Spider-Man villain Shriek is appearing alongside Carnage in Venom 2. The mutant sociopath was a popular villain in the 1990s and a love interest to Spider-Man's most wicked foe, Carnage. She'll be going up against Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock in the Venom sequel.

Directed by Ruben Fleischer, the 2018 film starred Hardy as the titular anti-hero. The movie gives the long-time antagonist and reluctant ally of Spider-Man an origin story which involves multiple villains bonded to their symbiotes. Also starring Michelle Williams and Riz Ahmed, Venom proved to be a success for the studio, pulling in $856 million at the worldwide box office on a budget of $100 million.

Related: Venom Star Riz Ahmed's Other Movie And TV Show Roles

After 2020's Morbius, Venom 2 will be the third film in Sony's Universe of Marvel Characters. With Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle director Andy Serkis at the helm, Venom 2 will bring Eddie Brock back for a battle with his comic book archenemy, Carnage (Woody Harrelson), who was introduced in a post-credits scene in Venom. While it would appear that Carnage may be Venom's biggest threat in the movie, he won't be alone. He'll be joined by one of Carnage's biggest allies in the comics, Shriek, who will bring something different to the Venom sequel. Here's what you need to know about the 1990s Spider-Man villain.

Shriek's Origin Story In Marvel Comics

Shriek and Carnage in Marvel Comics Venom

Shriek got her start in one of the most famous well-known Spider-Man crossovers, "Maximum Carnage". Introduced in the pages of Spider-Man Unlimited #1 in 1993, Frances Barrison was a young woman whose troubled childhood drove her to a life of crime. After becoming a drug dealer, Barrison was shot in the head by a police officer and found herself trapped in the Darkforce Dimension (the same place where Cloak's powers come from). Being in the Darkforce Dimension awakened Barrison's latent X-gene and unlocked her secret mutant powers. She took the name "Shriek" and used her new powers to further her criminal career.

After being incarcerated, she was admitted to Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane, a maximum security facility that houses some of the most dangerous super-powered criminals. While a patient there, she began her association with Carnage, someone whose dark, murderous nature appealed to Shriek. She fell in love with Carnage and together they sought to fight their way out of Ravencroft Institute. Carnage and Shriek created a strange and twisted "family" of villains, with Carnage and Shriek as the parents and Demogoblin, Carrion, and Doppelganger as the children.

The Carnage family brought chaos to New York City and gained the attention of several Marvel heroes. It took the combined efforts of Spider-Man, Venom, and the Avengers to stop them. But this was just the beginning of Shriek's rivalry with Spider-Man. The character has been a recurring villain of Spider-Man ever since, often found at the side of her lover, Carnage.

Related: VENOM Trades His Symbiote For Captain America's Shield

Shriek's Powers In Marvel Comics

Shriek's mutant genes allow her access to two powers, one of which being the ability to create sound waves. Shriek can fire off these sound waves in the form of blasts powerful enough to destroy cars and walls. The concussive force of her sonic blasts can do a number on her enemies, including Spider-Man, Venom, and Deadpool. In fact, just one blast is enough to defeat Spider-Man. It's worth noting that her sound waves have other, non-offensive uses. They can propel her into the air, enabling her to fly, and a similar technique lets her move objects into the air, making it appear that she is also gifted with telekinesis.

Shriek's second ability is perhaps her most dangerous. She possesses a form of telepathy that lets her bring out a person's dark side. What's worse is that it has a wide-reaching effect that impacts multiple people in the area. Her ability to manipulate emotions allows Shriek to turn a crowd of peaceful protesters into an angry, violent mob. She can bring out feelings of insanity, depression, irrationality, intense pain, and defiance. Shriek exposes people to the worst sides of themselves. Even the strongest of minds, such as Iron Fist's, aren't immune to her influences. When this power is active, her left eye glows.

How Shriek Can Fit Into Venom 2

Being the love interest and most loyal ally of Carnage makes Shriek a good fit for Venom 2, but it's not clear how she'll work in Sony's Universe of Marvel Characters. After all, Shriek isn't like Carnage, or any villain from the first movie. As a mutant, Shriek doesn't rely on a symbiote to win her battles. So how will a Sony property adapt a mutant character, especially since Sony doesn't have access to the X-Men? In order for Shriek to be brought to the big screen, Venom 2 may have no other choice but to rewrite her origin story.

Shriek's power set could lend itself well to the movie' story, which could explain why Venom 2 is making room for a mutant villain. Shriek's abilities may be vital to the plot, and the reason for that is rooted in the comics. When the symbiote that would later become Venom first debuted, it was as a sentient costume worn by Spider-Man. Unable to remove it himself, Spider-Man turned to Mr. Fantastic, who came up with a way to remove it. A sonic gun succeeded in separating Peter Parker from the symbiote. Later, after the symbiote bonded with Brock and became "Venom", the villain took a blast in the back from Hank Pym's sonic cannon. The sound waves had such a devastating effect on Venom that the symbiote was ripped away from his body.

There have been other instances in the comics that have demonstrated Venom's weakness to sound. Shriek's own sonic blasts have proven capable of taking him down. Shriek's greatest power being Venom's greatest weakness could lead to deadly results. Since sound is essentially Venom's kryptonite in the comics, Eddie Brock may be in for a world of trouble in Venom 2.

More: How Spider-Man Can Be Part Of The MCU & Sony’s Villain Universe

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