have the ability to mimic any type of clothing whatsoever. The symbiote provides Eddie Brock with various abilities similar to Spider-Man, its former host, including superhuman strength, speed, agility, and reflexes, and the ability to adhere to most surfaces with his hands and feet. It is able to project a web-like substance from any part of its surface. It does inherit the spider-sense, and in an as yet unexplained manner it allows him to dampen Spider-Man's own senses. In addition, the alien could also neutralize Peter's spider-sense, which left Peter vulnerable to Venom's attacks. Due to Eddie Brock's muscular physique and natural physical strength from weight training, his strength as Venom is superior to Spider-Man's tenfold. Venom's webbing is very similar to that of Spider-Man, albeit from the back of the host's hand instead of the wrist. The webbing is created from the symbiote itself, so it is much stronger. This also creates an upper limit for the webbing, as overuse can significantly weaken the symbiote, as evidenced by the manner of Venom's defeat in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #300. It can also create tentacles and tendrils to grab enemies in addition to producing the standard webbing. Venom also has claws on his fingers which can be used as weapons to stab or cut open his foes.

Venom's body is highly resistant to physical injury, and it can help its host survive in hostile environments by filtering air. It can also heal any injury or illness Brock suffers much more quickly than human medical care, and allowed him to survive indefinitely with terminal cancer. The symbiote is very susceptible to high-pitched sonic frequencies, other intense noise, and fire. The Venom symbiote contains a small 'dimensional aperture', allowing Brock to carry items without adding mass to the costume, and it is able to transform to mimic any human or become camouflaged with its surroundings. The symbiote shares all of its knowledge with Brock through their symbiotic relationship, and the creature projects its own desires into Brock's mind. It is also capable of psychically detecting its offspring; however, this ability can be blocked.

The symbiote cannot be detected by Spider-Man's spider-senses, due to its former bond with the hero. As a result, Brock proved able to keep up with the more experienced Spider-Man in combat, while also being able to stalk Peter Parker without his realizing it. The above attributes were conferred upon Brock by the symbiote; without it, most of his attributes are normal.

After divesting himself of the symbiote, Eddie Brock's lingering symbiote cells are charged with the mystical energies of Mister Negative. The cells bond with Eddie's leukocytes, forming a new symbiote, the Anti-Venom. As the chalk-white Anti-Venom, Brock has all the abilities and powers of Venom, plus the ability to "cleanse" human bodies of foreign influences, such as symbiotes, certain people's super powers, sickness, and drugs. He also lacks the main weaknesses of the symbiote race, as extreme heat and sonic waves no longer have any effect on him (the Anti-Venom shows an extremely high resistance to heat when the Radioactive Man forces him to stay exposed to a nuclear bomb explosion heat, and also when he withstands a full blast from the Punisher's flamethrower and emerges completely unharmed). Anti-Venom also cuts out all of Spider-Man's powers if they get too close to each other after he tried to "cleanse" Spider-Man of the trace amount of symbiote in his body as well as of the radiation in his blood.

Eddie Brock is a college graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism.

In other media

Television

File:Eddiebrock2.jpg

A design of Eddie Brock in The Spectacular Spider-Man.

• Venom appears in the 1994 Spider-Man TV series voiced by Hank Azaria. Eddie Brock appears as a journalist working for the Daily Bugle. In "Night of the Lizard," he eventually finds out that Dr. Curt. Connors is the Lizard and tries to report it to Jameson but is trapped by Spider-Man. When Eddie Brock brings J. Jonah Jameson and the cops to Dr. Connors house with a bet that he would eat the newspaper that's printed if he is wrong about Dr. Connors being the Lizard. When Dr. Connors answers the door, by the shuttle's loud noise. Spider-Man ties it to the shuttle as it blasts off. Eddie Brock is seen at Ravencroft in episode "Venom Returns" where he tells Dr. Ashley Kafka about his dual identity. He later reunited with the alien after making a deal with Boron Mordo that he will serve Dormamu in exchange. Venom tries to steal the portal device but is confronted by Spider-Man and War Machine and also Carnage. Though the two aliens steal the device, Venom leaves Dormamu and tries to get revenge on Jameson and Peter at the Daily Bugle. He is then separated by Dr. Connors on the advice of Ashley but regains it when he helps Spider-Man and Iron Man defeat Dormamu and Boron Mordo. But when Carnage attempts to take Ashley with him, Venom pounces on him, releasing Ashley as he is sucked in the portal with Carnage saying 'I will always love you.' as the portal closes.

• Venom appears in the sequel series, Spider-Man Unlimited voiced by Brian Drummond. By this time, the symbiote has merged completely with Eddie Brock and he attempts to conquer Counter-Earth alongside Carnage with an invasion of symbiotes.

• Venom appears in The Spectacular Spider-Man voiced by Benjamin Diskin. In this series, Eddie Brock is a close friend of Peter who works alongside him as an assistant at Empire State University for Dr. Curt Connors. The symbiote was to be studied by Connors after it was discovered on John Jameson's shuttle, but bonded with Spider-Man in a fight with Black Cat causing the lab to lose a grant and Eddie to lose his job. Spider-Man attempts to destroy it after discovering its negative influence, but Eddie (who is already angry with Peter and Spider-Man for various reasons) frees the alien and bonds with it, becoming Venom. At the end the season one finale, the symbiote is tricked into leaving Eddie and Spider-Man buries the symbiote in cement. In the second season, Eddie follows Peter and eventually frees the symbiote. He then attempts to expose Spider-Man's identity, but again fails when the alien rejects him and escapes. Afterward, Eddie is hauled off to a psychiatric facility, vowing that the symbiote will return and that they will destroy Spider-Man.

Film

File:Eddie Brock film.jpg

Teaser of Topher Grace as Eddie Brock Jr. in Spider-Man 3.

• Eddie Brock appears as Venom in the 2007 feature film Spider-Man 3 played by Topher Grace. Unlike in the comics, Eddie Brock is influenced by the symbiote but appears to have more control over it. Eddie Brock is another freelance photographer working at the Daily Bugle shortly before Spider-Man joins with the symbiote and becomes Peter Parker's rival over a staff job. In the movie, Eddie is a smoother evil parallel of Peter Parker. He is romantically attracted to Gwen Stacy although she doesn't return his feelings. Eddie faces public humiliation after creating a fake photo of Spider-Man robbing a bank and is fired by J. Jonah Jameson after being mocked and exposed by Peter, influenced by the symbiote. After Spider-Man abandons the symbiote in a church bell tower, Eddie, who had been in the church praying for Peter's death, discovers Spider-Man's identity. The symbiote falls onto Brock, transforming him into Venom, and he uses his new-found powers to attempt to kill Peter as revenge for his public humiliation. Venom encounters Sandman in an alley and proposes a partnership to eliminate Spider-Man. The bargain sealed, Venom proceeds to kidnap Peter's girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson, and uses her as bait to lure Spider-Man into a trap. Venom fights Spider-Man one-on-one until Sandman joins the battle as he and Venom proceed to overpower Spider-Man, almost killing him but are stopped by Harry Osborn, who eventually defeats Sandman. Venom brutally beats Spider-Man and prepares to finish him when Harry intervenes and is killed by Venom in the process. Peter manages to release Eddie from the symbiote by building a cage of hollow metal pipes around him, hitting them to create a makeshift sonic weapon, and weakening the symbiote. Peter then throws a bomb from Harry's glider into the symbiote to destroy it for good. Eddie tries to prevent its loss by jumping towards the bomb just as it detonates and, despite Peter's attempt to save him, is caught in the resulting explosion along with the symbiote. In the Japanese dub of the film, Eddie Brock is voiced by Toshiyuki Morikawa, , who is the voice of Spider-Man in the Japanese dub of Spider-Man: The Animated Series.

• In July 2007, Avi Arad revealed a spin-off was in the works. In September 2008, Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese signed on to write. Stan Lee has been signed on to make a cameo in the film. Gary Ross has been called to direct the film. Variety has stated that Venom will become an anti-hero, and Marvel Entertainment will produce the film.

Video games

• Venom is a main character in Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage and Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety.

• Venom is a boss character in the 2000 Spider-Man video game voiced by Daran Norris. When the imposter Spider-Man steals Doctor Octopus' experiment, Eddie Brock tries to take pictures only for the imposter Spider-Man to break his camera. This makes Eddie angry enough to turn into Venom. He later captures Mary-Jane and holds her hostage in the sewers. After defeating Venom, Spider-Man convinces Brock that someone has framed him. They reluctantly agree to work together to find the party responsible, starting with a visit to the Daily Bugle to search for information. Unfortunately, Venom detects the present of Carnage. In Doctor Octopus' undersea base, Venom fights Carnage and is defeated. When he and Black Cat escape and return with Captain America to rescue Spider-Man, Venom asks Spider-Man to obtain an autograph from Captain America.

• Venom is a selectable character in fighting games Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, and Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects.

• Venom is a playable character in Ultimate Spider-Man with Eddie Brock Jr. voiced by Daniel Capallaro and Venom voiced by Arthur Burghardt. After a brief battle with Wolverine, Venom continually hunts Spider-Man, until he is captured by the Wild Pack. Venom is manipulated by Bolivar Trask to do various things including attacking Spider-Man. Towards the end of the game, Trask reactivates the dormant Venom cells in Spider-Man's body, transforming him into Carnage. After Venom defeats him and absorbs all remaining Venom cells, he gains the familiar logo on his chest. In the game's epilogue, Venom is seen entering the offshore State Prison where Bolivar Trask is being held and ended up murdering him after taking out the guards.

• Venom is included in the downloadable "Villains Pack" expansion for the Xbox 360 version of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance voiced by Steven Blum. Venom has his Classic, Marvel Knights, Thunderbolts, and Ultimate looks as alternate skins. Venom has special dialogue with Mysterio and Rhino.

• Topher Grace reprised his role as Venom in the Spider-Man 3 video game. Unlike the movie where Venom proposes to the Sandman that they team up to kill Spider-Man, Venom threatens the Sandman's daughter which forces them into an alliance.

• Venom is a boss and unlockable character in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe voiced by Quinton Flynn. Venom appears in the opening cinematics and is the first to be abducted by the P.H.A.N.T.O.M.s. Spider-Man later encounters him at an old church in Transylvania and Spider-Man ungoos the bells in order to defeat him. Venom joins Spider-Man on his quest and mentions that the one responsible had a "bubble for a head."

• Venom is the main villain in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows voiced by Keith Szarabajka. Following his recent fight with Spider-Man, he has discovered that his symbiote has developed the ability to multiply and infects New York with his symbiotes causing S.H.I.E.L.D. to quarantine New York. As the game progresses, Venom appears to gain more control over Brock to the point that he is launching an attack against New York regardless of the innocent lives that will suffer if his symbiotes infect the city. In the final battle aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, Spider-Man is able to convince Brock to resist the symbiote's influence. Depending on the choice of the player, Brock will then either be thrown into the Helicarrier's engines by Spider-Man in order to stop the massive symbiote that Venom has become (Black Suit path) or will voluntarily enter the engine himself to save innocents (Red Suit path).

• In Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, the Eddie Brock version of Venom appears as an alternate costume of Venom (Mac Gargan).

External links

• Eddie Brock at Marvel.com