Venom Is Our Anti-Hero Of The Week

by Ryan Rigley

We know what you're thinking, but hear us out. Venom, although widely recognized as one of Spider-Man's most deadly enemies, has performed a number of heroic acts since his creation back in 1988. In fact, currently in the Marvel Universe, Venom is an outright superhero, having just been inducted into the "Secret Avengers."

Throughout the years, this slimy symbiote has made numerous appearances in Spider-Man related video games, television shows, comic books, and of course Sam Raimi's infamous "Spider-Man 3." Audiences all over the world rushed to the theaters to see their favorite psychotic alien on the silver screen, but were disappointed overall by the character's portrayal and minimal screen time.

It's no wonder that Sony has tapped "Chronicle" director Josh Trank, formerly rumored to be the main driving force behind a "Fantastic Four" reboot, to take the reins of a "Venom" spinoff movie. But how do you make a successful superhero movie without a traditional superhero? Click past the jump to find out!

Venom has had several different wielders in the past, most notably being Eddie Brock. In 1993's "Venom: Lethal Protector", Eddie Brock witnesses Spider-Man rescue his ex-wife from a terrible ferris wheel accident. It is because of this noble act that Brock decides to finally make peace with Spider-Man, subsequently packing up his things and moving out to San Francisco. Here, Brock decides to make a new life for himself. Utilizing his symbiotic powers for good, Brock becomes the guardian of a secret underground community of homeless people. Pretty noble, huh?

"Maximum Carnage" shows Brock again using the Venom symbiote for good, as he takes it upon himself to stop the horrible monster that he can't help but feel responsible for. Carnage, a by-product of the Venom symbiote and Brock's former cell mate, wreaks havoc on all of New York City, killing hundreds of innocent people. Eventually, with the help of Spider-Man and Black Cat, Venom is able to stop Carnage, knocking him into some high voltage generators and separating the psycho from the symbiote just in time for the Avengers to subdue him.

As we mentioned before, Eddie Brock hasn't been the only Venom to date. In fact, Mac Gargan, better known as Scorpion, played the part of Venom not so long ago. During his time with the symbiote, Gargan posed as a black-suited Spider-Man on Norman Osborn's version of the Avengers. Known as the Dark Avengers, each hero on the team was in fact a well known supervillain counterpart: Venom was Spider-Man, Bullseye was Hawkeye, Wolverine's evil son Daken was Wolverine, etc. As the faux-Spider-Man, Gargan was forced to perform a number of heroic acts in order to keep up appearances and gain the public's trust. But that didn't last very long. Soon the symbiote was forcibly taken from Gargan and placed under government custody. Which brings us to now.

Marvel Comics writer Rick Remender has taken the Venom character in a completely new direction, merging the evil alien symbiote with an All-American war hero. Flash Thompson, one of Peter Parker's closest friends and Spider-Man's biggest fan, held the Corporal status over in Iraq and lost both of his legs whilst serving his country.

Volunteering himself for a top secret government funded project, Thompson agrees to become one with the Venom symbiote which in turns grants him with abilities equal, if not better, to Spider-Man and a new pair of legs! Plus, being a military veteran, Thompson is quite proficient with any and all firearms. So far, in his brief time as "Agent Venom", Thompson has saved New York City from an infestation of spider-people, prevented Blackheart from bringing about Hell on Earth, and saved Captain America's life. How's that for heroism?

Although Thompson is as good as they come, there's always that chance of the Venom symbiote seizing control of his mind and body. Technically, he's not even supposed to wear the symbiote for more than 48 hours. Otherwise, the symbiote will begin to bond with the synapses of Thompson's brain. This is how you make a "Venom" movie. Pull from aspects of Remender's current run on "Venom" while remaining true to the character's origins in Eddie Brock. Or just do Remender's version entirely. After all, there's nothing quite as appealing as a hero whose main antagonist is himself. Take note, Trank! We're counting on you!

Welcome to Hero of the Week, our weekly salute to the heroes keeping the comic book, movie and television scene something to look forward to day in and day out. From actual superheroes to the actors and filmmakers who bring them to life, you can tell us who your heroes are in the comments and on Twitter!