Marvel’s Most Underrated Villain Returned in the Best Way Possible

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As a huge Marvel fan, I’ve always been fascinated by symbiotes – they’re such a creative concept! The idea of an alien bonding with a person and creating all sorts of internal conflict is just brilliant. It all started with Spider-Man and Venom, and since then, Marvel’s introduced so many different symbiotes – Venom, Carnage, Anti-Venom, even this incredibly powerful being called Knull. Right now, in the main Amazing Spider-Man series, Spider-Man and his symbiote partners are battling this villain called Torment. But over in Web of Venom #1, Marvel just dropped another new symbiote pairing – Comeback. And honestly, it’s a really fun take that brings one of Marvel’s forgotten villains back into the spotlight!

Many characters in Marvel Comics have bonded with symbiotes, like Eddie Brock and Mary Jane Watson. Now, in Web of Venom #1, a surprising new host is revealed: Fred Myers, the often-overlooked Spider-Man villain Boomerang. This minor criminal has teamed up with a brand new symbiote called the Passenger, creating a powerful and dangerous combination. After years of being a comedic figure, Marvel is giving Boomerang – now calling himself Comeback – a major transformation and a chance to become a serious threat.

Boomerang is the Perfect Character to Receive a Symbiote

Over the years, several Marvel characters have bonded with symbiotes, but Boomerang stands out as a particularly interesting choice. He started as an Australian baseball player who turned to crime after losing his job for accepting bribes. Boomerang has always been portrayed as a somewhat silly villain, often overshadowed by more prominent New York-based heroes like Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus, thanks to his unusual costumes and reliance on boomerangs. However, Marvel has been gradually developing Boomerang’s character and giving him a more important role in recent stories.

The 2010s were a good period for Boomerang, featuring him prominently in the popular miniseries The Superior Foes of Spider-Man. He even lived with Peter Parker as an annoying roommate and briefly acted like a hero. Despite this, he’s largely been an overlooked character for most Marvel fans. Boomerang is a villain who’s realistic about his position in the criminal world; he avoids dangerous situations and doesn’t try to climb the ranks, understanding it could get him killed. This is a unique perspective, as most low-level villains desperately seek recognition. That’s what makes it so funny when Boomerang unexpectedly came into possession of a powerful symbiote.

Boomerang wasn’t thrilled to help his friend Overdrive buy upgrades from the criminal Tombstone, but he went along anyway. Things quickly went wrong when the police raided the shop. In the confusion, a container holding the alien symbiote called Passenger broke open, and it bonded with Boomerang, allowing them to flee. Passenger had been imprisoned in that jar since 1816 and, connected to other symbiotes through a shared consciousness, had become eager to experience the exciting lives they led. This created an unusual situation – unlike most human/symbiote pairings, where the human immediately seeks power, Passenger’s desire for adventure clashed with Boomerang’s preference for staying out of trouble.

Instead of a lasting alliance, Boomerang initially agrees to help Passenger only to rescue Overdrive from jail. The duo of Boomerang and Passenger is a great combination, leading to fun action and humor – like when the small-time criminal uses the symbiote to make boomerang-like weapons called “Venorangs.” Ultimately, Boomerang chooses to continue partnering with Passenger. Boomerang is an ideal character for Marvel to give a low-level, unambitious villain – someone comfortable with their place in the supervillain world – a powerful symbiote. Rather than turning another major character into a hero, Marvel took a more original approach by placing a comedic, lesser-known crook in the spotlight and letting him adapt to his new, ethically complex position.

Comeback is the Defender of Marvel Comics’ Biggest Losers

A major focus of Web of Venom #1 and Boomerang’s story is how supervillains rank amongst each other. Lower-level villains are often seen as a joke by both heroes and other criminals, and are frequently used as disposable characters in larger stories. We see this with Shocker’s quick death in the “Death Spiral” storyline, and Boomerang himself was once killed and brought back to life by the vampire Morlun. That experience left Boomerang afraid to aim higher. Now, as Comeback, he might be Marvel’s most unusual anti-villain.

Comeback doesn’t just break Overdrive out of jail – he also frees other lesser-known Spider-Man villains like Kangaroo, White Rabbit, and Tarantula. They all got high-tech equipment from the criminal Tombstone, and he now wants them to work for him as payback. During the escape, Comeback clashes with Hawkeye, the Avenger. But the real trouble starts when Tombstone arrives. Comeback declares that he and his fellow villains are tired of being treated poorly and now have the power to demand respect. Teaming up with Hawkeye, Comeback and his crew of “freaks” defeat Tombstone and his henchmen.

Boomerang will continue using the identity of Comeback, not just because he’s more powerful in this form, but also because he wants to protect weaker, often mistreated villains and henchmen. This idea – a character defending low-level criminals from more powerful supervillains – is compelling and opens up opportunities to explore the dynamics of crime and society. DC Comics attempted something similar with the character Killer Moth, but the concept didn’t fully develop. Now, with his own series, Marvel can really explore this idea, positioning Comeback as a character who battles both heroes and villains. This could make Boomerang one of Marvel’s most fascinating anti-villains.

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2026-04-10 22:14