Before Venom became the terror that comic book fans know him as, the symbiote was originally a victim of Peter Parker’s mind. Spider-Man has always been a deeply troubled, doubtful, and jealous mess, and, combined with his rejection of Venom, the symbiote evolved in response to Parker’s warped psyche. With every sympathetic retcon to Venom’s lore, Spider-Man became the bigger villain.

For the majority of its existence, the Venom symbiote has been seen as a brain-hungry, brutal mass murderer. Only recently has Marvel allowed Venom to break free of its violent past and become a more well-rounded character, now giving the symbiote the freedom to separate itself better from its hosts.

But as Marvel has built Venom into a more sympathetic character, it made something more blatantly apparent than ever before: Spider-Man made Venom a villain. Before, the symbiote was a space-faring hero and a bastion of Kree justice. However, after meeting Peter Parker, Venom became a monster.

Spider-Man Welcomed the Alien Symbiote by Wearing It as Clothes

Venom Embraced Its Heroic Nature with Spider-Man Early On

When Venom first made its introduction as Spider-Man’s extradimensional alien suit in The Amazing Spider-Man #252 by Tom DeFalco, Roger Stern, and Ron Frenz, it was nothing more than a new look for the Friendly Neighborhood hero. Spider-Man had no clue where the suit came from, but that answer would follow later that year in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #8 by Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck. At this point, Venom’s origin was still very much a mystery, but the issue introduced the symbiote as its own standalone presence that seemingly dictated Parker’s more aggressive actions.

In Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars: Battleworld #4 by DeFalco and Pat Olliffe, Marvel further explored Venom’s early connection with Spider-Man. It was revealed that the Beyonder had captured Venom to test its symbiotic nature when paired with a traditional hero. Despite the symbiote’s initially aggressive nature, it remained a ive presence that quickly adopted Parker’s fighting style and self-sacrificing nature. But when the pair returned to Earth, Spider-Man changed for the worse. As Peter began to fall to his darker urges, Venom mimicked its host’s increasingly aggressive nature, until Spider-Man blamed Venom for his own rage.

Venom Was a Villain, But Immediately Turned Hero. How?

Eddie Brock and Venom Wished to Become Something More Than Hateful

In The Amazing Spider-Man #300 by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane, Eddie Brock and the alien symbiote officially bonded and declared themselves Venom, launching a new era of black-and-white terror upon the streets of New York City. As Peter Parker fought to rip off the alien that he blamed for his own aggressive tendencies, Venom found solace in Eddie Brock, who also felt dejected and broken from the actions of Parker and Spider-Man. Peter had previously ruined Eddie’s integrity as a reporter, destroying the journalist’s career for good and leaving Eddie with no hope to live.

As Venom, Eddie and his symbiote became solely motivated to destroy Spider-Man for the crimes the hero had inflicted on both villains. While Venom had only been mildly influenced by Spider-Man’s aggressive thoughts, Eddie Brock pushed it over the edge. That said, after Carnage emerged from Venom’s unknowing spawn, Venom and Eddie temporarily forged a tepid truce with Spider-Man before moving to San Francisco to better find themselves. There, Venom and Eddie chose to become the “Lethal Protector,” drawing on both Peter and Eddie’s natural instincts to do good, despite their faults. In San Francisco, Venom became a “hero.”

Spider-Man Has Looked Worse and Worse in Every Venom Retcon

Venom Has Become Far More Sympathetic Than Peter Parker

Come writer Donny Cates’s 2018 Venom series, we are finally given an even greater glimpse into Venom’s mind. In Venom #11 by Cates, Joshua Cassara, and Ryan Stegman, it is revealed that Venom had been lying to Eddie for years to ensure that Eddie never left the symbiote. It its that it is terrified of rejection and abandonment; despite its goopy form, Venom bore the face of trauma. Moments like these are what truly show how twisted Peter Parker left Venom prior to their separation. Spider-Man made the symbiote become a hero, but Peter Parker ravaged it with insecurity, jealousy, anger, and self-hatred.

Even today, after having made some amends with Spider-Man, Venom still doesn’t acknowledge Parker as its favorite hero. In Venom War #4 by Al Ewing and Iban Coello, Venom directly acknowledges that Flash Thompson was the symbiote’s most heroic host. Unlike Peter, Flash only had noble intentions. Flash saw Venom as an asset that could be saved from its savage brutality. While Peter Parker abandoned Venom, Flash Thompson put himself at risk and traveled the stars to save Venom from itself. Eddie and Flash, despite their aggressive beginnings, ultimately taught Venom more about being a hero than Spider-Man ever did.

it It Spider-Man: You Were the Villain of Venom's Story

Spider-Man Left Venom Angry, Confused, and Rejected

After all this time, Venom became the one to excel past its traumatic origins to become a more well-rounded hero and character than Peter Parker has ever been. Venom is a loving father, a devoted hero, and an all-around expert on emotions. Meanwhile, Parker has yet to fully acknowledge or apologize for the pain he put Venom through. In the Venom War: Spider-Man miniseries by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, and Greg Land, Spidey and Venom reluctantly team up one more time as Earth falls during Eddie and Dylan Brock’s symbiote war. Even in Venom’s time of need, it helps Peter sort through his anguish instead.

The decades' worth of villainy, destruction, death, and chaos that was spurred by Peter Parker’s misuse of the alien symbiote remains Parker’s responsibility so long as he continues to avoid responsibility.

Peter Parker is a mess. Despite years of heroics, he still fails to overcome the instability, angst, and emotional repression that inevitably breaks apart his life every few years. Meanwhile, Venom has grown past Peter’s petty emotional quarrels. Venom is an undisputed hero who has long abandoned its lethal sense of justice to become the peacekeeping force for good that Spider-Man once inspired it to be. But the decades' worth of villainy, destruction, death, and chaos that were spurred by Peter Parker’s misuse of the alien symbiote remains Parker’s responsibility so long as he continues to avoid it.

Yes, Peter has itted that he feels bad for having abandoned Venom, but that doesn’t take away from the true anguish he caused. It’s worth ing that symbiotes’ natures are dependent on the psyche of their hosts. Before Spider-Man, Venom had bonded with a deadly scourge, but it immediately corrected its behavior when it was introduced to Spidey at his noblest. But Peter Parker’s destabilized mind and outright rejection of the symbiote introduced a new level of child-like aggression and abandonment that the alien had never seen. Before Venom became a villain, it was a victim.

The Amazing Spider-Man #252 is available now from Marvel Comics.