Eddie Brock

Eddie Brock
Eddie Brock as Venom, as seen in The Amazing Spider-Man #300 (May 1988). Art by Todd McFarlane.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	As Eddie Brock: Web of Spider-Man #18 (September 1986) As Venom: (Cameo Appearance) The Amazing Spider-Man #299 (April 1988) (Full Appearance) The Amazing Spider-Man #300 (May 1988) As Anti-Venom: The Amazing Spider-Man #569 (October 2008) As Toxin: Venom #17 (May 2012)
Created by	David Michelinie Todd McFarlane
In-story information
Alter ego	Eddie Brock
Team affiliations	Sinister Six Revengers Savage Six
Notable aliases	Venom, Anti-Venom, Toxin
Abilities	Alien symbiote grants: Superhuman strength, speed, agility, durability, reflexes and endurance Organic webbing Immunity to Spider Sense Limited shapeshifting and camouflage Knowledge of the previous host Ability to cling to most surfaces

Eddie Brock is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane, the character was originally a comic book supervillain. His earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 (September 1986), before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #300 (May 1988) as the first and best-known incarnation of Venom. The character has since appeared in many Marvel Comics publications, including his own series Venom. Introduced as a villain of Spider-Man, the character becomes an anti-hero, working with and against superheroes.

In the original version of the story, Eddie Brock is a journalist who exposes the identity of a serial killer only for the real killer to be caught by Spider-Man, thus he accused the wrong man. Disgraced and suicidal, he comes into contact with an alien Symbiote, rejected by Peter Parker. The Symbiote bonds with him and they become Venom and together they seek 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". In 2008, after being separated from the Venom Symbiote, he gains a new Symbiote and becomes the anti-hero Anti-Venom. However, that symbiote is sacrificed to help cure the "Spider-Island" epidemic during the 2011 storyline. In 2012, he is bonded to the Toxin symbiote. Though he is a human with no powers, the Venom Symbiote suit bestows upon him a range of abilities including many of the powers belonging to Spider-Man, the Symbiote's original host.

Debuting in the Modern Age of Comic Books, the character of Eddie Brock has featured in other Marvel-endorsed products such as animated television series; video games; merchandise such as action figures, and trading cards; and the Spider-Man 3 feature film in which he was played by actor Topher Grace. Eddie Brock's incarnation of Venom was rated 33rd on Empire's 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters, and was the 22nd greatest villain on IGN's 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."