Thirty-eight years ago, Marvel Comics created what would become Spider-Man’s most famous enemy. In 1988, a new creative team – writer David Michelinie and artist Todd McFarlane – introduced Spider-Man to a fresh audience. Just four years earlier, Spider-Man had dramatically changed his look, returning from the ‘Secret Wars’ storyline with a black suit that was actually a living alien. After Spider-Man got rid of the alien and returned to his classic costume, the creature survived. Today marks the 38th anniversary of that alien bonding with a new host and becoming the villain known as Venom.
Eddie Brock debuted in Marvel Comics on January 12, 1988, becoming the new host for the alien symbiote known as Venom.
Venom Debuted 38 Years Ago and Changed Spider-Man Comics Forever
With issue 300 of The Amazing Spider-Man, the creators wanted to deliver a truly memorable story. Michelinie and McFarlane did just that, introducing Venom – a powerful, dangerous new villain driven by revenge. Venom wasn’t just after Spider-Man; Eddie Brock, the man inside the suit, blamed Peter Parker for ruining his career and wanted payback.
The situation was complicated because Spider-Man was wearing a black suit that strongly resembled Venom’s symbiote costume, which made Venom even angrier. It’s important to remember this was an earlier version of Venom – one who was dangerous and even killed a police officer while robbing a church. Despite this, Venom still insisted he was the one who had been wronged by Spider-Man.
Most versions of Eddie Brock’s story portray him as a dishonest journalist, but in reality, he was an honest reporter for the Daily Globe who genuinely believed he was exposing the truth about Sin-Eater. He felt betrayed when he discovered he’d been tricked and wrongly blamed Spider-Man for ruining his career. This mistake actually made Eddie more sympathetic, turning him into a tragic figure. He ended up at a church, intending to take his own life, when Venom unexpectedly intervened and saved him.
This comic book, published 38 years ago, foreshadowed many of the challenges Spider-Man would face against Venom. Notably, Venom was able to bypass Spider-Man’s spider-sense, and he possessed superior strength and speed. Spider-Man’s only advantage was his battle experience. It was also in this issue that Spider-Man discovered the symbiote had fully merged with Eddie Brock, making Eddie just as alien as Venom himself. Plus, Spider-Man returned to his classic red and blue suit, which was a refreshing change.
Venom has evolved a lot over the years, moving from a villain to more of an antihero. These days, he’s even linked with Mary Jane Watson, while Eddie Brock is now bonded to Carnage. But it all started 38 years ago with Amazing Spider-Man #300, which first introduced the symbiote and completely changed Spider-Man’s life.
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2026-01-12 23:11