Venom: 10 Cool Facts Fans May Not Know
With Venom: The Last Dance hitting theaters today, it’s the perfect time to revisit one of Marvel’s most fascinating anti-heroes. Venom made his first cameo appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #299 (1988) and his full debut in Amazing Spider-Man #300, both of which were part of Todd McFarlane’s iconic run. Before that, McFarlane took over the art duties in Amazing Spider-Man #298, marking his first contribution to the web-slinger, soon after which he would help define the look of Venom.
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Venom was originally going to be female. David Michelinie, Venom’s co-creator, initially envisioned Venom as a female character. His idea was for a woman to lose her husband and child in a car accident caused by Spider-Man. The grief-stricken character would blame Spider-Man and bond with the symbiote to exact her revenge. However, this concept was ultimately scrapped in favor of Eddie Brock, who became Venom’s first notable host (Amazing Spider-Man #300, 1988).
Spider-Man’s spider-sense doesn’t work on Venom. One of Venom’s key advantages over Spider-Man is that he cannot be detected by Peter Parker’s Spider-Sense. This is because the symbiote had previously bonded with Spider-Man, making it immune to his early-warning system (Amazing Spider-Man #300, 1988). This gave Venom a major edge in their battles, catching Spider-Man off-guard.
Venom’s first limited series was titled Venom: Lethal Protector and came out in 1993. The series followed Venom as he shifted from being a villain to an anti-hero. Set in San Francisco, the story marked a significant step in Venom’s evolution from Spider-Man’s adversary to a protector of the innocent.
The symbiote has an unusual craving for chocolate. It was revealed in the 1990s that the Venom symbiote needed a chemical called phenethylamine to survive, which is naturally found in human brains but also in chocolate. This craving helped curb Venom’s more violent tendencies in some storylines, including the Venom: The Hunger series (1996).
Venom has telepathic abilities. The symbiote isn’t just about brute force. It has telepathic abilities, allowing it to communicate with its host mentally. This power has allowed it to manipulate its hosts and even communicate with other symbiotes or life forms on different planes (Venom: Space Knight #1, 2015).
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Carnage, one of Marvel’s most dangerous villains, is Venom’s offspring. The symbiote gave birth to Carnage when it bonded with serial killer Cletus Kasady. Carnage first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #361 (1992) and quickly became an even more terrifying version of Venom due to Kasady’s violent tendencies.
While Eddie Brock is the most famous host, Venom has bonded with numerous other characters over the years. Notable hosts include Flash Thompson, who became Agent Venom in 2011 (Amazing Spider-Man #654), and even Mac Gargan (formerly the Scorpion), who used the symbiote during his time with the Thunderbolts.
In more recent comics, it was revealed that Venom’s symbiote has ties to a primordial god named Knull, who controls a symbiotic dragon. This new lore significantly expanded Venom’s history, connecting him to an ancient race of symbiotes (Venom #3, 2018).
Venom was temporarily a hero. Despite his villainous start, Venom has sometimes walked the line between hero and anti-hero. During his time as Agent Venom, Flash Thompson used the symbiote to serve as a government agent, performing black ops missions around the world (Amazing Spider-Man #654, 2011).
Venom’s weaknesses include fire and sonic waves. While incredibly powerful, the Venom symbiote has notable weaknesses to fire and sonic waves. Both of these vulnerabilities have been exploited numerous times in battles against Spider-Man and other heroes (Amazing Spider-Man #300, 1988).
Venom’s journey in Marvel Comics has been one of transformation, evolving from a terrifying villain to a complex anti-hero. His unique abilities, dark origins, and moral ambiguities have made him a fan-favorite for decades. As Venom: The Last Dance takes center stage, it’s a perfect moment to reflect on the fascinating legacy of this iconic character. Feel free to share your thoughts on Venom’s evolution in the comments below. Which fact surprised you the most?
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