I'm ready for Venom to be a horrifying monster again. I'm ready for the symbiote to strike fear into Spider-Man's heart again - and mine. And thanks to Marvel's Spider-Man 2, it seems I'm about to get that opportunity. Frankly, it feels overdue.
Nothing against the "Lethal Protector" anti-hero Venom has become, with his own expansive mythos and his own corner of the Marvel Universe, but something was lost when Venom and Eddie Brock evolved away from being Spider-Man's ultimate opposite number and arch-enemy.
I was first introduced to Venom at the height of his horror villain era in 1991, with the now legendary issue Amazing Spider-Man #347, in which Eddie Brock/Venom lures Peter Parker to a desert island and uses the Venom symbiote's camouflage to hunt Peter through the jungle, Predator style.
I was just seven years old, and seeing the honestly terrifying cover drawn by Erik Larsen and inked by Randy Emberlin, I was immediately gripped by the potential terrors that lay within its story, written by Venom's co-creator Dave Michelinie.
On the cover, Venom holds aloft a skull draped with Spider-Man's shredded mask, as his long, bloodthirsty tongue and rows of needle-like fangs slather everything with green slime.
"Alas, poor Spider-Man!" snarls Venom. "I killed him well!"
I was fully convinced Spider-Man was dead.
The cover stands toe-to-toe with the lurid, gory vibes of the best horror movie posters of the era, and that's the kind of feeling Venom had for the first few years of his existence, a horror movie monster turned comic book supervillain.
The Venom symbiote's early comic book history is grounded in horror - from the body horror of Peter Parker realizing his symbiote costume was not only alive, but using his body without his knowledge while he was asleep, to its eventual bonding with Eddie Brock to become a whole new monstrous entity comprised of equal parts human and symbiote.
There are shades of David Cronenberg's The Fly, Ridley Scott's Alien, and of course the aforementioned Predator franchise. Venom, whether he was specifically labeled as such or not, was squarely grounded in the Marvel Horror tradition of viewing the most recognizable and popular horror franchises of the time through a superheroic lens.
Venom's road away from that villainous vibe has certainly created success for the character, leading to many volumes of his own ongoing title, numerous spin-offs, several movies, and of course video game appearances. And he's always kept some level of "Eat their brains!" monstrousness along the way.
But these days, Venom's comic book presence is often more of an annoyance to Peter Parker than a blood-curdling, spine-chilling threat. And that feels like something about the character's core place in the Marvel Universe has fundamentally changed.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 has, so far, showcased a more horror-oriented version of Venom, with a huge, hulking presence that calls back to Erik Larsen's definitive take on the villain (who was co-created by Dave Michelinie and Todd McFarlane). And there's even a bit of an added mystery for fans, as the new identity of Venom - who is not Eddie Brock in the game - has yet to be fully revealed, though all signs point to it being a well-known Spider-Man supporting character.
That last bit may be the key to allowing Marvel's Spider-Man 2 to fully explore that horror-fueled side of Venom's personality, as Eddie Brock has been an anti-hero for decades at this point. So bringing in a totally new Venom host may be what allows Marvel's Spider-Man 2 to go full horror movie monster with the character, while leaving Eddie's rehabilitation as an anti-hero intact with fans.
We'll get to dig into the game soon, but while we're waiting, I'm hoping with all anticipation that Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will deliver the horrific Venom story we've deserved for so long.
Adding a new Venom host is a longstanding comic tradition. Read all about the best Venom hosts of all time.
