Summary
- Wolverine was the first Marvel hero to wear a symbiote, encountering the dangerous alien species alongside Nick Fury during the Vietnam War, making him the first to experience its powers and dangers.
- This revelation adds an interesting context to Wolverine's past encounters with Symbiotes, including his epic confrontations with Venom.
- While Spider-Man may be known for wearing the Venom symbiote, Wolverine holds the distinction of chronologically being the first superhero to wear a symbiote in the Marvel Universe.
Marvel's Symbiotes continue to assume a greater role in lore, decades after their introduction in Spider-Man, with Peter Parker's alien black suit becoming Wolverine.
Web of Venom: Ve'Nam #1 – by Donny Cates, Juanan Ramirez, Felipe Sobreiro, and Clayton Cowles – is set in the 1960s, during America's conflict in Vietnam. The series reveals that S.H.I.E.L.D encountered a Symbiote far before the modern-day, when Spider-Man took up web-slinging.
After Fury sends a group of soldiers into Vietnam wearing the symbiote, they end up going rogue, forcing Fury to bring in Wolverine to kill them as seen in. Unfortunately, Wolverine simply ended up possessed by the symbiote as well. Thankfully, this didn't last long, but it does technically make Wolverine the first hero to wear a symbiote in Marvel history.
Wolverine Was Taken Over By A Symbiote During The Vietnam War
As recent stories have established, the Symbiote has existed since the creation of the Marvel Universe. As such, they've bonded with many different types of species over the billions of years they've existed. Spider-Man first got the Symbiote during the Secret Wars event, which led to what fans often call the Black Suit arc for Peter. It was during this time that readers got their first look at what a Symbiote even was. As the Symbiote became a bigger and bigger part of Marvel's cosmic lore, Marvel has revised and expanded their history. This included adding in older stories that would've happened long before Pete ever got the Venom Symbiote.
This eventually led to the reveal of Wolverine being the first Marvel hero to wear a Symbiote during Vietnam, which was almost disastrous for everyone involved. Wolverine with a symbiote isn't a new idea, but the fact that Wolverine was the first superhuman to bond with a Symbiote, even if it's only for a few seconds, is a feat no other character can claim. Wolverine was completely taken over in Web of Venom: Ve'Nam, and likely would've been one of the most deadly killing machines on the planet, due to both his ferocity and healing factor, but thanks to quick thinking, the Symbiote was quickly burned off of him.
Wolverine And Venom Have Had Some Epic Confrontations
Wolverine's brief experience with the Symbiote also provides interesting context for his experiences with the alien creatures over the years, including several major confrontations with Venom, epic stand-offs that showed why both are among the most dangerous characters in the Marvel Universe. There have been plenty of people to wear a Symbiote over the years, and Symbiotes will always be an integral part of Spider-Man lore, but Spider-Man can no longer claim to be the first hero to wear it. While Eddie Brock has worn the Venom Symbiote the longest out of any other character, it's only Wolverine who can claim to be the first hero to wear a Symbiote in the Marvel Universe.
