5 Most Powerful Venom Villains, Ranked

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Venom’s enemies are surprisingly strong – some could even threaten the entire Marvel Universe! It’s remarkable considering Venom started as a villain, initially focused on killing Spider-Man after Eddie Brock was rejected by the symbiote. But Venom quickly showed a heroic side, becoming a “Lethal Protector” who saved people while still occasionally pursuing revenge against Spider-Man. Eventually, Venom moved past his obsession with Spider-Man and fully embraced heroism, building up a collection of villains – one of whom nearly destroyed the planet.

As a huge Venom fan, I’ve always been fascinated by the rogues gallery he’s faced. So, I put together a rundown of what I think are the most formidable villains Venom has ever battled in the Marvel comics – from seriously dangerous symbiote baddies to the toughest opponents Flash Thompson faced while bonded with Venom himself.

5) Jack O’Lantern

I always found it fascinating when Flash Thompson became Agent Venom, working for the government with the Venom symbiote. But what really surprised me was who his main enemy turned out to be! It wasn’t the classic Jack O’Lantern; this was a new version, just called Jack, who first appeared in 2011. What made it so unique was how deeply connected he was to Spider-Man’s world – more so than almost anyone else in the Marvel Universe, and his true identity remained a mystery.

He began life as a child kidnapped by the Crime-Master, who trained him to be a deadly assassin. He became deeply disturbed, gaining notoriety for a gruesome signature move: removing his victims’ brains and placing a candle inside their skull, a macabre display of his criminal identity. He systematically eliminated previous incarnations of the villain Jack O’Lantern before becoming a recurring foe of Agent Venom. More recently, his conflict has shifted to Ghost Rider, fueled by his own death, time spent in Hell, and subsequent resurrection by Lilith.

4) Carnage

Adding to the danger, Carnage is incredibly powerful and completely without empathy due to Kasady’s sociopathic nature, making him the most lethal of all symbiotes. He’s demonstrated this power through events like Absolute Carnage and his repeated ability to die and come back to life. Many fans consider him the most villainous of all the enemies faced by Venom. Currently, Carnage is linked with Eddie Brock, and it’s unclear how this new bond will affect him going forward.

3) Maker

Maker is essentially Reed Richards from the Marvel Universe, similar to the Reed Richards of Earth-616 and a former member of the Fantastic Four. However, in his universe, Reed became corrupted by envy and rage, leading him down a path of villainy. He now uses his genius for destructive purposes and currently resides in a self-made reality.

After the events of Secret Wars, Maker found himself on Earth-616 and surprisingly became a powerful enemy of Venom. He possessed incredible abilities, including existing simultaneously across all universes and the power to transport bodies to any world, which made him nearly impossible to contain. Eventually, he was placed under the watch of Project Oversight, overseen by the Interdimensional Council of Reeds. It was there that Maker began focusing his attention on Venom, hoping to study him as part of a plan to rebuild Earth-1610.

2) Grendel

Two of Venom’s strongest enemies are incredibly old symbiotes. One is Grendel, a powerful dragon created by Knull billions of years ago. Knull unleashed Grendel and others like him to destroy worlds and cover the universe in darkness. Grendel eventually reached Earth in the 6th century, but was defeated by Thor and trapped inside a glacier.

This only offered a short-term solution, because SHIELD unintentionally resurrected Grendel many years later. The creature became a significant danger before Venom was able to defeat it. Grendel can fly and shares the enhanced abilities of other symbiotes, like rapid healing. He’s also nearly immortal and can bring the dead back to life, as he did with Cletus Kasady and Carnage.

1) Knull

In Marvel Comics, Knull is widely considered Venom’s greatest enemy, far surpassing any other villain. He’s an ancient, powerful god of darkness who originally created all symbiotes, including Venom itself. When the Celestials first discovered Knull, they dubbed him the King in Black, but he rebelled and used the very first symbiote – called the All-Black – to kill one of them.

During the King in Black storyline, Knull demonstrated immense power, surpassing almost every hero on Earth and throughout the universe. Not even powerhouses like the Silver Surfer or Thor could defeat him. It ultimately took a combined effort – Venom wielding the powers of both Thor and the Surfer, along with assistance from the Uni-Power – to finally bring him down. But as Venom’s greatest enemy, Knull’s defeat wasn’t permanent, and he’s set to return in the 2025 story arc, Queen in Black.

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2025-10-27 21:12