Venom

Creation & Design

Venom was created by writer David Michelinie and artist Todd McFarlane, first appearing in 'The Amazing Spider-Man' as a dark reflection of Spider-Man, showcasing the consequences of power and obsession.

Early Years

Initially introduced as a villain to Spider-Man, Venom quickly gained popularity, leading to his own series and evolving into an anti-hero with a complex moral code.

Character Development

Over the years, Venom has evolved from a villain into a complex anti-hero, grappling with his darker impulses while striving to protect the innocent, making him one of Marvel's most beloved characters.

Cultural Reception

Venom has received a mixed but generally positive reception, with fans praising his anti-hero status and complex character arc.

Character Details

Real Name:
Eddie Brock
Aliases:
Venom, Anti-Venom, Toxin
Species:
Human/Alien Symbiote
Gender:
Male
Affiliations:
Spider-Man, The Sinister Six, The Thunderbolts
Abilities:
Superhuman strength, Regeneration, Shape-shifting, Web-slinging
Equipment:
Symbiote suit, Web-shooters
Weight:
225lbs
Height:
6' 10"
Eye Color:
white
Hair Color:
black
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Fantagraphics ⋅ 1983

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First published sketch of Spider-Man's black costume, side view of the suit

Fantagraphics ⋅ 1983

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Preview sketch of Spider-Man's black costume, rear view of the suit

Heroes Hotline ⋅ 1983

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Preview sketch of Spider-Man's black costume, front and back view of the suit

Street Enterprises ⋅ 1983

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Preview sketch of Spider-Man's black costume, front, side and rear view plus crouching stance

Fantagraphics ⋅ 1984

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Preview sketch of Spider-Man's black costume, crouching position

Marvel ⋅ 1984

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Preview sketch of Spider-Man's black costume with spider logo colored red

The design of this costume is courtesy of a Marvel fan from Norridge, Illinois, Randy Schueller

Marvel Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter, paid Schueller $220 for ownership of the costume design which debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #252 with a white logo instead of the red spider emblem from the original design (tap cover and swipe for interior images)

Fantagraphics ⋅ 1984

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Solicitation for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1

Preview of Spider-Man’s Symbiote suit

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1st appearance of Spider-Man's black costume

Cited as being tied with Marvel Team-Up #141 as the first appearance of the black costume, this issue went on sale January 31,1984

Marvel Team-Up #141 went on sale February 14,1984

Cover art inspired by Amazing Fantasy #15

The symbiote costume was designed by a Marvel fan from Illinois named Randy Schueller who was paid $220 by Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter for the concept

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2nd appearance of Spider-Man's black costume

According to solicitations from 1984, The Amazing Spider-Man #252 went on sale January 31

Marvel Team-up #141 and The Spectacular Spider-Man #90 both went on sale February 14

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2nd appearance of Spider-Man's black costume, tied with Spectacular Spider-Man #90

According to solicitations from 1984, The Amazing Spider-Man #252 went on sale January 31

Marvel Team-up #141 and The Spectacular Spider-Man #90 both went on sale February 14

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Reed Richards discovers Spider-Man's black costume is an alien symbiote

Debut of Spider-Man’s Bombastic Bag Man costume, a temporary disguise consisting of a Fantastic Four uniform with a brown paper bag for a mask

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"Secret Wars" part 8

Origin of the black symbiote costume that later bonds with Eddie Brock to become Venom

2nd appearance of Spider-Woman, Julia Carpenter

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1st cameo appearance of Eddie Brock, hands only, pushing Peter Parker into the path of an oncoming train

The hands that push Peter Parker in this panel were intended to be those of a woman who lost her family in an accident, indirectly caused by Spider-Man but eventually Eddie became the main antagonist in the symbiote suit

This scene is retold from Brock's perspective in The Amazing Spider-Man #388

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Specialty border printed on select covers published in November 1986 celebrating Marvel's 25th Anniversary or more precisely, the 25th year since Fantastic Four #1 was published in November 1961

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2nd cameo appearance of Eddie Brock, a shadowy hand

Fantagraphics ⋅ 1987

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First preview appearance of Venom, the symbiote merged with Eddie Brock

Starlog ⋅ 1988

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Second preview appearance of Venom

Article about the 300th anniversary issue of Spider-Man

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1st cameo appearance of Venom, creeping over Eddie Brock's hands

First cover art by Todd McFarlane on the Amazing Spider-Man title

1st team appearance of the Life Foundation led by Carlton Drake

1st appearance of Carlton Drake who discovered there were five symbiote seeds that could be extracted from the Venom symbiote

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2nd cameo appearance of Venom

A copy of Amazing Spider-Man #299 is seen in the movie Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988) being read by Jeff Conaway

⚠️ Debatable Firsts: Todd McFarlane explains in an interview that he considers The Amazing Spider-Man #299 the first full appearance of Venom but various comic book resources changed it to The Amazing Spider-Man #300

View additional images by tapping the cover image and swiping left

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1st full appearance of Venom

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2nd appearance of Venom

1st partial cover appearance of Venom

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3rd appearance of Venom

1st full cover appearance of Venom - head appears in and inset of issue #315

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4th appearance of Venom

Marvel ⋅ 1990

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First appearance of Venom outside of a Spider-Man title

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First time Venom is depicted with a long tongue and drool, a significant addition to Venom's design, added by Erik Larsen

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Cletus Kasady becomes infected by the Venom symbiote, later becomes Carnage

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Iconic cover art by Erik Larsen

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First solo story featuring Venom

Marvel ⋅ 1992

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1st appearance of a Venomized character - Thor appears on the cover, bonded to a symbiote but not the interior story

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1st full appearance of Carnage, spawned from the extraterrestrial parasite known as the Venom symbiote

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Origin of Venom, the first meeting of Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote

'First Kill' told in 3 back-up chapters

Part 2: Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #12

Part 3: Web of Spider-Man Annual #8

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Part 2 of the three-part story, 'First Kill' that recounts the origin of how Eddie Brock and Venom bonded

Part 1: The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #26

Part 3: Web of Spider-Man Annual #8

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Conclusion of the first solo Venom story 'First Kill' told in 3 back-up stories

Part 1: Amazing Spider-Man Annual #26

Part 2: Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #12

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Battle of Spider-man and Daredevil vs Venom

Issue exclusively obtained through a UNICEF mail-in charity drive

Interior pin-up poster included

Marvel ⋅ 1992

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Alternate reality story where the Venom symbiote bonds with the Punisher

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First solo series featuring Venom

1st cameo appearance of General Orwell Taylor

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Gold holofoil cover

1st appearance of Ann Weying, Eddie Brock’s ex-wife who later becomes She-Venom

1st appearance of Carl Brock, Eddie's father

Parody Press ⋅ 1993

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Parody of Venom

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1st appearance of Scream

1st cameo appearance of Agony

1st cameo appearance of Lasher

1st cameo appearance of Phage

1st cameo appearance Riot

[April 2023 - Juno Temple’s casting in Venom 3 will likely cause speculation that she will portray Scream]

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"Maximum Carnage" part 6

First meeting of Morbius and Venom

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Glow-in-the-dark cover art

Marvel ⋅ 1994

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Battle of Iron Man vs Venom

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Origin of Eddie Brock, events retold from his point-of-view first seen in Web of Spider-Man #18

Originally, the unseen individual who pushed Peter Parker in front of the train was supposed to be a woman and her hands were illustrated as such but later, the character who would be Venom was changed to Eddie Brock

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Battle of The Incredible Hulk against Venom

Issue exclusively obtained through a UNICEF mail-in charity drive

Foil, embossed cover

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"Planet of the Symbiotes" part 1 in a 5 part series

Origin of the Alien Symbiote

Flip book cover paying homage to McFarlane's Spider-Man #1 featuring the Scarlet Spider

Title colored with silver ink

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1st full appearance of She-Venom

Marvel ⋅ 1995

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Marvel and Malibu publisher crossover

Venom is depicted with bat-like wings and claims to be a dark god

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Final issue featuring a team-up of Venom and Dr. Octopus

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Separation of Eddie Brock from the alien symbiote

Final issue of a three-part limited series that marked the end of an era for the Venom character who headlined twenty-three miniseries over a 5 year period

Interest in Venom waned by 1998 causing Marvel to reduce the character's presence for a number of years

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Cover art by Erik Larsen featuring Venom and Doctor Octopus teamed-up against Spider-Man

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