Warning: Spoilers ahead for Edge of Spider-Verse #2!Venom has been given a Tim Burton twist with his darkest transformation yet. The symbiotic anti-hero has become a fan-favorite among Marvel readers since he was introduced in the 1980s as a darker take on Spider-Man. The fact that he’s able to do what Spider-Man won’t by killing criminals to feed has made him and other members of the symbiote family, like Carnage, incredibly popular. However, Venom has proven that he can go even darker than fans thought, and his latest iteration shows just how horrific he can be.
In Edge of Spider-Verse #2, the story “The Terrible Horror of the Spooky-Man” by Kaare Andrews and Bob Quinn introduces Gluemy, a young teen who’s new to a gothic school named Spider High. However, when he’s hunted down by bullies, a school legend called the Spooky-Man latches onto him in the depths of the boiler room, just like the Venom symbiote did to Peter Parker. What’s interesting is that, unlike Venom, Spooky-Man requires something darker in order to emerge: Gluemy needs to die.
While not necessarily graphic, the imagery of Gluemy sacrificing himself to save Sailor from a falling tree is incredibly disturbing. Plus, with Spooky-Man coming out by popping out Gluemy’s eyeball, it’s undoubtedly Venom’s darkest transformation in years.
Spooky-Man’s Dark Venom Variant Blends Gothic Horror with Humor
Perhaps the coolest element of Spooky-Man and the world he inhabits is how much he’s clearly inspired by the work of Tim Burton. The designs of Gluemy, his classmates and Spooky-Man himself mirror the filmmaker’s art style to a T, and Spider High feels like a re-branding of Nevermore Academy from Netflix’s Wednesday series. However, with his dark method of taking over and becoming this universe’s anti-hero, Spooky-Man comes off as a Marvel version of Burton’s Beetlejuice. The character has a dark sense of humor that makes him incredibly unique in a world of gothic characters, and he’s not afraid to be disturbing when he needs to be. It’s an astounding way to bring Tim Burton’s style into the Marvel Universe while commemorating how influential he’s been for decades.
Spooky-Man’s Origin Hints His Story is a Tragedy for His Host
The most disturbing part of this whole story is how it ends. The final page shows Gluemy recovering from his first major battle alongside Spooky-Man. However, when he voices that he still feels alone, the Venom variant responds by telling him he’ll never be because “when there’s trouble, I’m just one terrible-horrible death…away.” This suggests that Gluemy dying to unleash Spooky-Man isn’t a one-time thing. He will need to die over and over again for the symbiote to emerge and help save the day. It’s a dark ending to this new hero’s origin, making him one of the most tragic characters in the Spider-Verse. He’ll never be free of this curse since Spooky-Man insists that he’ll never leave him. And since Gluemy knows he has a responsibility to be a hero, he will have to constantly die, so he can use his powers for good.
Out of all the origin stories that have been told in the Edge of Spider-Verse anthology, Spooky-Man’s is undoubtedly the most grim. While there have been astounding creations including J. Jonah Jameson becoming a spider-hero, none will ever match Gluemy’s encounter with a symbiote. It’s the darkest transformation in Venom‘s long Marvel history, using a Tim Burton inspiration to bring the scariest symbiote since Carnage to life.
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Edge of Spider-Verse #2 is available now from Marvel Comics!
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.”
