History Comicbook / Venom

* ArchEnemy: One of the three big ones for Spidey, alongside Doctor Octopus and the Green Goblin. Venom mainly filled the pole from the late eighties to the mid-nineties, after which his career as an anti-hero and afterwards his status as a LegacyCharacter caused him to drop out of the role in favour of the other two, which are still competing for the title.

** ''Spider-Ham:'' Pork Grind, a [[FullBoarAction boar]] who is TheAhnold.
** ''Spider-Man India:'' [[ComicBook/NormanOsborn Nalin Oberoi]]'s attempt to corrupt Pavitr Prabhakar with an evil amulet causes Prabhakar to briefly look like Venom. Pavitr seemingly destroys the amulet, but it later resurfaces in ''ComicBook/WebWarriors'' when an evil cult fully unleashes an asura-like version of Venom that starts spreading and infecting everyone it encounters before being destroyed for good.

** ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'': The symbiote appears as an antagonist in the story mode, while Venom himself is DLC.

->''"I was unsure before, but now I ''understand.'' With great power comes great ''responsibility!'' Ah, and one other thing: ''REVENGE!'' -̗̀Heh ̖́-"

** ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'': The Venom symbiote appears as an antagonist in the story mode.

*** A version of ComicBook/{{X-23}} who obtained the symbiote while escaping the Facility.

*** A version of ComicBook/X23 who obtained the symbiote while escaping the Facility.

*** A version of ComicBook/{{X-23}} who obtained the symbiote while escaping the Facility.

* RoguesGallery: Venom in his spin-off series Venom has his own villains to deal with his Arch-Enemy is {{Carnage}},Pyre,Sin-Eaters,Crime-Master,Jack O'Lantern,Symbiote Slayers,The Jury,and many others

** Amusingly, Tom Hardy, who played Bane in ''TheDarkKnightRises'', has now been cast as Venom.

* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: Some see him as this to ComicBook/{{Bane}}; They are both bigger, nastier ShadowArcheType counterparts of the heroes they fight, both wore down their opponent mentally before beating them in their first appearance, and both have had lengthy stints as Anti-Heroes and evolving motives.
** Amusingly, Tom Hardy, who played Bane in TheDarkKnightRises, has now been cast as Venom.

*** A version of [[ComicBook/{{X23}}|X-23]] who obtained the symbiote while escaping the Facility.

--> '''ComicBook/PepperPotts''': Great. Symbiote-infused armor. That couldn't possibly end badly.

** The symbiote was changed from being a snazzy new costume to an alien parasite due to its unpopularity, and when Spider-Man's rejection of it because it was alive made him seem like too much of an asshole that was retconned into the suit slowly turning him evil. In the mid-1990's it was given an addiction to phenethylamine, which in the 2000's was changed to an addiction to adrenaline, but was forgotten about after Eddie separated from the symbiote. Nowadays the symbiotes - almost all of them - seem to have a hankering for flesh in general.

--> '''Deadpool:''' Gee... I hope communicating with my brain doesn't mess this thing up! Whatever it is... I'd hate to think my twisted psyche might have driven it nuts or something!

* ShoutOut:
** When Flash starts losing his temper with a drunk Kree, the symbiote manifests ridges and dorsal tubes that make it look a bit like a [[Franchise/{{Alien}} Xenomorph]]. His Mk. III design is explicitly inspired by H. R. Geiger's artwork.

* TakenForGranite: Going by ''[[ComicBook/{{Secret Wars 2015}} Secret Wars]]: ComicBook/MarvelZombies'', symbiotes (Carnage, in that instance) that go way too long without a viable host begin to dry out, becoming rigid and crumbly scabs barely capable of moving, or otherwise wither and die.
* TeleportersAndTransporters: The symbiotes have spaceships, but their primary means of invading other worlds is with [[Franchise/StargateVerse Stargate]]-like portals. The first wave in ''Planet of the Symbiotes'' built one, and the possessed Rune constructed another in ''Rune vs. Venom''.

* ''ComicBook/{{Secret Wars 2015}}''

* ''Film/{{Venom 2018}}'': Various plans were considered to make a movie featuring Venom in ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries'', either by himself, shared with Carnage, or as part of ''Script/SinisterSix'' (as either a member of the protagonists or the villain); but all these plans were cancelled when Sony pulled the plug on the franchise in favor of integration with the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse. Currently, there are plans for a spin-off that may or may not be connected with the MCU.

---> '''Spider-Man:''' Believe me, even without the costume, the guy was no picnic. He was a newspaper reporter, and you know what they can... be... like. What's that look for?
---> '''Superman:''' No reason.

** ''Comicbook/ContestOfChampions'' (2015): A Venom from a universe where he killed Spider-Man is part of the Grandmaster's team. He now wears the remnants of Spidey's costume as a cape, and has a hallucinatory Peter Parker that he sees as his best friend.

*** A version of ComicBook/{{X23}} who obtained the symbiote while escaping the Facility.

** ''Venom'' Vol. 3

** ''ComicBook/{{Venomverse}}:
*** A version of ComicBook/{{X-23}} who obtained the symbiote while escaping the Facility.

* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: Some see him as this to ComicBook/{{Bane}}; They are both bigger, nastier ShadowArcheType counterparts of the heroes they fight, both wore down their opponent mentally before beating them in their first appearance, and both have had lenthy stints as Anti-Heroes and evolving motives.

* DeusExMachina: In ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' #23, thirty years of character development are undone in less than three pages when the symbiote hive mind purges the Venom symbiote of its hatred and bloodlust, instantly removing the EnemyWithin[=/=]SuperPoweredEvilSide dynamic between Flash and the symbiote, any future conflicts with Toxin over Flash's potential loss of control over the Venom symbiote, as well as the symbiote's vendetta against Spider-Man. The intent behind this was to appeal to new fans who have no knowledge whatsoever of Venom's thirty-year history as a villain, only know of the Flash Thompson incarnation of the character, and perceive him as simply being a "good guy with a super cool costume that can do amazing things".
* DivergentCharacterEvolution: When Venom first appeared, he was more or less an evil, bulkier version of Black Suit Spider-Man. Later in the 1990's and into the 2000's, Venom became increasingly monstrous and bestial, and more emphasis was placed on the symbiote's LovecraftianSuperpower potential. Even when Mac Gargan was impersonating Spider-Man, he could still "[[HulkingOut Vulk out]]" at will, and Flash Thompson took the character in a completely different direction as Agent Venom.

** In the 2003 ''Shiver'' arc a clone of the symbiote is created [[Film/TheThing1982 in a remote Arctic base, breaks loose, and starts killing the soldiers and scientists one by one]]. It bonds to the last surviving soldier, Patricia Robertson, but is later eaten by the original Venom [[spoiler: and ''much'' later on regurgitated and bonded to Andi, turning her into Mania]].

** Cullen Bunn had several plans for the subplots cryptically alluded to throughout Vol. 2 of the ''Venom'' series that [[CutShort were kyboshed by Marvel cancelling it]], including wrapping up the Descent arc involving Mania and the Hell-Mark; and bringing back Carnage and resurrecting Anti-Venom for the Spawning's War of the Symbiotes.[[note]]A second Anti-Venom cameos in ''ComicBook/{{AXIS}}: Hobgoblim'', and the Descent arc was picked up by ''Venom: Space Knight'', but the rest of his plans remain unfulfilled.[[/note]]
** With Mike Costa taking over for Remender in Vol. 3, the Descent arc again has been dropped, with Mania being completely absent from the books once more. Time will tell if her story is picked up in the book or another, though given the symbiote's change of hosts from Flash to Lee and then back to Eddie for ''ComicBook/MarvelLegacy'', [[PutOnABus it seems unlikely]].
* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: Some see him as this to ComicBook/Bane; They are both bigger, nastier ShadowArcheType counterparts of the heroes they fight, both wore down their opponent mentally before beating them in their first appearance, and both have had lenthy stints as Anti-Heroes and evolving motives.

** ''All-Access:'' The DC and Marvel Universes beginning to bleed together again in the aftermath of the ComicBook/AmalgamUniverse causes Venom to appear in Metropolis, where he beats up Franchise/{{Superman}} and Spider-Man before being subdued by [[OriginalGeneration Access]].

** ''Comicbook/ContestOfChampions'' (2015): A Venom from a universe where he killed Spider-Man is part of the Grandmaster's team. He now wears the remnants of the Spidey costume as a cape, and has a hallucinatory Peter Parker that he sees as his best friend.
** Earth-13584: The symbiote was captured by [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark]] and experimented on by [[ComicBook/AntMan Hank Pym]], leaving it brain dead. It was eventually liberated by June Covington, who fashioned it into a new set of limbs for the the [[Characters/CaptainAmerica John Walker]] of Earth-616.

** ''Marvel vs. DC:'' Venom is seen twice in single panel cameos throughout the series. The first time he is seen facing off against Franchise/{{Batman}} as characters from the Marvel and DC universes begin finding themselves displaced from their home universes. Later, during the final fight for the two universes, he attacks the Franchise/{{Flash}} and Franchise/{{Quicksilver}} in order to prevent them from aiding their allies in the battle against Franchise/{{Darkseid}} and Franchise/{{Thanos}}.

** ''Spider-Man[=/=]ComicBook/RedSonja:'' Venom is manipulated into going after Spider-Man and Red Sonja by Kulan Gath, who later takes the symbiote from Eddie, and forcibly bonds with it to become "Kulan Venom".
---> '''Venom:''' Man-Spider and the Red [[SssssnakeTalk Ssssonjaa]]!!! My master calls for thy blood!
---> '''Spider-Man:''' Venom?! And he's talking all [[Creator/JRRTolkien Tolkieny]]?

** ''Rune vs. Venom:'' A symbiote that survived ''Planet of the Symbiotes'' thanks to possessing Malibu Comics character Rune tries to instigate another invasion, and avenge the failure of the first one by killing "race traitor" Venom.

* AngelFaceDemonFace: The way Venom looks ties closely with the relative morality of the symbiote's host. On the heroic side, Peter's suit looks more or less like his usual costume but in black; heroic soldier Flash Thompson wears what looks like body armor (unless he loses his temper); and in the ''Comicbook/SpiderGirl'' series, Normie Osborn had what looked like the usual suit but with his face visible underneath and no fangs. On the evil side of things, Eddie Brock's costume usually looks the same as Peter's but has MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily, claws, and a lolling tongue; and when the eviler Mac Gargan wears the symbiote it looks even more freaky and bestial than Brock's usual version (unless he uses a PowerLimiter).

** The Carnage symbiote became pregnant with its own spawn, which it to stuck to policeman Patrick Mulligan after unsuccessfully trying to suppress it. Patrick fought crime as Toxin until his death, after which his symbiote was sicced on Eddie by the Crime Master.
** The combination of Eddie's leukocytes, Martin Li's Lightforce powers, and remnants of the Venom symbiote resulted in the creation of a new and seemingly non-sentient symbiote, which Eddie combated injustice with as Anti-Venom, up until he had to sacrifice it to cure a mutagenic plague released by the Jackal.

* BioArmor: Symbiotes function as this for their host, encasing them in their biomass. Flash Thompson as Venom and Eddie Brock as Toxin take this more literally than most by having their symbiotes take the form of biomechanical body armor.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/edward_brock_earth_616_from_venom_vol_3_6_001.jpg]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/156-VenomSBHImage_1135.jpg]]

** With Mike Costa taking over for Remender in Vol. 3, the Descent arc again has been dropped, with Mania being completely absent from the books once more. Time will tell if her story is picked up in the book or another, though given the symbiote's change of hosts from Flash to Lee, [[PutOnABus it seems unlikely]].