[Guide] Who the Hell is Venom/Eddie Brock?
As most of us know all too well, Marvel and Sony have a new Venom film on the way starring Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson, and Michelle Williams. But unlike most of the fans of the film’s most recent trailer, I don’t know the first thing about Venom or this Eddie Brock character. Well, maybe I know a little, but the point of this article is for all those people out there like me that want to see the new film but don’t know squat about the Marvel character.
That said, and before I do any research let me lay out what I (think) I know about Venom and Eddie Brock. First off, I know that Venom is a symbiotic alien life-form that attaches itself to a reporter named Eddie Brock (or was he originally an astronaut?) anyhow, this symbiote attaches itself to this Brock fellow and turns him (them) into Venom.
On top of that brief bit of knowledge I have on the subject, I also know that Topher Grace played the character in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, and even though I’m utterly unfamiliar with this psycho in the black suit, even I was underwhelmed by that film’s portrayal of the character. That’s what I know. Now let’s do some research and figure out Everything You Need to Know About Venom.
Eddie Brock/Venom was created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane (Spawn). Brock’s full name is Edward Charles/Allan Brock and his first appearance was a cameo in Amazing Spider-man #299 (1988) before his full introduction in Amazing Spider-man #300 (1988).
Brock is a columnist for the Daily Globe, along with Peter Parker, who gets to be famous for writing some articles about a serial killer running around New York called the “Sin-Eater.” Brock believes the Sin-Eater is one guy, but Spider-Man reveals him to be another. Brock becomes an outcast, a laughing stock. He gets fired and his wife divorces him.
Brock then begins working out like a motherfucker, and his hate for Spider-Man grows and grows. And it was this intense hatred that made Brock so appealing to the symbiote named Venom – who had in the meantime attached itself to Spider-Man (see Spider-Man 3). Brock goes to a church to confess his almost suicide and is unaware that Spider-Man has been kicking the ass off the symbiote in the church’s bell tower. Spider-Man is victorious in his battle with the symbiote and it almost dies before falling from the rafters onto Brock and taking him over.
Actually, taking Brock over is a strong phrase for what actually goes down between the two. Yes, the symbiote mentally and physically takes over Brock – initially. But Brock is so emotionally fucked up by all the bad shit that’s recently gone down in his life that he – get this – drives the symbiote insane. Damn. Brock then all but conjures the suit to take on its scary-ass look, and then heads out to beat the ass off Spider-Man, calling himself “Venom.”
As we all know the suit now gives Brock all the powers of Spider-Man but it does more than that as well. It also bulks the already hulking dude up and increases his strength from Mad Max-Tom Hardy to full-on Bane mixed with his Warrior character Tom Hardy. Venom then begins a long span of kicking the eight-legged ass off Spider-Man whenever he gets the chance. Eventually, however, Spider-Man saves Brock’s ex-wife from a Ferris wheel fire (or something) and Venom forgives Spider-Man finally making peace with the superhero.
Brock then moves his peaceful ass to San Francisco and begins protecting homeless people. Eventually, he’s recruited by the government to be a counter-terrorist agent, but the jerks put a bomb in his chest to make sure he doesn’t go, you know, anti-hero on them. But Venom isn’t having any of that nonsense and makes the symbiote perform surgery on him and pull the bomb out. This almost kills both Brock and the symbiote but go figure they are fine and regroup.
After all of that, Brock figures it’s time to reconnect with his ex-wife Anne Weying, but as soon as he shows back up in her life, she goes and throws herself out of the window. Ouch, that’s not really the Homecoming Spider-Man got now is it? And speaking of the teenage web-slinger, Venom goes ahead and blames Spider-Man for the death of his wife yet again (because why not at this point) and heads right back into the kicking Spider-Man’s ass business. Rinse and repeat until Brock gets cancer. A sad end to a badass character.
Now that we have all the Venom story out of the way, what can we expect from this new film? Word around the campfire is the flick will be based mostly on two Venom comics called Lethal Protector and Planet of the Symbiotes.
Lethal Protector was the first time Eddie Brock was the main character in a comic series. It traced his progression from villain to anti-hero and mostly covers Venom’s move to San Francisco, where he protects homeless people (as mentioned above). It also involves Brock vs a group of super-powered mercenaries looking for revenge. This is also the comic where he spawns five symbiote offspring: Scream, Phage, Riot, Lasher, and Agony.
Planet of the Symbiotes centers on the invasion of Earth by an army of symbiotes. But more importantly, this series brings about the doubt of who is actually in control of Venom, Brock or the symbiote. This is also the series where we learn the history of the symbiote, which comes from a race of creatures that take over others so they can feel emotions (Aww). Sweeter still is that the Venom symbiote was outcasted after bonding with Brock instead of taking him over.
On top of all that, Planet of the Symbiotes is also the first time we meet serial killer Cletus Kassady AKA Carnage. A symbiote released Kassady from jail and bonds with him to create the big red uber-villain. As you could imagine, Carnage raises ten types of Hell on the city before Brock fully bonds with his pet symbiote, defeats Carnage, and decides he’s content to be both Brock and the symbiote.
We are Venom.
And that’s all you need to know about Venom and/or Eddie Brock. What did you think of this piece and would you like more guides like this in the future? Make sure to let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
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