Eddie Brock
Edward Charles Allan "Eddie" Brock is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane, making a cameo appearance in Web of Spider-Man #18, before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #300 as the most well-known host of the Venom symbiote. The character has since appeared in many Marvel Comics publications, including Venom. He has endured as one of Spider-Man's most prominent villains. He later evolved into an antihero, slowly distancing himself from his initial goal to ruin Spider-Man's life to instead do good, even occasionally allying with Spider-Man.
In the original version of the story, Eddie Brock is a journalist who publicly exposes the identity of a man he believes is a serial killer, the Sin-Eater, only to find his reputation ruined when Spider-Man captures the real killer. Disgraced and suicidal with a growing irrational hatred for Spider-Man, Eddie comes into contact with an alien symbiote, rejected by Peter Parker. The symbiote bonds with him and they become Venom, together seeking out revenge against their mutual enemy. Though he repeatedly comes into conflict with Spider-Man, he also attempts to operate as a hero, albeit a violent one, seeking to save those he deems "innocent" and avoid any collateral damage in his clashes with Spider-Man. In 2008, after being separated from the Venom symbiote, he serves as the anti-hero host of the Anti-Venom symbiote which is sacrificed to help cure the "Spider-Island" epidemic during the 2011 storyline. In 2012, he was bonded to the Toxin symbiote, reuniting with the Venom symbiote in 2016. While Eddie was originally a human with no powers, the Venom symbiote suit bestows upon him a range of abilities including many of Spider-Man's powers, culminating in him becoming a living symbiote and the King in Black at the conclusion of the event of the same name in 2021, and be stuck in a time loop with his future selves Tyro, Wilde, Finnegan, Bedlam, Meridius, and The Eventuality forming the symbiote ruling council of the Kings in Black. On the loop's breakage, Eddie reconciles with and becomes the host of the Carnage symbiote, training it as an anti-hero.
Debuting in the Modern Age of Comic Books, the character has featured in various Marvel-endorsed products outside of comics, including feature films, animated television series, and video games; and merchandise such as action figures, and trading cards. Topher Grace portrays Eddie Brock/Venom in Spider-Man 3, while Tom Hardy portrays the character in Sony's Spider-Man Universe's films Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Venom: The Last Dance as well as a post-credits scene in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: No Way Home.
One of Spider-Man's most famous rogues and a fan-favorite character, the Eddie Brock incarnation of Venom was rated 33rd on the 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters by Empire, and ranked 22nd on IGN's list of 100 Greatest Comic Villains of All Time. 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".
Publication history
Creation and conception
Writer David Michelinie and artist Todd McFarlane are generally credited with the character's creation, based on a number of plot ideas and concepts from various other creators. The question of who created the character of Venom became an issue of contention in 1993 when Michelinie wrote to the comic book industry magazine Wizard, which had referred to Michelinie in issue #17 as "co-creator" of Venom. In his letter, printed in issue #21, Michelinie wrote that he was the character's sole creator, while acknowledging that without McFarlane the character would not have attained the popularity it did.Writer Peter David corroborated Michelinie's view in his "But I Digress" column in the June 4, 1993 Comics Buyer's Guide, in which he stated that Michelinie discussed the ideas behind the character with him at the time of its creation. At that time, David was the writer on The Spectacular Spider-Man and wrote the "Sin Eater" storyline from which Eddie Brock's backstory would be derived, well before McFarlane was assigned to the art duties on Amazing. Because the artist who illustrates a character's first published appearance is generally credited as its co-creator, Venom represents a complex situation, because the costume from which Venom's appearance is derived was not designed by McFarlane.
Erik Larsen responded to Michelinie's letter with one of his own that was printed in Wizard #23, in which he dismissed Michelinie's contributions to the character, arguing that Michelinie merely "swiped" the preexisting symbiote and its powers to place it on a character whose motivations were poorly conceived, one-dimensional, unbelievable, and clichéd. Larsen also argued that it was McFarlane's rendition of the character that made it commercial.
The preexisting elements that dealt with the symbiote costume itself—to which Michelinie did not contribute—have also been noted. The original idea of a new costume for Spider-Man that would later become the character Venom was conceived of by a Marvel Comics reader from Norridge, Illinois named Randy Schueller. Marvel purchased the idea for $220.00 after the editor-in-chief at the time, Jim Shooter, sent Schueller a letter acknowledging Marvel's desire to acquire the idea from him, in 1982. Schueller's design was then modified by Mike Zeck, becoming the Symbiote costume. For example, Shooter came up with the idea of switching Spider-Man to a black-and-white costume, possibly influenced by the intended costume design for the new Spider-Woman, with artists Mike Zeck and Rick Leonardi, as well as others, designing the black-and-white costume.
Writer/artist John Byrne asserts on his website that the idea for a costume made of self-healing biological material was one he originated when he was the artist on Iron Fist to explain how that character's costume was constantly being torn and then apparently repaired by the next issue, explaining that he ended up not using the idea on that title, but that Roger Stern later asked him if he could use the idea for Spider-Man's alien costume. Stern in turn plotted the issue in which the costume first appeared but then left the title. It was writer Tom DeFalco and artist Ron Frenz who had established that the costume was a sentient alien being, and that it was vulnerable to high sonic energy during their run on The Amazing Spider-Man that preceded Michelinie's. Regardless, Peter David's position is that Michelinie is the sole creator, since the idea of creating a separate character using the alien symbiote was Michelinie's, as was Eddie Brock's backstory, and that without the idea to create such a character, the character would not have existed.
In an interview with Tom DeFalco, McFarlane states that Michelinie did indeed come up with the idea of Venom and the character's basic design. However, he contends that it was he who gave Venom his monster-like features. He claims; "I just wanted to make him kooky and creepy, and not just some guy in a black suit".
This dispute arose at a time when the merits of artists as collaborators and writers were being debated in the industry, a discussion prompted by the popularity of artists such as McFarlane, Larsen, and other founders of Image Comics.
Venom's existence was first indicated in Web of Spider-Man #18, when he shoves Peter Parker in front of a subway train without Parker's spider-sense warning him, though only Eddie Brock's hand is seen on-panel. The next indication of Venom's existence was in Web of Spider-Man #24, when Parker has climbed out of a high story window to change into Spider-Man, but finds a black arm coming through the window and grabbing him, again without being warned by his spider-sense.
The character would remain unseen and inactive until Amazing Spider-Man editor Jim Salicrup required a villain for that book's 300th issue, and Michelinie suggested a villain consisting of the alien symbiote grafted onto the body of a human female; seeking revenge for the deaths of her husband and miscarried baby who would accidentally die as the unfortunate result of Spider-Man battling another supervillain. Due to cultural sensibilities at the time and issues with the character's back story potentially angering the moral majority, Salicrup forced Michelinie to create a male character instead. Michelinie then devised the Eddie Brock identity. Michelinie contends that the plots for issues #298–299, as well as the visual descriptions of the character, were written and bought by Salicrup before McFarlane was ever assigned to the book. In a 2014 interview with the YouTube channel ComicPop, Michelinie said he was disappointed that the female character arc was never explored, but felt that changing the character to male ultimately had minimal effect on his vision for the character. In the same interview, Michelinie remarked that he was largely happy with the treatment Eddie Brock had received by successive Marvel writers.
Fictional character biography
Backstory
The 1993 limited series Venom: Lethal Protector describes Brock's history before bonding with the symbiote. As a child, Edward Brock is raised in a Catholic household in San Francisco. Eddie's mother Jamie dies from complications during his birth. As a result, his father Carl Brock is cold and unaffectionate towards him. Eddie excels in academics and sports in an attempt to earn his father's approval but does not succeed. In college, Brock switches his major to journalism after reading an article on the Watergate scandal. At one point after getting drunk, he accidentally hit and killed a child with Carl's car. Eddie wanted to get what he deserved, but his father did not let him to go to prison much to Eddie's dismay. After graduating and romancing Anne Weying, he moves to New York City and obtains a job as a journalist for the Daily Globe. Though he proves himself to be a highly talented journalist, his father still only treats him with indifference.As a reporter, Brock investigates the serial killer Sin-Eater and is contacted by Emil Gregg, who claims to be the killer. Pressured by the authorities to reveal the killer's identity, Brock writes an exposé announcing Gregg as the Sin-Eater. However, the real Sin-Eater is caught by Spider-Man and Brock is revealed to have been interviewing a compulsive confessor. Brock is fired from his job in disgrace and Anne divorces him. Unable to find reputable work, he is forced to work for tabloid magazines and Carl disowns him. Unable to cope with his own mistakes, Brock becomes obsessed with gaining revenge against Spider-Man, blaming him for catching the real Sin-Eater. Brock takes up bodybuilding to reduce stress but his anger and depression remain. Meanwhile, Spider-Man uses the sound of bells at a church to remove his symbiote costume after realizing it is attempting to permanently bond with him. His professional and personal life shattered, Brock contemplates suicide and goes to the same church, where he prays to God for forgiveness. The Symbiote, having waited in the rafters of the church since leaving Spider-Man, senses Brock and bonds with him, granting him powers equal and greater to those of Spider-Man, and imparting knowledge of Spider-Man's secret identity.