A New Take on Venom and Eddie Brock
So I’m reading the graphic novel Venom by Donny Cates, Volume One: Rex (issues #1–6).
So far, the story focuses on Venom, the symbiote most people know as one of Spider-Man’s major villains. Venom is attached to Eddie Brock, who I think in this version has some kind of military background.
What’s interesting to me is that Venom and Eddie Brock are now more like antiheroes or superheroes rather than outright villains.
There are still moments where Venom takes over and both Brock and the symbiote lose control, but for the most part Eddie remains in control and uses Venom to fight threats rather than cause them.
That’s still somewhat strange to me because I grew up mainly seeing Venom as Spider-Man’s enemy. Although I did read another Venom graphic novel a couple years ago where he was portrayed more heroically, this newer interpretation still feels like a shift compared to the classic version of the character.
Venom’s Origin Story and Symbiote Mythology
Expanding the Marvel Symbiote Lore
What surprised me most about this story is how deep it goes into the mythology behind the symbiotes.
At first, I thought this was just going to be a fairly standard superhero story where Venom fights some large villain threatening the city. But about halfway through, the story starts expanding into much bigger territory.
We obviously already know famous symbiotes like:
- Venom
- Carnage
But this series goes beyond those characters and starts exploring:
- where the symbiotes came from
- who created them
- how old they are
- and how they connect to the larger Marvel universe
The mythology suddenly becomes cosmic.
The story even ties the symbiotes into the origins of the universe itself and introduces beings powerful enough to rival the Celestials.
That was definitely more ambitious than I expected.
Eddie Brock, Venom, and Spider-Man Dynamics
Venom’s Relationship With Miles Morales
At one point, Eddie Brock and Venom encounter a former military man who apparently used to be a host for one of the symbiotes. Through him, we start getting additional background information on the symbiotes and their history.
Then a giant monster appears, and the only heroes around to stop it are Venom and Spider-Man.
What’s interesting here is that the Spider-Man in this story is Miles Morales, not Peter Parker.
The story briefly hints at tension between Miles and Venom. Miles references something Venom or another symbiote may have done involving his parents, which suggests there’s already some complicated history there.
Eventually Venom convinces Spider-Man to team up with him to fight the dragon-like creature.
Knull and the Origins of the Symbiotes
Marvel’s New Cosmic Symbiote God
Right when it looks like the dragon is about to be defeated, something even bigger emerges:
Knull.
Knull is introduced as the original creator and god of the symbiotes. Even the symbiotes themselves apparently refer to him as a god.
This is where the story takes a major turn into cosmic horror and mythology.
The comic explains that before the universe existed—before even the Big Bang—Knull already existed alone inside a void.
Then the Big Bang happened, and beings like the Celestials emerged and started creating life and shaping reality. Knull viewed this as an invasion of his domain.
So he went to war with the Celestials.
Apparently he even killed one of them before eventually being pushed back into the void. While trapped there, he began creating the symbiotes.
One of the first symbiotes he created was actually a sword forged from the remains of a dead Celestial.
That’s where I currently am in the story, and honestly, this is where the series became much more interesting to me.
The Problem With Escalating Comic Book Power Levels
Bigger Cosmic Threats in Marvel Comics
One thing I do wonder about with Marvel comics in general is whether they keep escalating the mythology too much.
Every new writer seems to introduce:
- an ancient forgotten god
- an immortal cosmic being
- a hidden creator behind everything
At some point you start asking:
Who is really the final “ultimate” being in this universe?
Still, I think this story mostly works because it actually adds meaningful context to Venom rather than just making things bigger for the sake of being bigger.
Before this, the symbiotes mostly just seemed like dangerous alien parasites. Now there’s an entire mythology behind them that makes them feel more ancient and significant.
So far, I think the comic handles that expansion pretty well.
Eddie Brock’s Character and Emotional Struggles
A Broken Antihero
I do think the story could still do even more with Eddie Brock as a character.
Right now, he comes across as a deeply distressed person who honestly doesn’t seem to have much left in his life outside of the symbiote itself.
That’s actually an interesting dynamic:
- the thing ruining his life
- is also the thing giving his life meaning
I think the series could take that relationship to some very compelling psychological places moving forward.
At the moment, though, the emotional character side is still secondary to the mythology and lore-building.
Artwork and Visual Style
Classic Marvel Horror and Cosmic Action
The artwork is solid overall.
Nothing about it blew me away visually, but it fits the tone of the story well. The action scenes are clear, the monster designs are good, and the cosmic imagery surrounding Knull and the symbiotes works effectively.
It feels like a polished modern Marvel comic.
Final Thoughts on Venom: Rex by Donny Cates
Overall, I think the strongest part of this story so far is the mythology surrounding Knull and the origins of the symbiotes.
What initially seemed like a straightforward Venom action story slowly evolves into a much larger cosmic horror narrative tied directly into Marvel’s creation mythology.
I’m interested to see how far they develop these ideas and whether the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever attempts to adapt any of this material.
At this point, I doubt it, but honestly Marvel can pretty much do anything if they want to.
So far, though, I’m enjoying where the story is going.
Original draft written in February 2021.
