Venom

Venom is the alter ego of Edward Charles Brock.

Eddie Brock was a successful columnist working for the Daily Globe when he was approached by a man named Emil Gregg. Gregg claimed he was the notorious serial killer known as The Sin Eater and agreed to share his confession with Brock provided his identity was not revealed to the public. Brock agreed and published a series of articles detailing Gregg's confession. However, facing immense pressure from the authorities, Eddie Brock eventually revealed the identity of his source in a major front page headline that was an instant sensation.

Eddie's success was short lived. Mere hours after the article was published, Spider-Man captured the real Sin Eater, a retired police captain named Stan Carter. Emil Gregg was nothing more than a compulsive confessor looking for attention. Eddie was fired in disgrace and blacklisted by the journalism community, forced to eke out a living writing for supermarket tabloids. His wife abandoned him, and Eddie was forced to move into a squalid apartment in the Bronx. He spent the rest of his meager income on weightlifting equipment and punching bags, working on his physique to channel his hatred for Spider-Man, whom he blamed for ruining his life. Eventually the pathetic remains of his life became too much to bear, and Eddie Brock walked into a church to beg for forgiveness before taking his own life.

As fate would have it, Brock walked into the same church where Spider-Man had gone to destroy the alien being that had attached itself to him during the Secret Wars. The alien was weak but alive, and it sensed the hatred in Eddie Brock when he entered the church. The alien descended on Brock and bonded with him, and the two became Venom.

Venom is both the alien and Eddie Brock, a creature obsessed with taking revenge on Spider-Man. Venom has all of Spider-Man's abilities, with the addition of the ability to nullify Spider-Man's "spider sense".

EDWARD BROCK, JR. OF "SPIDER-MAN 3"

(by Dane Youssef)

Peter Parker has had to face many a villain in his life. But Edward Brock, Jr. was his first arch-nemisis.

For those of you who aren't crystal clear on the term, an arch-nemisis is an opponent who has the same powers and ablilites--and many of the same characteristics as you do. Eddie bears a striking physical resemblence to one Peter Parker.

Peter is a low-key guy with a quiet speaking voice, almost a whisper. He wears hooded sweatshirts, beanies and baseball caps, rides a moped, has friends that are like his family, and is closer to his aunt than many are to their own parents, Eddie seems to be an exact opposite to Peter in almost every way imaginable--He dresses in spiffy designer clothes, uses enormous hair product, rides a motorcycle and seems progressively tanned. Eddie seems to have nothing but advantage over Peter. He's louder, more flamboyant, more able to schmooze and socialize. Eddie is overly arrogant and obnoxious, but certainly a lot more polished. But Eddie is lacking in regards underneath. He apparently has no real friends or close family.

Eddie considers himself a ladies' man, but the ladies themselves don't consider him much of a man. He's smitten with a woman who's a model and a physicist. But after one coffee date, she has no interest in pursuing things further. Eddie flirts with J.J.'s secretary. She's amused, but brushes him off. And his cologne seems to disgust more than it attracts.

And after the symbiote takes over, Peter begins to act more like Eddie. He has a hip hairstyle, a pricey suit, a over-inflated ego and more swagger. Not to mention he seems like even more of a dork. He struts down the street to an old James Brown song, pointing and smirking at girls who either find him laughable or gross. Not unlike Eddie Brock. The symbiote seems to have made him into Eddie Brock in his entirety, that seems to be it's chief power.

After losing his job and his reputation, seeing Peter with the woman he really wanted and damn-near taking his own life, he goes into a church and prays for Peter's death. Almost like the divine hand is granting his wish, he hears a scream from above. Peter is at the top of the bell tower attempting to tear the suit from his body, and with the help of the bell's thunderous chimes, the suit seems to be shrieking in pain. And the Spidey-type symbiote seems to look more demonic and angry. Peter peels off the creature and just makes it out by the skin of his teeth. But disaster is not averted. For just as he tosses the debris of the alien jumpsuit, it lands directly onto our villain, Eddie Brock and completely consumes him. Even more so than our hero, Peter Parker. Eddie struggles like he's in a straightjacket sinking directly into quicksand. But of course, the creature wins in the end. Not that it's such a loss for Eddie. For as soon as it covers him form head-to-toe, we see the face and form of one of the most beloved and anticipated supervillains in history.

Edward Brock, Jr. now re-christened and re-born Venom, goes around the city web-slinging and swinging Spider-Man style, looking for the real Spider-Man himself. And while doing such, he happens to run into someone else looking for the Spidey--the Sandman. After the Sandman attacks Venom, mistaking this print for the original--our villain gives him a disaproving venomous roar... complete with tounge.

It's obvious this isn't our friendly neghiborhood Spidey to him. But just as the Sand is about to take off, Venoms strikes a bargain. A partnership. Two against one. Against a common foe. "Interested?" he hisses. Even the almighty Sandman can only utter a stunned, "Yeah...."

Of course, there's a showdown. And Mary Jane is once again a worm dangling on the hook. Peter puts on his old traditional blue and red Spider-Man costume. The one he's been sporting since his 1960 incarnation. And we feel the same "best friends reunited feeling" he is.

<span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:17px;">He comes to the rescue not only of MJ, but the entire city--just like always. It's a confrontation. The Enemy Within. Peter attempts to plead with Eddie the dangers of the black faux Spidey suit, and the unholy being it based from. Take it off, Peter says. He tries to warn Eddie. What will become. What he will do. This doesn't faze Eddie. The suit will make you do evil things... and Eddie's mission is to do evil things.

<span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:17px;">But then like an angel from the wings, Peter's fallen B.F.F. Harry Obsorn comes blazing through to save the day, in full Goblin garb. Harry tries to keep the Sandman at bay while Peter tries to take care of Venom.

<span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:17px;">Peter remembers that it was the loud noise that make the external creature scream and grow weak. He takes a pipe and bangs it against a row of others, making a thundering chiming. The alien onesie begins to writhe. And just as it's weakening, Peter sees the unmasked face of Mr. Edward Brock, Jr. underneath. He lets a web fly at Ed, pulling him free. But now the creature is unmanned, on a rampage. It's suddenly become more than just a poison. It's a free-thinking evil, ready to kill Peter and Eddie. Thinking fast, our Peter grabs one of Harry's gremlin bombs and hurls it right at the alien blob. Eddie, seeing what's about to happen, runs toward the thing like a mother trying to save a child in the path of an oncoming car, screaming "Noooooooo!"

<span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:17px;">Pete tries to save Ed from going down with the ship. But Eddie's enamored with the black beast and he's got nothing left going on as just Brock--Edward Brcok, Jr. anymore. And just as he wanted to spend the rest of his days in that evil Spidey jumpsuit... he dies doing just that.