Summary
Warning: Spoilers for Venomverse Reborn #2!AsVenomstretches himself cosmically, beyond just the body of Eddie Brock, he’s become something more than just a hero or villain fighting Spider-Man at street level. Ever since the events ofKing in Black,Venom truly has never been the same, and recently, he’s undergone yet another metamorphosis, one that would make even Thor blush.
In a series of meta-narratives that compilesVenomverse Reborn#2,the alien symbiote of Venomis seen in many peculiar, cosmos-spanning situations. The anthology takes him everywhere frombattling an A.I. Iron Manacross spacetime, to even the Nordic wastes of the ninth century.
The latter scenario is seen in the story “Venom: Giver of Rings"by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and John McCrea. In this tale,a new Venom is revealed in a situation he’s perfectly suited for - as a Viking berserker.
Peter Parker Is Officially Venom Again, as Spider-Man Embraces Corruption to Fight the VENOM WAR
As the Venom War arrives, Peter Parker’s Spider-Man has reclaimed the symbiote, bringing back his powerful but corrupting black costume.
What Makes Venom a Good Viking?
Venom Steals Thor’s Look
Classically, a Viking warrior was a kind of pirate who owed their allegiance most usually to Odin, the god of frenzy, or a trance-like fury when they fought. Warriors in Odin’s name would lose their entire sense of self and become practically an animal in battle, and they would even wear the skinned pelts of whatever animal energy they were trying to channel.From this basis alone, Venom fits the bill better than Thor.
If a Viking is a rage-filled maniac meant only to slice and dice,thenMarvel’s scariest symbioteis perfect for the role of a Viking.His bloodlust really is on display inVenomverse Reborn#2, in a time centuries before heroes and when the world was founded on war and conquest. In a world such as that, Venom’s otherworldly transformation into an alien being is the final step in a berserker’s evolution to the lust of the frenzy. And his wild tongue has never been a better fit than in animalistic battle.
Who’s the Better Viking: Thor or Venom?
Thor and Venom: Otherworldly Beings
With heroics in the way, Thor can never live up to the classical definition of a Viking, who was always outside the law and very outside societal morals. He’s the exemplar of mythology made modern, of gods who transform into what men need them to be, as heroes and saviors. Venom and his symbiote family,who make the Avengers look weak, listen to none and do only what they want. Truly, like a Viking, Venom fights because he wants to, making him a better Viking whose heritage Thor could never live up to.
Venom fights because he wants to, making him a better Viking whose heritage Thor could never live up to.
Maybe in the current world, Thor needs to be that hero who does not succumb to fury. But when the chips are down, and an animal fighter is needed, Viking Venom will be the one called. After all, the very suit seems to fit him more and looks more historically accurate compared to Thor’s simple armor. In all these ways,Venomshows that he is more Viking than the Viking hero himself - and his success looks terrifyingly good on him too.
“Venom: Giver of Rings” fromVenomverse Reborn#2 (2024)
Venom
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.
