Venom made his first appearance in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man, but since that time he has become a major player in Marvel Comics, appearing across the line. Whether it is Eddie Brock, Flash Thompson, Max Gargan, or any other number of hosts, Venom has made his mark on Marvel fans for decades now.
However, while Venom remains one of the most popular antiheroes in Marvel Comics, fans are not always on the same page with his portrayal and story arcs. Reddit is a perfect place for fans of anything to come together and share opinions, and it is a website that has as many unpopular opinions as popular ones for fans of Venom.
Venom Isn't Popular Without Spider-Man
Venom showed up for the first time in Amazing Spider-Man #300 by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. The idea was to create something big that could last, and Venom lasted. @PostalPummeler wrote on Reddit that "Venom isn't that appealing without Spider-Man, and lethal protector is overrated."
Most fans disagree because Venom ended up as one of Spider-Man's best comic book villains. The Lethal Protector storyline is also considered a favorite and was one of the influences for the 2018 Venom movie.
Venom Looked Better In A Video Game
Venom was one of the most unique-looking characters Marvel Comics ever created. However, when comparing different versions of Venom, Reddit user @LeatherfaceChuck wrote "Unpopular opinion but I'm convinced that Bengus' interpretation of Venom for Marvel vs Capcom 2 is the best version of the character ever."
This is something some fans might agree with, but at the same time, there are many who refuse to look past Todd McFarlane's original version of the character. @PresidentWeevil argued against this opinion, saying that "he went sliiiightly overboard on the underbite and it verges into goofy territory."
Venom Is Spider-Man's Joker
When looking at Spider-Man's legendary villains, there is often an argument on who is the most dangerous. When asked who would be Spider-Man's version of Joker, @SylvaticDonkey9 wrote "Personally though I'd say Venom."
This is something very few Spider-Man fans would agree to. Most of the votes in that thread went to Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus as Spider-Man's deadliest villain in the style of Joker. Meanwhile, other fans admitted that Venom and Spider-Man are more frenemies than hated rivals.
Toxin Is Cooler Than Venom
There have been several symbiotes that appeared in Marvel Comics over the years, but they own their existence to the original, Venom. However, a Reddit user named @Lucgalea03 posted that he felt "Toxin is imo the coolest symbiote."
This isn't something many Spider-Man fans would agree with though. Toxin ended up dying in the comics when the Toxin solo comic failed to sell well. Meanwhile, Venom, Carnage, Ant-Venom, and others sell large numbers every time they appear in a story.
Venom Faced 'Diminishing Returns'
In a Reddit thread about the Spider-Man multiverse villain Morlun, talk centered around how scary he was in the comic books. That is when one poster named @MideonNVisc3ra wrote "[Morlun] was like the second coming of Venom. Like Venom though, he has fallen victim to diminishing returns. Actually, far more quickly than Venom."
This is something that few Venom fans would ever agree to, as the character remains a hugely popular Marvel antihero. He led the recent King in Black series and is front-and-center of many stories in the comics, remaining one of the top characters in Marvel Comics.
Flash Was The Better Venom
Eddie Brock seemed born to bond with Venom and the character has never been the same in any other host. There was one close exception, and that was Flash Thompson's Agent Venom. @Fiti99 wrote on Reddit that had "never been a fan of 616 Venom prior to Flash, I liked Eddie in the cartoons where his motivations were more fleshed out, but before that I just couldn’t get into him as a villain in the comics."
It is an opinion that select other fans might share, as Flash Thompson was an interesting take on the character. However, most Venom fans agree that the character always had fleshed out motivations, especially from the fact that the symbiote always felt rejected and it never found a true partner until Eddie.
It's Easy To Be Negative
In a Venom subreddit, fans were talking about story arcs that they didn't like for the character. That was when Reddit user @karolinebeatsj posted that "it's actually pretty easy to be negative as a Venom fan, because there's a lot of BS that's been lobbed at us over the years via bad handling of the character."
While that is any fan's prerogative, the fact that many books listed in the most hated stories were other fans' favorites shows that it is all about a person's personal taste, rather than perceived bad handling, as many commenters mentioned stories listed that they liked.
Venom In Spider-Man 3 Looked Better Than The Comic
One of the most hated movies in Spider-Man history was Spider-Man 3, where Venom and Sandman were the main villains. While fans appreciated the Sandman story, most disliked Venom in the movie. @MoulyHouly wrote on Reddit that "Say what you want bout Venom in Spider-Man 3, but in my opinion, that is the coolest design for him."
Many felt that Spider-Man 3 was a comic book movie with too many villains, and it would have been better without Venom. While some fans agreed that the CGI design was cool, not many people could get past Topher Grace behind the mask, while others dismissed the design because of the look of the tongue.
Peter Should Have Been Venom's First Host
For many years, Marvel Comics readers assumed Peter Parker was the first host for the Venom symbiote. That was not correct, and Venom's history opened up a brand-new world in Marvel. However, @Snoo32648 posted on Reddit that "Venom was better off being Peters first host I hate how Venom got retconned to have bonded to other heroes before Peter."
For many years, Marvel fans might have agreed but that has changed. When Marvel introduced his true origin and brought Knull in as one of Venom's main comic book villains, things changed for the better and it all resulted in several critically acclaimed runs dealing with Venom's history before Peter Parker.
Venom Is Out Of Place In Spider-Man Comics
There are many fans who think that Venom and Spider-Man should always be linked, as, without Spidey, Venom would not exist. There is one Reddit user who disagrees, as @bobiojo wrote "for a character like Spider-Man, I find the concept of Venom kinda weird and out of place in the world of that character."
His thought was that Spider-Man fights regular villains, and having a giant alien in his world doesn't look right. This is something most fans disagree with, as the two remain connected thanks to Spider-Man bonding to Venom first, and the underlying hatred between them brewing for years.