Warning: SPOILERS for Venom #12

Venom fans may have thought that Eddie Brock and his Symbiote would be partners for life, but things have changed… thanks to the son that Eddie never knew he had.

To be clear, we're not referring to a child born of Eddie and the Venom Symbiote, although that story has been recently revealed as well (with their kid, Sleeper the most dangerous symbiote yet). No, we're referring to the living, human son that has just been revealed to Eddie after years being held in secret, not even knowing his own father's identity. But now that the secret is out, Eddie finally has the chance to give Dylan Brock the thing he never had: a loving father.

Does this mean the end of Eddie Brock's days as VENOM, Marvel's fan-favorite antihero?

Eddie Meets Dylan, The ‘Half-Brother’ He Never Knew

Dylan Brock Eddies Son in Venom Comic

After spending the first ten issues rewriting the Venom mythology, Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman dive deep into the human half of Venom, pouring out a bucket of secrets into the light. The most surprising one being Eddie's decision to return home to his father. Carl Brock seems to be the hateful, abusive father he always was to Eddie as a child, so it isn't a father-son bonding session Eddie is interested in (oh the irony in hindsight). But when a young boy appears in the doorway referring to Carl as his “Dad,” Eddie sees his own history being repeated. The boy is soon confirmed to be named Dylan, and as the ten year old son of Eddie's father and an unknown (and apparently undiscriminating) woman, is Eddie's half-brother.

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It's a bittersweet twist, revealing the downside of Eddie cutting off all contact with his father, who is revealed to be even more emotionally and physically abusive to Eddie, and more directly responsible with Eddie's life sliding off track than fans previously knew. But the price isn't just a half-brother Eddie never knew he had. When Dylan shows up at Eddie's door with an eye swollen shut, asking for help in killing their father so the abuse can stop, Eddie doesn't need any Symbiote to fuel his revenge. Thankfully, Eddie keeps a cooler head.

Eddie reveals new insights into his own past, and how his father's abuse was only partly responsible for his slide into villainy (at least to start with). Unfortunately, no sooner has Eddie spilled out his hard-learned lessons to Dylan then he is captured by shadowy forces looking to conduct tests on his Symbiote. But as Eddie gets the chance to converse with his 'Other' as the stakes are raised, it's the Symbiote who helps Eddie realize the truth. Because the Symbiote is convinced that its partnership with Eddie will be over... "because of what he really is!"

It's only then that Eddie finally realizes the real secrets being kept from him. Dylan isn't his father's son, but his own, raised in secret… until now. SPOILERS incoming.

Page 2 of 2: Eddie Learns The Truth About Dylan, His Son With (SPOILER)

Anne Weying with Dylan Brock in Venom

The Truth About Dylan Brock's Birth

With Venom #11 ending with the realization that Dylan is actually the biological son of Eddie Brock, the biggest question was how it had happened without his or the Venom Symbiote's knowledge. And more importantly, who was Dylan's mother, and why was she out of the picture, happy to leave Dylan with a father already proven to be abusive? Thankfully Venom #12 opens by answering all of those very questions, taking readers a decade back in Eddie Brock and Venom's life. A time when Anne, Eddie's ex-wife was more ‘in the picture’ than she is today.

The exact pregnancy and conception is left a little vague, with Anne making reference to Eddie and the Symbiote, and how their paths crossed including her own time as She-Venom. But arriving at Carl's doorway in a panic, cradling baby Dylan in her arms, there's nothing vague about her desperation in begging for him to accept the child. Admitting that he's a less than ideal solution, Anne explains that she only has so much time to solve the problem. Eddie must never know about the baby, presumably due to this being a car more dangerous and unpredictable time in his life. And finally… Carl is the closest thing to family that she's got.

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The scene explains why Eddie's father is more bitter than ever, having been asked to raise another son who looks to be the spitting image of the boy Eddie used to be. And as he eventually admits (under Symbiote-fueled intimidation), it's Dylan's similarities to Eddie that likely haunt Carl, forcing him to face his own guilt and shame as a father. Feelings and inadequacies he has dealt with through violence, just as he did with his firstborn son. But with Eddie back in the picture, the Symbiote makes it clear to Carl that his time looking after Dylan is over--for good.

Can Eddie be a Father to Dylan… And Venom?

It's the Symbiote who actually does the work in setting things right between father and son, uniting the father and son Brock, as it knows is right. But as Eddie awakens at the issue's end to see Dylan, his son, waiting for him… his future as Venom and the Symbiote's host has never seemed less certain. Or perhaps to put it more accurately, Eddie has never had as big a reason to put aside his life as a superhero/symbiote warrior. Love is one thing, but the sudden knowledge that he is a father--to a boy who has suffered the same abuse in his absence--is a responsibility Eddie may not be able to turn away from.

It may also be the only thing needed to fill the hole in his life that re-opens any time he is separated from his Symbiote ‘Other.’ There are sure to be more surprises coming soon, and Eddie remains the star of Marvel's Venom comic. But with the Symbiote leaving Eddie and Dylan to meet as father and son at the end of the issue, it's efforts to slip into the crowd speak volumes. Whether or not Eddie decides the time has come to be a Father instead of a hero, the other half of Venom may have already made the choice for him. And if that's the case… who will it choose as its next Host?

Venom #12 is available now from your local comic book shop, and directly from Marvel Comics.

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