Marvel’s Venom, the Spider-Man villain turned anti-hero turned hero, has had a few hosts. “We are Venom!” goes the catchphrases but one half of that “we” has varied. If you’re wondering who the toughest were, here are the most powerful Venom hosts, ranked.
Here Are Venom’s Toughest Hosts, Ranked From Weakest to Strongest
I’m not just talking about physical strength in this ranked list of Venom hosts. Some of Venom’s hosts exhibited an amazing strength of will which, in turn, made them and Venom a formidable pairing.
I’ve also stuck to the main Earth-616 universe shown in the comics and left out any shorter-term hosts. Captain Marvel is one of the strongest heroes in the whole Marvel universe, but she was Venom for maybe ten minutes tops.
Related: Marvel’s X-Men Is a Line in Search of an Author After Hickman’s Departure
6. Mac Gargan
Mac Gargan is best known for being the Scorpion, but for some time, he was Venom. Eddie Brock, thinking he was dying, auctioned Venom off. Its purchaser didn’t get to hold onto it for long, and the symbiote found its way to Gargan, who became an almost comically bulky Venom.
With a drug provided by Norman Osborn, Gargan was able to masquerade as Spider-Man in Osborn’s Dark Avengers. But after Osborn’s war on Asgard went completely off the rails, he was arrested and the Venom symbiote was forcibly removed from Gargan.
5. Spider-Man
Spider-Man was Venom’s first Earth-based host after getting it out of what he believed was a costume-dispensing machine. And while you could argue he didn’t utilise the symbiote’s full potential, he was formidable in black.
As Amazing Spider-Man (and the other Spider-Man comics) sometimes reminds readers, Spider-Man pulls his punches, to avoid killing criminals. Chances are, he could put his fist right through Mac Gargan’s skull, Venom or no Venom. And he was ultimately able to resist Venom’s influence.
4. Tel-Kar
Kree Tel-Kar was Venom’s first host and the reason the symbiote has, as Flash Thompson put it, an addiction to rage. He only appeared in a five issue comic run, but was with Venom for a long time. Even before Venom, he was a powerful warrior, having been chosen from hundreds to bond with a symbiote.
What’s remarkable about Tel-Kar, apart from his strength and skill as a warrior was that even when Venom wanted nothing to do with him, he was able to dominate the symbiote by sheer strength of will. It wanted to flee back to Eddie Brock but Tel-Kar was having none of it.
However, he met a gruesome fate when Venom’s latest offspring lobotomized him and bonded with his mindless form, heading out to explore space.
Related: Best Games Where You Can Play as Spider-Man’s Venom
3. Dylan Brock
Dylan Brock, son of Eddie Brock, was conceived while Venom was bonded with his mother, Anne Weying. This made him part symbiote (for some reason) and as Venom’s latest host he’s tough as nails and, despite being a teenager, has the wisdom not to abuse his power.
But what really makes him powerful, and a threat to any would be “Kings in Black” who attempt to dominate symbiote is if he bonds with them they’re cut off from the hive. The King in Black storyline is a whole other thing, but basically, symbiotes connect to a hive mind and if someone takes control of that hive mind, a King in Black, they can command the symbiotes. Dylan has the power to make them unreachable, eating away their army.
2. Flash Thompson
Flash Thompson, Peter Parker’s bully-turned-friend, was bonded with Venom after the government removed the symbiote from Mac Gargan. Thompson was just a convenient host for the symbiote, and having lost his legs in combat, becoming Venom gave him full mobility.
But Thompson’s relationship with Venom went way beyond that. As Venom, his military training gave him an edge and he was even able to override the kill switch the government installed. He also delved into his partner’s psyche. Recognising the sheer rage the symbiote carried, he headed into space where, with the aid of the symbiote’s species, he purged him of his anger.
He went on to become Venom: Space Knight, which was about as awesome as it sounds. Flash and Venom were eventually parted, with Flash later becoming Anti-Venom. But even without the symbiote, Flash was able to literally resurrect himself from the dead. That’s something only one other host has accomplished.
1. Eddie Brock
Eddie Brock may have started life as a disgraced journalist, but he’s gone to become Venom’s longest-standing and most powerful host. Marvel tends to shy away from redeeming villains. However, Brock is the exception.
He’s taken on nearly as many foes as Spider-Man, trouncing them all. He returned from the brink of death to defeat Knull, the universe’s first King in Black before becoming the King in Black. And when his body was destroyed, through sheer power of will he built a new one, becoming some kind of symbiote/human hybrid. Whether he’s still technically Venom is debatable. But as hosts go, Venom has never been more powerful than when bonded with Eddie Brock.
And those are all Venom’s most powerful hosts in Marvel Comics, ranked.
