Warning: SPOILERS for Venom #24
The Venom symbiote has a brand new host in the pages of Marvel Comics, and this new partnership is unlike any seen before. Not only has the alien being forged a link with Eddie Brock’s biological son Dylan… but the pair have now learned to create a whole new kind of Venom to save their family.
The themes of family and legacy have only gotten stronger in Venom comics lately, with Carnage (the child of the Venom symbiote) which climaxed in one final attempt to murder Dylan — only for him to be rescued by Sleeper, the symbiote child of Eddie and his Other. When the dust settled, Eddie decided it was time to erase Carnage once and for all, flying his own symbiote and its demonic spawn to the middle of the ocean. But this “Venom Island” mission has only gone wrong, leaving Eddie beaten, bloodied, and claimed by Carnage. Setting the stage for a new alliance between Dylan Brock and his father’s symbiote. And together, they’re looking to be the downright coolest version of Venom fans have seen in years.
Considering the stakes, it made sense for writer Donny Cates to promise that “Venom Island” would change Eddie Brock, and the larger Venom mythology along with him. But as fans focused on Eddie cutting off his own hand, the truth behind Cates’ words seems to refer to Dylan’s abilities, instead. Especially once Dylan starts to commune with the shred of Carnage symbiote he’s kept in secret… and realizes his father, and his symbiote, are in serious trouble.
Most comic book fans would probably accept the above scene without much confusion, since the idea of passing some form of ‘skill’ or ‘experience’ to their child is nothing new among superheroes. And as Eddie’s child, Dylan Brock is the successor to what must be the most educated symbiote expert in the Marvel Universe. But Dylan’s introduction as Eddie Brock’s offspring alluded to a larger mystery from the start. That not only was Dylan the child of Eddie and his ex-wife Anne, but that each of their time with the symbiote had played a key part in his creation. Add in the suggestion that symbiotes spawn before a Marvel crisis, and at this point, it’s taken for granted that Dylan has a secret ready to be unleashed.
In Venom #24, that secret is finally being unraveled. As all hope seems lost, with the Carnage symbiote claiming Eddie Brock as its new host, Dylan forges a connection with the symbiote hive mind. First, he can see through the eyes of his father’s symbiote. Next, he can speak to it. These abilities are a total shock to the symbiote itself, said to only be possible through Knull, the God of Symbiotes. But as the symbiote agrees to form a remote, metaphysical bond with Dylan to rescue Eddie, it points out a new twist: since they are bonding without Dylan’s physical form… they can become any creature he desires. Cue the music, and pray for Carnage:
The explosive arrival of Dylan and the symbiote as the new, dinosaur Venom is what brings the issue to a close, setting the stage for a massive battle with Carnage. But as fans recall the first appearance of a Tyrannosaurus symbiote in the Old Man Logan timeline – known as V-Rex — this incarnation is undeniably cooler. Why? Because this is still Venom, as noted by the dinosaur’s signature symbol, color scheme, and disgusting Venom slobber. Only time will tell how Dylan’s remote piloting of Eddie’s symbiote will turn out in a fight, or what new mysteries will be revealed through his connection.
Fans may be waiting longer than expected to see “Venom Island” reach its boiling point, now that Marvel is delaying comic books. But at least fans know that when Venom returns, they will have one of the coolest versions of the hero to look forward to.
