Venom

Venom is a recently recruited member of the Villain League, and the arch-nemesis of Spiderman. Venom, or Eddie Brock, is a Symbiote life form in the Marvel Comics universe. The Venom creature gives its host enhanced abilities such as strength, sight, and more. A Symbiote finds the system of a human and gets into the hosts mind and makes the host an increasingly aggrivated person who performs often lethal and generally destructive actions. In effect, when the Venom Symbiote bonds with a human to form a supervillain, that new dual-life form itself is also often called Venom. Its second host Eddie Brock, after bonding with the Symbiote to become the first Venom, is one of Spider-Man's greatest foes. Spider-Man was the first host it merged with before its evil motives were clear. After Spider-Man's body rejected it, the symbiote went on to merge with other hosts (starting with the most famous Venom: Eddie Brock) and so began its reign as the villain known as Venom. 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 enemies."

Spider-ManEdit
[1][2]The Venom Symbiote bonds to Spider-Man in Secret Wars #8). Text by Jim Shooter. Pencils by Mike Zeck.Main article: Spider-ManIn Secret Wars #8 (December 1984), Spider-Man damages his costume in combat on Battleworld and is directed to a facility which can provide a new one to him. Before having the chance to recover a new suit, Spider-Man stumbles into the prison module the Symbiote has been trapped in. He then activates the machine which releases thePeter wearing the symbioteAdded by Dinoking51 Symbiote in the form of a black liquid. Spider-Man's "Spider-sense" initially tingles, and then stops upon Spider-Man's first contact with the liquid; it covers his body and, reacting to Spider-Man's thoughts about the costume worn by the second Spider-Woman. To Spider-Man's surprise, the costume can mimic street clothes and provides a seemingly inexhaustible and stronger supply of webbing.[13]

Once back on Earth, Spider-Man uses the costume alot and happy with its new abilitys it grants him, but every day when he wakes up he feels so tired. He then learns the costume is a sentient alien Symbiote that loves to control his power and often controls his body while he sleeps, but also wishes to bond with him permantly and take him over. With the aid of Mister Fantastic and the Human Torch, Spider-Man discovers the Symbiote is vulnerable to sound and flame, and he uses sonic waves to remove it and flames to scare it into a containment module.[14] Late the Symbiote escapes at night and finds its way to Peter Parker's closet and disguises itself as a spare red and blue costume. When Peter puts it on it then attempts to forcibly bond itself to Spider-Man. Later, the Vulturions attack and Spider-Man forces himself into a church belltower. As the bells ring to sound the hour, Spider-Man fights through willpower to reject the Symbiote, leaving both the alien and Spider-Man weakened. The Symbiote, using its remaining strength, carries an unconscious Spider-Man to safety from the bells before it slithers away.[15] Spider-Man's rejection of the Symbiote would later leave it extremely bitter toward Spider-Man, a trait it would share with its future hosts.

Eddie BrockEdit
[3][4]e|Template:Eddie Brock premieres as the first Venom in the final panel of ASM #299Main article: Eddie Brock The first and most famous Venom, Eddie Brock, was a reporter for the "Daily Bugle" before he fabricated a story revealing the identity of nature and he was a very bad actor he does not deserve to have that position, costing him his job and then his wife. Now writing for cheap gossip magazines, Brock centers the frustration of his life on utter loathing of Spider-Man, which only escalates when it is revealed he has cancer. In response, Brock begins working out, bringing his body to a higher Eddie and the symbiote both hate spiderman and together there more than a match for the web slingerAdded by Dinoking51performance.[16] Unable to cope with his misfortune, Brock contemplates suicide and goes to a church to pray for forgiveness. Meanwhile, the Symbiote,after having recovered seeps down a crack, and finds Brock and finds itself psychically attracted to him for both his increased adrenaline and mutual hatred for Spider-Man and bonds with him to become Venom.

In Amazing Spider-Man #298, they formed into the first version of the dark, villainous creature known as Venom. Venom first appeared at the end of issue #299, which led into a full-length Venom story in issue #300. The name Venom originally applied to Brock, over the Symbiote. Yet over the years, as the Symbiote itself lent toward more intelligence and moved to additional human hosts, the name began to apply to the Symbiote as well as its hosts. Brock fought Spider-Man as Venom many times, and came close to winning on several occasions. As well as helping Eddie to seek continued revenge against Spider-Man, the Symbiote also allowed him to indulge in a sporadic career as a vigilante. Eddie and the Symbiote both shared, at times, a desire to protect innocent people from all harm, even if it meant working side-by-side with the hated Spider-Man.

AbilitiesEdit
Though it requires a living host in order to survive, the Venom Symbiote has been shown on some occasions to be able to fend for itself with its own set of unique powers. The Symbiote, even without a host, has shown shapeshifting abilities like forming spikes and expanding its size.[citation needed]

The Symbiote is telepathic and does not require physical contact to influence the minds of others. In Planet Of the Symbiotes, the creature, after being rejected by its host, emits a psychic scream which drives nearby humans to states of extreme depression. Later, with the assistance of Eddie Brock, it emits an even more powerful variant of that power which results in the mass suicide of an invasive force of Symbiotes. The Symbiote can also blend with any background, using an optic-camouflage type of effect, and shapeshift to resemble ordinary clothing. Venom is immune to the Penance Stare, an ability used by Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze and Daniel Ketch.[citation needed] The Symbiote also augments the strength of its hosts.

The Symbiote originally rejected its species' habit of consuming its hosts, but in some interpretations it still required certain chemicals (human adrenaline) in order to survive. When starved of these chemicals, the Symbiote developed a mutable exoskeleton, allowing it to form its own solid body which it used to hunt and kill prey without the assistance of a host. However, because of Brock's, and later Gargan's, influence on its personality the Symbiote has developed a taste for blood, which both its hosts were forced to sate by physically devouring their victims. Later, the suit's evolution progressed and as shown in the 2003 Venom comic book series, its clone could spontaneously jump from host to host and after every departure said hosts would be left dead.

Because of its contact with Spider-Man, the Symbiote cannot be detected by the hero's spider-sense. As Spider-Man's fighting style is partly dependent on his spider-sense, his effectiveness was somewhat hampered when he battled Eddie Brock, allowing the less experienced Brock to keep up with him. However, the Symbiote is vulnerable to loud noises, such as the ringing of church bells.

Some interpretations of the Venom Symbiote has been shown to have the ability to replicate itself. This ability is shown in Spider-Man: Reign, when Venom recreates his own Symbiote to combat his loneliness. This ability is also used by Venom in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, when Venom discovers the ability to copy his Symbiote and uses it to take over Manhattan. Such an ability has not been demonstrated in the main 616 universe.

Role in the series
Venom, despite having made zero appearances so far, is currently speculated to appear alongside Carnage as minions of Ursula and Dr. Facilier in either the Little Mermaid or Who Framed Roger Rabbit.