Venom has had numerous disguises over the years, but his strangest was definitely Tony Hawk. The '90s were a peculiar time for comics and one perfect example of this is the three-issue miniseries Venom: The Hunted. Back then, tons of kids wanted to be Tony Hawk — but Venom actually could have been.
Venom: The Hunted by Larry Hama, Duncan Rouleau, John Strangeland, Tom Smith and Ken Lopez, was released in 1996. It focuses on Eddie Brock as he escapes police detection. A slew of murders have been occurring and they're being attributed to him. The '90s were a high-point for skateboarding with national broadcasting of the X Games on television and the emergence of top skaters like Tony Hawk, who became a household name. This popularity skyrocketed with the release of the video game series, Tony Hawk Pro Skater, which was recently remastered.
This series comes at a time when Venom has an empty wallet, has no friends, has no home, and is highly wanted. He sleeps in theaters when he can afford a show and can't afford anything else. Luckily for him, a chance encounter during a dangerous chase allows him to turn everything around. While being chased by the police in Venom: The Hunted #2, Eddie finds himself surrounded by a group of skateboarding kids. It's dangerous, but they don't care at all, enjoying the rush. It's at this moment that fans discover that Venom himself has a love for skateboarding as he reveals he used to skateboard and he even takes on the identity of a skateboarder — Rad Eddie.
Eddie uses this disguise to blend in with the kids and escape the police, but it's not a one-time use. He becomes a legit skateboarder, entering a contest. Even more surprising is the revelation that being partnered with his symbiote other allows him to do even more tricks than he thought possible. He's capable of doing much more than when he was younger and embraces it, winning the competition — and some prize money too. Money isn't all Venom gains out of this disguise, however. When being chased by a symbiote-eater known as a xenophage, he's at a low point. However, the kids recognize his board in police hands and seek him out, knowing their buddy's in trouble. They find him on top of the subway and ride it with him. Seeing the kids, Eddie's able to regain enough strength to outsmart his foe. He escapes with his newfound friends, once more evading police.
Rad Eddie's definitely a strange disguise to take on and it's definitely the kind of thing that could have only happened in the '90s at a peak time for skateboarding. Venom — and symbiotes in general — are known for granting their hosts incredible abilities, from enhanced strength, speed, agility, and personality traits to potential bonuses such as body manipulation, toxic saliva, camouflage, and technology infiltration. Who knew they could also make a person who skateboarded an even better skateboarder?
The craziest thing about this disguise is how effective it is. At no point does Eddie actually get fully caught and revealed as Venom in it. He's arrested under suspicion, but it's never fully proven. He's caught while disguised as a cop, thanks to a loud noise intended to weaken symbiotes, but he has already left his skater disguise temporarily. He escapes as Rad Eddie, walking right by the cops. He even talks to them for a quick moment. As a skateboarder, he has a clean getaway record! If he ever wanted a career change, he could definitely be Marvel's symbiote version of Tony Hawk. Spider-Man has already been part of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 in the past, but if licensing can ever be attained, Venom needs to be the next playable character DLC for Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2, capable of doing a Kickflip McTwist.