Just about every Spider-Man fan is also familiar with the character, Venom. Eddie Brock hosts the symbiotic organism that used to be bonded to Peter Parker, giving him very similar abilities to the Web-slinger. However, not many people are familiar with the Klyntar, the alien race known as the symbiotes.
Over the years, little bits of extra information have developed the Klyntar much further, giving them a much more intriguing backstory. Current Venom author Donny Cates has also done a lot to bring the Klyntar to the forefront of the Marvel Universe. To help shed some light on the little known race, here are 10 things you never knew about the Klyntar.
10 A Parasite to Many Marvel Characters
Recently, the Klyntar have secured a far more relevant place within the main Marvel Universe. In fact, they were completely unavoidable in the recent Venomized storyline. Here, the Klyntar were seen inhabiting just about every major Marvel Universe character, turning them into twisted, darker versions of themselves.
While Venomized itself may not have been the greatest Venom story ever told, the miniseries still offered a lot of cool, fun takes on characters who haven’t previously hosted the symbiote. Seeing characters like Hulk and Captain America with the symbiote made for an incredibly fun read, even if the story could have been better.
9 Traces Are Left In Hosts
Most people understand that the parasitic nature of the symbiote means that it can also be removed from a host. However, just because the symbiote is gone, doesn’t mean that it is no longer there. For every person a Klyntar attaches to, it creates a “codex.” This codex allows a bit of the symbiote to remain behind and stay within the host.
The codex is also used to collect data on a former host, and can even activate dormant Klyntar abilities. For example, when Eddie Brock became Anti-Venom, he had simply just activated the dormant genes from the codex. While the codex is still difficult to work around, it has certainly come in handy for Eddie over the years.
8 Created By Knull
Though the Klyntar are actually centuries old, they were still created by Knull, who had since become their god. Knull has held a very strong presence in Donny Cates’ current run on Venom and has provided a lot of backstory for the alien race. Knull is an evil, powerful god who created the Klyntar for his own personal gain.
In order to keep them dependent, Knull required that they need a host in order to prevent them from growing too powerful. Eventually, though, there were enough Klyntar to overpower and imprison Knull.
7 Their Planet is a Prison
In order to imprison Knull, the entire race of Klyntar banded together, forming a giant mass that was nearly impossible for Knull to destroy. This mass eventually became Klyntar, the planet. Yes, the entire planet of Klyntar is actually just a prison to contain this one, single God.
Like with the character Knull, this reveal was part of Donny Cate’s run, making him one of the most important Venom writers to date. In twisting the Klyntar mythos this way, Venom became much more important to Marvel’s Cosmic Universe.
6 They Have a Hive Mind
Symbiotes can communicate with each other similar to a hive mind. This means that they can telepathically share information with one another almost instantaneously over a wide distance. Likewise, this is how they gather information on former, current, and potential hosts in order to determine the best option for their own survival.
While this feature hasn’t been seen too often (due to Venom’s disconnection from the Hive), it is still an important characteristic of Klyntar physiology.
5 Venom’s Symbiote Has Been Damaged
Since the hive mind for the Klyntar is a relatively new concept, fans had to wonder why Eddie Brock’s symbiote never communicated with another Klyntar. The simple explanation was that Eddie Brock’s symbiote was damaged and consequently disconnected from the hive.
However, in being damaged, Eddie’s symbiote was also unable to access its full potential. It has recently reconnected with the hive, giving Venom the ability to do things like fly and become even stronger. With this reveal, the limits of Venom’s own power are now uncertain, possibly making him more powerful than anyone ever imagined.
4 Other Versions
Throughout Marvel’s many alternate realities, the Klyntar have undergone several changes. In the Ultimate Universe, they aren’t even known as the Klyntar. Instead, Venom is created by an old science experiment from Edward Brock Sr. and Richard Parker.
In other versions, the Kyntar are created by the Celestials rather than Knull. Sometimes, they’ve simply just been there. As of the Venom (2018) film, it is unclear how Sony and the producers will continue to explore the alien race. At the moment, so little is known about the Klyntar's backstory that Sony still has several different ways to approach them.
3 How Their Powers Work
Once again, since the Klyntar are parasites, they must draw something from their hosts in order to stay alive. The Klyntar actually thrive by feeding off various aspects from the host, typically attaching themselves to the endocrine system.
The Klyntar have been shown to consume certain emotions or adrenaline, meaning the angrier or more scared a person is, the stronger the Klyntar’s bond will be. Furthermore, they will only be stronger if they are still linked to the Hive, though the host still plays a major role in their own powers and strength.
2 No Cultural Structure
Since the Kyntar need a host to thrive, there isn’t much on their mind that doesn’t relate to hatred, hunger, and survival. As a result, there is really no culture for the alien race. Furthermore, they don’t typically form a bond with one another aside from being part of the Hive.
They can still grow to hate another Klyntar, as that emotion is the one thing that is part of their nature. This lack of bond for one another also means that there is no familial care or rank, leaving the Klyntar just as sad and lonely as Eddie Brock often feels.
1 Genderless & Asexual
While it may not appear to be the case, the Klyntar are actually a genderless species. When they bond to a host, however, they do tend to take on certain physical traits associated with the gender of the host species. Furthermore, they are also asexual, meaning that they do not need a mate to reproduce.
This has been seen with Carnage especially and all other spawn of Venom. While there is still much that is not known about the Klyntar, more and more information continues to emerge, making Venom all that more interesting of a character.