It first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #252 and was known as “the alien costume”. Shortly after, he would arrive in the body of Eddie Brock , and would become one of Spider-Man’s most recognizable enemies. This impulsive and violent villain has become quite an antihero , as he now even stars in his own movies. This is everything you need to know about Venom, the most famous parasite in the superhero universe.
Where is Venom born?
Venom is a symbiote, and its origin is extraterrestrial. Specifically, it comes from a planet called Klyntar , located in the Andromeda galaxy. The symbiotes of Venom’s race are also called Klyntar , and despite what it seems at first glance, they are not violent creatures by nature .
The planet Klyntar is a hostile place, so the beings of the same name, the Klyntar, take advantage of their abilities to join other living beings through symbiosis . In this way, both win. The symbiotes take shape at the same time that the hosts receive new abilities, thus maximizing their chances of surviving in a cold and dangerous world.
The evolution of the species took its course, and they began to form a hive mind . However, big problems existed when a Klyntar attached itself to an unsuitable host . In those cases, the symbiotes ended up corrupted, filled with desires for violence and with totally negative emotions. Sensations that end up transmitting to the hive mind of which they were part. It was then that the Agents of the Cosmos acted, disconnecting the corrupted symbiotes from the collective consciousness.
From that moment, without a society to settle in or a livelihood, the Klyntar expelled for their violent attitudes became parasites . They joined other beings directly to take advantage of them, and if they ended the life of the host, they quickly left to find a new victim.
Who is Venom then?
Venom was one of those symbiotes corrupted and disconnected from the hive mind. Together with their host, they started a war on their planet. It was not simply condemned to ostracism but was sent to the Battleworld, also known as World of Battles. It was a space created by the Beyonder, and it is the place where he merges with Spider-Man for the first time in the comics.
First appearance and character development
Our slimy anti-hero first appeared in the comics way back in 1984 during the Secret Wars, and it’s here that Spider-Man ends up fused with Venom by mistake. Spider-Man was looking for alien technology to repair his superhero suit, which had been torn to shreds in the Secret Wars.
Venom appears in the form of a black sphere , inside a machine that is holding him prisoner. Parker touches it, and then, Venom turns into a black Spider-Man suit. Some time passes before Spider-Man himself realizes that something is not right with his new outfit, and tries to free himself from the parasite, something he achieves thanks to sound vibrations on top of a bell tower . Venom flees, and Spidey loses some of the supernatural abilities he had gained from the parasite. However, the symbiote has kept the hero’s memories , which it will later use against him upon finding a new host.
Although Venom still considers Spider-Man his ideal body, the Klyntar ends up teaming up with Eddie Brock , a journalist who is fired from his job and whose life has become hell because of Spider-Man. The symbiote was attracted by that thirst for revenge , and it is when it merges with him that we can consider that it becomes Venom.
How is Venom? Antihero personality analysis
Like all corrupt Klyntar, Venom is addicted to violence and destruction . With Brock’s help, things get even worse. The character becomes more sadistic as he spends more time with his new host, even forcing him to commit cannibalism to quench his thirst for blood.
In addition, Venom is a metepatas, because he is not capable of lying . He always shows his thoughts as they are, without camouflaging them in the least. At the same time, he is absurdly arrogant, which is why Eddie Brock suits him perfectly.
Venom’s powers and weaknesses
Like any comic book character, whether hero or villain, Venom has his strengths and weaknesses. The Klyntar has not always had the same powers, one or the other being more present depending on the comic or the film in question.
Venom powers
- Shared Memory and Genetic Memories : Venom is capable of infecting a host, accessing its memories, and passing them on to its new host. Thanks to this, Eddie Brock knows the identity of Spider-Man.
- Strength and Stamina – The Klyntar is capable of gaining a great deal of strength based on the host it conquers. At the same time, it is capable of withstanding blows, and even bullets, thanks to its amorphous nature and semi-liquid state. It also does not need oxygen to survive, allowing its host to survive underwater.
- Tissue Regeneration : Venom can heal his host at great speed, as well as even heal metabolic and genetic diseases in his host. It’s a glimpse of their symbiotic origins; after all, he needs to survive.
- Web Creation – Likely, an ability gained from her union with Peter Parker. His webs are sturdier than Spidey’s own and much stickier.
- “Spider” Instinct – This is another one of the abilities that Venom takes from Spider-Man. However, Venom does not trigger Parker’s spider-sense. It is speculated that it is because Spidey was a symbiote that his power no longer works with Venom.
- Shapeshifting and Camouflage : Venom can transform into any outfit of clothing, tool, or even biological form.
- Poison Toxin – Acquired through Brock, the symbiote is capable of releasing powerful poison through its fangs.
Venom Weaknesses
As we have seen, the Klyntar has exceptional powers. However, it also has some weaknesses :
- Loud Sounds and Sound Waves – Mechanical sound waves are capable of separating Venom from its host. It is in fact what Spider-Man did to free himself from him.
- Heat and fire : high temperatures are capable of damaging the symbiote, leaving it completely out of action. Fire is therefore a very effective weapon against the parasite.
- Electricity : As with fire, the electric current does damage to the Klyntar, although it can also damage its host, of course.
