Venom may not be returning to their roots as a supervillain with an impassioned grudge on the wall-crawler whom both Eddie Brock and the alien symbiote felt tremendously scorned by, but it’s great to hear that they’ll be back together again as Venom in writer Charles Soule and artist Tommaso Bianchi’s upcoming relaunch, nonetheless. How things are resolved in Marvel Comics’ Queen in Black crossover event remains to be seen. Of course, it’s already been officially spoiled beyond a shadow of a doubt that Mary Jane Watson and the symbiote’s era as the All-New Venom basically has a fork in it.

As for what Eddie and the symbiote’s new exploits will look like, it’s a fairly blank canvas. So blank, in fact, that Venom #1 is apparently debuting this new era with the reprisal of a supervillain who’s not known from Marvel Comics lore, but from a specific Marvel video game that few fans might know or remember.

Marvel Comics Finally Restores Obscure Game Lore

The preview pages for Venom #1 feature Hazmat, a supervillain who debuted in the video game Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects and its tie-in prequel comic miniseries Marvel Nemesis: The Imperfects. The reason why you might not know this character is that neither he nor any of the other Imperfects have appeared anywhere else in Marvel lore besides the game and its tie-in comic, nudging them and Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects into an incredibly niche corner that fans were sure Marvel would never revisit, let alone 21 years later.

These pages are unlettered, and thus, it’s impossible to know what he might be saying in the negative space around him, where he surely has a speech bubble. We know that he and Venom are at odds, though, given that Venom lunges at Hazmat with a headbutt. It’s also unknown if he’ll be a recurring character in this run’s first arc, but it would be fairly bizarre to dig into Marvel’s most obscure treasure trove for a character from Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects, of all things, only to have him around for one fight and never again.

It’s A New Venom Era, And Anything’s On The Table

It’s unknown if Dr. Keith Kilham’s Hazmat being in this Venom run is meant to imply that Marvel Comics canon is hoping to bring Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects to the forefront of canon, and it would be astonishing if he was joined by the rest of the Imperfects. The Imperfects—Brigade, Fault Zone, Hazmat, Johnny Ohm, Niles Van Roekel, Paragon, Solara, and Wink—have an enormous amount of potential that’s been neglected for more than two decades, and it’s magical to see even one of them treated to an appearance like this, no matter how significant Hazmat’s role turns out to be.

The solicitation for Venom #1 reads as follows:

THEY ARE VENOM!

Eddie Brock and Venom are reunited — and it feels so good! After years apart, once again THEY ARE VENOM, and Eddie is not going to let this opportunity go to waste. He is determined to be the ultimate host for the symbiote and be the hero he knows he can be… and he’s not going to let any other super heroes say otherwise! Writer Charles Soule (DAREDEVIL, STAR WARS) and artist Tommaso Bianchi (DAREDEVIL/PUNISHER: THE DEVIL’S TRIGGER, THUNDERBOLTS) bond together to bring us this story of two becoming one!

Venom #1 is scheduled to be released on October 14, 2026.

First Appearance

The Amazing Spider-Man

Alias

Eddie Brock

RELATIONSHIPS

Eddie Brock (primary host and ally), Peter Parker/Spider-Man (initial enemy, later uneasy ally), Anne Weying (former wife of Eddie Brock and occasional host), Cletus Kasady/Carnage (offspring of the Venom symbiote and a deadly enemy)

Alliance

Vigilante

Venom is a symbiotic alien entity bonded with various human hosts, notably Eddie Brock and later Flash Thompson. It grants superhuman strength, agility, and a shape-shifting black costume. Initially a Spider-Man villain due to its origins, Venom evolved into an antihero, battling both villains and his own dark impulses. The character embodies themes of duality and redemption within the Marvel Universe.