Marvel has many iconic characters, and Venom is by far one of the most popular. Having appeared in dozens of comics, video games, and a film trilogy, what began as a simple Spider-Man villain has exploded in popularity. Which is why it’s no surprise Marvel has explored dozens of variants of the symbiote antihero.

Marvel’s Multiverse has allowed for dozens of different versions of the same character, putting new spins on some of its biggest stars (Spider-Man and Wolverine chief among them). Because of the Venom symbiote’s ability to bond with pretty much anyone, the alien can be put into any situation, and always provide the opportunity for a compelling, new creation. Across the multiverse, these are the most powerful versions of Venom ever created.

10

‘Black Suit Spider-Man’ Was The First To Use The Venom Symbiote

Multiversal Designation: Earth-616

The first host of the Venom Symbiote, Peter Parker inititally assumed it to be an advanced suit that had futuristic features. Eventually, Spider-Man realized his awesome black suit wasn’t just advanced, but an actual alien symbiote. This was a major moment in Peter’s history, and it set the stage for everything that came after.

Peter would eventually push the symbiote away, rejecting it, and leading the symbiote to crave revenge (bonding with Eddie Brock and creating Venom, one of Spider-Man’s most dangerous villains ever). While Peter used the symbiote, he didn’t gain any of the abilities that Venom is known for now. But he was still plenty powerful thanks to the symbiote enhancing his classic powers, such as super strength and webbing.

9

Dylan Brock’s Venom Is A Worthy Successor To His Father

Multiversal Designation: Earth-616

Dylan hasn’t been Venom for long, but he’s proven to be quite adept at the role. While he’s not nearly as experienced as his father Eddie, he has an edge thanks to the powers granted by his symbiote-created physiology. These powers allow Dylan to affect symbiotes in a variety of ways, such as physically repelling them if they attempt to bond with him, or forcing them to evolve and learn new abilities.

These powers vastly make up for Dylan’s lack of experience as Venom, and the Venom War Event will decide once and for all whether Dylan or his father, Eddie, deserve the role. While Eddie has been Venom for a lot longer and has a greater mastery over the Venom symbiote, Dylan’s powers allo him to literally control and command any symbiote he wants, which makes Dylan far more dangerous than his father.

8

Eddie Brock Is Venom’s Most Famous Host

Multiversal Designation: Earth-616

By far the most famous symbiote host of all time, Eddie Brock has been Venom for the majority of the character’s history. Eddie Brock started out as a villain to Spider-Man, evolved into an anti-hero, and eventually became a full-blown hero. Eddie is one of the greatest hosts the symbiote has ever had, and nearly all hosts later were compared to him. While bonded to the symbiote, Eddie has incredible strength, agility, and has access to all of Peter’s powers, except for spider-sense.

With the upcoming Venom War, it’s possible that Eddie’s time as Venom will finally come to an end and the mantle will be permanently be passed onto his son. It’s hard to imagine a time when Eddie won’t be Venom due to how long he’s spent in the mantle. Eddie has since moved on to the role of the King in Black, which has made him far more powerful than he ever was as Venom.

7

Agent Venom is Venom’s Greatest Host of All Time

Multiverse Designation: Earth-616

While Eddie Brock is the most famous host of all time, he isn’t the best one. That title seems to go to Flash Thompson. There has never been a host more perfectly suited to the Venom symbiote than Flash, and even Eddie notes this. While visiting Flash’s grave, the Venom symbiote still pulls towards it, trying to leave Eddie for the corpse. While bonded to Flash, they were known as Agent Venom and Flash was able to help save the world several times.

Where Eddie tended to rely on pure brute strength as Venom, Agent Venom used weaponry, mostly guns and other gadgets amplified by the symbiote. This gave him far more versatility in combat, and Eddie seems to think that it proved he had a greater mastery over the symbiote.

6

Wolverine is One Of The Deadliest Symbiote Hosts Imaginable

Multiversal Designation: Earth-1984

Wolverine has been bonded to a few different symbiotes over the years, but he’s formed a true bond with the Venom symbiote on the main 616 Earth. The same can’t be said for Earth-1984. It was here that Sabretooth managed to trick Wolverine into bonding with the Venom symbiote. What happened next was an absolute nightmare scenario, as the Venom symbiote quickly sealed Wolverine’s mind away, taking full control of his body.

With Venom in full control, it went on a rampage across New York and slaughtered several people, before Wolverine could regain control. When he did, he promised he would break the Venom symbiote and make it work for him. This version of Venom didn’t last for long, but it had incredible powers, with the symbiote even calling Wolverine’s body “indestructible.”

5

Poison, The Venom Who Claimed Control of Peter Parker

Multiversal Designation: Earth-70134

One of the darkest forms of Peter Parker was in What If? Spider-Man The Other, when after nearly being killed, Spider-Man enters a cocoon to heal and be reborn. On Earth-616 this resulted in Peter coming back stronger than ever, but on Earth-70134, he remained in stasis. Sensing this, the Venom symbiote abandons Eddie Brock and goes after Spider-Man, who succumbs.

Peter emerges from the cocoon as the monster known as Poison, with the symbiote in total control of Peter’s mind and body. This is one of the strongest versions of Peter to have worn the Venom symbiote, as not only does it have all of Peter’s powers completely unrestrained from his morality, but additional hybrid abilities never seen anywhere else.

4

The Venomsaurus is Marvel’s Most Fearsome Symbiote Beast

Multiversal Designation: Earth-66

There are few things cooler than dinosaurs, but a dinosaur with the Venom symbiote is likely the coolest version of Venom shown so far. This version of Venom became a major threat to the other dinosaur heroes on Earth-66. Despite these villainous origins, the Venomsaurus would eventually give its life in the battle against Carnage during the Death of the Venomverse storyline.

This Venom lacked the agility of other forms, but with its tendrils and the brutality of its dinosaur nature, it was able to put up a good fight against multiple foes at once. What this version of Venom lacks in power, it absolutely makes up for in pure cool factor.

3

Reed Richards is One Of The Most Dangerous Venom Hosts

Multiversal Designation: Earth-21619

During the events of Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow, readers got to see what would have happened if Peter had never rejected the Venom symbiote. This culminates with Peter murdering half of his rogues gallery and nearly being killed by the Sinister Six, who form to stop him. After nearly being killed, Peter is able to free himself from the Venom symbiote, and in a rage, the symbiote bonds itself to Reed Richards. This grants the symbiote full access to Reed’s absurd intelligence, and it uses this to make several clones of itself, with which it then infects most of the Fantastic Four and the Avengers.

It’s nearly an apocalyptic situation, but thankfully, Spider-Man is able to kill the Venom symbiote and disable the clones. The Venom symbiote’s most well known bondings typically focus on enhanced strength, but that wasn’t the case here. It wasn’t Reed’s powers that allowed the Venom symbiote to nearly end the world, but his incredible intelligence that the symbiote turned to evil.

2

Venom Hulk is The Physically Strongest Version Of Venom

Multiversal Designation: Earth-616

The Hulk is well known for being one of the most physically powerful characters in Marvel’s universe, and this was increased even further when Hulk gained the Venom symbiote. As Carnage tears through the Avengers, the Venom symbiote abandons Eddie Brock and merges with the Hulk, hoping the extra physical strength will be enough to stop Carnage’s rampage. Unfortunately, Carnage manages to easily defeat Venom Hulk with little problem.

The merge of Hulk and Venom created one of the most dangerous versions of Venom that readers have ever seen. Hulk’s physical power is some of the highest that Marvel has to offer, and the Venom symbiote not only enhanced this, but also granted him more mobility and ranged options thanks to the Venom symbiote’s tendrils.

1

Venom World Is Venom’s Ultimate Final Form

Multiversal Designation: Possible Future Of Earth-616

The ultimate version of the Venom symbiote is the one that merges with an entire planet. Readers haven’t gotten to see much of this Venom World, as it’s only been seen in a few flashes of the future. It’s likely that Venom eventually grows so powerful that he merges with the planet itself. Venom World would likely move through space, continuing to feed on planet after planet and adding them to its own mass.

It’s a terrifying look at the final full potential of the Venom symbiote. While the Hulk and Wolverine are certainly strong and dangerous, they absolutely pale in comparison to an entire world that has become Venom.