Warning: contains spoilers for FCBD 2024: Ultimate Universe/Spider-ManIt’s father versus son, for the fate of Venom, but this time Dylan Brock has a shocking twist up his symbiote sleeve. The FCBD 2024: Ultimate Universe/Spider-Man special introduced a Klyntar-shattering new hero into the Marvel mythos, as Old Man Dylan travels from the future to help his younger self in a battle for control of the symbiote hive.
Al Ewing’s Venom series has all been leading up to Venom War between son and father after they both end explosive journeys with the Venom symbiote, with Eddie traversing timelines and battling villainous versions of himself while Dylan is left on Earth, acclimating to the symbiote life and fighting his father’s battles.
The FCBD 2024: Ultimate Universe/Spider-Man issue featured a short Venom tale, from writer Al Ewing and artist Iban Coello, that sees Dylan Brock sharing his post-death encounter with the Eventuality, before asking his older self for help in taking down his father Eddie, and preventing the rise of the “Anti-All.”
Old Man Dylan Will Play A Major Role In Venom War
Dylan needs all the help he can get in his war with Eddie
Dylan and Eddie have had a tense, and basically nonexistent, relationship since Eddie’s physical form was killed in Venom #1, drawing the aggrieved hero into a complex time paradox with his own future selves. Dylan was left on Earth, without any family, to operate as the new Venom, and while he and Venom did a lot of heroic work together, Dylan continued to hold incredible resentment towards his father for leaving him. Al Ewing has been preparing for Venom War since the start of this symbiote series and has already shown Dylan fighting several iterations of his own father, to keep control over Venom and prevent Eddie from becoming a major villain.
Eventually, Dylan discovers the secret of his birth: he is a human-symbiote hybrid, and Venom’s help unlocked his hidden powers and manifests as Codex, a powerful evolution of his Venom form. Carnage recently killed Dylan, and the young hero traveled through the Un-Beyond and met the Eventuality – the final form of Eddie Brock – who revealed to him that if he rebonded with Venom, Eddie would become the monstrous Anti-All. After being resurrected by Venom, Dylan meets an older version of himself who has traveled back in time to help Dylan fight his father, and he will need all the help he can get seeing as he is no longer bonded to Venom.
Father And Son Battle Each Other For Venom’s Future
Only one Brock will host the Symbiote when the dust clears
Old Man Dylan looks like a fierce militaristic warrior, complete with a massive gun and electrifying body armor. One fascinating detail is that future Dylan has the Venom symbol on his uniform, reminiscent of the SHIELD logo, suggesting that the wizened hero may be part of some Venom task force that traverses the timeline. Future Dylan seems very confident that he can help his younger self defeat his father, which will be no small task when up against the full power of a King in Black.
Venom
Venom is the name of an alien lifeform in the Marvel Comics canon that first premiered as a formless symbiote alien in “The Amazing Spider-Man” comic series. Initially a villain, Venom continued to bond with hosts such as Spider-Man and Eddie Brock, who affected his personality and eventually evolved into an antihero known as “The Lethal Protector.”
Only one Venom will be left standing at the end of Venom War and looking at his heroic track record, it looks like Dylan may be the Venom the world needs. He may just need a little help from himself.
FCBD 2024: Spider-Man/Ultimate Universe from Marvel Comics is available now in stores.
