Venom is one of Marvel’s most iconic antiheroes. The sentient alien symbiote has bonded with several hosts over the years, most notably Eddie Brock and Peter Parker. But there has been some debate among fans about who exactly was the first to wear the venom symbiote in the comics. In this article, we’ll take a quick look at Venom’s origins and first appearances to try to settle the debate once and for all.
Venom’s First Comic Book Appearance
Venom made his first full appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #300 in May 1988. This issue featured the culmination of a storyline in which the alien symbiote suit that Peter Parker had obtained during the Secret Wars event is revealed to have been alive the whole time. After being rejected by Parker, the symbiote merges with Eddie Brock, a disgraced journalist who holds a grudge against Spider-Man.
Brock becomes the first fully realized version of Venom that fans know today – a twisted version of Spider-Man with all of his powers plus more. Amazing Spider-Man #300 marks the official first appearance of Venom as his own character.
Did Anyone Wear the Symbiote Before Eddie Brock?
While Eddie Brock was the first to become Venom, he was not technically the first character to wear the alien symbiote suit. That honor goes to Spider-Man himself, Peter Parker.
Years earlier, in 1984’s Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #8, Spider-Man first encountered the symbiote and wore it as his costume without realizing it was a sentient alien being. He continued to wear the black alien suit for some time, noticing it enhanced his powers in The Amazing Spider-Man #252.
So while Eddie Brock was the first true host of the Venom symbiote, Peter Parker was the first to sport the alien threads that would eventually lead to Venom’s creation.
Peter Parker’s Time with the Symbiote
To fully understand Venom’s origins, let’s take a closer look at Spider-Man’s time wearing the alien costume before it became Venom. Here’s a quick timeline:
Secret Wars #8 (1984) – Spider-Man first acquires the alien costume on an alien planet called Battleworld during the Secret Wars event.
Web of Spider-Man #1 (1985) – Spidey first wears the black costume in this issue after returning from Battleworld.
Amazing Spider-Man #252 (1984) – Spider-Man notices the costume enhances his abilities and reacts to his thoughts.
Web of Spider-Man #18 (1986) – Spider-Man starts getting tired more easily. The costume is revealed to be an alien symbiote.
Amazing Spider-Man #258 (1984) – After discovering the suit is alive and trying to permanently bond with him, Spider-Man rejects the alien costume using loud sonic vibrations from a church bell tower.
The symbiote would then go on to merge with Eddie Brock to become the villain known as Venom starting in Amazing Spider-Man #300.
So in summary, Spider-Man was the first to sport the symbiote suit for several months and wear it in action regularly before its villainous nature was revealed. But Eddie Brock was the first to join with the alien as the character known as Venom.
Other Early Symbiote Hosts
While Eddie Brock was the first fully realized host of the Venom symbiote, a couple other characters actually bonded with it briefly before Amazing Spider-Man #300:
- Tel-Kar – An alien villain who briefly bonded with the symbiote in Web of Spider-Man #18 after Spider-Man rejected it.
- Deadpool – In the non-canon Deadpool’s Secret Secret Wars #1-3, Deadpool wears the black costume before Spider-Man.
However, these were both very brief encounters before the symbiote moved on to Eddie Brock and became Venom. Eddie Brock remains the first true host to Venom as fans know him.
How Did Eddie Brock Become Venom?
Eddie Brock was a journalist who accused a man named Emil Gregg of being the serial killer Sin-Eater. When Spider-Man caught the real Sin-Eater, Eddie’s career was ruined. Disgraced and suicidal, Eddie went to a church to pray for forgiveness. Coincidentally, this was the same church where Spider-Man used loud bells to remove the alien suit.
The symbiote, having been rejected by Spider-Man, found and bonded with Eddie. United in their mutual hatred of Spider-Man, Eddie Brock and the alien symbiote together became the supervillain Venom.
Venom made his first full appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #300 in May 1988 when he terrorized Parker’s wife Mary Jane. Venom quickly became one of Spider-Man’s most popular and formidable enemies.
Venom’s Origins in Animation and Film
While the comic books laid out Venom’s origins as starting with Spider-Man, some other media portrayed it differently:
- In the 1990s Spider-Man animated series, Eddie Brock is the first to wear the symbiote suit after it escapes from Battleworld before Peter Parker acquires it.
- In 2007’s Spider-Man 3 film, Topher Grace’s Eddie Brock becomes Venom without Spider-Man ever wearing the suit.
- In 2018’s Venom film, Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock again bonds directly with the symbiote with no Spider-Man appearance.
So in several adaptations, Eddie Brock is the first and only character to take on the black alien suit and become Venom. But in the original comics, Spider-Man wore the costume first before rejecting it, leading it to later merge with Eddie as Venom.
Conclusion
While there have been several hosts and adaptations of Venom over the years, the original comics make the timeline clear:
- Peter Parker was the first to wear and use the alien costume that would become Venom, beginning in Secret Wars #8.
- After realizing the suit was alive and trying to bond with him, Spider-Man rejected it in Amazing Spider-Man #258, leading it to merge with Eddie Brock.
- Eddie Brock became the first true host of the alien symbiote and the first full appearance of the supervillain Venom in Amazing Spider-Man #300.
So in summary:
- Peter Parker was the first to wear the alien suit
- But Eddie Brock was the first to become Venom
This sequence of events in the comics makes Eddie Brock the first true host of the Venom symbiote even though Spider-Man sported the black costume first. Brock’s bond with the alien creature created the villain fans recognize today as one of Spider-Man’s greatest foes.