Venom (comic book): Difference between revisions

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[[File:156-VenomSBHImage_1135.jpg|frame|[[Marvel vs. Capcom|We are Venom!]]]]
 
[[File:156-VenomSBHImage_1135.jpg|frame|[[Marvel vs. Capcom|We are Venom!]]]]
 
Venom is a ''[[Marvel Comics]]'' characters, and arguably one of the most famous of [[Spider-Man]]'s [[Rogues Gallery]], though over time his character and motivation have [[Character Development|evolved]]. Venom is an [[Ensemble Darkhorse|extremely popular]] character in the Spider-Man franchise. The Eddie Brock version of the character was playable in ''Separation Anxiety'', and later, the first and second ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom]]'', making the leap from comic to video game. Mac Gargan was playable as Venom in the second [[Marvel Ultimate Alliance]] game, with Eddie Brock's appearance as an alternate costume.
 
 
Venom is an alien symbiote that was used to build a new suit for [[Spider-Man]], inspired design-wise by the second [[Spider Woman]] (Julia Carpenter) during their team-up in ''[[Secret Wars]]''. The costume change was initially unpopular with fans (although the black costume would later be brought back as fans began to like it a bit more) so it quickly went through a [[Retcon]] as an alien symbiote that wanted to bond with Peter Parker. Horrified, Spidey managed to repel the symbiote by taking advantage of its weakness to sonic noises via church bells. Some writers and editors did not like Peter's motivation at the time so there was a second [[Retcon]] that the suit [[Clothes Make the Superman|was more powerful]] than his ordinary suit, but was slowly driving him insane with rage. Wanting to create a new villain for his rogues gallery, the writers decided the creature [[Comic Book Death|survived]] to bond to a series of new hosts:
 
== '''Eddie Brock =='''
 
Probably the most famous Venom. Eddie's mother died during childbirth, and as a result his father became [[Abusive Parents|cold and distant]], instilling a thirst in Eddie to [["Well Done, Son" Guy|impress him]]. As an adult, he becomes a journalist for the Daily Globe, and enjoys great success until he mistakenly "outs" a compulsive confessor, Emil Gregg, as the serial killer Sin-Eater. Spider-Man debunks Brock's article by capturing the real killer, and Brock [[Trauma Conga Line|is fired from the Daily Globe, divorced by his wife, and disowned by his father]]. Reputation destroyed, he is only able to find employment as a two-bit writer for a disreputable tabloid. [[Freudian Excuse|Blaming Spider-Man for his troubles]], he begins to work out obsessively in an attempt to assuage his rage.
 
Eventually, Eddie [[Despair Event Horizon|cannot take it anymore]]. Raised a devout Catholic, he goes to his local church to pray for forgiveness for the [[Driven to Suicide|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 [[Teach Him Anger|taints the symbiote]].
 
As Venom, he becomes one of Spider-Man's most formidable foes: stronger, faster, and immune to his [[Spider Sense]]. 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 [[Pet the Dog|moments of compassion]], like rescuing a little girl during a pitched battle with Spider-Man. He even ends up in a few [[Enemy Mine]] situations with him - generally to combat the symbiote's "child", [[Complete Monster|Carnage]], who has bonded with [[Serial Killer]] Cletus Kasady. Over time, Venom slowly develops into a [[Sliding Scale of Anti -Heroes|Type V]]{{context|reason=That trope does not have numbered subtropes - please give the specifics here.}} [[Anti -Hero]].
 
Eventually, it is revealed that Eddie has had cancer for some time. The symbiote chose Brock as a host, not only for his mutual hatred of Spider-Man, but also for the fact that it could "feed" from the adrenaline his cancerous body produces, keeping the disease in remission, but [[You Have Outlived Your Usefulness|no longer wishes to remain bonded to a dying host]]. Undergoing a [[Heel Face Turn]], Brock, disgusted by the symbiote's growing bloodlust, decides to sell it to the highest bidder and donate the proceeds to charity, knowing it will mean [[Heroic Sacrifice|the death of him]]. Unfortunately, the highest bidder turns out to be crime boss Don Fortunato, who gives the symbiote to his son Angelo. Proving an "unworthy" host in the symbiote's eyes, it abandons Angelo mid-jump, and the man falls to his death. Feeling responsible for the death, Brock spirals into depression and attempts suicide numerous times, but is ultimately freed from his obsession with Venom ''and'' his cancer, courtesy of the healing abilities of Martin Li.
 
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. Ultimately, though, he is forced to depower during the ''[[Spider Island]]'' storyline, so the Anti-Venom suit can be used to make an antidote to cure the infected millions of New York. Eddie [[Knight Templar|sets out to slay the remaining symbiotes]], starting with [[Back for Thethe Dead|Hybrid and Scream]], but was captured by the Crime Master, who bonded him to the Toxin Symbiote.
 
== '''Angelo Fortunato =='''
 
The "second" Venom: [[Canon Dis ContinuityDiscontinuity|mostly ignored]] by both readers and canon, he was the son of a Mob Boss who purchased the Venom symbiote. After an unsuccessful battle with Spider-Man, the symbiote deemed him an unworthy host and abandons him in mid-leap, causing Fortunato to fall to his death.
 
== '''MacDonald Gargan/"Mac" Gargan =='''
 
Also known as Scorpion. The symbiote [[Deal Withwith the Devil|directly approaches]] Gargan, already an established [[Super Villain]], offering him new abilities in exchange for murdering Spider-Man. During his tenure as Venom, he is a part of both Norman Osborn's Sinister Twelve, [[Villain Withwith Good Publicity|government-sponsored]] vigilantes [[Thunderbolts|The Thunderbolts]], and the [[Evil Knockoff|Dark Avengers]], where he impersonates Spider-Man. His stint is characterized by an increasing dependence on the suit and its powers, despite the limitations that result - [[Does This Remind You of Anything?|almost like a drug addict]]. He becomes increasingly [[Ax Crazy|erratic]] and unstable, driven by the symbiote's bloodlust to commit [[I Am a Humanitarian|cannibalism]], and is eventually forcefully separated from the symbiote and fitted with a new Scorpion suit.
 
The symbiote eventually falls into the hand of the government, who begin researching ways to weaponize it for the American army.
 
== '''Flash Thompson =='''
 
Peter Parker's former [[Jerk Jock]] of a friend. Flash enlists in the army during the [[The War Onon Terror|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 [[Super Soldier]]. However, should Flash become angry while wearing the symbiote, it will [[Super -Powered Evil Side|assume control of his body]].
 
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 [[Red Hulk|Rulk]], [[X-23]] and the newest [[Ghost Rider]] against Blackheart while all were in Las Vegas and saved the world from [[Hell Onon Earth]]. With those actions in mind, Captain America placed Flash, under the belief that Flash had the symbiote [[Functional Addict|under control]], within the [[Secret Avengers]].
 
{{tropelist}}
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=== Tropes common to all versions of Venom: ===
* [[Animal -Themed Superbeing]]: Venom is a spider-based villain, justified in that the symbiote's first host was [[Spider -Man]]. Considering his third host was previously called The Scorpion, this trope was doubled, in a way.
 
* [[Anti -Villain]] /AntiHero[[Anti-Hero]]: Technically [[Anti -Hero]] is only true for the first and fourth host, although the third was on the [[Thunderbolts]]. Even then, Eddie was on the farthest end of the [[Sliding Scale of Anti -Heroes]]. He generally tried not to kill innocent people in his quest for vengeance against Spider-Man, but often bent his own rules when it came to fighting other super heroes or prison guards who got in his way. Once he ended his feud, he was very much a [[Sociopathic Hero|Heroic Sociopath]]. To give you an idea, even guys like [[The Punisher]], [[Wolverine]], and [[Ghost Rider]] tried taking him down permanently during this period.
* [[Animal Themed Superbeing]]: Venom is a spider-based villain, justified in that the symbiote's first host was [[Spider Man]]. Considering his third host was previously called The Scorpion, this trope was doubled, in a way.
* [[Anti Villain]] /AntiHero: Technically [[Anti Hero]] is only true for the first and fourth host, although the third was on the [[Thunderbolts]]. Even then, Eddie was on the farthest end of the [[Sliding Scale of Anti Heroes]]. He generally tried not to kill innocent people in his quest for vengeance against Spider-Man, but often bent his own rules when it came to fighting other super heroes or prison guards who got in his way. Once he ended his feud, he was very much a [[Sociopathic Hero|Heroic Sociopath]]. To give you an idea, even guys like [[The Punisher]], [[Wolverine]], and [[Ghost Rider]] tried taking him down permanently during this period.
* [[Arch Enemy]]: To [[Spider-Man]].
* [[Brain Food]]: Even before [[Ultimate Spider -Man|Ultimate Venom]] and Mac Gargan took this [[Up to Eleven]], Eddie was known to threaten to [[I Am a Humanitarian|devour various body parts]] - especially their 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.
* [[Characterization Marches On]]: Venom started off as a standard supervillain but soon developed [[Moral Myopia]] in regards to those he considered innocent (see ''Anti-Villain/Anti-Hero'' above). Eventually, he stopped killing all together.
** Even Spider-Man went through this. Originally, the symbiote did not boost Spidey's powers or make him more aggressive. He simply tried to kill the symbiote when he found out that it was alive and tried to bond with him. When later writers decided to use it as a new villain, they gave the previous story a quick [[Retcon]] [[Newer Than They Think|based on the symbiote's portrayal in the 1994 animated series]], and gave Peter a better excuse.
*** The contrast between then and now Venom becomes even sharper when you take a look at its origin. It 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 [[Always ChaoticExclusively Evil]] race. Of course, this characterization doesn't make a good villain, and was promptly forgotten by every writer on the planet.
* [[Combat Tentacles]]: One of the symbiote's methods of long-ranged attack, although Venom usually uses [[All Webbed Up|webbing]].
* [[Fangs Are Evil]]: Most Venoms manifest a mouth full of teeth, especially when the symbiote takes over.
* [[More Teeth Than the Osmond Family]]: Spider-Man practically said this word-for-word in one story.
* [[Muscles Are Meaningful]]: Although Flash's default form is more of [[Heroic Build]].
* [[One -Winged Angel]]: Since Venom's first solo mini, most incarnations have been known to pull one of these off at times when they really [[Hulking Out|lose control]].
* [[Overly Long Tongue]]: Especially if drawn by Erik Larsen.
* [[Quirky Miniboss Squad]]: The Jury, a group of [[Power Armor]]-wearing vigilantes out to destroy Venom due to him killing their loved ones during a prison escape.
* [[The Symbiote]]: The source of his power.
* [[Weaksauce Weakness]]: Vulnerable to sonic attack. Luckily for it, most writers don't realize most ordinary guns create plenty of sonic boom.
* [[Yandere]]: The symbiote really can't stand the idea of any of its favorite hosts not wanting to be with it.
 
=== Tropes unique to Venom III/MacDonald Gargan/"Mac" Gargan ===
 
* [[Ax Crazy]]: Not surprising, since the character was written by most writers in a way to top every extreme Venom was associated with.
* [[Hulking Out]]: His first appearances as Venom had a [[Spawn]]-like vibe, with his [http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100612050236/marveldatabase/images/8/86/MacDonald_Gargan_%28Earth-616%29_0080.png eyes being visible within the white patches]{{Dead link}}, but later appearances resemble a [http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/5/55948/1082048-ven_r2_super.jpg more monstrous version of Eddie Brock's Venom form]{{Dead link}}. Also played straight with his ability to shift between "Spider-Man" mode and "Venom" mode during the ''[[Dark Avengers]]'' arc.
* [[I Am a Humanitarian]]: Various times during his tenure with [[Thunderbolts]] and [[Dark Avengers]] he was accused (and guilty) of such. [[Norman Osborn]] threatened to personally dispose of him when pictures of Gargan going AWOL and chowing down on various criminals almost went public.
 
=== Tropes unique to Venom IV/Flash Thompson ===
* [[Ascended Fanboy]]: As a teenager, Flash was a Spidey-fanboy. Flash forward to post-''[[Dark Reign (Comic Bookcomics)|Dark Reign]]'', and Flash is made the government issue Spider-Man.
 
* [[Ascended Fanboy]]: As a teenager, Flash was a Spidey-fanboy. Flash forward to post-''[[Dark Reign (Comic Book)|Dark Reign]]'', and Flash is made the government issue Spider-Man.
* [[Failure Hero]]: No matter how much Flash tries, he gets as much and even worse crap dropped in his lap than Peter Parker in a much shorter amount of time.
 
{{reflist}}
{{IGN Top 100 Villains}}
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