In the latest issue of “Venom,” Eddie Brock reunites with an old friend in the symbiote hive mind who convinces him to take on a new status quo.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Venom #33 by Donny Cates, Iban Coello, Jesus Aburtov, and VC’s Clayton Cowles, on sale now.
When Eddie Brock first bonded with the symbiote that would transform him into Venom, he started out as a dangerous Spider-Man villain. But, over time, Eddie would become a force for good, and he would evolve into a sort of anti-hero — still monstrous, and still rough around the edges, but using his powers to help others as much as he could. Then, 2018’s new Venom series by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman took things further by trying to move Eddie away from all of this, and to finally make him a real superhero.
It’s been a complicated road for Eddie Brock. He has wrestled with his villainous past, and held himself back because of it. However, he has taken some great leaps in this new Venom series and now, issue #33 makes it official: Eddie Brock is no longer a villain, or an anti-hero. He is a superhero.
Shortly after the start of the King in Black event, Eddie Brock was killed. However, a part of him lived on inside the symbiote hive mind thanks to his codex. Now trapped in another dimension that serves as the center of Knull’s hive, Eddie ran into two old friends, Rex Strickland and Flash Thompson. Eddie first met Rex at the start of the 2018 Venom series. As for Flash Thompson, the two have a checkered past, but even Eddie realized, after his death, that he was a much better Venom — a real, tried and true hero.
Now that the three are together in the hive mind, Eddie, Flash and Rex fight back against Knull from the inside in Venom #33. Eddie devises a dangerous plan that will help them return to the surface world — and it involves hijacking Knull’s monstrous symbiotes.
Eddie is all set to go on what Rex describes as a suicide mission, but Flash stops him. He insists that he is the one who must do this since this was all originally meant to be his mission. Eddie, of course, isn’t willing to let Flash go and die in his stead. “You deserve better than this,” Eddie tells him. “You’re a hero, Flash, I’m not–“
But before Eddie can finish, Flash cuts him off. He tells him to stop questioning and second guessing himself. He reminds him of all the good he has done in the last three years, of all he has overcome, the villains he has defeated and all that he has sacrificed — all of which have helped to prove himself a true hero.
“You’re a hero, Eddie,” Flash tells him. “You’re Venom.”
Eddie considers his words for a moment, and he finally answers with a smile. For the last three years, Eddie has wrestled with who he was. He wanted to be better, but it always seemed like something was holding him back. But now, Flash Thompson has given him his seal of approval. He has named him the one true Venom and, more importantly, he has branded him a hero.
Eddie Brock was a villain. Then he was an anti-hero. And now, he has finally, fully redeemed himself. He is a Marvel superhero, without question.
About The Author
