Warning: Contains spoilers for Venom #8
Eddie Brock, the former owner of the Venom symbiote and the current King in Black, has unleashed a new form that gives him very similar powers to those of both Iron Man and of the latest version of Hulk. While Eddie is stuck traveling through time, still unable to fully control his King in Black abilities, he lands in the 602nd century in the body of a powerful combat machine called War-Symbiote.
In the Marvel Universe, the most famous battle suit is without a doubt the Iron Man armor used by Tony Stark. Iron Man packs a number of sophisticated weapons, and Tony Stark also usually uses advanced artificial intelligence that has the job of running the suit's systems and answering Tony's questions, providing him useful analysis and insight. In recent storylines, Bruce Banner also developed his own, twisted version of a battle suit, with the difference that the "armor" is nothing but the body of Hulk himself, with Banner's consciousness "driving" it as a spaceship, complete with engines that run on pure rage. Venom's War-Symbiote unites some of the best functions of both Iron Man and "Starship Hulk."
In Venom #8, by Al Ewing, Bryan Hitch, Alex Sinclair, and Pete Pantazis, Eddie lands on the flagship of Kang the Conqueror, in the middle of one of the many battles fought by the time-traveling warlord. It seems like in the past (Kang's past, but Eddie's future; time travel is complicated like that) Kang reached some sort of agreement with the King in Black, which gave him access to weaponized symbiotes as soldiers. The one that Eddie uses is a Warstar-class, type-two battle-Klyntar, and its functions are simply spectacular. Besides the standard abilities of symbiotes, Warstar is able to generate any kind of weapons, including firearms, flamethrowers, and a Jedi-like lightsaber that Eddie uses to duel with Kang. The symbiote also acts as an A.I. system for Eddie, giving him information on his surroundings and providing precise odds on the battle.
This is a very interesting take on the powers and functions of a symbiote. Usually, Venom fights with powers inspired by Spider-Man's ones: he is strong, fast, and lethal in close quarters. The Warstar symbiote, however, seems inspired by the abilities of other heroes. His power to generate any weapon gives him an arsenal that puts Iron Man to shame, and the symbiote guides Eddie like Tony Stark's A.I. usually does (even with a similar level of banter). On the other hand, the fact that Eddie's mind - rather than his body - is "downloaded" into Warstar makes it look very similar to the Hulk's current status, where Bruce Banner's mind is "piloting" the Green Goliath's body.
Overall, using symbiotes as living suits of battle-tailored armor looks like a great idea. The abilities displayed by Eddie Brock in his new Warstar form are much more exciting than Venom's classic set of powers, and the fact that the symbiote's consciousness works as a pre-programmed A.I. puts a new spin on its relationship with its host. Battle-Klyntars are a great addition to the Venom lore: perhaps Iron Man and Hulk were the inspiration for the King in Black, Eddie Brock, to develop these fearsome soldiers in the future.