Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Venom: Separation Anxiety #2! The Purple Man is one of the most dangerous and underrated Marvel Comics villains in the history of the franchise, and now that he has a piece of the Venom symbiote, he’s never been deadlier. Not only does Zebediah Killgrave have the superhuman ability to control practically anyone he speaks to with the sound of his voice alone, he now has all the powers associated with those bonded with a symbiote. And he’s not done upgrading just yet, as Killgrave is on a warpath to become the King in Purple.

In a preview for Venom: Separation Anxiety #2 by David Michelinie and Gerardo Sandoval, Killgrave, having fully-bonded to the piece of symbiote he stole from Venom in the previous issue, pays an old friend a visit. The Purple Man breaks into the facility of the doctor who originally gave Killgrave his powers, and while the preview ends before Killgrave is shown murdering the scientist, it’s made clear that there’s certainly nothing good in store for him.

When the doctor calls for his security guards to come and kill Killgrave – unaware of the extent of his newfound Venomized power – the Purple Man shoots tendrils of the symbiote onto the faces of the guards before ordering each of them to go ‘jump in the pond’. None of them were able to resist Killgrave’s order, and even if they could, the Purple Man could have easily ripped them to shreds – which is a terrifying upgrade for someone as truly evil as Killgrave.

The Venom Symbiote Totally Fixes the Purple Man’s Recent Downgrade

Before bonding to a piece of the Venom symbiote that Killgrave stole by touching Venom in the previous issue, the Purple Man received quite a dramatic downgrade. An inhibitor chip was implanted within Killgrave’s brain that greatly reduced the scope of his powers. Rather than simply telling someone to do something, Killgrave had to physically touch them. However, now that he has the symbiote, that downgrade has been totally fixed – as shown in this preview.

Just as he did to these security guards, the Purple Man can will the tendrils of his symbiote to shoot from his body and latch onto his target, which counts as physical touch and therefore opens his victims up to his influence. Now, rather than walking into a room and commanding everyone there with the sound of his voice, Killgrave must reach out through his symbiote and catch everyone in said room in his sinister web before they do what he says, which is the same result, but done in a far more terrifying way.

Killgrave Still Hasn’t Reached the Full Extent of His Venom Powers

While the Purple Man is, indeed, very powerful with his new Venomized upgrade, Killgrave still isn’t even close to reaching his full power. As shown in Venom: Separation Anxiety #1, Killgrave is able to collect a small piece of Venom any time he touches him. Right now, Killgrave only has a fraction of the whole symbiote, and he wants it all. That means Venom is in serious danger, as the Purple Man has the means and the drive to steal the entire symbiote from Eddie Brock, and when he does so, he will become the nigh-unstoppable King in Purple.

At the moment, it isn’t clear how strong Killgrave could become if he’s successful in stealing the rest of the Venom symbiote for himself and becoming the King in Purple. However, if this preview is any indication – showing how much damage the Purple Man can do after bonding with a mere piece of the symbiote – then Venom should be very afraid, and ready for the fight of his life.

Venom: Separation Anxiety #2 by Marvel Comics is available June 19, 2024.