10 Reasons Why Donny Cates’ Venom Was So Great

Donny Cates has stated in interviews and podcast appearances that his decision to introduce the character Dylan Brock, Eddie’s son, was in large part to give Brock ‘something to fight for’. In most of his appearances, Venom’s raison d’être has been either to kill Spider-Man, or to protect the innocent by generally violent means.

While writers have given antiheroes children before, as a way of grounding them emotionally and revealing a softer side, Dylan was still a great character to bring into the series. This father-son relationship is sweet as well as believable, and the reader really feels Eddie’s desire to protect his son from the consequences of his dark past, as well as Dylan’s, perhaps misguided, idolisation of his father that drives him to be more than just a normal kid.

Cates of course leans heavily into the dynamic between Eddie Brock and his symbiote, something that has proved popular with Tom Hardy’s take. Favouring a less comedic approach, Cates digs into the fundamentals of their relationship, what they need from each other why they stay together, and whether they even should. It’s a complex depiction of a turbulent relationship in which harm is done to both parties, yet the desire to try and do better prevails. Just try not to take it as couple goals.