Ultimate Venom

Eddie Brock was the son of a brilliant scientist who teamed with Richard Parker to create a protoplasmic dip nicknamed “The Suit”, designed as a cure for cancer; but the Suit’s potential as a weapon tempted project financiers Trask Industries, who seized control of the project. Mostly unaware of his father’s troubles, Eddie befriended Parker’s son, the slightly younger Peter. When both sets of parents were killed in a tragic plane crash, Eddie went to live with his grandparents and lost contact with Peter for years. Eddie’s grandfather eventually gave him a frozen sample of the Suit, hidden away by Ed Brock Sr. Eddie threw himself into a study of his father’s work, seeing it as a way to connect with his lost parent. This pursuit eventually led him to Empire State University and a close relationship with Doctor Curt Conners, who helped Eddie study the Suit, dubbed the Venom Project.

While Eddie’s academic career seemed to take off, his personal life was in shambles. Plagued by a quick temper and an inability to connect with women on any level, Eddie became isolated. When his old friend Peter Parker contacted him, he felt a rush of enthusiasm: here, at last, was someone with whom he could truly bond. Eddie shared the secret of the Suit with Peter, but was shocked when he saw a black-suited Spider-Man on the news shortly thereafter. Already frustrated by his failed attempt to seduce Gwen Stacy, an angry Eddie raced back to the lab, where he caught Peter taking the rest of the dip, intent on destroying it. Expressing a deep sense of betrayal, Eddie felt that Peter was stealing the only thing his father had left him. Parker tried to warn Eddie of the Suit’s dangers, including its powerful hunger for violence, but Eddie was unconvinced. After Parker left to destroy the Suit, Eddie pulled a second sample out of storage and allowed the black liquid to flow over him. The intense pain may have mentally damaged Eddie, who immediately killed a female custodian and two campus security guards. In his new form, Brock began stalking Peter and finally lured him into battle. Eddie felt that the Suit craved Peter and he wanted to force Peter to take it from him. Caught in a crossfire of police bullets and accidentally electrocuted by a downed power line, Brock was seemingly killed; but his belongings later disappeared from his dorm room, leading Peter to believe that his old friend is still alive.