Venom. The two have clashed countless times across countless storylines with varying results, but which of these spider-themed heroes is the true victor of their long history?
Before the Venom symbiote found a host in Eddie Brock, it was worn for a while by Spider-Man himself, who discovered it during the Secret Wars storyline and used it as a new costume. After the events of Secret Wars came to an end, Spider-Man continued to wear the black suit on Earth. The new suit enhanced all of his abilities and provided a limitless supply of stronger webbing, so why not? However, after realizing the suit was an actual living, sentient creature that was making him more aggressive the longer he wore it, Spider-Man removed the symbiote and left it in the custody of the Fantastic Four. Unfortunately, even Marvel’s First Family weren’t able to contain it for long. The symbiote eventually escaped and bonded with Eddie Brock, thus forming Venom, who made his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #300.
After spending so long with Spider-Man as its host, the symbiote is able to mimic all his abilities, which is why Venom has all the same powers as Spider-Man, only amplified. This means that Venom is stronger and faster than the web-slinger, not to mention far more brutal. The symbiote can also blend in with its surroundings, effectively camouflaging the wearer. However, Venom’s biggest advantage is that he can’t be detected by Peter’s spider-sense, which usually warns him of incoming danger. This was first showcased in Web of Spider-Man #18, when Eddie Brock pushed Peter in front of a train without triggering his spider-sense. But Peter survived - in fact, he’s managed to emerge victorious from his confrontations with Venom more often than not, despite Venom’s physical superiority. So how does he do it?
Spider-Man may be inferior to Venom in of strength and speed, but he still has one crucial advantage: his intellect. Venom tends to be overly aggressive, which Spider-Man has used to lure him into traps. Venom's unique anatomy also makes him vulnerable to fire and intense sound waves, which Peter Parker has been able to harness against the symbiote countless times. In addition, Spider-Man’s powers are innate, but if Brock and the symbiote are separated, both are essentially powerless. This is how Spider-Man was able to beat Venom the first time - he convinced the symbiote to leave Brock and return to him, only to trap it the moment it left its host. But sometimes smarts aren’t enough, which brings us to Spidey’s other advantage: his allies. Spider-Man has no shortage of superhero friends; the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and even Superman have all given Peter a hand in taking down Venom before. With friends like those, his enemies really don't stand a chance.
Spider-Man has won most of his fights against Venom, but they’ve all been pretty close, and one could argue that calling in the Avengers is basically cheating. Considering Spider-Man had to fake his own death to get away from Venom in The Amazing Spider-Man #347, it’s safe to say that even Peter knows his chances of beating Venom in a straight fight are slim. Luckily, Venom is more of an anti-hero these days, so Spider-Man is more likely to call on him as an ally than as an opponent.
