When it comes to superheroes, they often have a big vulnerability that can topple them, no matter how mighty they are. Superman has in the past lifted 200 quintillion tons and punched dimensions apart, yet radiation from kryptonite could put down the Man of Steel for good. In the DC Universe, one of the most powerful weapons in existence is the Green Lantern Power Ring, and although it can do amazing feats like create constructs limited only by one's imagination, the ring at one point had a vulnerability to the color yellow. Heroes in the DC Universe, despite all of their strengths, have some very serious weaknesses to fear. However, amongst the vast collection of things to worry about, heroes like Batman and the Flash never had to worry about the Venom symbiote... until now.
Thanks to some very talented artists, we can take a look at what both heroes and villains would become if they served as host to the Venom symbiote. Perhaps they're events from a future issue of Elseworlds or What If? Perhaps another crossover event occurred that's similar to Amalgam Comics, a publishing endeavor in which Marvel and DC combined characters. Either way, regardless of the reason, we have some very scary hybrids that will make you happy that these combinations aren't likely to happen. Because let's face it, if Venom attached itself to Superman, what hope would we have? How powerful would Venom be if he joined the Sinestro Corps and obtained a Yellow Power Ring? What if Bane went from injecting Venom into his veins to serving as a host to Venom? Read on to see which DC characters got Venomized!
15 YELLOW LANTERN VENOM
In the comics, Flash Thompson became host to the Venom symbiote. Unlike previous hosts like Mac Gargan and Eddie Brock, Thompson used the symbiote for good, serving as a black ops agent for the government. Thompson would even find himself in space and the comic's title change to Venom: Space Knight reflected that.
Will Venom return to space? One way of doing so would be to bond with a space-faring character from DC Comics. Of all the Lanterns, it makes sense that Venom would become a Yellow Lantern, since Yellow Lantern wielders, as well as Venom, have the ability to instill great fear in those around them. Artwork by 666Darks.
14 VENOM BATMAN
Batman has contingency plans for his contingency plans. He even has a backup personality he can use in case his mind becomes compromised. How would Batman fare against Venom? He probably has enough willpower and strength to reject the symbiote, but what about other versions of Batman that wouldn't be so resistant to the merge?
Thanks to the series Dark Nights: Metal, Batman learned about a dark multiverse that had different, twisted versions of Batman. One such example is the Earth-22 version of Batman that was corrupted by the Joker, dubbed The Batman Who Laughs. Here we see that version of Batman bonded with Venom, and we don't see either Venom or Batman complaining about the bonding. Artwork by MJ.Hiblen ART.
13 VENOM BANE
The Venom symbiote gives its host a variety of superhuman abilities. The symbiote profoundly increases the strength of the host that it bonds with. Venom also can change color and shapeshift, providing camouflage for its host as well as being able to conceal objects. It also can mask itself from the spider-sense of Spider-Man.
What would happen if the Venom symbiote attached itself to Bane, who oddly enough receives his amazing strength from the drug known as Venom? If Bane wasn't already a significant threat, the addition of the symbiote makes him even more deadly. Bane likes Venom, so putting Venom on the guy that takes Venom while wearing Venom is genius. Artwork by RobertMacQuarrie1.
12 VENOM SUPERMAN
In the crossover Superman/Aliens, Superman encountered the deadly creatures that were featured in the Alien film series. Superman ventured out into space and was not in proximity to a yellow sun, which resulted in his powers being depleted. While in a weakened state, he was attacked and actually gets an alien inside of him!
Having Superman away from a yellow sun for an extended period might be the only way to have Venom take over Kal-El's body. Granted, Supes has been taken over before by such enemies as Maxwell Lord and Eclipso, but a Venom takeover might be the biggest fight of Venom's life. Artwork by Shawn Langley.
11 VENOM LOBO
Lobo is considered the Ultimate Bastich. The Scourge o' the Cosmos first appeared in 1983 but the character was relaunched in the '90s as a gritty anti-hero that was sadistic and cruel. He's powerful enough to fight such characters as Superman and Etrigan the Demon. The Main Man was pretty brutal before, so what would the addition of the Venom symbiote do?
A Lobo/Venom combination seems like it would be a mutually enjoyed relationship. Under certain circumstances, Lobo would probably enjoy the bonding with Venom, and although he doesn't need the power boost, he probably would enjoy working with someone that enjoys when others are in pain. Artwork by JoeAzpeytia.
10 VENOM JOKER
Although Marvel seems to bend over backward to ensure that there's consistent continuity throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC has taken a looser approach. Besides the Jared Leto version of the Joker featured in Suicide Squad, a new solo Joker movie will actually be starring Joaquin Phoenix and directed by Todd Phillips.
In this take on the Venom/Joker by Jamie Marrero, this version of the Joker is most definitely the Leto version. It looks like the Spider insignia on Joker's chest blends in perfectly with his other tattoos. Look closely and see other ink homages to Spider-Man. There's even a video tutorial you watch if you want to try out this makeup effect on your own!
9 VENOM BATMAN
Although Venom is known for having the white Spider-Man logo on his chest, this drawing by Adriano Andy Carreon shows the symbiote adopting Batman's symbol as a black and white version, even though he's sporting a yellow Batman symbol on his belt. If Batman is one to utilize stealth, then Venom making his outfit monochrome could only help him disappear into the night.
The Batman/Venom hybrid is reminiscent of how Scarecrow sees Batman after Crane takes a hit from his own fear toxin in Batman Begins. Venom sporting Batman's ears but retaining his patented long tongue and toothy smile is enough to scare both heroes and villains alike. Check out the web in the background, serving as a subtle Spidey homage!
8 VENOM BANE
Even without using Venom, Bane is still extremely dangerous and formidable. In the 1995 sequel to Batman: Vengeance of Bane, Bane actually decides to no longer use the substance that gives him the ability to lift around 15 tons. Although if the Venom symbiote had its way, would it force him to start using Venom again?
In this additional version of the Bane/Venom hybrid by Shawn Langley, we see that not only are the Venom tubes attached to Bane, but they're also being held in place by the Venom symbiote as well, possibly forcing Bane to keep using the drug. Considering that the symbiote can shapeshift, perhaps those tubes were created by Venom to pump Venom into Bane?
7 VENOM HARLEY
Venom seems to have a habit of bonding with people that have mental issues. Eddie Brock was unstable after identifying the wrong person as the Sin-Eater in a newspaper article he wrote. Mac Gargan, before bonding with Venom, was the Spidey villain Scorpion. It makes sense that Venom could bond with Joker sidekick Harley Quinn.
Based on the red and black color scheme of the above artwork by AraghenXD it seems like Harley didn't bond with Venom, but instead merged with Carnage. The large mallet could either be made by Carnage or be one of the big hammers that is in Harley's arsenal. Given the previous examples of Joker bonding with Venom, the above artwork is probably Venom, with Harley following in Mr. J's footsteps.
6 VENOM JOKER
The pale white skin of the Joker is an iconic aspect of Batman's arch-nemesis. In some versions, the Joker puts on white face paint. In other versions, that is the actual color of his skin. For Venom, his trademark is the impossibly toothy grin he bares as well as his equally impossibly long tongue. So if you had to choose how the face would look for the Venom/Joker hybrid, would the face be white or black? Why not both?
In the above artwork by joe.st.pierre, both looks are ingeniously blended together. Not only do we get the smiling visage of the Joker, on top of that we get the swirling smile of Venom, draped around his head and shoulders like a scarf.
5 VENOM SUPERMAN
Look up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's the Venomized version of Superman! In the past, Superman has been called a boy scout and The Man of Tomorrow, but has anyone referred to Superman as horrific-looking? We've seen alternate versions of Supes like Cyborg Superman and Bizarro, but how horrifying is it to see The Man of Steel as the host to Venom?
A Venom/Superman hybrid is a scary idea, and the venomized black and white version of Superman's crest is reminiscent of the uniform he wore when he was resurrected from the grave. We guess this version probably doesn't fight for truth and justice, he probably just fights for the sport of it! Artwork by Adriano Andy Carreon.
4 VENOM FLASH
Venom bonded with Eddie Brock after Peter Parker served as its host. Venom retained the memory of Spidey's abilities and while he was bonded with Brock gave him the ability to shoot webs in a similar fashion to Spider-Man. So, if Venom can either mimic or create the abilities of its hosts, should we be worried about the Flash/Venom hybrid tapping into the Speed Force?
Instead of having a yellow thunderbolt emblazoned across his chest, we have Venom's iconic white spider logo. We're not sure which Flash is underneath the symbiote, but whomever they are they didn't skip out on chest and arm day at the gym! Artwork by JAGD1.
3 VENOM BATMAN
Batman may be ranked as one of the greatest hand-to-hand combatants in the DC Universe, but he's also one of the smartest. Instead of brute force, Batman may opt for stealth, and he's often seen disappearing in and out of the shadows to confuse both his enemies and allies alike. Besides the gadgets on his belt, fear is a tool that Batman often utilizes against his opponents.
This drawing of a Batman/Venom hybrid is pure nightmare fuel. In the past, Venom has actually produced wings, so these leathery wings are either functional or they're just there to add an additional fear factor. Artwork by daremaker.
2 VENOM DOOMSDAY
After being rejected by Peter Parker, the Venom symbiote bonded with Eddie Brock. Brock also had a beef with Parker after Spider-Man revealed Brock wrongly accused a man of murder in a newspaper article written by Brock. Due to their mutual hatred of Spidey, the two dedicated their lives to destroying Spider-Man.
Doomsday is another example of a deadly being that, when focused on one task, is virtually unstoppable. Doomsday infamously caused Superman's demise in the comics as well as in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Although we don't think Doomsday needs any more power, the addition of Venom to Doomsday only makes him even scarier and yes, it seems like Majin Buu from Dragon Ball Z was mixed in as well! Artwork by JustGeoffsArt.
1 VENOM JINX
Jinx herself admits that she is bad luck because good luck was never an option for her. Here in the above artwork by mayozilla, we see just how unlucky she is when the Venom symbiote attempts to make her his new host. Fortunately for her, Kid Flash is there to attempt a rescue, but it might take more than his speed and her magic to get her out of this very unlucky predicament.
Jinx started out as an honorary villain before becoming an honorary member of the Teen Titans. Even Venom has been known to be both a villain as well as a hero (and we use that term loosely) from time to time, so perhaps the Jinx/Venom hybrid may not turn out to be so villainous after all.