Marvel's King in Black is almost here, and with any new crossover like this one comes variant covers. While the crossover proper, which will see the dark symbiote god Knull launch his full-scale attack on the Marvel Universe, won't begin until December, Marvel has already unveiled one variant cover for King in Black #1 by Todd Nauck and Rachelle Rosenberg. that features almost two dozen symbiote heroes and villains, essentially every symbiote who's ever been a part of the main Marvel Universe.
Now, we're taking a closer look at this cover and breaking down every single named symbiote who appears on the cover, from worldwide icons to hyper-obscure symbiotes.
VENOM
As Marvel's first symbiote, Venom defined what one of these aliens could be. First bonding to Peter Parker during the events of Secret Wars, Peter would later forcefully remove the symbiote from his own body before it found a new host in Eddie Brock. Sensing Brock's intense hatred for Spider-Man, the two would quickly become the Venom that fans know and love. Though the Venom symbiote has had several hosts throughout the years, Venom and Eddie always end up back together, and he's softened his outlook on life to become an antihero, a Lethal Protector and a semi-regular ally to Spider-Man.
CARNAGE
When the Venom symbiote came to bond with and break Eddie Brock out of Ryker's Island, it left behind its spawn in the process. The new symbiote bonded with Brock's cellmate, serial killer Cletus Kasady. With a stronger bond between these two than between Venom and Eddie, on top of Kasady's predilection for random acts of violence and murder, created an even more powerful symbiote than Venom -- Carnage. Having been stripped of his symbiote, ripped in half by the Sentry and even lobotomized, Carnage has proven himself to be one of the most dangerous villains in the Marvel Universe time and again.
GWENOM
Spider-Gwen has been a fan-favorite character since she burst into the Spider-Verse in the early 2010s. This alternate version of Gwen Stacy went through roughly the same genetically-modified-spider-bite origin as Peter Parker in the main Marvel Universe. However, her experiences with the Venom symbiote differ greatly. The symbiote started out as a potential cure to the Lizard Formula created by Peter Parker and Curt Connors, which mutated into Venom after being exposed to the Lizard Formula and one of Gwen's spider isotopes. After stripping the symbiote from Wolverine, it bonded to Gwen and led her on a violent rampage against the Kingpin.
PAYBACK
Mavis Trent, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., formed a group known as the True Believers in order to expose the conspiracy surrounding her father's murder. Several months after the funeral, the person who had been stalking her revealed themselves to be Payback, the symbiote formerly bonded to Mavis' father. This particular type of symbiote fed on its host's bliss, as opposed to the more violent Klyntar symbiotes. However, its physical form had been obliterated by the explosion that killed Max Trent and left the symbiote as part of the broadband spectrum in an electromagnetic energy form.
SCORPION
When Norman Osborn learned of Spider-Man's true identity, he acted upon it swiftly, calling on Mac Gargan, the Scorpion, to assist in terrorizing the wall-crawler. During their plot, Scorpion was approached by the Venom symbiote, looking for a host that shared its hatred for Spider-Man. The recently freed symbiote bonded with Gargan, though the two were at first unsuccessful until the symbiote convinced Gargan to accept it as its host. Before being forcibly separated by Ms. Marvel and Spider-Man, this version of Venom would go on to serve alongside the Thunderbolts as well as Norman Osborn's Dark Avengers. Gargan recently regained a symbiote in a trip to an alternate reality in Venom.
RAZE
Born from Carnage and bonded to FBI Special Agent Claire Dixon, the symbiote known as Raze was created as part of a dark ritual performed by the Darkholders, a death cult dedicated to bringing about the return the of the dark Elder God, Chthon. After two years tracking Carnage, Dixon has her team disbanded when the Darkholders lead her into a trap that ended with the deaths of 18 people. When private funding comes her way, Dixon once again hunts Kasady down, only to become his newest test subject. As Raze, she followed Carnage's every command until she was stripped of her symbiote, which then seemingly perished.
KNULL
An evil older than the universe itself, Knull was happy drifted through the unending abyss that existed before time began, but became enraged at the light beaming from the creation of the universe at the hands of the Celestials. From his own shadow, Knull crafted All-Black, a sword of living darkness, and he used it to behead one Celestial before being cast back into the abyss by the rest of them. Using a forge made from the severed head of the slain Celestial, Knull tempered his blade, manifested a suit of living armor that would be the first symbiote, and bring into being an artificial world that would go on to be known as Klyntar. This Planet of the Symbiotes served as the base of operations for Knull's campaign of terror. After being awoken by the events of Absolute Carnage, Knull will head to Earth in the King in Black crossover.
TOXIN
While battling Venom, Carnage gave birth to its own spawn, Toxin. Disgusted and threatened by the new symbiote, Carnage tried to kill it, but was left too weak from the process to do so. Venom chose to take in the new symbiote and raise it as an ally. Venom named the new symbiote Toxin once it had bonded with NYPD Officer Patrick Milligan, and the two made an alliance to kill Carnage. Toxin would later team up with Spider-Man and the Avengers in capturing villains who had escaped the Raft. Unfortunately, Pat was killed by Blackheart, and his symbiote ultimately fell into the hands of Venom and Jack O'Lantern.
SLEEPER
Another spawn of Venom, Sleeper was initially bonded to Scorpion after narrowly escaping capture by the Symbiote Task Force. Venom then left the symbiote in the care of Alchemax labs to prevent such an early bonding from turning the new symbiote into a monster as so many of its siblings became. When the Kree warrior Tel-Kar came to Earth to reclaim Venom from Eddie Brock, Sleeper and Brock bonded in order to travel the cosmos together and return Venom to its rightful host. After rescuing Venom and lobotomizing Tel-Kar, Sleeper used the latter's corpse as a puppet host to travel space and adventure alone until it returned to Earth to warn Eddie about Knull.
MANIA
One of the few symbiotes arguably scarier than Carnage, Mania was cloned from the original Venom symbiote by the Ararat Corporation as part of its plot to end all life on the planet Earth. The Mania symbiote sadistically tortured and killed almost all of the host bodies it was offered before settling on the elderly Alfonse Poina, who it then proceeded to consume entirely. The symbiote then left a long and bloody trail of death as it jumped from one host to another, killing off almost an entire small town. Ultimately, Mania was absorbed into Cletus Kasady's composite symbiote.
SCORN
Using the Carnage symbiote that had been salvaged from space after Sentry ripped Cletus Kasady in half from orbit, Michael Hall created armors and prosthetics that could read the mind of their wearer. When Carnage escaped, it bonded to psychiatrist Tanis Neives in order to get back to Kasady. When Carnage separated from Neives, it left behind its spawn in her prosthetic arm.
Initially horrified by the creature, Neives accepted the symbiote in order to stop Shriek and Carnage as they battled Spider-Man and Iron Man. When Knull was awakened, she was corrupted and led a cult dedicated to reviving him. To do so, she recovered the body of Cletus Kasady and bonded him to the Grendel symbiote, though Kasady repaid her by ripping out her spine.
SCREAM
One of the five symbiotes forcibly spawned from Venom by the Life Foundation, Scream was first bonded to mercenary Donna Diego in order for her to act as part of the Foundation's super-powered security force. Scream had several run-ins with Spider-Man, Ben Reilly and Venom throughout the years before being killed by Brock during his quest to eradicate the symbiotes. Later resurrected by Knull and still bonded to Donna's corpse, the symbiote moved on when attacked by Patricia Robertson and is currently bonded with Andi Benton, who was formerly host to the Mania symbiote.
AGONY
Another of the Life Foundation symbiotes, Agony was bonded to Leslie Gesneria, another mercenary under the Foundation's employ. Agony had the unique ability to generate and spit an extremely caustic acid, as well as the power to absorb chemical compounds including Spider-Man's webbing. While staying in hotels and trying to hold it together alongside her siblings after their initial defeat and rejection by Eddie Brock, Agony was the first to be murdered by Scream when Donna went on a killing spree and tried to frame Eddie for the crimes.
AGENT VENOM
Flash Thompson went from Peter Parker's stuck up high school bully to an American war hero after losing his legs serving in the military. After Mac Gargan was arrested and his symbiote was taken into government control, the United States government reached out to Flash and offered him a place in their Project: Rebirth 2.0. When he agreed, he was bonded with the Venom Symbiote and became Agent Venom, using his newfound powers to carry out various black-ops missions across the globe. Flash even fought alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy for some time before returning to Earth and losing the symbiote during an encounter with the FBI.
PHAGE
Another mercenary hired by the Life Foundation, Carl Mach was bonded with the Phage symbiote to serve as super security with the four. Phage was able to form sharp, hardened blades with his symbiote, an ability shared by his sibling Carnage. After his death and subsequent resurrection, the Phage symbiote would eventually merge with the other Life Foundation symbiotes and become Hybrid.
RIOT
The fourth of the Life Foundation five, Riot was bonded to mercenary Trevor Cole. Trevor was uncaring and callous, in stark contrast to the other hosts, which had no small part in him being the most vicious of the five. Riot would often fashion large blunt instruments to bludgeon his foes as opposed to the more precise methods of his symbiote counterparts. During Carnage, U.S.A., Riot and the other Life Foundation symbiotes were temporarily given to new hosts in an attempt to put an end to Cletus Kasady's reign of terror throughout small-town America.
V-REX
Dylan Brock, Eddie's son, has a very unique set of powers. His hybrid human and symbiote physiology allows him to present himself as a human even though that couldn't be further from the truth. He is also able to sense and control other symbiotes through their Symbiote Hive connection, though he is unable to bond with them himself, and attempting to do so causes other symbiotes incredible pain. When under attack during the Absolute Carnage storyline, Dylan unleashed his powers, transforming into a towering V-Rex to save his father.
HYBRID
Scott Washington was one of the Guardsman at the Vault, a high-security prison dedicated to holding superpowered beings found guilty of the most heinous crimes. When he was sent to oversee experiments at the Life Foundation, Scott was momentarily overcome by the newly merged Life Foundation symbiotes and became Hybrid. The shock of this short-lived experience left Scott traumatized, and he quickly spiraled downward into depression. After his brother was killed and he was paralyzed, the Hybrid symbiote sought him out, and the two merged once more. Scott was killed by Eddie in his quest to eradicate the symbiotes, and the Life Foundations would go on to be separated again and bonded with Mercury Team to fight Carnage during Carnage U.S.A.
ANTI-VENOM
During the time when Eddie was separated from the Venom symbiote, traces of it were left in his system which were accidentally fused with his white blood cells by Mister Negative. When the Venom symbiote initially tried to leave Mac Gargan and bond with Eddie once more, the Anti-Venom symbiote manifested itself and prevented this. A totally mindless symbiote, Anti-Venom left Eddie in complete control of his powers amd could also cure disease and remove toxins from the body. The symbiote died when it was used to create a cure for the Spider Virus, though remnants of it would be used later on to make a cure for the Venom symbiote's toxic shock syndrome.
LASHER
The last of the Life Foundation symbiotes, Lasher was initially bonded with Ramon Hernandez. Hernandez was the one who saved Eddie from Donna's killing spree, though he couldn't save himself when she turned the sonic blade on him. Lasher served alongside his siblings again during Carnage U.S.A., and was unceremoniously killed by Dylan Brock and the Sleeper symbiote during the events of Absolute Carnage.
GRENDEL
The Grendel symbiote is one of two symbiote dragons created by Knull billions of years ago. He sent them out into the cosmos to wreak havoc, and Grendel was felled in the Viking Age by Thor Odinson who trapped the symbiote inside of a glacier with a bolt of divine lightning. In the '60s, S.H.I.E.L.D. unearthed Grendel and began to experiment with it, but this only ended in more bloodshed, so the program was shut down. Small pieces of the Grendel symbiote have made their way to other hosts, including the Tyrannosaurus symbiote which would merge with Venom, as well as one that bonded with Carnage and led to Cletus Kasady's Dark Carnage form.
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