Fans of Marvel Comics have always held a special place for the symbiote universe because unlike any other superheroes, these symbiotes have the ability to thrill and horrify fans at the same time. Venom and Carnage are two of the most popular symbiote characters, but one of the strongest members of their family is the Toxin symbiote.
Shortly after Carnage spawned it, Toxin struggled to find his place in the Marvel Universe and moved through a few different hosts. While one of the most powerful symbiotes, Toxin didn't often get his moment to shine in the comics. However, recent stories gave the character a fresh start.
Updated on July 16, 2022 by Scoot Allan: The Extreme Carnage event featured a new beginning for the Toxin symbiote as it bonded with a new host and showcased its incredible powers against its symbiotic father Carnage. The Toxin symbiote has a long and troubled history in the Marvel universe as both a villain and an anti-hero. Toxin's place in Venom and Carnage's genetic line and its difficulty with hosts have all helped define the symbiote and its ever-expanding place in the Marvel Universe.
15 Patrick Mulligan's Chance Encounter With Carnage Resulted In His Bond With Toxin
Patrick Mulligan was a police officer for the NYPD who was living his life to the fullest with his family. However, Carnage soon dropped by and decided to incubate his unwanted offspring, Toxin, in Pat's body without him knowing. Carnage hoped to kill the Toxin symbiote later after he'd recovered from spawning the new addition to Venom's powerful symbiote family.
The young symbiote Toxin made itself at home in Mulligan's body and revealed itself when Carnage returned to kill it. Mulligan was shocked to see the symbiote, but he decided to roll with and use his new abilities to continue helping people.
14 Toxin Spawned Due To The Threat Caused By Avengers Disassembled
While there have been a few theories about the symbiotes and their method of procreation over the years, a new one was developed by the Ultimate Reed Richards from another universe known who called himself The Maker. He posited that the rate of spawning seen by the symbiotes had a direct correlation to events that potentially threatened their existence in the Marvel Universe.
Venom first spawned Carnage just before Thanos gathered the Infinity Stones together in The Infinity Gauntlet. Toxin was then spawned shortly before the Avengers: Disassembled event that kicked off a dark period for Marvel's heroes. The theory meant the symbiote hive mind had a previously unknown ability to detect huge or dangerous events before they happened.
13 Toxin Initially Learned How To Be A Hero When He Teamed Up With Spider-Man
After Toxin completely bonded with Pat Mulligan and revealed himself to be a symbiote, Mulligan decided to use his new power for good. Toxin was very young, and it hadn't quite developed its own plans for Mulligan yet.
Mulligan was able to learn from the best when he teamed up with Spider-Man and Black Cat a few times. Mulligan helped give Toxin a heroic start that defined their relationship. However, the former cop's personal life began to suffer.
12 The Toxin Symbiote Craved Violence As The 1,000th Spawn Of Venom's Genetic Line
Carnage was absolutely right about Toxin being one of the strongest symbiotes, but he got one thing wrong. Toxin's love for violence began to also exceed that of Venom or Carnage. As the 1,000th symbiote in Venom's line, the Toxin symbiote had an inclination towards bloodlust.
Patrick Mulligan's attempts to become a hero were constantly threatened by Toxin's desires, which were harder and harder to control. Even when later bonded to Eddie Brock, the FBI's Symbiote Task Force was forced to use an implant to control the Toxin symbiote.
11 Patrick Mulligan Had A Unique Calming Effect On The Toxin Symbiote
Toxin's best relationship was with Patrick Mulligan because no matter what it wanted to tell anyone, it was clear Mulligan's good character had an impact on it. Toxin was basically a kid back then, and it was learning mercy, compassion, and all other sorts of humane characteristics.
Once Mulligan went out of the picture, Toxin became what its original host feared. It gave way to its homicidal tendencies and started behaving erratically. It was as if Mulligan had a calming effect on Toxin that helped keep the symbiote under control.
10 Mulligan Attempted Suicide After Being Forced To Deal With Toxin's Homicidal Tendencies
Toxin started showing more homicidal tendencies, desiring to kill the criminals they faced. This had a huge impact on Mulligan, who had already left his family because he feared Toxin would do something horrific to them. The loss of his family and his ongoing struggle with Toxin caused Mulligan to break down.
Toxin could sense something was wrong, and Mulligan attempted suicide by jumping in front of a train. Toxin saved him, and the two came to a new understanding that seemed poised to propel them to a new heroic status.
9 Toxin Created An Elderly Identity Named Larry So Patrick Mulligan Could Interact With His Family
Toxin and Patrick Mulligan had a tense relationship that often required them to make compromises with each other. After Mulligan's suicide attempt, Toxin agreed to create an alternate identity known as Larry, so Pat could still see his family.
Mulligan was able to spend time with his loved ones while disguised as Larry, and Toxin was given two hours a night to be himself. There were still rules against killing, but the compromise served to create an understanding between them.
8 Blackheart Killed Patrick Mulligan And Used Toxin To Create His Cloned Symbiote Warriors
Patrick Mulligan faced a dark fate after he was targeted by the demonic Blackheart. Mulligan was viciously beaten and left for dead, while Blackheart took the Toxin symbiote to his Devil's Den casino in Las Vegas. During the Circle of Four crossover event, Agent Venom fought Blackheart alongside Red Hulk, Laura Kinney/Wolverine, and Alejandra Jones/Ghost Rider.
They encountered Wolverine clones who had been bonded with symbiotes derived from the captive Toxin symbiote. These symbiote warriors were meant to serve as Blackheart's powerful bodyguards, but they were taken out by the assembled heroes.
7 Eddie Brock Was Forcibly Bonded With The Toxin Symbiote Who Took Complete Control Of Their Body
After Blackheart's use of the Toxin symbiote, the Crime-Master managed to get his hands on it. This brought Eddie Brock right to him, who was on a mission to rid the world of symbiotes after his time with Venom. Crime-Master forced Brock to bond with the Toxin symbiote, who immediately took control of their body.
Eddie Brock didn't have much say in their actions as Toxin, which was quite different from Patrick Mulligan's relationship with the symbiote. He was sent after Flash Thomspon (Agent-Venom) by the Crime-Master, creating a powerful new rivalry among the symbiotes.
6 Toxin Joined Crime-Master's Newly-Formed Savage Six To Take Down Agent Venom
After Crime-Master found a new host for Toxin in Eddie Brock, he formed a new team inspired by Spider-Man's Sinister Six. Toxin was one of the most powerful members of the Savage Six led by Crime-Master, who assembled deadly villains who also had a grudge against Agent Venom.
A new hero named Megatek joined with Death Adder, Human Fly and Jack O'Lantern, who had quickly become Agent Venom's most twisted villain. The Savage Six launched a brutal attack on Agent Venom that threatened his loved ones and nearly ended his life. Toxin appeared to burn to death with Eddie Brock in a final battle, but they both survived the event.
5 Toxin's Feud With Venom Involved A Mysterious Event Called The Spawning That Never Happened
Agent-Venom proved he was a hero during his brutal encounters with Toxin after Eddie was taken over by the symbiote. Not only did Toxin help Crime-Master's plans as a member of the Savage Six, but he also attempted to kill his "grandfather" Venom symbiote for his own mysterious reasons.
Toxin revealed he had been preparing for an unknown event known as "The Spawning" by building his strength. His plans to kill the Venom symbiote all seemed to be driven by The Spawning. However, the event never occurred and was likely a forgotten plot point.
4 Toxin's Strength Rivaled Other Symbiotes And He Also Had Deadly Poisonous Fangs
When Toxin was first spawned, both Venom and Carnage were driven to destroy the symbiote due to its probable power levels when it fully matured. Toxin had the potential to become the strongest of the symbiotes and later gained some additional abilities that were unique from other symbiotes.
While bonded with Eddie Brock, Toxin possessed fangs that were both intimidating and highly toxic. Toxin also displayed enhanced tracking abilities that allowed him to hunt down symbiotes and other beings through their scent.
3 Jubulile Van Scotter Used Toxin To Create A Powerful Fusion Symbiote To Stop Carnage And Chthon
Eddie Brock was eventually arrested by the FBI and Toxin was removed from his body. Brock was assigned to the FBI's Symbiote Task Force as Agent Toxin, and his symbiote was kept under control using symbiote inhibitor drugs. The Task Force hunted down Carnage, who had been magically empowered by one of Marvel's strongest gods Chthon.
Carnage created a new symbiote for a woman named Jubulile van Scotter, however she was able to take control. Jubulile van Scotter merged her symbiote with another Carnage spawn named Raze and the Toxin symbiote, creating a powerful new fusion being. They appeared to sacrifice themselves to stop Carnage and Chthon, but Toxin managed to survive.
2 The Toxin Symbiote Survived And Eventually Found A Young New Host Named Bren Waters
Bren Waters was the teenage son of a Guardsman who bonded with the Toxin symbiote after it appeared to sacrifice its life alongside Jubulile van Scotter's merged symbiotes. During Knull's invasion of Earth in the King in Black event, Waters and Toxin created a powerful new form and attempted to fight the symbiotes.
However, Toxin was forced to fight against his own father who incorrectly assumed Toxin was working with Knull's symbiotes. While his father didn't realize he was fighting his own son, it was an interesting twist that set up a new direction for Toxin.
1 Toxin Has A Huge Extended Family Of Symbiotes As Venom's "Grandson"
Toxin may have been the first spawn of Carnage, but he wasn't the last. Possibly due to the growing cosmic threats faced by the Marvel universe, the symbiote family Venom began after coming to Earth kept growing.
Venom spawned the Life Foundation symbiotes Scream, Phage, Agony, Lasher and Riot as well as the latest offspring Sleeper. Carnage later spawned the techno-organic Scorn symbiote as well as Raze and Jubulile van Scotter's initial form. Toxin's family of symbiotes is also genetically connected to the entire race created by Knull, increasing the number of his relatives.