VENOM : Alien Costume Symbiote

"The more hidden the VENOM, the more dangerous it is."--Marguerite de Valois
Last seen in the big screen menacing SPIDER-MAN, let us now learn a little more about this CBM character - VENOM. What it is? And what are its powers?




What is VENOM?
VENOM is an alien symbiote, a life form that requires a host to bond around for its survival. The creature is a sentient alien with a gooey, almost liquid-like form. VENOM creature gives its host enhanced powers.

VENOM first appeared as an "alien costume" in The Amazing Spider-Man #252 (May 1984) it wascreated by Randy Schueller (original idea) and David Michelinie, with Mike Zeck designing the alien costume and Todd McFarlane drawing the first VENOM appearance.

What are its powers and abilities?
The VENOM symbiote empowers the natural abilities of a host to the point where they far exceed that of normal members of the hosts' species. These abilities include the following superhuman strength, speed and agility, Super enhanced durability, resistance to damage and healing ability, genetic memory, recalling information from previous hosts. Can expand to any size as long as they have something to grow on such as a host or an object. The VENOM Symbiote can get inside of small areas such as electric wires and the insides of cars and completely disable them. The Symbiote also reacts to the thoughts and will of the host. The Symbiote can sense the presence of other Symbiote within a certain distance and the ability to shape-shift, from mimicking clothing up to and including complete change of appearance and stature.

The VENOM Symbiote has adapted the spider powers of Spider-Man.

The Symbiote allows the user limited shape-shifting.

The symbiote is capable of healing injuries in the host at a faster rate than normal human healing allows. The symbiote is also capable of healing injuries and illnesses that current human medical care cannot such as cancer.

Who are the host of the VENOM Symbiote?

1. Peter Parker SPIDER-MAN
The Amazing Spider-Man #252 (May 1984)
In the Secret Wars storyline Spider-Man damages his regular costume in combat. He found a machine that was supposed to make a "new" costume, but in actuality was a sentient alien symbiote responding to Spider-Man's thoughts to form a new costume. Spider-Man later on learns the true nature of the costume and that it wishes to fuse permanently with him. With the aid of other heroes Spider-Man discovered that the symbiote is vulnerable to sound and flame. Spider-man uses this knowledge to permanently separate himself from the symbiote.


2. Eddie Brock
Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #299 (April, 1988)
When Spider-man separated himself from the symbiote, the sentient alien costume needed another human host in order to survive. He found and bonded with Eddie Brock who became the first person to use the name VENOM. Eddie Brock has a grudge against SPIDER-MAN when he disgraced him as a reporter because of a bogus news report, that grudge is fueled more by the symbiote's hatred of his previous host. We would see many battles between Spider-man and Eddie Brock's VENOM. Though at times they would have a truce, and we see them fighting along side each other. Later on the VENOM symbiote will find new hosts and Eddie Brock is currently running around as Anti-VENOM (A creature with all of VENOM's powers, without its weaknesses.... hmmm... Blade called he wants to talk to you about something).


3. Angelo Fortunato
Marvel Knights: Spider-Man Vol 1 #6 (November, 2004)
Don Fortunato bought the symbiote for 100 million dollars from then cancer-stricken Eddie Brock (now he is cured because of Anti-VENOM - whoopee!). Fortunato gave it to his son, Angelo, to prove himself to the crime family. Angelo fought Spider-Man and clearly had the advantage in the fight. But when he killed a bystander, Spider-Man didn't hold back and started to beat Angelo into submission. Being a coward that he is, he tried to flee, and the symbiote, disgusted by his actions, left Angelo's body while in mid air (and splat!).


4. Mac Gargan
Marvel Knights: Spider-Man Vol 1 #9 (February, 2005)
After the incident with Angelo Fortunato, the VENOM symbiote approached MacDonald "Mac" Gargan, formerly known as Scorpion, and offered him new abilities. Gargan accepted the proposal and bonded with the creature. When in the VENOM persona, Gargan retained very little of his original personality and was controlled almost completely by the Symbiote, which drove him to cannibalism. When the Symbiote was dormant in his body, he expressed nausea and fear of the organism.


5. Flash Thompson
Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #654
Flash Thompson is the "black ops" VENOM owned by the government, he is one of Peter Parker's high school classmate/bully and now a war veteran who lost the use of his leg. The previous VENOM Mac Gargan is back in being the scorpion again and the symbiote got locked up in a secret Government base. Giving drug suppressants to control the VENOM symbiote, the new host, Flash Thompson became one of the Government's covert men in the battle against evil. While having the abilities of Spider-Man plus 10.


6. Ann Weying
Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #375 (March, 1993)
Ann Weying is Eddie Brock's ex-wife, a successful lawyer. In an event where Ann got shot, the VENOM symbiote temporarily bonds with her to save her life and she briefly became She-VENOM.


7. Ms. Marvel
Siege Vol 1 #3
During the siege of Asgard, Spider-Man fought Mac Gargan in the streets of Broxton, Oklahoma. Ms. Marvel came to help Spidey and ripped Gargan out of the Symbiote. The Symbiote proceeded to take control of Carol Danvers until Spidey was able to feed her enough power to break free of the Symbiote.


8.Fantastic Four
Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four #2
New revelations indicates that after Spider-Man initially removed the VENOM symbiote, it escaped and attempted to bond with Franklin Richards. In that course, it bonded temporarily with Reed Richards, Susan Richards, and She-Hulk. It eventually bonded with Franklin, but with Spider-Man's help, the Fantastic Four was able to separate the Symbiote from Franklin.




Appearances of the VENOM Symbiote in Live Media
The Venom symbiote appeared currently in one movie, SPIDER-MAN 3. In which he first bonded with Peter Parker. Similar to the comics after Peter separated himself from the alien costume, it found a new host in Eddie Brock.

1. Tobey Maguire




2. Topher Grace

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sources: http://www.comicvine.com/myvine/misterz173/hosts-of-venom/75-21333/ : http://www.comicvine.com/venom/29-1486/ : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venom_(comics) : http://marvel.wikia.com/Venom

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Article requested by:

Ven0m
Keep up the great work! Please do VENOM!!!!!


soundwave129
Could you do VENOM?


Herosave
I'd be up for a VENOM article as well.

This is the 19th article in my Know Your CBM Character series. Any requests and suggestions for an article for this series write it down in the comment section BELOW.

Message to the CBM community:To those who are making requests, check first [here] because I might have done an article on the character already. If I have not please be patient, I will get on it as soon as possible (but consider the fact that I spend hours writing one of these articles). Try to limit your request to characters that already have been adapted to live media, so that the feature will at least be relevant to the site – Comic Book Movie(though I include TV characters). Characters in Manga or Anime’, I am not particularly familiar of, I am not discounting these characters but it will probably take some time before I write a feature on them because I have to read up on these characters. Thank you for reading these articles! If there are errors on the feature article above, blame it on my age, humanity and ignorance. Just be sure to check the comment section for the corrections, any error I made will surely be pointed out and corrected by much bigger geeks (because there will always be a bigger geek out there). -This has been PollMaster inviting you to the geekside. MABUHAY CBM and Godspeed!

Here's a few more hosts but they are not from mainstream continuity. Try to identify them: (And look for the odd duck that should not be included there).

AQUAMAN : King of the Seven Seas

"We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back from whence we came."--John F. Kennedy
Swimming around the smallscreen in Smallville its time to know more about the CBM Character - AQUAMAN. This feature answers the questions - Who he is? What are his abilities? What are the changes he underwent? Who has portrayed him in Comic Book Movies?



Who is AQUAMAN?
AQUAMAN is Arthur Curry and to the atlanteans Orin. He is a superhero, king of the seven seas and ruler of Atlantis.

AQUAMAN was created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, and inspired by a book by the Russian Soviet science fiction-writer Alexander Belyayev (Amphibian Man, 1928), the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 (Nov. 1941). Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, AQUAMAN later starred in several volumes of a solo title.

What are his powers and abilities?
Note: Due to the nature of comicbooks being an on-going tale, the character's powers along with his appearance, is in a constant state of flux.

Atlantean Biological Adaptation: The Atlanteans are an offshoot of humanity that is biologically adapted to the deep ocean environment.

Amphibious Nature: AQUAMAN, as an Atlantean, and the son of a wizard and Atlantean queen, can breathe both water and air, but must return to the aquatic environment at various intervals; this length can be prolonged by the humidity in the atmosphere.

Enhanced Sight: His ability to see in the murky depths of the ocean allows him exceptional night vision while on land.

Enhanced Hearing: several times more acute than human capacity.

Enhanced Smell: several times more acute than human capacity.

Superhuman Strength: AQUAMAN possesses superhuman strength on the order of 150 times human maximum.

Superhuman Endurance: AQUAMAN possesses strength and stamina that allows him to swim up to 150 mph for at least a 4 hour period without significant breaks for rest or recuperation.

Superhuman Durability: AQUAMAN's enhanced physiology enables him to withstand impacts that would kill and ordinary human, and critically injure an average Atlantean.

Energy-Heat Resistance: AQUAMAN is extremely resistant to energy/heat based attacks.

Superhuman Speed: Said to be the fastest thing underwater, he is capable of swimming at a consistent speed of 150 knots (175mph) for several hours. AQUAMAN can travel at much faster speeds for short "sprints." He has also been seen swimming at 10,000 feet per second. It's unknown how long he can keep up that amount of speed though. With his incredible speed in the water, AQUAMAN is able to create giant whirlpools.

Superhuman Reflexes: While no speedster, AQUAMAN's reflexes are on the order of 12-15 times faster than a normal human.

Marine Telepathy: AQUAMAN has the ability to communicate directly with sea life and has done so throughout most of his life.

Access to the Clear: AQUAMAN has the ability to sense the primal emotions of aquatic creatures through "The Clear". The Clear seems to function as a universal consciousness of all sea life. Via it he can communicate or command sea life on the other side of the planet. He can see what they see and much more what he is only beginning to realise. He can also push his telepathic powers to reach out to the higher land creatures to find that element of their brains that was once an aquatic dwelling creature. This may account for AQUAMAN's facility with language.

Sonar Location: A sonar power which allows AQUAMAN to detect things when blinded. A possible side effect of his gift from Poseidon or from the nature of his advanced mental powers, AQUAMAN can use this sonar-like sense to detect objects much as a dolphin might.

Water Sense: He has a sixth sense of "feeling" flowing water over 47 feet away through any known surface or material and in any direction.

Superhuman Equilibrium

Abilities
Master Swimmer: AQUAMAN is a master swimmer. Perhaps the greatest there is.

Expert Combatant: AQUAMAN excels at hand-to-hand combat and overall martial ability.

Expert Tactician: He has an advanced strategic sense, and has natural leadership qualities.

Accomplished Diplomat: His natural autocratic nature does not suit him well in environments where democracy is an issue but Orin is a natural commander and his ability has served him well in the protection of Poseidonis.



What are the changes in look he underwent?
1. Fun Comics
More Fun Comics Vol 1 #73 (November, 1941)
AQUAMAN debutted in More Fun Comics but only as a back-up feature, he never graced the front cover of that comics. He had his adventures in More Fun Comics until 1946. He already wears the iconic orange green costume that we are all familiar with but he wears a yellow glove and the fins at the back of his legs are also colored yellow.


2. Adventure Comics
Adventure Comics Vol 1 #103 (April, 1946)
AQUAMAN then move his adventures to Adventure comics which lasted until 1961. He is still a back-up feature, now for Superman who generally graces the front cover of Adventure comics. His costume is still generally orange and green, but changes the color of his gloves from yellow to green and he got envious of Superman's boxers so he tried one in black.


3. Justice Leaguer
Justice League of America Vol 1 #1 (November, 1960)
He became a founding member of the Justice League of America, and a constant member in different iterations of the league until this day.


4. Showcase
Showcase Vol 1 #30 (February, 1961)
AQUAMAN then have four main adventures in Showcase, and he finally got the spotlight on the frontcover, along with aqualad. His costume has been standardized by then.


5. Detective
Detective Comics Vol 1 #293 (July, 1961)
AQUAMAN also had a stint in Detective Comics, back in being a back-up feature this time around for Batman. By then AQUAMAN no longer goes out adventuring without his trustee sidekick aquarobi… aqualad.


6. World's Finest
World's Finest Vol 1 #125 (May, 1962)
It's not enough that he's a backup feature of Superman and Batman, now he's backup feature on them teaming up and along with Robin. You could see below that Aqualad has become an accesory of AQUAMAN's costume.


7. AQUAMAN
AQUAMAN Vol 1 #1 (February, 1962)
Rejoice as AQUAMAN finally got his own series, years of sucking ti in has finally payed of. In his first adventure Aqualad is still firmly in tow, but sooner or later they have to grow and move away. In this series we see him get married have a son, and lose that son (it's not all fun being AQUAMAN). The first volume of his series ended in 1978.


8. Blue
AQUAMAN Vol 2 #1 (February, 1986)
In his next series, we will see the first radical costume change by AQUAMAN. He now wears a largely deep-sea blue, costume with some wavy design. This series added some mystical elements to AQUAMAN's mythology. The costume look so great that it lasted for four issue, then he is back again in his old duds.


9. Back to Classic
AQUAMAN Vol 3 #1 (June, 1989)
The Blue costume did not work out, people under the sea ignores him a lot because he blends in the water, and the king does not want to be ignored so he went back to his Secondary colored costume. Now wiser, and thinking that only sissyboys in capes wear their boxers outside their costume, he removed his black boxers.


10. The Dreaded 90s
AQUAMAN Vol 4 #1 (December, 1991)
What it would be like if you're a comicbook character and you didn't have any drastic change in the 90s, remember the 90s was a darker time in the comics and AQUAMAN's answer to these dark times - longer hair. And with longer hair comes badass attitude. Note: his costume is still the same than before.


11. Hook
AQUAMAN Vol 5 #1 (August, 1994)
The 90s is not over yet, The long hair is not enough, we need to add a beard. In exchange for all that hair, AQUAMAN has to lose something, andso he loses a hand. But a one hand man is not scary, so a harpoon in exchange for the hand. Then we are back again in looking for something to subtract out of AQUAMAN. Well he already has the hair and the beard, what else do we need to do to make him look more like a rockstar, remove the shirt. Perfect! (90s how we love you). This look lasted until 2001 in the end of this series.


12. What the!
During the series above where he sports the long hair and the beard, we see a lot of What the! moments. We have the: Was it something I ate AQUAMAN, I feel so heavy in this bulky metal armor I can't believe that I am still able to swim AQUAMAN and an Ice Skating AQUAMAN complete with tiara.


13. AquaApe
AQUAMAN Annual Vol 5 #51999
Still part of the What The! moments. There was an event in DC universe that turned our heroes into Apes. (You have to take note that in the DC universe there's a race of Gorillas living in Gorilla city, thinking that they are smarter than humans, and this is one of their doings making people bananas...err... apes).


14. Waterbearer
AQUAMAN Vol 6 #1 (February, 2003)
AQUAMAN returned again to his magical roots. Visited by the famous Lady of the Lake of Arthurian legend, AQUAMAN’s missing hand was replaced by mystical water that gave him healing abilities. He gradually returned to wearing his traditional costume, he cut off his hair and shaved his beard as well.


15. Black Lantern
In the Blackest Night event every character who is dead, or have experienced death comes back to life as a Black Lantern. As I've said almost everybody in comics has been dead one time or another, so we meet this delightful version of AQUAMAN.


16. White Lantern
After the Blackest Night event we have Brightest Day, where we get a glimpse of AQUAMAN as a White Lantern.


17. AQUAMAN again
In Brightest day we see an AQUAMAN returning to his old self. Wearing his slightly modified traditional costume and he has complete hands. Unfortunately the hand doesn't stay up that long as its been cut-off again by one of AQUAMAN's villain. To be fair this time its the right hand, his left hand could breath a sigh of relief.




AQUAMAN in Live Media
1. Alan Ritchson
AQUAMAN is a recurring character in Smallville. He is part of Green Arrow's group of superheroes.




2. Justin Hartley
The CW Television Network had announced a live action AQUAMAN television series called Mercy Reef but on May 18, 2006, it was confirmed that CW did not pick up the show for the 2006/2007 schedule. But a pilot episode was shot and available in iTunes.

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sources: http://blog.newsarama.com/2010/07/10/agent-of-s-t-y-l-e-the-life-aqua-chic-with-aquaman/ : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaman : http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Aquaman : http://www.comicvine.com/aquaman/29-2357/ : http://www.comicbookbin.com/aquaman.html : http://www.superherocomicshop.com/aquaman-history : http://www.comicbookdb.com/character_chron.php?ID=193 : http://aqua.gjovaag.com/gal/00.html

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Article requested by:

Darkmatter
an AQUAMAN featurette would be the out of this world.

This is the 18th article in my Know Your CBM Character series. Any requests and suggestions for an article for this series write it down in the comment section BELOW.

Message to the CBM community:To those who are making requests, check first [here] because I might have done an article on the character already. If I have not please be patient, I will get on it as soon as possible (but consider the fact that I spend hours writing one of these articles). Try to limit your request to characters that already have been adapted to live media, so that the feature will at least be relevant to the site – Comic Book Movie(though I include TV characters). Characters in Manga or Anime’, I am not particularly familiar of, I am not discounting these characters but it will probably take some time before I write a feature on them because I have to read up on these characters. Thank you for reading these articles! If there are errors on the feature article above, blame it on my age, humanity and ignorance. Just be sure to check the comment section for the corrections, any error I made will surely be pointed out and corrected by much bigger geeks (because there will always be a bigger geek out there). -This has been PollMaster inviting you to the geekside. MABUHAY CBM and Godspeed!

For AQUAMAN fanatics out there, try to guess on what show did this AQUAMAN costume appear.

NICK FURY : The Howling Super Agent Commando

"Every soldier must know, before he goes into battle, how the little battle he is to fight fits into the larger picture, and how the success of his fighting will influence the battle as a whole."--Bernard Law Montgomery
He'll be popping up a lot in Marvel Movies It's time to know more about this CBM Character - NICK FURY. This feature answers the questions - Who he is? What are his abilities? What are the changes he underwent? Who has portrayed him in Comic Book Movies?



Who is NICK FURY?
Nicholas Joseph Fury a one-eyed cigar-chomping World War II veteran who is still fighting today, as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D or even as an agent of nothing. Considered as one of the greatest strategic minds in the Marvel Universe, a master of espionage, and a born leader.

NICK FURY is a WWII army hero and present-day super-spy. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 (May 1963), a World War II combat series that portrayed the cigar-chomping Fury as leader of an elite U.S. Army unit.



What are his powers and abilities?
Note: Due to the nature of comicbooks being an on-going tale, the character's powers along with his appearance, is in a constant state of flux.

NICK FURY's aging has been slowed greatly by the Infinity Formula, a serum created by Dr. Berthold Sternberg. Fury was first inoculated with the serum in the 1940s. Fury took the serum annually for many years. Due to its cumulative effect, Fury no longer needs additional doses to prolong his life span.

Abilities
NICK FURY was a trained paratrooper, ranger, demolitions expert and vehicle specialist. He holds an unlimited-tonnage, all-seas license as a commander of ocean-going vessels. Fury has completed Green and Black Beret Special Forces training, and has been an agent of the OSS (Office of Special Services) and a liaison of the MI-5 (British Secret Intelligence). He is a seasoned unarmed- and armed-combat expert, was a heavyweight boxer in the Army, and holds a black belt in Tae Kwan Do and a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu.

What are the changes in look he underwent?
1. Sgt. Fury
Sgt. Fury #1 (May 1963)
The first time we meet NICK FURY he was a Sergeant in World War II who led an elite unit, The Howling Commandos. Wearing a traditional soldier uniform. One thing you might notice is that he has the use of both of his eyes still. His adventures in WWII would last until 1974


2. Shield Agent
NICK FURY, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1(June, 1968)
Even though his World War II exploits are being told in Sgt. Fury, we see a modern NICK FURY as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. This is where we are introduced to the iconic NICK FURY we all love, the eye patch is there, he is still chomping on his cigar and now wears the official S.H.I.E.L.D. agent uniform.


As an agent he has to be always dressed for the occasion:










3. Agent of Change
From S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to its director to becoming a fugitive. NICK FURY has seen it all, and like many good spies he still has a lot of secrets hidden, and lot of secrets to reveal. So, whether it is the Howling Commandos, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents or the superhero community there is a good chance you would see NICK FURY leading the pack, but also has a hand hidden in pulling the strings.


4. Ultimate
Ok, so if you are that someone who reached this part, looking confused, asking yourself isn't NICK FURY black? Well, I have something to teach you and its called multiverse.

A multiverse is a set of parallel realities. We have a Marvel Universe (uni which means one), and we have a Marvel Multiverse (multi means many). Usually when we talk about the Marvel Universe, we often talk about its mainstream continuity or its main universe, this is the universe that most of the Marvel comicbook character that we know of lives. In geektalk we call this as the 616 universe but there are other universes within the Marvel Multiverse and one of this is the 1610 universe or more famously known as the Ultimate Universe. In this universe we see familiar characters from the 616 universe but behaving differently or even looks different, this is where the black NICK FURY enters.

So, our eye-patched wearing cigar-chomping white dude in the 616 universe is a eye-patched wearing cigar-chomping black guy. (I hope that's clear because explaining this is giving me a headache).

This version of NICK FURY first appeared in Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #5 (August 2001).




NICK FURY in Live Media
1. David Hasselhoff
NICK FURY: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a 1998 made-for-TV movie starring David Hasselhoff. NICK FURY, here is retired and was approached to return to duty to take down agents of the terrorist organization HYDRA, led by the children of Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, an old enemy of his.




2. Samuel L. Jackson
In a fun, art imitating life imitating art scenario, we have Samuel L. Jackson whose likeness was used on the Ultimate NICK FURY on the pages of the Ultimates, now playing NICK FURY on several Marvel Movies that started in 2008 Iron Man movie.

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sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Fury : http://marvel.wikia.com/Nicholas_Fury_(Earth-616) : http://www.comicvine.com/nick-fury/29-3202/ : http://marvel.com/universe/Fury,_Nick

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Article requested by:

PaulRom
I'd love to see one on NICK FURY.


VanCityKid
A featurette on NICK FURY and/or SHIELD would be awesome

This is the 17th article in my Know Your CBM Character series. Any requests and suggestions for an article for this series write it down in the comment section BELOW.

Message to the CBM community:To those who are making requests, check first [here] because I might have done an article on the character already. If I have not please be patient, I will get on it as soon as possible (but consider the fact that I spend hours writing one of these articles). Try to limit your request to characters that already have been adapted to live media, so that the feature will at least be relevant to the site – Comic Book Movie(though I include TV characters).

Characters in Manga or Anime’, I am not particularly familiar of, I am not discounting these characters but it will probably take some time before I write a feature on them because I have to read up on these characters.

Thank you for reading these articles!

If there are errors on the feature article above, blame it on my age, humanity and ignorance. Just be sure to check the comment section for the corrections, any error I made will surely be pointed out and corrected by much bigger geeks (because there will always be a bigger geek out there).

-This has been PollMaster inviting you to the geekside. MABUHAY CBM and Godspeed!