Venom 2: 10 Things You Need To Know About Shriek
6. She Has A Tragic Backstory
In direct contrast to Carnage turning into a homicidal maniac despite his normal upbringing, the backstory of Frances Barrison is one of surprisingly realistic tragedy.
As in Amazing Spider-Man #392, we see Shriek break down when forced to confront her repressed memories of her childhood - where her parents would beat, berate and belittle her, resulting in her eventually running away from home, which would cause her to resort to both dealing drugs to survive.
This is implied to be a motivator behind many of Shriek's actions, as her desire to build an adopted (or kidnapped) family stems from a mixture of her own mommy issues, and her complicated desire to try and protect children from their parents, believing all households to be abusive.
Shriek's childhood is perhaps the most important detail when it comes to understanding her character, as it takes her from being another motivation-less villain, to a much more complex figure.