History Characters / MarvelComicsVenom

* CreateYourOwnVillain: All the symbiote originally wanted was to [[HeroicHost help]] Spider-Man. It was only when Peter rejected it on the grounds that it was alive and trying to [[FusionDance permanently bond with him]] that it became embittered and angry.
* CurbStompBattle: During one of the symbiote's moonlit joyrides, it came across Sandman. Baker engulfed Spider-Man attempting to smother him, only for the symbiote to rip him apart from the inside.

'''The Venom Symbiote''' | [[Characters/VenomMainHosts Main hosts of Venom]] ([[Characters/VenomEddieBrock Eddie Brock]] | [[Characters/MarvelComicsFlashThompson Flash Thompson]]) | [[Characters/VenomOtherHosts Other hosts of Venom]] | [[Characters/AlternateIncarnationsOfVenom Alternate Incarnations of Venom]] | [[Characters/VenomSupportingCharacters Supporting Characters]] | [[Characters/VenomRoguesGallery Rogues Gallery]]\\

[[Characters/MarvelComicsCarnage Carnage (Character)]] ([[Characters/CarnageCletusKasady Cletus Kasady]]) | [[Characters/MarvelComicsToxin Toxin (Character)]] | [[Characters/MarvelComicsScream Scream (Character)]]\\

Some time afterwards, it bonded to disgraced reporter [[Characters/VenomEddieBrock Eddie Brock]]. Sensing his hatred towards Spider-Man and becoming corrupted by Brock, the two twisted each other's emotions until only their hatred towards Spider-Man remained. Rechristening themselves Venom, they would become a threat to both Peter Parker and Spider-Man, using their knowledge of Spider-Man's identity to torment him. Eventually, Eddie, the symbiote and Peter would come to an uneasy truce to leave each other alone, and the symbiote would get up to... a lot afterwards.

* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: After bonding with Eddie the symbiote consistently manifests a wide mouth of fangs even when not bonded to a host. Spider-Man practically said this word-for-word in one story. A few appearances show that it can look [[http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/1/15659/3434278-venom-separation_anxiety%232-escape_route.jpg just]] [[http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/1/15659/3434284-venom-separation_anxiety%234-here.jpg as]] [[http://symbiote.fr/images/comics/venom-symbiotes0109.jpg creepy]] without them.

* ShapeshifterWeapon: The Venom symbiote was first shown possessing this power during Eddie Brock's fight with Nova, though it was rarely used and most writers acted like it was unique to Carnage. When bonded to Mac Gargan it once formed a scorpion-like tail to emulate his former identity; and when bonded to Flash it frequently formed weapons like [[BladeBelowTheShoulder blade-arms]] and [[EpicFlail tentacle-flail]]s.

** When the symbiote first met [[ComicBook/ScarletSpider Ben Reilly]], it tried to leave the unconscious Eddie for him, sensing his [[CloningBlues similarities]] to Peter. It found the state of mind Ben was in at the time distasteful, and quickly returned to Eddie.

* TrulySingleParent: Symbiotes reproduce asexually, and Venom "gave birth" to [[AxCrazy Carnage]], [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Agony, Phage, Riot, Lasher, Scream]], Sleeper and technically [[GoodCostumeSwitch Anti-Venom]] and [[CloningBlues Mania]].

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: The symbiote was exiled from its planet for refusing to kill its hosts, which deemed it a freak amongst its species. That's right, Venom was the ''one'' exception to an AlwaysChaoticEvil race. Of course, this characterization doesn't make a good villain, and was promptly forgotten by every writer on the planet, as prior to its return to the Klyntar Homeworld, it was usually presented as a [[ToServeMan man-eating]] parasitic monstrosity. Arguably justified as its experiences on Earth are explicitly mentioned to have driven it insane.

* AnimalThemedSuperbeing: Venom is a spider-based anti-hero, justified in that the symbiote's first and favorite host was Franchise/SpiderMan. Considering its third host was called The Scorpion, this trope was doubled, in a way.

The symbiote has been bonded to other hosts over the years, some of whom have taken the Venom identity and fulfilled various roles. Angelo Fortunato bought it at an auction and used it mostly for shits and giggles, ComicBook/MacGargan returned it to its supervillain roots, Flash Thompson was the first straight-up heroic version of Venom, and Lee Price used it to better his position in organized crime.

* MultipleChoicePast: Its backstory has been remarkably inconsistent over the last few decades. ''Venom vs. Carnage'' named it as the 998th of its lineage, ''ComicBook/VenomSpaceKnight'' showed it hatching from a cave on Klyntar, and [[ComicBook/VenomDonnyCates Donny Cates]] and [[ComicBook/VenomEwingAndRamV Ram V]] state it to be the first symbiote created by Knull.

* RogueSoldier: ''ComicBook/VenomDonnyCates'' and ''ComicBook/VenomEwingAndRamV'' establish it was once a loyal vassal of Knull, but decided to stop following his orders and was cast out of the Hive as punishment.

** Eddie has taken to calling it "His Other".

** Eddie has recently taken to calling it "His Other".

'''The Venom Symbiote''' | [[Characters/VenomMainHosts Main hosts of Venom]] ([[Characters/VenomEddieBrock Eddie Brock]] | [[Characters/VenomFlashThompson Flash Thompson]]) | [[Characters/VenomOtherHosts Other hosts of Venom]] | [[Characters/AlternateIncarnationsOfVenom Alternate Incarnations of Venom]] | [[Characters/VenomSupportingCharacters Supporting Characters]] | [[Characters/VenomRoguesGallery Rogues Gallery]]\\

Some time afterwards, it bonded to disgraced reporter [[Characters/VenomEddieBrock Eddie Brock]]. Sensing his hatred of Spider-Man and becoming corrupted by Brock, the two twisted each other's emotions until only their hatred of Spider-Man remained. Rechristening themselves Venom, they would become a threat to both Peter Parker and Spider-Man, using their knowledge of Spider-Man's identity to torment him. Eventually, Eddie, the symbiote and Peter would come to an uneasy truce to leave each other alone, and the symbiote would get up to... a lot afterwards.

* IconicLogo: The stylized white spider emblem on its chest and back, though each host other than Peter, Eddie, and Mania - who share the same design - has a unique variation.

* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: It was initially benevolent, but Deadpool's psychosis, Peter's rejection, and Eddie's hatred sent it down a dark path. Having been [[HeelFaceBrainwashing forcefully purged of its bloodlust]], it was restored to its original benevolent state. Bonding to Mercurio seemingly causes it to succumb to corruption once more, though it admits being good was fun while it lasted. The next issue reveals that it [[HeelFaceMole was mostly an act]], but it rapidly succumbs to bloodlust and hatred soon afterwards. It later began to recover only for it and Flash to be forcefully separated resulting in it needing to find a new host. Unfortunately it choose Lee Price because of his similarities to Flash but instead of the good man the symbiote expects Lee to be, Lee turns out to be a sociopath, who than uses it to launch his super villain career. Eddie later reclaims it and they return to being anti-heroes but the symbiote becomes sick thanks to chemicals put in Eddie's system by the FBI which starts to drive it mad. Eddie is able to cure it however, leaving it as a Face for the time being.

** It also did this to Peter, [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk the Hulk]], and [[Comicbook/TheMightyThor even Thor]] in a ''ComicBook/WhatIf'' story. (In that AlternateUniverse, it was not a symbiote at all, but a true parasite.)