Very few Marvel characters have as complicated a web of family as theVenomsymbiote does. As rapidly as the Klyntar can spawn children, and as frequently as Venom’s DNA is used to craft new monsters, the symbiote’s family has grown considerably since its debut. Fortunately, while expansive, its family’s complex weave of codices, cloning, and asexual spawning isn’t impossible to pick apart.
Symbiotes can naturally produce approximately seven times through “seeds.” The Klyntar spread their seeds after a relatively quick maturation cycle, but this is often done unintentionally. The symbiotes don’t often raise their offspring as humans would, most likely due to the species’ connection through the Symbiote Hive-Mind. Venom has been the subject of frequent experiments, leading to additional vaguely distinct spawns called “off-shoots.” To complicate matters further, symbiotes swap portions of their genetics with their hosts’, technically making each of Venom’s hosts his “family” as well. Fortunately, this list will helpeasily break down the Lethal Protector’s confusing family tree.
Anti-All
Relationship to Venom: Cosmic Progenitor
If we really want to pick apart Venom’s family tree, we have to start from the absolute very beginning. Long before the birth of Knull, a dark presence called the Anti-All first rose to power in the Third Cosmos of the Multiverse. Born from the Below-Place, the Anti-All was both the embodiment and first instance of darkness, destruction, chaos, and nothingness in all of existence.
The Anti-All waged an endless war against a similarly metaphysical being called the Lifebringer One, the creation of the One Above All and reality’s first hero. Thanks to themeddling of Doctor Strangeand his time-traveling Defenders, the Anti-All was shattered into countless shards. These shards were lost across the Multiverse, later reincarnating as similar beings of living nothingness.
The Living Abyss
Throughout the subsequent births and deaths of future Cosmos, the fractalized pieces of the Anti-All scattered throughout all existence. One of the shards became lost within the Primordial Void beyond the Multiverse. In this realm, that exists beyond time and space, the Anti-All fragment evolved intoa new living embodiment of darkness called the Living Abyss.
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Also known as the Anti-Life, the Living Abyss isn’t necessarily a singular living being but a living concept, just as its progenitor was before. While it is an amorphous “lifeform,” nearly every life derived from the Living Abyss has shared a similar face to symbiotes' iconic white eyes and toothy grin. In his pursuit to destroy all the light within the Multiverse,the Elder God Knullendlessly experimented with this living substance, eventually creating the symbiote species.
Knull
Relationship to Venom: Creator
Every symbiote that has ever existed begins with Knull. The Elder God originally resided in the comic void of nothingness betweenthe Sixth and Seventh Cosmosbefore being awakened by the Celestial’s rampant creations. The Celestials appointed Knull to become the King in Black, but the Elder God refused the responsibility.
Instead, Knull spent millenniaforging weapons from the Living Abysswhich he would use to wage war against the Multiverse. His first would come in the form of All-Black the Necrosword, molded in the cosmic fires of a dead Celestial’s head. Following the creation of numerous other proto-symbiotes, Knull finally forged his perfect means of multiversal domination.
Venom
Relationship to Venom: Self
Naturally, we can’t have a Venom family tree without the Venom symbiote itself. Venom is the 998th spawn in its lineage. Well before Venomfirst met Spider-Man, he traveled the stars as one of Knull’s tools of war. Venom’s earliest memories are of a spawning cave on Klyntar, but most of its memories from before meeting Spidey were wiped out by the Kree military.
After having bonded with so many different hosts, Venom has evolved into something more advanced than most other symbiotes.
The symbiote species by nature grows stronger with every generation, making Venom one of the most naturally powerful symbiotes in its line. Venom proved to be one of the most versatile and enduring members of its species, making it an idealcandidate for various exploitative experiments. After having bonded with so many different hosts, Venom has evolved into something more advanced than most other symbiotes.
Eddie Brock
Relationship to Venom: Host & Co-Parent
While Venom has had many hosts over the years, leaving behind numerous symbiote codices across the universe, Eddie Brock and Venom have a distinctly unique familial relationship. Eddie and Venom bonded at the lowest point in their lives and, together, have grown past their juvenile years of abject violence and rage. Because of their intimate connection,Eddie and Venom’s genetic structures have become more deeply entwinedthan any other host before.
After becoming the King in Black, Eddie sacrificed his original human form, to create a symbiote hybrid body for himself. As a symbiote, Eddie has furthered his connection both to the species and his greater symbiotic family. Unfortunately, Venom and Eddie have since parted ways, leavingEddie to bond with Carnagein order to survive.
Anne Weying
Long before Venom, Anne Weying and Eddie Brock had a stable and happy marriage. The two built a happy life together until Eddie became consumed with hishatred towards Spider-Man. After Eddie bonded with Venom, Anne fell into the chaos of her husband’s life. Eddie’s destructive life eventually caught up to Anne, leaving her mortally wounded.
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To save her, Venom bonded with Anne. Now transformed into She-Venom, she too imprinted with the symbiote, receiving a portion of its genetic codex. Years later, Anne, having come to hate Venom, separated from Eddie. However,she miraculously became pregnant,nearly immediately being at full term. She soon gave birth to Dylan Brock, the genetic offspring of Anne, Eddie, and Venom.
Anti-Venom
Relationship to Venom: “Twin Sibling”
Anti-Venom I is Venom’s first relative who throws out any traditional definitions within a family tree. During one of Eddie Brock and Venom’s “breaks,” pieces of the Venom symbiote were left behind in Eddie’s body. Specifically distinct from the Codex that symbiotes leave behind in their hosts, these pieces were merely remnants ofVenom’s physical form.
During this time, Eddie had been fighting a losing battle against cancer. While volunteering at the FEAST Center, his powers unintentionally targeted the traces of Venom, fusing them with Eddie’s white blood cells. Similar to Carnage, Anti-Venom is a type of “hybrid” symbiote that initiallybrooded inside its host’s body. While similar, future versions of Anti-Venom are considered artificial recreations of the symbiote but are not distinctly “related” to it.
Mania
Relationship to Venom: Clone
Unlike Anti-Venom, which were pieces of Venom that developed independent sentience, Mania is Venom’s clone. Created by the Ararat Corporation, Mania was originally designed tokill the Venom symbiote. While Flash Thompson dedicated himself to helping Mania’s host overcome the symbiote, Mania would fall into the hands of Lee Price, now made into the criminal’s puppet.
After being kidnapped by Meridius, Mania was experimented on, resulting in the creation of the K-44 anti-symbiote formula and the Zombiotes.
Price’s violent anger and greed continued to influence the symbiote until it and Price were later killed by Carnage. Price was later partially revived as a zombie andattempted to bond with Venom in death.While Price failed, it did reawaken the Mania symbiote. After being kidnapped by Meridius, Mania was experimented on, resulting in the creation of the K-44 anti-symbiote formula and the Zombiotes.
Venom III
Relationship to Venom: Hybrid Clone
During Carnage’s onslaught to reawaken Knull, Eddie Brock, Spider-Man, and the Maker teamed up to create a machine to harvest codices from previous symbiote hosts and destroy them. However, the Maker had lied to the heroes, intending to keep the codices to study. Inside, the codices that had been gathered so farbegan to combine into a singular symbiote.
When Carnage eventually tracked down the heroes, Eddie Brock punched through the machine, releasing the symbiote amalgam to bond with. Including genetic imprints of Venom, Carnage, Tyrannosaurus, Mania, Sleeper, and the Foundation Symbiotes, Legion had become a brutishly powerful symbiote. OnceEddie and Venom later rebonded, Venom absorbed Venom III into itself.
Dylan Brock
Relationship to Venom: Child
While Dylan is technically the child of Eddie Brock and Anne Weying, it would be more accurate to say that he is Eddie and Venom’s, with Anne only having been Dylan’s “host.” Admittedly, Anne’s pregnancy is still a bit of an immaculate mystery. What’s known is that once the fetus appeared, the portion of Venom’s codex left behind in Anne’s genetics targeted the fetus,transforming it into a human-symbiote hybrid.
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If he were allowed to fully embrace his powers, Dylan would be on the same level as Knull. Because of his unique genetics, Dylan has a latent connection to the Symbiote Hive-Mind and can exert his will throughout the Hive. However, due to Eddie Brock’s meddlingas the King in Black, Dylan can only call upon his powers when bonded with another symbiote.
