Marvel's Strongest Symbiotes, Ranked by Power
The Big Picture
- Marvel's symbiotes, like Venom, have a complex history and were first introduced in 1984.
- There are many powerful symbiotes in the Marvel Universe, such as the Venomsaurus Rex and Scream.
- Venom, despite not being the most powerful, has a strong will and has redeemed himself, becoming a hero in the fight against evil.
Marvel’s symbiotes were first introduced in 1984 when Spider-Man wore a black costume that gave him enhanced powers. The original idea for the Black Spider-Man suit came from a fan, Randy Schueller, who described the new uniform artist Mike Zeck would draw. The powers and appearance of Spider-Man’s black suit would be tweaked and incremented by Roger Stern, Tom DeFalco, and Ron Frenz until writer David Michelinie and artist Todd McFarlane brought Venom to life in 1988, introducing the symbiotes as one of Marvel’s greatest threats.
A lot has happened since 1988, with dozens of unique symbiotes showing up on the pages of different Marvel comic books. The alien goo's origins were also explored in-depth, as we learned they came from the planet Klyntar. More recently, Marvel revealed how the symbiotes were created by a deity called Knull to conquer the universe and fight the light produced by Celestials. With such a complex history, it is no wonder that some symbiotes are stronger than others. That’s why we’ve decided to highlight the nine most powerful symbiotes in the Marvel Universe, which will probably bring the fury of the Klyntar upon us.
For the movie fans, symbiotes have popped up beyond just Venom's appearance in Spider-Man 3 with Topher Grace's Eddie Brock. Contemporary fans can also look to Tom Hardy's quirky take on the symbiote in Venom and then again in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, where we saw Woody Harrelson take on the role of Carnage aka Cletus Kasady. And, due to the multiverse shenanigans of Spider-Man: No Way Home, we've seen that even though Hardy's Eddie wasn't a part of the fight, he did manage to leave a bit of Venom behind, so there are more symbiotes in our future.
Venom
PG-13ActionAdventure Horror Sci-FiA failed reporter is bonded to an alien entity, one of many symbiotes who have invaded Earth. But the being takes a liking to Earth and decides to protect it.
Release Date September 28, 2018 Director Ruben Fleischer Cast Tom Hardy , Michelle Williams , Woody Harrelson , Jenny Slate , Riz Ahmed , Sam Medina9 Venomsaurus Rex
First Appearance: Wolverine (Vol. 3). #69
A symbiote enhances the physical strength and resistance of a host, giving them superpowers. Unfortunately, most symbiotes also increase the hunger and the rage of a host, transforming it into a killing machine. So what if a symbiote is attached to something other than a human? What if a symbiote decides to choose a carnivorous dinosaur as its host? That’s precisely what happens in the Old Man Logan storyline when we see the powerful Venomsaurus Rex for the first time. The character would quickly become a fan-favorite, and we all hope the MCU or Sony introduce Marvel’s Savage Land soon enough, so we can see this glorious beast in theaters.
8 Scream
First Appearance: Venom: Lethal Protector #4
During the Venom: Lethal Protector storyline, Eddie Brock tries to lead an honest life when seeds of Venom are extracted by the evil organization Life Foundation and forced to grow into five new symbiotes. The most powerful of Venom’s first offspring is Scream, an unstable creature attached to Life Foundation’s mentally disturbed security agent Donna Diego. Capable of extending her hairs and tendrils as a weapon, Scream proved her power when she killed her four brothers in a fit of rage. Scream also controlled Donna’s body after the woman was killed by Venom, an incredible feat considering symbiotes are parasites and need a living host to survive.
7 Sleeper
First Appearance: Venom #165
The youngest son of Venom, Sleeper, was allowed to develop in a safe environment before attaching himself to a host. While Sleeper is still prone to brutality, this symbiote didn’t become a mindless killing machine like all other of Venom’s offspring. His maturation time also allowed Sleeper to develop some unique powers of his own, like bending light to camouflage itself and releasing neurotoxins that can put his enemies to sleep. Sleeper bonded with a Kree warrior named Tel-Kar, lobotomizing him to have complete control of his body. It was a brutal act, but one that ensured Sleeper was never corrupted by the mind of a host.
6 Anti-Venom
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #569
The Anti-Venom symbiote was created when Venom bonded with Eddie Brock after the man was cured of cancer by Mister Negative. Thanks to Mister Negative’s healing powers, the particular antibodies developed by Brock dissolved Venom and gave birth to a new kind of symbiote. Inverting the black and the white of the original Venom symbiote, Anti-Venom powers are also a lot less destructive, as they can cure people afflicted by things like radioactivity, parasites, diseases, and drugs. To make this symbiote even more impressive, Anti-Venom is resistant to heat and sound, the Klyntars’ most significant weaknesses.
5 Toxin
First Appearance: Venom vs. Carnage #1
The son of Carnage, Toxin, was believed to be the most powerful symbiote ever created. The raw power of Toxin was so great that he was feared even by the King in Black, Knull, creator and leader of the symbiotes. However, trained by Venom and bonded with a New York City cop named Patrick Mulligan, Toxin’s powers remained restrained and focused on doing good. His childlike personality prevents him from unleashing his full power, something the whole universe is thankful for. Toxin resists better heat and sound than other symbiotes, can track anyone, and has all the combined strengths of both Venom and Carnage. More recently, Toxin also developed a venomous bite.
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4 Carnage
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #344
Venom’s most dangerous offspring became one of Marvel’s most vicious villains after bonding with serial killer Cletus Kasady. Carnage is more violent, unpredictable, and some would say more powerful than Venom. As Cletus was already a blood-lusting serial killer before becoming Carnage, the increased aggressiveness caused by the bonding with a symbiote only made him more cruel and dangerous. Carnage can shape his limbs as solid weapons and even travel phone wires to attack people on the other side of the line. For many years, Carnage was Venom’s greatest enemy, with the anti-hero always having a tough time taking the red symbiote down.
3 Grendel
First Appearance: Venom (Vol. 4) #1
Grendel is a symbiote-dragon created by the King in Black himself. Determined to destroy the light spreading in the universe, Knull gave birth to the first symbiote-dragons, powerful beings capable of crossing the galaxies and laying waste to everything in their way. Without the need of bonding to a host, Grendel and its brothers are all raw power and fury, capable of killing gods, laying waste to entire civilizations, and even infecting sentient beings with symbiotes to grow Knull’s army. They are the most powerful soldiers in Knull’s war against the light, and Grendel might be the most vicious of the symbiote-dragons.
2 Knull
First Appearance: Thor: God of Thunder #6
Born from the primordial void, Knull is the eldritch god of darkness that created the symbiotes. As soon as the Celestials brought light into his dark kingdom, Knull forged All-Black the Necrosword, a blade that bounds with its host much like all symbiotes do. For a while, Knull struck fear into the universe, waging war all alone against the Celestials. However, after the All-Black was lost, Knull decided to create an army of symbiote-dragons connected to him through a hive mind to conquer the universe while sitting at his dark throne. Besides having the powers of a God, Knull can manipulate the abyss that existed before creation, bringing life out of the darkness. He can control symbiotes, is virtually immortal, and has even the ability to manipulate time itself. Knull is one of the biggest threats in the entire Marvel universe, and his dark empire extends for billions of years.
1 Venom
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #252
CloseVenom and Eddie Brock are not the most powerful symbiotes when we measure raw power. Nevertheless, no other symbiote has as much determination as Venom. Time and time again, Venom is tested against more dangerous symbiotes and always comes up on top because he’s willing to sacrifice everything to keep the world a safer place. While Venom has the killing impulses of all symbiotes, which were created from the void to be killing machines, he proves he can conquer his urges and become a force for good. Because of his unbreakable spirit, Venom was recently powered up by the God of Light itself, allowing him to defeat Knull once and for all. Eddie Brock is currently the new King in Black, using his connection to the Hive to repair some of the damage caused by Knull. As for the symbiote Venom, it has recently bonded with Eddie’s son, Dylan Brock, and they are both acting as a hero on Earth. More than impressive superpowers, Venom and Eddie proved that true power comes from your will to fight the good fight and that even a villain can redeem himself.
Venom is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
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