8 Smartest Decisions In Marvel Villain History

6. The Symbiote Rediscovers Its Good Side - Venom

Whenever it comes to Venom a delineation must be made. There's the symbiote, an alien also known as a Klyntar whose actual name is Venom, and their hosts; Eddie Brock, Flash Thompson, and so on. In this case, a crash course in the symbiote's history is also called for.

For most of the character's existence Venom has been considered evil, and also one of Spider-Man's greatest villains. But while it's true that the symbiote started out as a corrupting force in the comics, one originally written as the source behind a given host's nasty leanings, newer retcons have confirmed that the opposite is basically true.

The clue's in the name. Symbiotes have a symbiotic relationship with their host, and both beings feed into each other. Venom was only evil because it was spurned by Peter Parker and later tapped into Eddie Brock's own hate for the symbiote's former host. So, when it finally realised its true nature during Rick Remender's series when bonded to Flash - and encouraged him to go seek out the truth behind its origins - the results were fairly mind-blowing.

Further retcons by Brian Bendis, Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman and others have turned Venom into a noble anti-hero with good intentions. The smartest decision of all, though, was having the symbiote getting back in touch with its origins, and making everyone reappraise what Venom really stood for in the process.