While most may think that Harry Osborn or Flash Thompson are Venom – no, not Eddie Brock, but the symbiote itself. Despite their rocky start and subsequent hero-villain relationship, Spider-Man and his living ex-costume have always shared a close relationship that has only solidified further in recent years. Even Marvel can’t deny the blossoming bromance between these two historic enemies-turned-buddies.

When Venom first made its debut as Spider-Man’s mysterious alien costume in 1984's Amazing Spider-Man #252 –written by Tom DeFalco, with art by Roger Stern and Ron Frenz – no one could have guessed the decades of brain-eating, carnage-spawning, Multiversal-traveling comic book lunatics that ensued.

After Peter learned the true nature of his sentient costume and the toll it was taking on his mind, the two became mortal enemies, as Venom reeled from the rejection of its “first” host. Yet, despite years as adversaries, Venom and Spider-Man have always shared an unshakable bond that began in distrust, but evolved into bromance.

Spider-Man & Venom Discovered Mutual Respect Fairly Soon After Breaking Up

Bonding With A Symbiote Is A Lifetime Connection

As modern stories have reinforced, Spider-Man and Venom have always shared an intrinsic connection that has lasted since they first bonded. With a portion of Venom’s genetic codex living inside Peter Parker, there has always been a force outside their understanding pulling them together. Their early relationship only shattered because Peter feared what Venom was, leaving the symbiote heartbroken and alone on an alien world. After Venom and Eddie Brock bonded, all that was left in Venom’s proverbial heart was malice toward his ex-host. However, that deepened genetic and mental connection became the anchor from which their bromance would evolve.

Within a year of Peter and Venom’s “breakup,” the two already began to gradually mend their tarnished relationship. In The Amazing Spider-Man #315 (1989) - by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane - Venom and Eddie brutally defeat Spider-Man in battle. Despite their perfect opportunity to kill the Wall-Crawler, Venom decides not to kill Peter . That same issue, Spider-Man recognizes that Venom and Eddie, despite their lethal brand of justice, aren’t evil people, just unlucky souls dealt a bad hand in life. By this point, both Peter and Venom had opened a new chapter in their relationship that wasn’t purely defined by hate.

Peter Parker's Relationship With The Venom Symbiote Has Always Been Deeply Emotional

Symbiosis Is A Form Of Intimacy

Over the following years, Spider-Man would start to see Venom as a possible force of good , just without the moral guidance to steer it in the right direction. While this connection between the two is built on deeply moving emotional concepts like loss, guilt, and justice, it’s hard not to find the comedy in how Marvel has expressed their relationship. In 2019's Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History #2 – written by Nick Giovannetti, with art by Paul Scheer, & Todd Nauck – Marvel even teases at the suggestive language that Peter and Venom have traditionally thrown at each other:

“You want me? Then take me! I’m yours! You wanted to be part of me! Well, now I want you! Come and get me! - Peter Parker to Venom

That aside, in the recent Venom War storyline , Parker and Venom were given a proper chance to revisit old memories with new wisdom. In Venom War: Spider-Man (2024) - by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, & Greg Land - Spider-Man allows Venom to temporarily rebond with him in the wake of the war between two Brocks. Over 40 years following their split, Venom and Peter openly call each other “buddy” while being able to recount the trials and trauma that both put the other through. They understand that they still don’t see eye-to-eye, but still carry an extreme amount of respect for each other.

Spidey & Venom Are Now Officially, Proudly Friends In Marvel Canon

Mutual Respect Empowers Their Unconventional "Bromance"

Today, Spider-Man fully acknowledges Venom as a hero. Likewise, Venom is finally able to move past the darkness that Peter originally instilled in it. Even now, as Spider-Man alone faces the terror of mystical immortality and Venom is bound to an unknown host, the two have itted that they will always be together. By Venom War: Spider-Man #3 (2024), Spidey its that what they share isn’t just a friendship but a “partnership.” From the day they bonded, Peter Parker and Venom have always been connected. Just as Eddie Brock shaped the hero Venom would become, so too has Peter.

While Marvel has always played around with the suggestively “romantic” relationships between symbiote and host, Venom and Spider-Man set the metric. Both characters are partially defined by their desperate longing for connection; they understand what it feels like to want love and the pain of losing it every time. Together, they find solace in the delicate peace that has followed decades of grief and loss. Their respect for each other’s journeys and pride in each other’s growth is what empowers Spider-Man and Venom's “bromance” the most.

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  Spider-Man

  Spider-Man is the name given to several individuals who have employed a spider-moniker throughout Marvel Comics. Typically gaining their powers through a bite from a radioactive spider, the different Spider-Man heroes employ super-strength, agility, and intellect while utilizing webbing to swing and tangle up their foes. The most notable of these Spider-Men is Peter Parker, who remains one of the most popular superheroes throughout the world.
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  Venom

  Venom is a symbiotic alien entity bonded with various human hosts, notably Eddie Brock and later Flash Thompson. It grants superhuman strength, agility, and a shape-shifting black costume. Initially a Spider-Man villain due to its origins, Venom evolved into an antihero, battling both villains and his own dark impulses. The character embodies themes of duality and redemption within the Marvel Universe.