Venom (Peter Parker, Eddie Brock, & Mac Garagan)1st Apperance: As Costume: Secret Wars #8 (In Continuity), Amazing Spider-Man #252 (In Printing Date)
As Venom: Amazing Spider-Man #300
Created by: David Michelline & Todd McFarlane
Powers: The Symbiotic Alien Costume grants it's bearer essentially the same powers as Spider-Man but with stronger Super-Human Strength and added bonuses: Super-Human Strength, Super-Human Agility, Super-Human Reflexes, Organic Webbing, able to stick to walls, able to mimic any clothes or near invisibility much as a chameleon, able to extend "tendrils" of itself off of bearer's body, & possesses a "Spider-Sense" which warns him of danger, he is also negates Spider-Man's Spider-Sense when near him.
Team Affiliations: The Sinister Six (Disbanded), The Thunderbolts
History:Originally acquired by Spider-Man by accident on Battleworld in The Secret Wars, the alien symbiote that would become known as Venom disguised itself as a costume. Spider-Man believed it was nothing more than some advanced costume that came from a machine in the heroes headquarters on Battleworld. He felt stronger and faster, and his webbing was being produced without the use of web-shooters for the first time. But after returning to Earth when Secret Wars had ended, he soon discovered it was more than a costume. The alien symbiote soon started fighting Peter's psyche for dominance. Peter tried countless different ways to rid himself of the costume, but could not. He even went to Reed Richards, and thought himself to be rid of it, only to awake the next morning with it on again. In a desperate attempt to rid himself of the costume, Peter risked his own life when he discovered that loud noises hurt the alien. He stood right next to a church bell that was ringing, a normal human would have died under such conditions, and as Spider-Man Peter barely survived. But he did rid himself of the alien. Peter thought the alien had died and the ordeal over. But unknown to him, the alien bonded with Eddie Brock. The alien felt rejected and betrayed by Spider-Man and wanted revenge. Eddie Brock also wanted revenge, he blamed Peter Parker for being fired and his girlfriend leaving him. Peter had discovered that Eddie was providing false photography for the Daily Bugle and was fired for it. Soon Venom had launched several unsuccessful, but lethally close attacks on Spider-Man and his family. Now Peter feared not only for himself, but also his family, because the alien was inside him mind and knew everything Peter knew. Eventually Venom sired an offspring that was an even eviler abomination than himself. Venom and Spider-Man teamed-up to take the even more powerful Carnage down. As a result, Spider-Man and Venom made an uneasy alliance: Stay out of each other's affairs from now on. This lasted quite a while. During this time Venom was a vigilante on the streets of San Francisco. But it wasn't too long before Venom's thirst for vengeance once again took over. Again there were repeated attacks on Spider-Man. But then as suddenly as they began again, they stopped. It became evident that Venom had left Eddie Brock in search of new host. Eddie was dying of cancer and the alien was keeping him alive, but now it was too far along and the alien needed a new host. Eddie lay in the long-term care unit of the hospital. Meanwhile the Venom symbiote bonded with Spider-Man's longtime enemy, Mac Garagan, better known as The Scorpion. Mac Gargan no longer uses the Scorpion suit, and has all the powers that Eddie Brock had as Venom. He works as a hired assassin on a team working for the U.S. Government that hunts down unregistered heroes/villains. That team is the latest incarnation of the Thunderbolts. To read about Venom currently, pick up the Thunderbolts and keep an eye out for appearances in Spider-Man books. He was also one of the main villains in the recently released DVD: Spider-Man 3.
