Venom (Tom Hardy)

Venom
Venom & Eddie Brock
Name:	Edward Charles Allan Brock (human) Venom (symbiote)
Alias(es):	Eddie Brock Parasite Symbiote (by Life Foundation) Lethal Protectors
Rank:	Anti-Hero
Spouse(s):	Anne Weying (engaged to Eddie Brock; formerly)
Children:	Carnage (Venom)
Portrayed by:	Tom Hardy
First appeared:	Venom
Last appeared:	Spider-Man: No Way Home
Appears in:	3 Films

"Stop this cruel treatment of aliens! It is wrong. All of us should be able to live together upon this ball of rock! Free to be who we be!"

―Venom

Edward Charles Allan "Eddie" Brock is an investigative journalist who bonds with a symbiote known as Venom of whom he forms a co-inhabiting partnership with. By using the latter's incredible strength and durability as well as Eddie's intellect and moral conscious they elect to help those in need by fighting against criminals and supervillains while also satisfying Venom's hunger for human flesh.

History

Early Life

His date of birth is unknown, however in his adulthood he and his fiancée Anne Weying moved to San Francisco after Eddie was fired from the Daily Globe due to an incident that happened in his job, resulting into moving in Anne's home. In San Francisco, Eddie would go on to establish his own career again and even getting his own show called The Eddie Brock Report.

Venom

The Eddie Brock Report

When the organization known as the Life Foundation had made a discovery, Brock was assigned by his boss, Jack, to interview the CEO of the Life Foundation, Carlton Drake, much to Brock's reluctance as he considered Drake an immoral person. After having a date with Anne, Eddie noticed an email sent by her by a law firm, having a few lawsuits against the Life Foundation that had to do with a few murders from human experimentation.

The next day, Eddie interviewed Drake about how he earned the success for his company, until he turned the interview into a hit piece with the mention of Drake using people as human test subjects for an experiment that was killing them, resulting in Eddie being quickly thrown out. Eddie was soon after fired by Jack for making accusations without evidence. Going to Anne's workplace, Eddie tried to rationalize his situation but Anne decided to break up with him after she was fired for Eddie's actions and commitment to his relationship.

Meeting Dora Skirth

Six months later, Eddie was now broke and struggling to find work. Eddie walked into a convenient store where Eddie banters with Mrs. Chen, while buying some food, a man walked inside the store and told her that if she didn't have her money ready she'll die. After the robber left the store, Eddie buys the food he needed and felt sorry for what Chen is going through. Heading home, Eddie saw his neighbor, Ziggy and his girlfriend, he then enters his room and tries to meditate but was interrupted by his Ziggy's electric guitar and tries to drown out the noise with his pillow.

One day, Eddie visited the convenience store again, where he was followed by Dora Skirth of the Life Foundation, who asked for his help. Listening to Dora's reasoning on Carlton Drake's crimes, Eddie refused to help, heading home instead. Before he could go home, Eddie visited Anne at her home but was disappointed when she wasn't there. Anne would then come back home and was accompanied by her new boyfriend, Dan Lewis. Once Dan left them to talk, Eddie explained on what he was doing there and told her that he misses her, however Anne left the conversation ending on how it was too late to fix their relationship and wants him to move on.

Infiltration into the Life Foundation Headquarters

After pondering the idea, Eddie came to the Life Foundation in order to use evidence that will expose them of their wrongdoings, with the help of Dora Skirth. Sneaking through the place and entering an elevator, Eddie was told that the test subjects were homeless people that are used to bond with certain lifeforms that the company had come into contact with. Eddie then entered inside the facility and noticed numerous people that were dead due to symbiosis. While photographing evidence inside the facility, Eddie encountered Maria and tried to break her out until an alarm went off. Breaking out of her capsule, Eddie became bonded with a symbiote.

After defeating security guards, Eddie escaped from the facility and ran through the woods. Eddie ran through a tree bark that resulted into him being tripped over and quickly got himself back up. Needing to get away, Eddie jumped onto a tree in order to hide away from the guards. Once the coast was cleared, Eddie headed back to his apartment. Eddie then called Anne and tried to come to contact with Dora about what happened at the Life Foundation. Eddie felt incredibly hungry and decided to eat frozen tater tots and chicken from the garbage but this resulted in him becoming sick and vomited it all into the toilet. Later, Eddie went to the bathroom to clear his head but heard a strange voice and was startled backwards by the symbiote appearing in the mirror and into the bathtub.

Chase of Eddie Brock

The next day, Eddie visited Anne who was on a date with Dan inside a restaurant, he wanted to talk about Carlton Drake but was heavily distracted by his hunger and wanted to eat something alive. Eddie went inside a lobster tank and starts to eat them. Fortunately before the cops could be called, Dan decided to help him, to which Eddie agreed. Eddie went to hospital and gets examined in a MRI but was interrupted by the sound waves and decided to leave with Dan asking him to comeback if he's ready. Back into his home, Eddie heard Ziggy playing his electric guitar loudly, Eddie interrupted his session by knocking on his door. Eddie politely asked him to turn it down, but when he refused Eddie accidentally let Venom come through, scaring Ziggy, who agreed to turn his music down.

Calling Anne, Eddie attempted to apologize to her and explained that he was feeling unwell and hearing a voice, but the symbiote interrupted their conversation. Eddie eventually grew crazed, wishing for the symbiote to leave his body. However, when some thugs came to his door, looking to acquire the symbiote, it helped him fend them off. Eddie made a run for it, coming to realize what was inside of him. Eddie hopped on a motorcycle, slowly getting away from the thugs with Venom's help, only to be hit by a van. When the driver of the van, another thug, hopped out, the symbiote took over Eddie's body, enveloping him and lifting Roland Treece up off the ground.

After expressing his desire of consuming the Roland, Venom was shot by another thug, resulting in him turning around and biting the man's head off, before being shot by the police. Venom swam away, before disappearing back into Eddie. Eddie noticed he recovered from his injuries, as soon as he acknowledged Venom, the symbiote then appeared from him. Eddie seemed disgusted by Venom eating someone, to which Venom replied it was "fuel in the tank" and that the symbiotes had found a species to bond with.

Attack on Eddie Brock

Understanding that the symbiote could eat anybody else, Eddie went back to his former workplace but was stopped by Richard. After trying to recoup with him, Eddie went away before Venom could kill Richard. Eddie wondered how to get up to his boss's office and has the idea of changing back into Venom. Eddie climbed up onto the top of the building where Venom notice how beautiful Eddie's world is and was ashamed that it will be taken over. Eddie and Venom were effected by the sounds of an airplane traveling above them and fell down from the building. Eddie was saved by Venom and told that he got both of them.

Eddie broke into his former boss's office where he puts a note and his phone with all the evidence against Drake on the table. Eddie took the elevator because his fear of heights but encountered a S.W.A.T team that tried to arrest him. Eddie warned the gunmen to not fight him but they refused, resulting into letting Venom took over and fight all of the S.W.A.T team down. After Eddie tells Venom to not eat policemen, Anne saw Eddie as Venom and decided to take him to the hospital and take off the symbiote.

Captured by the Life Foundation

Confronted by Anne in her car, Eddie tried to explain what had happened to him, with Venom prompting Eddie to apologize to her for his selfish actions. Taken back to the hospital, Anne and Dan told him that the "parasite" was killing him, which resulted into Venom attacking Dan but Anne used ultrasound to force Venom off from Eddie. Eddie felt excruciating pain while hearing hyper active sound, resulting in the symbiote to being unbonded with Eddie. Furiously, Eddie yells at Venom for slowly killing him and told him that he was done and walked away. As Eddie goes into an elevator, he was tazed and captured by Roland Treece and his men.

Taken into the Life Foundation's facility, Eddie woke up on a tied up chair. Eddie attacked Treece for his failure of intimidation but Drake arrived and told him and his mercenaries to get out. Drake asked where Venom is but Eddie responded he doesn't know. Drake changed into a symbiote in order to intimidate him but couldn't get any answer and ask Treece to execute him in the woods.

When Treece was about to execute him, Eddie distracted him long enough so that Venom, who bonded with Anne, can take out all the other guys and eat Treece's head. Anne then kissed Eddie so that Venom could come back into him, knowing what he'll do with other symbiotes, decides to face Riot before the ship is launched.

Battle at the Life Foundation

At the station, Eddie climbed onto a wall and noticed Riot breaking out of a window, asking Venom that he could take only to responded with a chance they might lose. Despite knowing he'll lose, Eddie proceeded to stop Carlton and Riot by blocking their path, receiving a threat by them, they intensely fought against each other. Almost losing against his attacks, Eddie gained the upper hand, after briefly being separated from Venom and soon they consumed each other.

Heading towards the rocket ship, Eddie, Venom, Carlton, and Riot were separated due to Anne use of the ultrasound that activated a horn antenna . Falling down, Eddie fell onto a platform and fought against Carlton. Eddie punched Carlton in the face and kicked him off before he could finish his sentence. Walking away, Eddie was stabbed in the back by Riot before entering the ship. Venom arrived and bonded with Eddie, taking off the sword, and using it to destroy the rocket, killing Drake and Riot. Venom saved Eddie before being burned by the fire.

Lethal Protector

In the aftermath, the crimes of the Life Foundation were exposed. Eddie was rehired and offered to make a special edition on Drake. Eddie told Anne that he won't be back on screen and decided to write articles. Anne told Eddie that the kiss before was Venom's idea and that Dan must not know about it. Eddie was surprised by the Anne's comment about their kiss but was mistaken for being bonded by Venom, to which Eddie agreed about the power and how it wasn't completely awful. Venom distracted Eddie about the fact that she doesn't know that he survived the fire and Anne noticed that Eddie wasn't listening. Eddie then walked away and expresses his farewell.

Walking down the street, Eddie stumbled upon a dog owner who observed him and Anne and told him that he shouldn't give up on her, agreeing with and petted his dog, while Venom commented on eating it. Settling down some ground rules, Eddie lectured Venom about how people are good and bad and that he should only touch, harm, hurt, and possibly eat very bad individuals, to which Venom questions to know how one tells the difference, with Eddie responding with just seeing and sensing it.

Interviewing Cletus Kasady

Eddie was then scheduled to have an interview with a serial killer named Cletus Kasady, who asked to be interviewed by him. Brock went on a motorcycle trip to San Quentin State Prison and told the Venom symbiote to be quiet as this was his thing. After being ominously warned by one of the prison guards, Eddie went to Cletus' cell, where he had already written with his own blood "Welcome Eddie". During their interview, Cletus told Eddie to forgo "the whole creepy serial killer thing" as he could turn the serial-killer act on and off whenever he wanted. Cletus then asked a Eddie to get closer to him despite the guards' warnings and told him that he wouldn't tell him the locations of his other victims and that he planned to break out of prison, and once he does it, he will unleash "carnage" upon society.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

A year later, after Eddie visits incarcerated serial killer Cletus Kasady to interview him, Venom can figure out where Kasady has hidden the bodies of victims, which gives Eddie a huge career boost. After Kasady subsequently invites Eddie to attend his execution by lethal injection, Venom is provoked to attack Kasady via insults towards Eddie. After briefly witnessing Venom's true form, Kasady bites Eddie's hand, unknowingly ingesting a small part of Venom as they reproduce. Eddie is then contacted by Anne, who tells him that she is now engaged to Dr. Dan Lewis, much to Venom's displeasure.

Wanting more freedom to eat human brains instead of chicken brains, Venom has an argument with Eddie, and the two end up fighting until the symbiote detaches from his body; they go their different ways. Venom makes his way through San Francisco by hopping from body to body and attending a rave until Anne finds him at Mrs. Chen's store and convinces him to forgive Eddie. She bonds with Venom herself to break Eddie out of a police station after he is arrested on suspicion of aiding in Kasady's escape from prison, as the symbiote piece he had ingested metamorphoses into Venom's offspring "Carnage." Making amends, Venom and Eddie bond again. Arriving at a cathedral with Dan, where Kasady and his lover Frances Barrison plan to get married, after Barrison and Kasady take Anne and Officer Mulligan hostage, respectively. Venom is shocked to see Carnage ("a red one") envelop Kasady and address them as "father", seeking to eat them, refusing to fight until Eddie promises to let him eat "everybody." Venom begins to fight Carnage but is quickly overpowered, and the latter decides to kill Anne atop the cathedral. Venom manages to rescue Anne in time and provokes Barrison to use her sonic blast powers, causing both symbiotes to separate from their hosts as the cathedral collapses and the falling bell kills Barrison. Venom saves Eddie by bonding with him before the impact. Carnage tries to bond with Kasady again, but Venom devours him before biting Kasady's head off and escaping with Eddie from the police, bidding farewell to Anne and Dan.

While pondering their next steps, Venom and Eddie take a tropical vacation together, Venom finally feeling the ocean between his toes as he sits on the beach with Eddie, talking about their lives. After Eddie agrees to change their crimefighting name, both declaring that "We are the Lethal Protector," Venom is happy by his approval before the two stare out towards the sunset. Sometime later, Venom and Eddie binge-watch local telenovelas in their tropical vacation cabana. As Venom tells Eddie about the symbiotes' hive mind knowledge of other universes, they are suddenly warped into an unfamiliar hotel room in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where the pair watch as J. Jonah Jameson discusses Spider-Man's identity as Peter Parker and as a "murderer" on television. Unbeknownst to Venom and Eddie, others from their own respective universes were also transported including Curt Connors, Max Dillon, Flint Marko, Otto Octavius, Norman Osborn, and two versions of Peter Parker, due to Doctor Strange's attempt to cast a spell and restore Peter Parker's secret identity initially going awry and breaking open the multiverse.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

After being transported to another universe, Eddie Brock began to research about the new world by finding about the heroes and villains that reside or once resided in it, such as Iron Man, Hulk, and Thanos. Brock makes the decision to pay Spider-Man a visit, until he fades away due to Doctor Strange's recent spell, and is sent back to his own universe, while leaving some of the symbiote in the alternate reality.

Personality

Similar to his original counterpart, Eddie is trying to excel in journalism. However, unlike his original counterpart (who happens to be somewhat wrathful in nature), Eddie tries to be more civil as he tends to avoid causing any trouble with the authorities. He is also more civil with Anne due to their friendship; even after their breakup and learning that she's going out with another man, Eddie decided that it would be better not to interfere with Anne's new relationship.

When being bonded with the Venom symbiote, Eddie seems to be very uncomfortable in becoming its host body as it made him go on the run from the law. However, he seems to appreciate his new abilities, even convincing the symbiote that they would just use the power only to take down criminals instead of hurting innocent people; even the symbiote agreed to this as it admitted that it was treated as a 'loser' in its home planet. Therefore, this Brock remains even more sympathetic than his comics counterpart. He also has a strong sense of justice. While he is willing to kill, he only does so to bad people. Said refusal to kill anyone that does not deserve it eventually makes him serve as a moral compass towards the Venom symbiote.

The Venom symbiote was originally a malicious and controlling being that worked for Riot in wreaking havoc and conquering planets with life with their current target being Earth. His controlling side best displayed through their early interactions with Eddie and how he caused his host troubles. He also enjoys combat and bloodshed, and has a sadistic sense of humor to boot, a trait that he retained even after befriending Eddie.

Even so, Venom is not without positive qualities, as through his time with Eddie, he grew to appreciate humanity and developed a soft spot for his host and Anne; even agreeing with Eddie that they should only kill criminals instead of innocent people. In contrast to Riot who treated his hosts as disposable battery, Venom cares for Eddie over time in spite of initially for his own survival. This was shown where the symbiote frantically plead to Eddie that he will fix the organs he just feed on and later, leaving Anne unharmed from his possession on her as they join forces to save Eddie from being killed by Drake's mercenaries (though Anne was nevertheless left horrified from Venom eating their heads through her). Venom also had an insecure side, as when telling Eddie how he had a change of heart, he told the man how he was treated like a loser and sees much of himself in Eddie, which eventually allow him to stand up against Riot by the climax of the film.

In the trailer of Venom: Let There be Carnage, Venom has gotten adjusted to being bonded with Eddie and becoming an anti-hero. He also seems to have become more civil and cheery, as he is seen cooking breakfast while singing and he says hello to Mrs. Cheng as Eddie enters her store while waving a tentacle.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

• Klynthar Physiology: Venom is a Klynthar, a race of parasitic goo-like alien lifeforms that can possess a living being upon physical contact and endow them superhuman powers including enhanced strength, speed, durability, healing factor, shapeshifting, and construct creation. While he is capable of seemingly suppressing a host's mind and use their bodies as if it were his own, he is able to almost meld minds with them and work collectively with them while sharing the same body. Eddie Brock himself on the other hand, lacked notable superhuman abilities of his own, but thanks to his compatibility with Venom, the alien symbiote who merged with his body, he gained the access for all powers and abilities Venom endowed to him.
  • Possession: Being a symbiote, Venom can possesses any living beings upon physical contact with them, passing into their flesh as if intangible and taking full control of their bodies. Once inside the host, Venom is able to enhance their physical abilities to inhuman levels, allowing them to overpower other humans with ease and heal from severe injuries such as broken bones and damaged tissue in seconds. Venom displayed that it can suppress its host's mind to fully control their bodies should they reject him. Should they accept it, both it and them can able to almost meld minds with them and work collectively with them while sharing the same body as demonstrated through the teamwork with Eddie. The abilities it can use while bonded with a host, as well as how good its host exploit them for their advantage, is fueled by the compatibility to each other.
  • Shapeshifting: Being a Klynthar, Venom possesses the ability to change both shape and appearance of his very form as well as fashion part of its very being into weapons and constructs.
    • Symbiotic Costume: The symbiote can envelop the host's body within a sentient, malleable but durable suit complete with eyes, claws and a mouth with powerful jaws and sharp teeth while increasing in mass, turning him into powerful opponent.
    • Construct Creation: As stated before, Venom can fashion parts of his very being and that of host into weapon such as talons, web-like tendrils, shields, and as shown using most of its biomass into a parachute/shield to both slow the descend and protection from harm. Venom's mastery over this ability notably pales in comparison to other more powerful symbiote’s such as Riot and Carnage, as most of his constructs are still malleable and he has yet to demonstrate being able to create more solid and detachable ones, such as blades.
  • Superhuman Strength: Eddie can bolster his physical strength to superhuman level by having Venom enhancing his muscles.
    • Superhuman Leaping: By having Venom increasing the strength of his leg muscles, Eddie can leap superhumanly high at will.
  • Superhuman Durability: Venom's body is virtually indestructible. Bullets, blades, and energy blasts alike barely scratch his skin, and he can withstand extreme temperatures, pressures, and impacts without harm. This near-invulnerability makes him an unstoppable force on the battlefield, shrugging off attacks that would incapacitate or kill most other beings.
  • Superhuman Stamina: Venom's musculature is considerably efficient. His virtually inexhaustible stamina enables him to exert himself at peak capacity for an undefined period of time without tiring at all, never needing to slow down when fighting against opponents like Riot and Carnage.
  • Superhuman Speed: Venom's enhancement on his muscles also enable Eddie to move faster than regular humans can keep up. A testament of this best displayed throughout his ability to dodge bullets and catch a tear gas that was fired from him.
  • Superhuman Agility: Venom's ability to amplify his host's physicality allow him to increase dexterity and mobility to inhuman levels, to the point where Eddie was able climb to the top of a tree in mere seconds. While manifesting his full body over Eddie, Venom demonstrated acrobatic and gymnastic capabilities despite his burly and hulking frame, being able to move on all fours with ease or charge up the sides of buildings.
  • Regenerative Healing Factor: In addition of muscular enhancements and increase of bodily tissue's durability, Venom's presence in Eddie's body enable him to quickly regenerate from the most severe of injuries in mere seconds, from ruptured organs to broken bones. This allowed Brock to almost instantly recover from being hit by a van and having much of his body broken, as well as bring him back from the brink of death after he had been impaled by Riot. Even without a host, Venom can regenerate himself even from smallest bit of his very being provided that he has enough nourishment to so, as seen when the symbiote recovered some time after sacrificing most part of himself to protect Eddie.
• Symbiote Hive Mind: According to Venom, all the symbiotes including himself are connected through a hive mind that extends across many universes thus enabling him to experience what the others do and subsequently use the knowledge from the same experience to his advantage. Because of such quirk proved too much for their host to handle, Venom was understandably hesitant to share it to Eddie and that he could endow a fraction of it under the symbiote's discretion.

Weaknesses

• Sonic Vibrations: As powerful as the symbiote is, exposure to extremely loud noise and even that of intense sonic vibrations drives the alien crazy.
• Intense Heat: Aside from the intense noise causing the alien to go crazy, Venom can also be injured through exposure to intense heat, such as from lasers, fire, etc.
• Hunger: Because of his uncontrollable hunger, Venom must feed on living flesh to sustain himself or he'll eat the organs of his own host, namely humans ( Small animals such as chickens are not enough). Even though he can eat chocolate (that contains phenethylamine), he'll still need to feed until he's satisfied.
• Symbiote Separation: If Eddie is not connected to Venom, he is just a normal human without powers and is vulnerable to fatal injuries and death. Venom on the other hand, would immediately die out.
  • Incompatible Host: Venom can only fully bond with hosts that biologically compatible to him such as Eddie; those who less compatible would have their organs wear out faster from keeping the symbiote energized and eventually died out regardless whether they bond willingly.

Trivia

• This is the first incarnation of Venom to have a solo trilogy.
• In the comic, the symbiote's best way of attaining nourishment is in phenethylamine, a chemical that stimulates the brain in humans. This is required by symbiotes of Venom's species, however it can also find in chocolate, thus the idea once again use in the scene, where Eddie ask Venom.
• It was also shown that Venom did like Anne and care about her; this could be one of the reasons why Venom didn't kill her while re-swapping into Eddie (which is weird as a symbiote would have to kill its host if he/she wasn't suitable to their nature or when swapping to another host).
  • It is implied that Venom may want a romantic relationship with Anne. After fighting with the SWAT team, when Anne asked Eddie to go to the hospital while the latter didn't want to do so, Venom suggested to Eddie to get in the car because he "likes" her. Another piece of evidence was after the battle with Riot, a surviving Venom tells Eddie that Anne doesn't know they are going to steal her back.
    • The kiss actually is a nod of The Venom Kiss, which is memorable as Thanos kissing a Venom-ized Death.
• This is the second live-action cinematic incarnation of Venom, the first being Topher Grace's portrayal.
  • Ironically, while Topher Grace's portrayal was disliked by the fans, Hardy's portrayal had received more critical acclaim. Also, Topher's Eddie Brock was shown to like being evil, which doesn't fit the original comic's counterpart; Hardy's Brock was more fit to Venom's anti-hero/anti-villain side, and the appearance and personality are more fit to the comic's counterpart.
    • For the same reasons, Topher Grace himself greatly approved Hardy's portrayal of the character.
• The notable difference between Tom Hardy's Venom and his comic's counterpart are that both Eddie and the symbiote never met Spider-Man, which explained why Venom lacks the spider symbol on his chest. Also, Hardy's Venom is not biologically related with Riot, the symbiote antagonist in the movie.
  • Although, when Venom healed Eddie after Riot stab the latter's chest, their wound looked like the iconic Spider-symbol in the comic.
• Stan Lee, the creator of Marvel Comic once again appears in the film as a cameo. Venom replies by asking Eddie who the old man, credited as Dapper Dog Walker, even is, which is an extra joke for comic fans, since Lee had nothing to do with the creation of Venom.
• According to Venom, on his planet he was a loser just like Eddie, which is one of the reasons for his attachment particularly to him.
  • This is partly a nod to his comic book counterpart that considered as an outcast among its kind because it wanted to form a bond with its hosts that benefited both parties when their species is usually purely parasitic.

Gallery

Eddie Brock as he appears in Venom.

That Guy!

See Also

• Venom (Topher Grace)