Marvel Reveals Venom's Version of Spider-Man Noir

By Kofi Outlaw

Spider-Man Noir has grown from Spider-Verse variant to serious fan-favorite in the last few years, thanks in large part to the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse films, and actor Nic Cage's take on the character. However, Spider-Man Noir has been a hit with comic book fans since his debut in the late 2000s – and now there's a Venom version of the character! 

(WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW!) 

In the Extreme Venomverse #4 story "Venom Noir In 'The Teeth of Beasts'" we meet "Father Brock," a priest at a church in 1941, who has a serious gambling problem. Brock's bookie John Deward blackmails the priest to pay up or face public disgrace for his gambling. Lost and desperate, Brock wanders into an isolated section of the church, where he is possessed by the Venom symbiote. As Venom (complete with a top hat and priest's robes), Father Brock pays a visit to Deward's home and murders him. Brock ultimately escapes police suspicion by convincing a mentally-ill man named Emil Gregg (aka Sin-Eater) to take on a symbiote suit made of Venom, making the police think he is the culprit – while Father Brock escapes with his dark secret and tainted reputation both intact. 

As far as Spider-Verse variants go, this Venom from a Noir-themed universe is definitely one of the more interesting versions of the character we've seen. Even though the segment is a short story, we wouldn't be opposed to seeing more from "Father Brock." 

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(Photo: Marvel Comics)

The Eddie Brock/Venom character has actually gotten a bit too far out of focus in the last few years. Eddie took on the God of the Symbiotes, Knull, in Marvel's "King In Black" crossover event, and emerged as the new God of the Symbiote race. Venom's creative path has gotten muddled from there: Eddie explored his new god-like powers and awareness as the King In Black, while his son, Dylan Brock, ended up taking on the Venom symbiote. Eddie had his memory wiped back to '90s villain status by Madelyne Prior the Goblin Queen, and learned that his own King In Black future variants are a threat and that he is on a crash course to battle and kill Dylan, a fate Eddie is wholly committed to averting. 

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In that sense, Extreme Venomverse is a nice change of pace, taking things back to the simple beginnings of the Venom character, while simultaneously doing so from entirely new story angles. 

Extreme Venomverse is now on sale at Marvel Comics. 

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