Venom has been paying dividends for Marvel for a long time now. He appeared decades ago as an amalgamation of a lethal alien symbiote and a disgraced Bugle reporter who hated Spider-Man.
Together, they went from raging supervillain to lethal anti-hero in the pages of theVenom comic book. Along the way, more symbiotes appeared, which helped expand their mythology. Over the last few years, new revelations have come to light regarding just what the symbiotes are, and where they come from — offering greater insight as to who is the mightiest symbiote on the block.
Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on January 15, 2024:Venom remains one of Marvel's most popular characters, appearing in all kinds of media over the years. Not only has he made appearances in his very own film franchise, which is currently working on a third installment, and in the recent Spider-Man 2 game, but the villain has also remained incredibly popular in Marvel Comics. Venom has inspired countless other symbiote characters to be created over the years, many of whom are just as powerful as he is, if not more so.
30 Dr. Karl Malus Was A Memorable Carnage Host
First Appearance | Created By | Year Of Debut |
|---|---|---|
Spider-Woman#30 | Michael Fleisher and Steve Leialoha | 1980 |
10 Symbiotes Who Should Appear In Venom 3
The Marvel universe has introduced plenty of vicious symbiotes beyond Venom and Carnage, some of which would be perfect for Venom 3!
The Carnage symbiote was once stolen by a new Frightful Four who hoped to use it to bolster their ranks, using technology to transform it into the Superior Carnage. While they attempted to enhance it with weaponry as well as control it, the Carnage symbiote eventually regained control. It tore through the Frightful Four, fatally eating Dr. Karl Malus.
However, Malus survived, though the symbiote's digestion of his body altered him drastically. He became a human/symbiote hybrid which increased his strength and gave him limited shape-shifting abilities,making Dr. Malus the strangest host of the Carnage symbiote. Even so, Malus is far from the strongest host for the Carnage symbiote, paling compared to the likes of Cletus Kasady and Normal Osborn.
29 Raze Was A Short-Lived Symbiote
First Appearance | Created By | Year Of Debut |
|---|---|---|
Carnage#10 | Gerry Conway and Mike Perkins | 2016 |
The symbiotic serial killer known as Carnage has continued to spawn several new symbiotes over the years. This happened despite his disgust with the asexual reproduction of the alien species. A doomsday cult manipulated Carnage to bring about the return of the Elder God Chthon, enhancing the symbiote with mystical abilities.
These allowed Carnage to create new symbiotes he could control. To deal with an anti-symbiote task force, Carnage spawned the symbiote known as Raze, which forcibly bonded to FBI Agent Claire Dixon. However, the Toxin symbiote absorbed the Raze symbiote to stop Carnage and Chthon, seemingly ending its life in the process.
28 Payback Was A Different Kind Of Symbiote
First Appearance | Created By | Year Of Debut |
|---|---|---|
True Believers#1 | Cary Bates and Paul Gulacy | 2008 |
Payback has an interesting symbiote story to tell, particularly because her symbiote isn't of the same Klyntar species as Venom, Carnage, and their offspring. Believed to be a cousin species to the Klyntar, this symbiote was energy-based in nature, rather than organic, granting its host Mavis Trent some nifty abilities.
Besides the complimentary superhuman strength, speed, durability, and agility, Payback could fly and manipulate electromagnetic energy in the form of microwaves and electromagnetic pulses. When doused in water, the Payback symbiote would produce an electrical discharge, as well.
27 Scorn Used Organic And Technological Abilities
First Appearance | Created By | Year Of Debut |
|---|---|---|
Carnage#4 | Zeb Wells and Clayton Crain | 2011 |
Dr. Tanis Nieves was a psychiatrist with a highly advanced prosthetic arm she discovered was created using research based on the symbiotic bond with its hosts. She was working with the imprisoned Shriek when she was forcibly bonded with the Carnage symbiote to help Shriek escape.
Dr. Nieves learned a spawn of Carnage was growing inside her prosthetic, which allowed it to adapt in a new way that could interact with technology and machinery. She became the techno-organic hero known as Scorn. However, she joinedthe Cult of Carnage who sacrificed her to prepare Carnage as a host for the symbiote god.
26 Zzzxx Was A Mutant Symbiote
First Appearance | Created By | Year Of Debut |
|---|---|---|
X-Men: Kingbreaker#2 | Christopher Yost and Dustin Weaver | 2009 |
15 Best Symbiote Spider-Man Comics
To prepare for Carnage's return, Spider-Man and Venom fans will want to revisit Marvel's greatest symbiote stories from Spidey's comics.
The Klyntar, known as Zzzxx, was a mutant version who could completely control his hosts instead of creating a symbiotic bond like most of the alien race. However, he also consumed his hosts entirely instead of just feeding off of adrenaline and other chemicals produced by the organic host — which were the symbiote's powers.
The Shi'ar imprisoned the Zzzxx symbiote when they first encountered it. However, the creature became a weapon in a few different cosmic skirmishes that highlighted his monstrous brutality and made him one of the deadliest symbiotes in the galaxy.
25 Mister E Was A Symbiote Of Shadows
First Appearance | Created By | Year Of Debut |
|---|---|---|
Marvel Spotlight#9 | Bill Mantlo and Steve Ditko | 1980 |
Knull was able to manipulate the living abyss he commanded in several ways, ultimately resulting in his army of symbiotes. Some of his earliest tests included the failed parasites known as the Exolon, as well as the powerful being known only as Mister E.
The proto-symbiote developed his own plans of galactic conquest that first pitted him against Captain Universe, though Mister E later attempted to win Knull by stealing the Ebony Blade from the Black Knight in the past. Mister E was capable of taking hosts and using his darkness to turn his victims into controllable "shadow slaves" and creating symbiotic tendril, making him one of the most fearsome symbiotes to exist.
24 Venomsaurus Rex Was A Symbiote Dinosaur
First Appearance | Created By | Year Of Debut |
|---|---|---|
Wolverine#70 | Mark Millar and Steve McNiven | 2009 |
Never underestimate a writer's willingness to court dinosaurs for the sake of a really great scene, which is precisely what happened during theOld Man Hawkeye storyline. Besides taking place in a ravaged future similar to what fans glimpsed in the "Old Man Logan" storyline, this story attempted to one-up its predecessor in a big way.
Coming straight out of the Savage Land, it was the first example of a symbiote ever bonding with a Tyrannosaurus Rex. IfJurassic Park taught fans anything, it's to run when a T-Rex shows up on the scene. This becomes even more true for a creature with a Venom symbiote bonded to its biology.
23 Wraith Was A Symbiote Bonded With A Kree Warrior
First Appearance | Created By | Year Of Debut |
|---|---|---|
Annihilation: Conquest - Wraith#1 | Javier Grillo-Marxuach and Kyle Hotz | 2007 |
Zak-Del was a Kree child who escaped the massacre of his people only to become lost in the mysterious Exoteric Latitude. There he discovered other lost Kree known as the Nameless. A parasitic species known as the Exolon permanently bonded with him, granting him enhanced strength and powerful abilities, including an advanced healing factor.
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Wraith eventually encountered Knull and learned the true origins of the Exolon — Knull's failed experiments to create new symbiotes, disposed of in the Exoteric Latitude. Knull stripped Zak-Del of his Exolon and left him for dead, but he was able to send a final warning to Eddie Brock before his death.
22 The Life Foundation Symbiotes Were A Pain In Venom's Side
First Appearance | Created By | Year Of Debut |
|---|---|---|
Venom: Lethal Protector#4 | David Michelinie and Ron Lim | 1993 |
Venom first encountered the Life Foundation when he became a lethal protector in San Francisco. The corrupt corporation captured Venom and experimented on Eddie Brock and his connection to the symbiote. They were able to force the Venom symbiote to spawn five new symbiotes named Riot, Lasher, Phage, Agony, and Scream.
Four of the Life Foundation symbiotes combined to become Hybrid. When Eddie Brock killed Hybrid, the U.S. government captured the symbiotes for further experimentation. They became more controllable and bonded with soldiers to become the Mercury Team. After Carnage killed their hosts, Alchemax took control of the newly separated Life Foundation symbiotes.
21 Hybrid Had The Powers Of Five Symbiotes
First Appearance | Created By | Year Of Debut |
|---|---|---|
Venom: Along Came a Spider#1 | Evan Skolnick and Patrick Zircherr | 1995 |
15 Marvel Characters Venom Had A Relationship With
Venom might've started out as an anti-hero & foil for Spider-Man, but he's developed relationships with quite a few characters along the way.
After the Life Foundation created five symbiotes, Venom and Spider-Man worked together to shut down the corrupt corporation. Scream separated from the group, and the remaining symbiotes were split from their hosts and imprisoned for further testing and experimentation at the underground prison known as the Vault.
A guardsman named Scott Washington formed a mental connection with the tortured symbiotes. When they escaped, they sought out Scott Washington and bonded with him to become Hybrid. Their time as Hybrid was short-lived, as Brock killed Washington and the symbiotes reformed as Mercury Team before they were split up again. Even so, Hybrid's many powers make him one of the strongest symbiotes in the Marvel Universe, even if he didn't retain that power for very long.
