Venom is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer David Michelinie and artist Todd McFarlane, making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #300 in May 1988. The original and most well-known incarnation of Venom is Eddie Brock, a disgraced journalist who bonds with an alien symbiote that had previously been rejected by Spider-Man. The symbiote grants Brock superhuman strength, agility, and the ability to generate organic webbing, while also sharing with him Spider-Man's secret identity and a deep, mutual hatred for the wall-crawler.
The character was conceived as a darker, more physically imposing reflection of Spider-Man. The symbiote itself was originally introduced as a living alien costume for Spider-Man during the 1984 Secret Wars crossover event. After Spider-Man rejected it, the symbiote found a new host in Eddie Brock, merging their shared resentment into a singular, monstrous entity. Venom quickly became one of Spider-Man's most popular and enduring foes, distinguished by his grotesque appearance, razor-sharp teeth, and long, prehensile tongue.
Over the decades, Venom evolved from a straightforward supervillain into a complex anti-hero, eventually starring in his own solo series. The character's popularity led to the symbiote bonding with other hosts, most notably the psychopathic serial killer Cletus Kasady, who became the even more dangerous Carnage. Venom remains a cornerstone of the Spider-Man mythos, representing a dark mirror to the hero and a fan-favorite character whose legacy extends across comics, animation, and film.
