Content area
Full Text
In Sony’s new Spider-Man universe movie, “Venom,” Tom Hardy plays Eddie Brock, a disgraced reporter chasing down stories he’d often rather not be doing. Hardy’s Venom is not very far off from the one introduced in Marvel Comics more than 30 years ago, but the on-again-off-again Spider-Man villain has a long and twisted history in Marvel — both as a kind of anti-hero who protects the innocent at all costs and as a ruthless villain who threatened Peter Parker’s family and allies. Which is why it’s so surprising that the creature’s origins stem from Parker’s desire to get himself a new costume.
Venom is an alien symbiote who will take on the characteristics of the person or entity that it bonds with, usually heightening strength, rage and aggression — with a slight side effect being the desire to eat others. The symbiote cannot survive long without a host, and it usually manifests as an external suit, but the connection is much deeper than that. As Hardy prepares to step into the role, the Times looks back at the character’s onscreen and comic book origins, including its most influential incarnations.
RELATED: Comedy, horror and an unmasked Tom Hardy: How ‘Venom’s’ director built a fresh ‘Spider-Man’ spin-off »
“The Amazing Spider-Man” #252 (1984)
Due to the way comics were released in 1984, “Secret Wars” #8 (below) was the first time Spider-Man wore the suit but not the first time readers saw it. That was in “The Amazing Spider-Man” #252, which was released in May, months before “Secret Wars” #8’s December debut. The events in “Secret Wars” happened before the events in #252.
It was later discovered by Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four that this costume was actually an alien symbiote. The symbiote had been taking control of Parker’s body while he slept...