42 Years Later, Marvel Reinvents Venom Lore With One Tragic Twist

Published Aug 29, 2026, 5:45 PM EDT Jared is a writer, editor, and Communications Studies graduate who loves popular nerd culture (almost anything to do with Marvel, DC, Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings) and the interactive storytelling medium. Jared's first console was the PS1, wherein he fell for Spider-Man, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot. Sign in to your ScreenRant account To say that Venom lore has changed since the black alien symbiote debuted in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars (1984) #8 would be a gross understatement. Indeed, the symbiote has come a long way from discreetly being Spider-Man’s new black costume, which was explicitly inspired by Spider-Woman’s, white spider symbol and all. Now, during Marvel Comics’ Queen in Black crossover event, it’s still quite surreal to see Mary Jane Watson willingly bonded with the same symbiote that petrified her 38 years ago. It can be rather dizzying trying to comprehend symbiote lore, but all readers may need to know regarding Venom, specifically, is that Queen in Black is concluding MJ’s All-New Venom era, and a new Venom relaunch will return to the status quo of Eddie Brock as Venom. In the meantime, the symbiote isn’t looking forward to having to work with a brilliant Marvel character who tortured it and poisoned its original host against it more than four decades ago. Venom And Reed Richards Have Bad Blood In The Amazing Spider-Man #258, Peter learns the ‘sinister secret’ of his black-and-white costume actually being a “sentient being” when he has it analyzed by Reed Richards at the Baxter Building. Sci-fi horror swiftly segues into comedy, though, when Reed’s sonic blaster successfully separates the symbiote from Peter, who’s then left in his underwear and given an old Fantastic Four costume and a paper bag to wear, becoming The Amazing Spider-Man’s Bombastic Bag-Man. The last page of the issue foreshadows the imprisoned symbiote plotting its revenge, with the “entity” soon escaping and disguising itself as the red-and-blue Spider-Man costume in Peter’s apartment. Peter was freed this time by the tolling of church bells, and the “shadow” would eventually bond with a suicidal Eddie to become Venom. Venom’s POV Rewrites Symbiote Lore As We Know It As per the preview pages for Venom #261, releasing this Wednesday, it’s incredible to see such an iconic moment from Spider-Man’s rich Marvel Comics history told from a new perspective, as it completely recontextualizes it. Here, readers finally learn what it was like for the symbiote to be struck with sonic waves, enwreathed in fire, and trapped in a container, all while experiencing its beloved host actively rooting for its demise. Of course, while it was evidently terrifying for the symbiote to endure such torture, it was also clearly anxiety-inducing for Peter, who was afraid that he’d never be rid of the alien organism clinging onto him for dear life—as anyone would be, surely, if they heard that a creature was “attempting to permanently graft itself” to their body. Venom’s traumatic recounting of this event will apparently fan the flames of its resentment toward Reed, a “monster” that the symbiote—who, independent of any host, now officially goes by the name “Venom”—must begrudgingly team up with. The solicitation for Venom #261 reads as follows: VENOM’S OLDEST ENEMY RETURNS! Long ago, a friend of Reed Richards had a problem — an alien costume that didn’t want to come off. Reed Richards blasted it off with a sonic weapon and imprisoned it for study. It seemed like a good idea at the time… but now he’s got to work with that alien to save the world — and Venom holds one heck of a grudge! Venom #261 is scheduled to be released on September 2, 2026. Created By David Michelinie, Todd McFarlane Cast Tom Hardy, Topher Grace First Appearance The Amazing Spider-Man Alias Eddie Brock RELATIONSHIPS Eddie Brock (primary host and ally), Peter Parker/Spider-Man (initial enemy, later uneasy ally), Anne Weying (former wife of Eddie Brock and occasional host), Cletus Kasady/Carnage (offspring of the Venom symbiote and a deadly enemy) Alliance Vigilante Venom is a symbiotic alien entity bonded with various human hosts, notably Eddie Brock and later Flash Thompson. It grants superhuman strength, agility, and a shape-shifting black costume. Initially a Spider-Man villain due to its origins, Venom evolved into an antihero, battling both villains and his own dark impulses. The character embodies themes of duality and redemption within the Marvel Universe. Race Klyntar (Symbiote species) Movies Spider-Man 3, Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Venom: The Last Dance TV Shows Spider-Man, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy Video Games The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man: The Video Game, Ultimate Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows Franchise Marvel, Spider-Man, Venom POWERS Superhuman strength, speed, agility, and endurance, Ability to cling to surfaces, Shape-shifting abilities (forming weapons, shields), Regeneration and healing factor, Immunity to Spider-Man's spider-sense, Enhanced senses, Able to produce webbing, Bonding with a host to share or amplify powers, Immunity to all Earthly diseases HISTORY The Venom symbiote is an alien organism that first bonded with Peter Parker (Spider-Man) during the "Secret Wars" storyline. After Parker rejected the symbiote, it found a new host in Eddie Brock, a disgraced journalist. The symbiote and Brock bonded over their mutual hatred for Spider-Man, becoming the anti-hero known as Venom. Over time, Venom has evolved from a villain to an anti-hero, often fighting alongside other heroes to protect innocents, though his methods remain brutal. NAME Venom (Symbiote), Eddie Brock (most prominent host) Age Ancient Height Around 6'3" (190 cm) when bonded with Eddie Brock Comic Books Venom #1, Marvel's Venom: Lethal Protector #1, Venom: Lethal Protector II #1, Venom: Space Knight #13, Venomized #1, King in Black #1