It's one thing when one of your most aggressive and formidable villains goes after those you love, it's another when the villain target your recently returned-from-the-dead parents in hopes to save them from their super-powered son. Somehow the fact that it's a Spider-Man story makes sense, it's not convoluted or confusing enough to be a '90s X-Men issue, and the creative team involved manage to explain the confusion within good context.
In Amazing Spider-Man #375 written by writer David Michelinie and drawn by artist Mark Bagley, we see the aftermath of a particularly vicious battle between the webhead and his fearsome foe Venom. At that time, Venom was one of the few villains who knew Peter Parker and Spider-Man were one and the same and he wasn't afraid to use that knowledge to further his warped campaign against Spidey. In this case, Venom kidnapped Peter's parents Richard and Mary Parker, who had recently returned to his life from a decades long imprisonment oversea due to their career with the CIA.
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While imprisoned, Venom stated to the terrified Parker's that he would not harm them but that he was in fact protecting them from Spider-Man. To Venom's surprise and later amusement, neither Richard or Mary knew their son Peter's secret identity. Eddie chooses to keep that information to himself while a tattered and distraught Peter chased leads that might give him clues to Venom and his hostages location. When a talk with Eddie Brock's ex-wife J. Jonah Jameson to hunt the villain for a Daily Bugle exclusive.
At a time when Spider-Man's identity was known to a select few, Venom delighted in tormenting Spider-Man with what he could do to him and those in his inner circle with that information. However in the case of the Parker's, he could have revealed their son's secret identity but their naivety strikes a chord with Eddie, who always had a soft spot for what he perceived as "innocence." Although he could strike a real blow against his hated Spider-Man, Eddie Brock can't bring himself to do something that he believes would break the Parker's hearts.
While Spider-Man juggles battling Venom with dealing with the Wild Pack's interference, Venom's faith in his vendetta against Spider-Man is tested when he chooses to save Richard and Mary from a burning amusement ride despite the damage fire could have upon his symbiotic partner. When Spider-Man helps him save Ann's life, both Eddie and Venom come to the realization that Spider-Man is a hero and not the villain his warped mind believed him to be. Although the Parker's would eventually discover the truth about Peter in future issues, Venom's code of honor and ethics often contradicted the brutality and lengths that he would go to achieve what he interpreted as justice. In the end , Spider-Man reneges on their deal of non-interference simply because he wasn't sure he could actually trust Venom to keep his word. Whether he was right or wrong, one thing was for sure, Venom would eventually return.
