History Characters / Venom

* [[SpikesOfVillainy Spikes Of Heroism]]: Following Flash joining the Thunderbolts, the symbiote's pauldrons, vambraces, and greaves are [[http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_maesxk16QE1qc63ooo1_500.jpg drawn as being studded with spikes]] meant to make them resemble an arthropod carapace.

After ditching Angelo, the symbiote [[DealWithTheDevil directly approaches]] Gargan, already an established SuperVillain called [[BewareMyStingerTail the]] [[ScaryScorpions Scorpion]], offering him new abilities in exchange for murdering Spider-Man. Gargan agrees, and becomes the third incarnation of Venom just in time to join NormanOsborn's [[VillainTeamUp Sinister Twelve]]. He was imprisoned and became a member of the [[VillainWithGoodPublicity government-sponsored]] vigilantes [[ThunderBolts The Thunderbolts]], taking part in the Comicbook/CivilWar and helping hold off the [[AlienInvasion Skrull Invasion]]. Gargan's stint as Venom is characterized by an increasing dependence on the symbiote and its powers, despite the limitations that result - [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything almost like a drug addict]]. He becomes increasingly [[AxCrazy erratic]] and unstable, driven by the symbiote's bloodlust to commit [[IAmAHumanitarian cannibalism]], even to the point of attacking his teammates and disobeying orders to chow down on street thugs. Following Osborn being made the head of SHIELD, Gargan is given a drug that reverts the symbiote to the appearance it had when Peter Parker wore it and joins the [[EvilKnockoff Dark Avengers]], where he impersonates Spider-Man. After Osborn's botched invasion of Asgard, Gargan was arrested and forcefully separated from the symbiote by the government, who begin researching ways to weaponize it for the American army. Without his armour or the symbiote to stabilize the changes made to his body by the process that gave him his powers, Gargan's health began to deteriorate until his was broken free by Alistair Smythe and fitted with a new Scorpion suit.

* IAmAHumanitarian: Various times during his tenure with {{Thunderbolts}} and DarkAvengers he was accused (and guilty) of such. At one point, NormanOsborn threatened to personally dispose of him when pictures of Gargan going AWOL and chowing down on various criminals almost went public.

Peter Parker's former JerkJock of a friend. Flash enlists in the army during the [[TheWarOnTerror Iraq War]] and is grievously wounded in action, losing the use of both legs while saving his comrades. Lauded as a hero for his sacrifice, he is given an offer by the military: he can "rent" the Venom symbiote for short periods (never long enough for the symbiote to establish control) for important missions, regaining the use of his legs in the process. Thompson agrees and subsequently becomes the new Venom, marking the character's transition to fully-fledged [[{{Superhero}} hero]]. In addition to the usual plethora of abilities, Thompson is a trained marksman, and uses a variety of firearms in his capacity as a government-sponsored SuperSoldier. However, should Flash become angry while wearing the symbiote, it will [[SuperPoweredEvilSide assume control of his body]].

* SelfDestructMechanism: Initially had one of these placed by the government on him if he ever went out of control in the suit.

* [[SpikesOfVillainy Spikes Of Heroism]]: The symbiote's pauldrons, vambraces, and greaves are [[http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_maesxk16QE1qc63ooo1_500.jpg occasionally drawn as being studded with spikes]] meant to make them resemble an arthropod carapace.

Venom stalked Peter, attacking him at school, but their brawl was interrupted when Venom stepped on a broken power line. Eddie vanished for some time, later revealed to have been hiding in Central Park and feeding off the homeless population, although trace remnants of the suit in Peter's blood were unwittingly used to create Carnage, a vampiric monster. During a brawl with Spider-Man, the suit left Eddie and bonded to Peter, taking over him before being removed and seized by the Ultimates. Having grown addicted to the suit's power, Eddie attempted to threaten Peter into retrieving it, but the reborn Carnage intervened and in the ensuing fight the particles of the Venom suit within Eddie reformed. Venom eventually gained the upper hand against Carnage and devoured it, transforming into an even more monstrous state and regurgitating Carnage's host, a clone of Gwen Stacey. Venom retreated, but was captured by the Beetle and taken to Latveria.

* StrongAsTheyNeedToBe: Marvel's official handbook consistently states that Eddie, both as Venom and Anti-Venom, could lift up to 11 tons, putting him just over Peter's 10 tons, yet there have been occasions where he duked it out with the Juggernaut - whose strength is technically limitless - and Mac Gargan - who was able to lift 15 tons even without the Venom symbiote, which boosted his strength to ''60'' tons - and came out on top.

Peter quickly discovered the "Black Suit" could respond to his thoughts and whims, shapeshifting to resemble any clothing he imagined, creating its own webbing, and sliding away from his mouth so he could eat and drink without taking off his mask. Impressed, Peter took the Black Suit with him when he was returned to Earth. Despite its advantages, the Black Suit's autonomy began to unnerve Peter, who was becoming increasingly exhausted: the Black Suit was [[PuppeteerParasite taking over his body while he slept and using it to fight crime]]. Wanting answers, Peter visited the FantasticFour and asked Reed Richards to analyze it. Richards revealed to Peter that the Black Suit was not a costume, but a sentient extraterrestrial [[TheSymbiote symbiote]] that was attempting to permanently merge with him. Horrified and disgusted, Peter had the Fantastic Four remove the creature, discovering it was [[WeaksauceWeakness vulnerable to intense sonic and heat]], and returned to his classic red-and-blue outfit. The symbiote [[IfICantHaveYou did not take Peter's rejection well]] and eventually escaped captivity, disguising itself as Peter's original costume and attempting to force itself on him during his fight with the Vulturions. In his struggle to remove it, Peter retreated to the bell-tower of an abandoned church and rung the bell, weakening the symbiote, which seemingly sacrificed itself to save him. Peter was given a synthetic copy of the Black Suit by his then-girlfriend Felicia Hardy, who thought it was sexier than his red-and-blue costume, and wore it until the symbiote returned in the form of Venom. He still wears it from time to time, usually when a villain pushes his BerserkButton too far.

Eventually, Eddie [[DespairEventHorizon cannot take it anymore]]. Raised a devout Catholic, he goes to his local church to pray for forgiveness for the [[DrivenToSuicide suicide he is contemplating]] - unaware that Spider-Man has used the bells in the selfsame church to drive away the Venom symbiote. The symbiote, lying in wait in the rafters for an appropriate host, bonds to Brock. In the process, Brock learns Spider-Man's true identity, and Brock's overwhelming hatred for Spider-Man [[GoMadFromTheRevelation taints the symbiote]].

* CantStayNormal: Eddie goes form being Venom to Anti-Venom [[spoiler: to being Toxin]] with brief periods of humanity in between.

* OffingTheOffspring: Carnage, Scream, and the Life Foundation symbiotes were all on Eddie's hit list.

* {{Yandere}}: For a while, Eddie was this towards his ex-wife Anne Weying, and when she committed suicide he devolved back into a villain. During the ''New Ways To Live'' miniseries, Eddie displays some yandere tendencies towards [[MoralityChain Jenna Cole]], outwardly admitting she's all that's keeping him from a FaceHeelTurn and going [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge utterly berserk]] when she is kidnapped.

After the events of Spider-Island, Flash went AWOL to retain the symbiote and hopefully protect his friends and family. This led Captain America to send Red Hulk after him. Recently, Flash teamed up with [[RedHulk Rulk]], {{X-23}} and the newest Comicbook/GhostRider against Blackheart while all were in Las Vegas and saved the world from HellOnEarth. With those actions in mind, Captain America placed Flash, under the belief that Flash had the symbiote [[FunctionalAddict under control]], within the SecretAvengers. As a member of the Secret Avengers, Flash is called in to stop Carnage from conquering the town of Doverton, Colorado, and defeats Cletus Kasady [[HandicappedBadass sans symbiote]]. Following that, he infiltrates the Crime Master's Savage Six and seemingly kills Eddie Brock, the original Venom, who had been forced to become the new Toxin by the Crime Master. After killing or capturing the remaining members of the Sinister Six, who had kidnapped [[LoveInterest Betty Brant]], he teams up with the Scarlet Spider to stop Carnage, who has again escaped from prison.

As Venom, Flash joined the SecretAvengers, the black-ops wing of Comicbook/TheAvengers. During his time with the team, Flash began dating his teammate Valkyrie and struck up a friendship with Eric O'Grady, the then-current AntMan. After the team's reshuffling during MarvelNOW, Flash has left the Secret Avengers roster, moved to Philadelphia and is now a member of the {{Thunderbolts}}.

* FanNickname: [[OneManArmy Agent]] Venom
* HandicappedBadass: Proves it during a battle without the symbiote suit against a equally depowered [[spoiler: and legless]] Cletus Kassidy during the Carnage U.S.A. series.

* BrainFood: Even before [[UltimateSpiderMan Ultimate Venom]] and [[IAmAHumanitarian Mac Gargan]] took this UpToEleven, Eddie was known to threaten to devour various body parts - especially brains. A later retcon gave the symbiote an addiction to adrenaline and caused it to force Eddie to commit cannibalism, but this was seemingly discarded after it bonded to Angelo.

As Venom, he becomes one of Spider-Man's most formidable foes: stronger, faster, and immune to his SpiderSense. He wages a campaign of torment against Peter Parker, invading his private life and threatening his loved ones. He is not altogether evil, though; he exhibits [[PetTheDog moments of compassion]], like rescuing a little girl during a pitched battle with Spider-Man. He even ends up in a few EnemyMine situations with him - generally to combat the symbiote's "child", [[AxCrazy Carnage]], which has bonded with SerialKiller Cletus Kasady. Over time, Venom slowly develops into a [[SlidingScaleOfAntiheroes Type V]] AntiHero and declares a truce with Spider-Man, moving to San Francisco for a time and becoming the "[[SociopathicHero Lethal Protector]]" of a subterranean community formed by the 1906 earthquake. Eddie is eventually abducted by the [[NebulousEvilOrganisation Life Foundation Organization]], which forces the Venom symbiote to give birth to five more offspring, [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Lasher, Phage, Riot, Agony, and Scream]], who beg Eddie for help controlling their symbiotes, though he wants nothing to do with them. [[note]]-Scream ultimately snaps and tries to kills the others, which [[FusionDance merge together]] and bond to a VAULT guard named Scott Washington, becoming Hybrid.-[[/note]] Ultimately, Eddie returns to New York and to villainy following his wife's suicide, temporarily joining the Sinister Six before a falling out with Sandman.

* QuirkyMiniBossSquad: The Jury, a group of PowerArmor-wearing vigilantes out to destroy Venom due to him killing their loved ones during a prison escape. The Life Foundation symbiotes also qualify.

* [[SpikesOfVillainy Spikes Of Heroism]]: The symbiote's pauldrons, vambraces, and greaves are [[[[http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_maesxk16QE1qc63ooo1_500.jpg occasionally drawn as being studded with spikes]] meant to make them resemble an arthropod carapace.

As Venom, he becomes one of Spider-Man's most formidable foes: stronger, faster, and immune to his SpiderSense. He wages a campaign of torment against Peter Parker, invading his private life and threatening his loved ones. He is not altogether evil, though; he exhibits [[PetTheDog moments of compassion]], like rescuing a little girl during a pitched battle with Spider-Man. He even ends up in a few EnemyMine situations with him - generally to combat the symbiote's "child", [[AxCrazy Carnage]], which has bonded with SerialKiller Cletus Kasady. Over time, Venom slowly develops into a [[SlidingScaleOfAntiheroes Type V]] AntiHero and declares a truce with Spider-Man, moving to San Francisco for a time and becoming the "[[SociopathicHero Lethal Protector]]" of a subterranean community formed by the 1906 earthquake. Eddie is eventually abducted by the [[NebulousEvilOrganisation Life Foundation Organization]], which forces the Venom symbiote to give birth to five more offspring, [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Lasher, Phage, Riot, Agony, and Scream]], who beg Eddie for help controlling their symbiotes, though he wants nothing to do with them. [[note]]-Scream ultimately snaps and tries to kills the others, which [[FusionDance merge together]] and bond to a VAULT guard named Scott Washington, becoming Hybrid.-[[/note]] Ultimately, Eddie returns to New York and to villainy following his wife's suicide, temporarily joining the Sinister Six before a falling out with Sandman.

* QuirkyMiniBossSquad: The Jury, a group of PowerArmor-wearing vigilantes out to destroy Venom due to him killing their loved ones during a prison escape. The Life Foundation symbiotes also qualify.

!!Tropes pertaining to Venom IV[=/=]Flash Thompson

* TheMasqueradeWillKillYourDatingLife: His relationship with Betty Brant takes a nose dive after he becomes the new Venom. It is only after her surviving the Savage Six arc, and learning he has been operating as Venom,where she dumps him for good.

* SelfDestructMechanism: Had one of these initially placed by the government on him if he ever went out of control in the suit.
* SleepWalking: [[spoiler: Develops a dangerous example due to the demon inside of him, where while asleep he lashes out at various people ranging from {{Mooks}} he earlier defeated to terrorizing his own traumatized mother. ]]
* [[SpikesOfVillainy Spikes Of Heroism]]: The symbiote's pauldrons, vambraces, and greaves are [[[[http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_maesxk16QE1qc63ooo1_500.jpg occasionally drawn as being studded with spikes]], which WordOfGod states is meant to make it resemble an arthropod carapace.

As Venom, he becomes one of Spider-Man's most formidable foes: stronger, faster, and immune to his SpiderSense. He wages a campaign of torment against Peter Parker, invading his private life and threatening his loved ones. He is not altogether evil, though; he exhibits [[PetTheDog moments of compassion]], like rescuing a little girl during a pitched battle with Spider-Man. He even ends up in a few EnemyMine situations with him - generally to combat the symbiote's "child", [[AxCrazy Carnage]], which has bonded with SerialKiller Cletus Kasady. Over time, Venom slowly develops into a [[SlidingScaleOfAntiheroes Type V]] AntiHero and declares a truce with Spider-Man, moving to San Francisco for a time and becoming the "[[SociopathicHero Lethal Protector]]" of a subterranean community formed by the 1906 earthquake. Eddie is eventually abducted by the [[NebulousEvilOrganisation Life Foundation Organization]], which forces the Venom symbiote to give birth to five more offspring, [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Lasher, Phage, Riot, Agony, and Scream]], who beg Eddie for help controlling their symbiotes, though he wants nothing to do with them. [[note]]-Scream ultimately snaps and tries to kills the others, which [[FusionDance merge together]] and bond to a VAULT guard named Scott Washington, becoming Hybrid.-[[/note]] Ultimately, Eddie returns to New York and to villainy following his wife's suicide, temporarily joining the Sinister Six before a falling out with Sandman.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Eddie started off as a standard supervillain but soon developed MoralMyopia in regards to those he considered innocent (see AntiHero above). Eventually, he had a HeelFaithTurn and gave up being Venom. As Anti-Venom he ''tried'' to become a hero, but [[spoiler: as Toxin he's seemingly back to being a villain.]]

* QuirkyMiniBossSquad: The Jury, a group of PowerArmor-wearing vigilantes out to destroy Venom due to him killing their loved ones during a prison escape.
* RedemptionQuest: As Anti-Venom, Eddie swore he would destroy [[MyGreatestFailure Venom]] once and for all. He continued this [[spoiler: after being depowered]], expanding his [[KnightTemplar crusade to include all symbiotes]], [[spoiler: killing Scream and Hybrid]], but was [[CantStayNormal turned into Toxin]] by the Crime Master.

* WeHardlyKnewYe

After ditching Angelo, the symbiote [[DealWithTheDevil directly approaches]] Gargan, already an established SuperVillain called [[BewareMyStingerTail the]] [[ScaryScorpions Scorpion]], offering him new abilities in exchange for murdering Spider-Man. Gargan agrees, and becomes the third incarnation of Venom just in time to join NormanOsborn's [[VillainTeamUp Sinister Twelve]]. He was imprisoned and became a member of the [[VillainWithGoodPublicity government-sponsored]] vigilantes [[ThunderBolts The Thunderbolts]], taking part in the Comicbook/CivilWar and helping hold off the [[AlienInvasion Skrull Invasion]]. Gargan's stint as Venom is characterized by an increasing dependence on the symbiote and its powers, despite the limitations that result - [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything almost like a drug addict]]. He becomes increasingly [[AxCrazy erratic]] and unstable, driven by the symbiote's bloodlust to commit [[IAmAHumanitarian cannibalism]], even to the point of attacking his teammates and disobeying orders to chow down on street thugs. Following Osborn being made the head of SHIELD, Gargan is given a drug that reverts the symbiote to the appearance it had when Peter Parker wore it and joins the [[EvilKnockoff Dark Avengers]], where he impersonates Spider-Man. After Osborn's botched invasion of Asgard, Gargan is arrested and forcefully separated from the symbiote by the government, who begin researching ways to weaponize it for the American army. Without his armour or the symbiote to stabilize the changes made to his body by the process that gave him his powers, Gargan's health begins to deteriorate until his is broken free by Alistair Smythe and fitted with a new Scorpion suit.

* TheStarscream: Deliberately disobeys Norman's orders multiple times, until Osborn pulls a YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness on him.

As Venom, he becomes one of Spider-Man's most formidable foes: stronger, faster, and immune to his SpiderSense. He wages a campaign of torment against Peter Parker, invading his private life and threatening his loved ones. He is not altogether evil, though; he exhibits [[PetTheDog moments of compassion]], like rescuing a little girl during a pitched battle with Spider-Man. He even ends up in a few EnemyMine situations with him - generally to combat the symbiote's "child", [[AxCrazy Carnage]], which has bonded with SerialKiller Cletus Kasady. Over time, Venom slowly develops into a [[SlidingScaleOfAntiheroes Type V]] AntiHero and declares a truce with Spider-Man, moving to San Francisco for a time and becoming the "[[SociopathicHero Lethal Protector]]" of a subterranean community formed by the 1906 earthquake. Eddie is eventually abducted by the [[NebulousEvilOrganisation Life Foundation Organization]], which forces the Venom symbiote to give birth to five more offspring, [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Lasher, Phage, Riot, Agony, and Scream]], who beg Eddie for help controlling their symbiotes, though he wants nothing to do with them. [[note]]-Scream ultimately snaps and tries to kills the others, which [[FusionDance merge together into Hybrid]] and bond to a VAULT guard named Scott Washington.-[[/note]] Ultimately, Eddie returns to New York and to villainy following his wife's suicide, temporarily joining the Sinister Six before a falling out with Sandman.

Eventually, Eddie [[DespairEventHorizon cannot take it anymore]]. Raised a devout Catholic, he goes to his local church to pray for forgiveness for the [[DrivenToSuicide suicide he is contemplating]] - unaware that Spider-Man has used the bells in the selfsame church to drive away the Venom symbiote. The symbiote, lying in wait in the rafters for an appropriate host, bonds to Brock. In the process, Brock learns Spider-Man's true identity, and Brock's overwhelming hatred for Spider-Man [[TeachHimAnger taints the symbiote]].

As Venom, he becomes one of Spider-Man's most formidable foes: stronger, faster, and immune to his SpiderSense. He wages a campaign of torment against Peter Parker, invading his private life and threatening his loved ones. He is not altogether evil, though; he exhibits [[PetTheDog moments of compassion]], like rescuing a little girl during a pitched battle with Spider-Man. He even ends up in a few EnemyMine situations with him - generally to combat the symbiote's "child", [[AxCrazy Carnage]], which has bonded with SerialKiller Cletus Kasady. Over time, Venom slowly develops into a [[SlidingScaleOfAntiheroes Type V]] AntiHero.

The remains of the symbiote in his bloodstream, somehow altered by Li's ministrations, bond with his white blood cells to transform Brock into the hero "Anti-Venom". In this guise, he battles the third Venom, Mac Gargan, several times - having come to consider the symbiote to be [[MyGreatestFailure his greatest failure]] - and calls off his vendetta against Spider-Man for good. He attempts to become a true hero, setting out to cure drug addicts and hustlers with the help of an ex-junkie named [[MoralityChain Jenna Cole]], but struggles to suppress his [[SanitySlippage murderous]] [[HairTriggerTemper impulses]] after he learns his saviour Martin Li is the supervillain Mr. Negative. Anti-Venom plays a key role in exposing Mr. Negative's true identity to the public, but ultimately he is forced to depower during the ''SpiderIsland'' storyline so the Anti-Venom suit can be used to make an antidote to cure the infected millions of New York. Eddie [[KnightTemplar sets out to slay the remaining symbiotes]], starting with [[BackForTheDead Hybrid and Scream]], but after he is knocked out trying to kill the fourth incarnation of Venom, Flash Thompson, he is captured by the Crime Master, who bonds the Toxin Symbiote to him. As Toxin, Eddie attacks Venom again, but is [[NeverFoundTheBody seemingly killed]] when Venom attempts to burn the Toxin symbiote and it drags Brock along with it. It is later revealed Eddie survived, still bonded to the Toxin symbiote, and has seemingly reverted back to his "Lethal Protector" mindset.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Eddie started off as a standard supervillain but soon developed MoralMyopia in regards to those he considered innocent (see Anti-Villain/Anti-Hero above). Eventually, he stopped killing all together.

* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Usually red as Anti-Venom.

* RedemptionQuest: As Anti-Venom, Eddie swore he would destroy [[MyGreatestFailure Venom]] once and for all. He continued this [[spoiler: after being depowered]], expanding his [[KnightTemplar crusade to include all symbiotes]], [[spoiler: killing Scream and Hybrid]], but [[spoiler: was [[CantStayNormal turned into Toxin]] by the Crime Master and killed by Venom.]]

** [[spoiler: Later he gets a actual demon placed in his body that just like the symbiote people have told him it is under control but Flash has had moments where another personality asserts itself. ]]

The remains of the symbiote in his bloodstream, somehow altered by Li's ministrations, bond with his white blood cells to transform Brock into the hero "Anti-Venom". In this guise, he battles the third Venom, Mac Gargan, several times - having come to consider the symbiote to be [[MyGreatestFailure his greatest failure]] - and calls off his vendetta against Spider-Man for good. He attempts to become a true hero, setting out to cure drug addicts and hustlers with the help of an ex-junkie named [[MoralityChain Jenna Cole]], but struggles to suppress his [[SanitySlippage murderous]] [[HairTriggerTemper impulses]] after he learns his saviour Martin Li is the supervillain Mr. Negative. Anti-Venom plays a key role in exposing Mr. Negative's true identity to the public, but ultimately he is forced to depower during the ''SpiderIsland'' storyline so the Anti-Venom suit can be used to make an antidote to cure the infected millions of New York. Eddie [[KnightTemplar sets out to slay the remaining symbiotes]], starting with [[BackForTheDead Hybrid and Scream]], but after he is knocked out trying to kill the fourth incarnation of Venom, Flash Thompson, he is captured by the Crime Master, who bonds the Toxin Symbiote to him. As Toxin, Eddie attacks Venom again, but is [[NeverFoundTheBody seemingly killed]] when Venom attempts to burn the Toxin symbiote and it drags Brock along with it.

As Venom, Flash joined the SecretAvengers, the black-ops wing of Comicbook/TheAvengers. During his time with the team, Flash began dating his teammate Valkyrie and struck up a friendship with Eric O'Grady, the then-curren AntMan. After the team's reshuffling during MarvelNOW, Flash has left the Secret Avengers roster, and is now a member of the {{Thunderbolts}}.

* TheMasqueradeWillKillYourDatingLife: His relationship with Betty Brant takes a nose dive after he becomes the new Venom. It is only after her surviving the Savage Six arc where she dumps him for good.

** [[spoiler: Later he gets a actual demon placed in his body that seems to act as such with symbiote now under control. ]]

* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: After Flash lights the Toxin symbiote on fire and it drags Brock with it as it burns.]]

See: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/SpiderMan

* HandicappedBadass: Proves it during his battle without the symbiote suit against a equally unpowered [[spoiler: And crippled]] Cletus Kassidy during the Carnage U.S.A. series.

* [[spoiler: TheMasqueradeWillKillYourDatingLife: His relationship with Betty Brant takes a nose dive after he becomes the new Venom. It is only after her surviving the Savage Six arc where she dumps him for good.]]

** [[spoiler: Later he gets a actual demon placed in his body. ]]

* {{Yandere}}: For a while, Eddie was this towards his ex-wife Anne Weying, and when she committed suicide he devolved back into a villain. During the ''New Ways To Live'' miniseries, Eddie displays some yandere tendencies towards [[MoralityChain Jenna Cole]], outwardly admitting she's all that's keeping him from a FaceHeelTurn and going [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge utterly berserk]] when she is kidnapped.

* CameBackWrong: Poison is the Venom symbiote bonded to Peter's comatose/dead body. He can do this to people, threatening to do this to Mary Jane when she spurns him and [[spoiler: resurrecting Gwen Stacy in TheStinger]].

* ThePowerOfLove: The symbiote believes its GrandTheftMe of Peter was an act of "love and glory everlasting. A true blessing... the kind you pray for in church but never get." [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by the Watcher.

* {{Yandere}}: The symbiote's desire for Peter is so strong it doesn't care that Peter is OnlyMostlyDead. Furthermore when [=MJ=]'s response to his WeCanRuleTogether offer is "Over my dead body", he responds "I can make that happen."

The symbiote's original host, and the one it [[{{Yandere}} longs for the most]]. Peter Parker was among the superheroes chosen by an entity called the Beyonder to participate in a battle between good and evil on an artificial planet called Battleworld. His costume was damaged in the course of a fight, and after learning Thor had found a machine that could repair costumes, Peter sought it out himself. He found a device that deposited a small black ball into his hand, which spread to cover his body in a jet-black and white costume modelled after the one worn by the second Spider-Woman. Peter quickly discovered the "Black Suit" could respond to his thoughts and whims, shapeshifting to resemble any clothing he imagined, creating its own webbing, and sliding away from his mouth so he could eat and drink without taking off his mask. Impressed, Peter took the Black Suit with him when he was returned to Earth. Despite its advantages, the Black Suit's autonomy began to unnerve Peter, who was becoming increasingly exhausted: the Black Suit was [[PuppeteerParasite taking over his body while he slept and using it to fight crime]]. Wanting answers, Peter visited the FantasticFour and asked Reed Richards to analyze it. Richards revealed to Peter that the Black Suit was not a costume, but a sentient extraterrestrial [[TheSymbiote symbiote]] that was attempting to permanently merge with him. Horrified and disgusted, Peter had the Fantastic Four remove the creature, discovering it was [[WeaksauceWeakness vulnerable to intense sonic and heat]], and returned to his classic red-and-blue outfit. The symbiote was enraged by Peter's rejection and escaped captivity, disguising itself as Peter's original costume and attempting to force itself on him during his fight with the Vulturions. In his struggle to remove it, Peter retreated to the bell-tower of an abandoned church and rung the bell, weakening the symbiote, which seemingly sacrificed itself to save him. Peter was given a synthetic copy of the Black Suit by his then-girlfriend Felicia Hardy, who thought it was sexier than his red-and-blue costume, and wore it until the symbiote returned in the form of Venom. He still wears it from time to time, usually when a villain pushes his BerserkButton too far.

As Venom, he becomes one of Spider-Man's most formidable foes: stronger, faster, and immune to his SpiderSense. He wages a campaign of torment against Peter Parker, invading his private life and threatening his loved ones. He is not altogether evil, though; he exhibits [[PetTheDog moments of compassion]], like rescuing a little girl during a pitched battle with Spider-Man. He even ends up in a few EnemyMine situations with him - generally to combat the symbiote's "child", [[AxCrazy Carnage]], who has bonded with SerialKiller Cletus Kasady. Over time, Venom slowly develops into a [[SlidingScaleOfAntiheroes Type V]] AntiHero.

[[/folder]]

After the events of Spider-Island, Flash went AWOL to retain the symbiote and hopefully protect his friends and family. This led Captain America to send Red Hulk after him. Recently, Flash teamed up with [[RedHulk Rulk]], {{X-23}} and the newest GhostRider against Blackheart while all were in Las Vegas and saved the world from HellOnEarth. With those actions in mind, Captain America placed Flash, under the belief that Flash had the symbiote [[FunctionalAddict under control]], within the SecretAvengers. As a member of the Secret Avengers, Flash is called in to stop Carnage from conquering the town of Doverton, Colorado, and defeats Cletus Kasady [[HandicappedBadass sans symbiote]]. Following that, he infiltrates the Crime Master's Savage Six and seemingly kills Eddie Brock, the original Venom, who had been forced to become the new Toxin by the Crime Master. After killing or capturing the remaining members of the Sinister Six, who had kidnapped [[LoveInterest Betty Brant]], he teams up with the Scarlet Spider to stop Carnage, who has again escaped from prison.

* CameBackWrong: Poison is the Venom symbiote bonded to Peter's comatose/dead body. He can do this to people, threatening to do this to Mary Jane when she spurns him and [[spoiler: resurrecting Gwen Stacey in TheStinger]].