Contains spoilers for Venom #26 by Donny Cates, Iban Coello, and Juan Gedeon
The Marvel Universe is full of terrifying symbiotes. Venom and Carnage are obviously the most mainstream examples of these symbiotes, but in the pages of the comics, there are some that are even more powerful and terrifying than them. In the most recent issue of Venom, a new symbiote form is introduced that is likely to intrigue and worry fans of Eddie Brock.
The story opens with a man running from a symbiote. It’s clear that the man has no idea what he’s being chased by, then, suddenly, the man runs into a bearded Eddie Brock. Frantically, the man asks Brock for help and Eddie appears unfazed by the incoming symbiote, much to the surprise of the man. Unfortunately for the man being chased by the symbiote, he doesn’t realize that Eddie and the symbiote are indeed one. The symbiote bonds with Brock and the man is then captured and questioned by Brock.
After Brock secures an address from the man, the next panel shows that Eddie is planning on taking his son, Dylan, to the unnamed location. Brock believes that traveling to this place will help Dylan understand his nightmares about Knull. This shows a different side to Brock that some fans may not have seen before, with Brock acting as a responsible and caring father to Dylan. The two then head off to the location, but not before a foreboding figure in an Iron Man-esque suit (known as Virus) is seen watching them from afar.
The pair arrive and after some trouble with the door, eventually barging their way into the building. It’s revealed that the Maker (Ultimate Reed Richards) is in this location and Eddie believes he can help his son with his visions of Knull. Dylan has reservations about the Maker, finding it odd that he is unable to sense the character. Brock is also wary, asking the Maker what he is doing, to which the Maker reveals that he is building a chronal gateway that allows travel between universes. It is here that the Maker reveals he has created his own symbiote, making the character even more intimidating and terrifying than he usually is. Venom attacks the Maker and, in a show of the Maker’s terrifying power, punches Eddie Brock right out of the Venom symbiote.
Immediately after this, the Maker detects a breach in his security system, and with an explosion the mysterious man in the Iron Man-style suit bursts in riding a Goblin Glider and throwing pumpkin bombs around the laboratory, destroying equipment left, right, and center. The Iron Man-style character doesn’t reveal his identity to Brock, instead of telling Eddie that his life was destroyed by Venom. In the chaos and destruction, the chronal gateway is damaged and sucks Venom, Dylan, and the Maker through it and into another universe. The group wakes up in Universe-1610, the Marvel Ultimate Universe.
This issue was insane. Not only did it show an intriguing and compelling bond between Venom and his son, but it also promised a return to the Ultimate Universe and a terrifying new symbiote form in the form of the Maker. The ‘Venom Beyond’ arc is certainly setting itself up for an exhilarating narrative. Where the story goes next is unclear, but the Maker and his new symbiote are about to become a big problem.