A fan-favorite character and well-known figure in popular culture, Venom (primarily the Eddie Brock incarnation) is the most recognizable Spider-Man antagonist not first introduced during the original Lee/Ditko run.

Comics journalist and historian Mike Conroy writes of the character: "What started out as a replacement costume for Spider-Man turned into one of the Marvel web-slinger's greatest nightmares".

It was writer Tom DeFalco and artist Ron Frenz who established that the costume was a sentient alien being that was vulnerable to high sonic energy during their run on The Amazing Spider-Man that preceded David Michelinie's.

After Spider-Man's costume is ruined from battles with the villains, he is directed by Thor and the Hulk to a room at the heroes' base where they inform him a machine can read his thoughts and instantly fabricate any type of clothing.

[17][18] During their run on The Amazing Spider-Man, writer Tom DeFalco and artist Ron Frenz established that the costume was a sentient alien symbiote that was vulnerable to both fire and high sonic energy.

[24] Michelinie's script for that page reads as follows:[22] But as she enters the apartment and turns on the lamp next to the sofa, she starts as she looks over to a still-shadowy corner where she sees the white spider and eye-shapes from Spidey's costume.

MJ backs up, terrified, as the stranger reaches a hand out towards her, his lopsided animal smile stretching to the point where it almost connects behind his head, a totally inhuman gesture.

Blobs of it still existed in his bloodstream, however, so Osborn injected Gargan with a vaccine for Anti-Venom's healing powers, which restored the symbiote by causing the remaining pieces of it to expand rapidly.

Some time later, Ann, traumatized by her experiences with Venom and the symbiote, commits suicide after seeing Spider-Man pass by her window in a black costume, believing it is Brock returning for her.

It is revealed that the Ararat Corporation is run by an alien colony of miniature spider robots led by an entity named Bob, that have infiltrated the American government.

His frail physique and shy attitude leave Angelo frequently bullied and humiliated by his father, who attends a supervillain auction and purchases the Venom symbiote from a sickly Brock for $100 million.

[93] A bout of temporary insanity that the Venom symbiote subsequently experiences is eventually discerned to have been caused by its brief fusion with Mercurio, whose evil had undone the mental "cleansing" that the creature had earlier undergone.

The virus was accidentally unleashed upon New York, and bonded to various New Yorkers and heroes including: Spider-Man, Veranke (at the time impersonating the Jessica Drew version of Spider-Woman), Wasp, Black Widow, Wolverine, Doctor Strange and Hawkeye.

Obviously, his efforts, raw strength and heroism is enough to attract the attention of one of Malekith's War Witches, who approaches Eddie with a dangerous gift, a Dreamstone, which brings life to dreams and desires.

After being free, attempts to re-bond with Peter Parker to become Spider-Venom and makes him to kill his own family, but gets separated by Spider-Girl and Phil Urich as the heroic Green Goblin.

[volume & issue needed] In Spider-Man Fairy Tales #3, Venom is a Tsuchigumo who seeks to corrupt the young priest Izumi (the Peter Parker character) by making him give into his anger.

In the reality where Harry Osborn became president of U.S.A. and, because of his father, turned the government into a totalitarian regime, the Venom symbiote is bonded to the Thing, who became the head guard of the superhuman prison.

[156] In Edge of Spider-Geddon #2, in the world of Peni Parker and SP//dr, VEN#m exists as a giant mech-suit powered by a Sym Engine created to serve as back-up in case the SP//dr suit failed.

[163] In an alternate future where Spider-Man is a paralyzed old man who lives with Deadpool, Venom is bonded to Vision and is part of The Fantastic Four alongside Valeria Richards, Reed (son of the Thing) and a version of Daredevil called Lastdevil.

[volume & issue needed] In Kaare Andrews' Spider-Man: Reign, set 30 years from current comics continuity, Venom/Eddie Brock has been posing as "Edward Saks", the aide to Waters, the Mayor of New York.

[167] Several versions of Venom are featured in Spider-Verse: In the universe of Earth-91274 where the Transformers series is set, Peter Parker appears still wearing his original Black Suit and goes to cover a story about the evil Decepticons who stole components of a nuclear power plant to build their base in the side of a mountain in Oregon.

In the video game Ultimate Spider-Man, absorbing the trace amounts in Peter's blood allowed Eddie to take complete control of the suit, gaining a greater ability to talk and a spider symbol on his chest.

[174] The Venom suit was introduced when Peter Parker reunited with his childhood friend Eddie Brock Jr. to continue their fathers' research into a protoplasmic cure for cancer.

[193] In this one-shot issue, the Marvel Super-Heroes and Villains left alive from the Secret Wars after Galactus' and the Beyonder's fatal battle find themselves trapped on Battleworld.

After Spider-Man seemingly kills the Kingpin, the Sinister Six (consisting of Kraven, Electro, Rhino, Mysterio, Eddie Brock possessing Doctor Octopus' arms and a reluctant J. Jonah Jameson) assemble in the countryside to take him down.

Jameson takes Peter home, where they meet up with Mary Jane and Black Cat and find out that Kingpin had leaked Spider-Man's secret identity to the press.

In March 2016, following the introduction of Spider-Man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was announced that Sony was moving forward with a standalone film after hiring Dante Harper to write the script, and Arad, Matt Tolmach and Amy Pascal producing.

[230] The film's post-credits scene sees Eddie and Venom being transported to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), where they witness J. Jonah Jameson expose Peter Parker's identity as Spider-Man on television.

[250] Comics journalist and historian Mike Conroy writes of the character: "What started out as a replacement costume for Spider-Man turned into one of the Marvel web-slinger's greatest nightmares.

[259] An original page of the 1984 Marvel Superheroes Secret Wars, showing Spider-Man wearing the black suit for the first time, was sold by Heritage Auctions in January 2022 for over $3 million.