Warning! Contains spoilers for Venom #34!

One of the core parts of Marvel’s symbiote lore is that they regularly change hosts, allowing writers to place the Venom symbiote in new and fresh situations by switching up who it is bonded to. Throughout the character’s history, Venom has been bonded to several hosts, from Peter Parker to Eddie Brock to Mac Gargan. Changing hosts isn’t anything new for the Venom symbiote, but this latest host is perhaps the most terrifying Venom has ever had.

The terrifying new Venom form is first seen in Venom #34 by Al Ewing and Juan Ferreyra. In this issue, the Venom symbiote has been separated from its host for quite a while, with it leaving Dylan Brock, and Eddie Brock no longer being available. This has caused the Venom symbiote to start to die, and with no other options, it is compelled to visit the grave of a previous host, Lee Price.

The Venom symbiote is lured here by the Captive, a cosmic vampire who feeds on symbiotes. But unexpectedly, Venom manages to merge with the corpse of Lee Price, transforming into a horrifying zombie symbiote that quickly manages to overpower and even defeat the Captive.

The “Zombiote” Is The Most Terrifying Venom Form Yet

Venom #34 by Al Ewing, Juan Ferreyra, and Clayton Cowles

The Venom symbiote has been with many hosts over the years, some heroes, some villains. While the most popular host has always been Eddie Brock, there have been others, such as Spider-Man, as well as Flash Thompson and Lee Price. Some of these hosts have even ended up dead, such as the last two. Every host that the Venom symbiote has bonded with has changed its appearance and personality in some way. Peter’s time with the symbiote is defined by the sleek black Spider-Man costume that has become a fan favorite.

While the Venom symbiote has bonded with non-human hosts before, such as the ridiculous Venomsaurus, it has never bonded with a dead host before. It’s no surprise that bonding with essentially a zombified host would result in the most terrifying form of Venom that Marvel has ever put out. This Venom not only has the corpse’s face sticking out, but also its long scraggly arms and exposed ribs. While Marvel is no stranger to zombies, this is likely the closest that readers have ever gotten to seeing a zombified Venom, which fits perfectly considering Venom already craves brains as it is.

This Zombie Venom Easily Defeats The Captive

Venom Has Never Looked More Terrifying

Venom is a character that has the potential for infinite variety. He can play the role of hero or villain and anything in between. He can be a comedic character when bonded to someone no one would expect, like a giant T. rex, or he can be a struggling hero, like when he was bound to Spider-Man. It’s one of the things that makes Venom such an enduring character. He’s done everything from fighting muggers in the dark alleyways of New York to traveling on spaceships in the far reaches of the galaxy. Writers will always come up with new things for Venom to be, like a horrifying zombie.