Warning: Contains SPOILERS forAll-New Venom #1
TheVenomWar is over, and Dylan and Eddie Brock are old news, becauseVenom has a new host, one who is flashier than their predecessors will ever be. This gregarious new host makes their personality loudly known, fairly quickly betraying their secret identity. As the chaos from the symbiote war begins to settle and all that is left behind are scars, the All-New Venom’s radiant personality endures.
All-New Venom#1– writtenby Al Ewing, with art by Carlos Gomez – is the debut of Venom’s latest series, and the premier of the eponymous new incarnation of Marvel’s “Lethal Protector.” Aftersplitting himself between Eddie and Dylan, Venom made a valiant sacrifice that left him for dead.
Now, only a short period later, Venom is back and with a new host, anda painfully obvious identity behind the mask.While the issue gave readers four possible candidates for Venom’s new host, one contender is by far the most likely.
Let’s Just Say It: Rick Jones Is Venom’s Newest Host
All-New Venom#1–Written By Al Ewing; Art By Carlos Gomez; Color By Frank D’Armata; Lettering by VC’s Clayton Cowles
That’s right, the secret identity of the All-New Venom is none other than professional superhero sidekick, Rick Jones, a character with an incredible history of getting friendly with monstrous heroes. Responsible for the green behemoth’s creation,Jones became incredibly close friends with Hulk, tagging alongside his destructive adventures for years. After some complicated entanglements with Captain Mar-vell and an unfortunate death at the end ofthe originalWorld War Hulkcomic arc, Rick Jones returned as a full-fledged gamma-hero. Now, he seems like the most obvious candidate to take over the role of Venom moving forward.
Venom: Only One Person Can Be the Ultimate Symbiote But Who Will It Be?
As the Venom War finally wraps up, one symbiote and their unlikely new host still have a destiny of death and domination to achieve.
Appearing just in time to rescue a court targeted by A.I.M., the All-New Venom bursts through the window. Armed with quips and enthusiastic punches, this Venom host is nothing but personality. He effortlessly puts down his enemies, never breaking his smile while doing so.Conveniently, just as Venom leaves, Rick returns with a beaming grin and suspiciously overly enthusiastic about the new Venom; Rick is a fourth-wall-breaking character and a huge fan of Marvel Comics. Seeing the opportunity to help the dying Venom, it’s not unlike Rick at all to have seized his next heroic opportunity.
The All-New Venom Has A Secret Power That Helped Host And Symbiote Bond
Rick Jones Has Destiny On His Side
Now, Rick Jones does have one morecritically important power that is most likely responsible for his bond with Venom: the Power of Destiny.Rick, on occasion, has been able to access a mystical golden energy of infinite potential called the Destiny Force. This power allows Rick to alter reality by reshaping the past with his imagination. While it is a power Rick has rarely accessed, it is known to empower him whenever it’s truly needed. When readers last saw Venom, there was no way he could have survived. However, with some imagination, Rick could make Venom a new destiny.
If Rick did use the Destiny Force to save Venom, there’s a chance Rick may have rewritten some important plot points out of Venom’s story.
If his Destiny Force is what saved Venom, then the real question is, “How much did Rick change Venom?” At the end of the Venom War, Venom, as he struggled to escape, told Dylan how proud he was of his son. Now, in a relatively short amount of time later, Venom is paired with a new host and having a blast. Meanwhile, Dylan is left behind with no fathers, no home, and no symbiote. If Rick did use the Destiny Force to save Venom, there’s a chance Rick may have rewritten someimportant plot points out of Venom’s story.
Rick Jones Is The Perfect Fit For Marvel’s “All-New Venom”
The Next Step In The Character’s Heroic Trajectory
As expected, Rick doesn’t seem all that interested in keeping his identity a secret, or at least he’s not very good at it. Very closely aligned witha character like She-Hulk, Rick is self-aware of his comic book status and he loves it. He loves Marvel Comics, both in his universe and the “real-world.” He hassmashed villains as the Hulk, he has traversed the stars as a cosmic hero, he singlehandedly ended the Kree-Skrull war with his imagination, and now, given a golden opportunity to harness his golden powers, Rick can help Venom while the symbiote is in need.
It is strange for readers to think of Venom in those terms, of the powerful symbiote needing anyone’s help at all. Yet a crucial part of the evolution of the character has been about more than just doing heroic, rather than villainous, actions;for Venom to truly become a hero, the character has had to become more vulnerable.As synonymous as he is with Venom, Eddie Brock’s increasing power levels were at odds with that, which is why establishing an “all-new” Venom – Rick Jones or not – is a vital part of the equation for the character moving forward.
Marvel: How the Venom War Has Changed Symbiote Lore For Good
Marking the end of an era that began with the symbiote god Knull’s arrival on Earth, symbiote lore will be forever changed following the Venom War.
At the end of the war, Venom wasn’t just dying, he was disintegrating. Venom and Carnage’s powers canceled each other out, leaving both to wither into nothingness. Compared to Venom’s other potential hosts, only a person with Rick’s powers could save the symbiote. He may be obvious, and a little too proud of himself, but Rick Jones is an honest and earnest hero. He loves getting to be the hero, not for glory, but because he finds helping others fun. Rick Jones may not be able to hold his secret, but he’s going to make a greatVenom.
All-New Venom#1is available now from Marvel Comics.
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.
