Who Has Bonded With A Symbiote?
An alien race rains down from across the cosmos, and clings to the very first life that they can attach to, leeching on their hopes and fears. They are the Klyntar, an alien race created by the primordial god Knull. But they’re much more commonly referred to as symbiotes.
Perhaps the most well-known of the symbiotes is Venom. He is shown to amplify the emotions and powers of every living being he bonds with. With the release of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, the horrors of Venom and his influence will once again be seen on screen.
Besides Eddie Brock, there are quite a few folks in the Spider-Verse and beyond that have been bonded with a symbiote, so let’s meet them!
Peter Parker (Symbiote Suit)
Most folks are familiar with the fact that the symbiote who would come to be known as Venom first bonded with Peter Parker. It got a taste of the power of Spider-Man and grew to love that power. It grew to love the feeling of the wind on its face swinging through the city. It loved the force behind every punch.
So for a while, the symbiote and Spider-Man got along, and the classic Spider-Man Symbiote Suit was an impressively strong suit. But soon, Peter wouldn’t want to share his power with the symbiote, as it made him darker.
Peter would always bounce back from whatever struggles he was going through, and Spider-Man was not a dark vigilante at heart. He was a bright hero, and so once separated from him, the symbiote searched for another host.
Eddie Brock (Venom)
The symbiote slithered away from Spider-Man, craving to have the same power as before. He was angry at Spider-Man for separating their bond. He was obsessed with Spider-Man. And when he just so happened to find himself in the proximity of Eddie Brock, he could almost feel that they both loathed Spider-Man. Eddie lost his job as a journalist thanks to Spider-Man, leading to the personal vendetta that fueled Venom’s craving for violence.
Venom has a twisted sense of decency. While he hates Spider-Man with a dying passion and wants to ruin his life, neither Eddie Brock nor Venom want to kill Spider-Man. He is not entirely evil, and on many occasions, Venom has actually saved the day and even worked with Spider-Man!
Gwen Stacy (Gwenom)
On Earth-65, Matt Murdock (Daredevil) is the leader of the Hand, an evil ninja organization meant to bring a twisted order to the world. This world’s Spider-Woman (Gwen Stacy) lost her powers, so Murdock offered her another source of power, as long as he worked for her. He offered the symbiote, created by Doctor Elsa Brock, so that she could be Spider-Woman once again.
But the rage inside her was amplified by the symbiote. Bonded with Venom, she got carried away — she was cruel and abused her great power. It took the help of many other heroes to bring Gwen back to herself.
Deadpool (Venompool)
In some storylines, Deadpool was the second person to have the Venom symbiote, even before Eddie Brock. In fact, it was said that Venom is terrifying and unstable in all of his forms because he bonded with Deadpool’s twisted psyche. They come together and become Venompool!
Though there are other storylines, as seen in the Marvel Contest of Champions video game, where Deadpool goes out of his way to fuse with Venom just to create more chaos. When you take insanity and amplify it, it only gets even crazier!
X-23
X-23 from Earth-24398 is very similar to her main Marvel Universe counterpart. She was an attempted clone of Wolverine made in “The Facility” but this time with one major difference. On the fifth attempt to escape from the lab she was imprisoned in, she stabbed through a tank that contained the Venom symbiote, and immediately merged with it.
Laura Kinney used that power to escape and to try and help the heroes of her Earth. She even shared small portions of the Venom symbiote with the Runaways, so that they could get a power boost as well! She is one of the most adept Venom hosts shown throughout the multiverse.
Carol Danvers
In one storyline, Captain Marvel (then referred to as Ms. Marvel) gets roped in to one of Spider-Man‘s battles against Norman Osborn. Carol Danvers greatly overpowers Venom’s current host (Mac Gargan) and literally rips him apart from the symbiote. When Venom sees just how powerful she is, he immediately switches gears and takes over her body.
Venom goes completely mad with power, thrilled to have a cosmic-level threat as a host. Venom uses all of Carol’s power for sinister purposes, laying waste to the city beneath them. It takes some clever trickery for Carol to escape the symbiote.
Groot
Groot of Earth-101 has a very similar origin story to the Earth-616. He befriended Rocket Racoon, joined the Guardians of the Galaxy, and went from planet to planet saving the day. In one true act of bravery, Groot made a split decision to become the host of the Venom symbiote.
Usually, Venom would turn hosts into a darker version of themselves. They would go mad with power. But Groot was already powerful, and had too much good in his heart to let Venom corrupt him. In fact, he taught Venom how to be good and act with kindness. They eventually grew very fond of each other in their bond.
Who is your favorite symbiote host? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!