Poor Eddie.

Eddie Brock has come into Rick Remender's Venom comic and has been playing big roles. It's great that Eddie is still an important character in the world of Venom. I'm very happy that Rick Remender's Venom series has been using Eddie Brock in its stories a lot. But there's a catch. Everything that Eddie has done or experienced since coming full-circle into this current Venom title has ended with Eddie losing, suffering, and being humiliated. You have to feel sorry for the guy; to play such a major role that only ends badly for him. He was temporarily possessed by the Venom symbiote he hates, had to sacrifice his Anti-Venom symbiote, found himself living a derelict lifestyle immediately afterwards, was abducted by Crime-Master and turned into the second Toxin, he has no control of the Toxin symbiote, and after being freed from the Toxin symbiote, is badly burned alive and possessed by Toxin again. Let's recap:

His role during Spider-Island as Anti-Venom, healing the infected citizens of New York, carried over into Remender's Venom with an Anti-Venom vs. Venom battle that ended with Venom triumphant & Eddie Brock defeated and crumpled unconscious on the ground in a heap of his own symbiote's regenerating mass. Eddie was then delivered to Mister Fantastic, webbed up and carried off like a slab of meat.

Later into Remender's Venom run, a now symbiote-less Eddie goes on a crusade to hunt and kill symbiotes. His attempt to take down Venom ends with him being webbed up by Venom and left behind knocked-out, Crime-Master and Jack-O-Lantern finding him after. We later find Crime-Master and Jack-O-Lantern in a secluded lab; in the most humiliating of situations, a nude man lies unconscious & restrained on the floor; Eddie Brock naked & hog-tied like an animal. He wakes up and finds himself being forcefully boned to the Toxin symbiote, against his will.

Eddie has no control over the Toxin symbiote. Toxin joins Crime-Master in his war against Flash Thompson, Agent Venom. Flash's first throw-down against the new Toxin results in Eddie's defeat via sonic pepper spray. Despite how much more powerful and threatening Eddie Brock is as Toxin, Flash takes him down by the simplest of means. A humiliating defeat for Eddie.

Venom storms Crime-Master's safehouses and has his second confrontation with Eddie's Toxin. This time Flash makes an earnest attempt at freeing Eddie Brock from the Toxin symbiote by weakening the Toxin symbiote with incendiary grenades. Toxin catches fire and Venom pulls Eddie from the Toxin symbiote. Eddie regains conscious but is then immediately snared by the burning Toxin symbiote, dragged through the flames, and is recaptured by the alien, with Eddie suffering serious burns. Eddie is once again under the control of the Toxin symbiote.

As of Venom's Savage Six arc, Eddie is once again trapped inside the Toxin symbiote. A tormented man who is only going to have it worse...

I'm not berating Rick Remender's directions for Eddie. I'm actually very happy with Eddie getting so heavily involved with this book, and seeing Eddie constantly put through the ringer only makes me appreciate him more. Attacked & defeated, left unconscious, forced to make critical sacrifices, then forgotten about and discarded by the public he helped save, homeless again, considered crazy, humiliated, stripped naked while tied and bound, bonded to another symbiote against his will with no free will or control. He's a character whose trials are engaging. I may feel sorry for him, but I'm ecstatic to see Eddie have so many key moments in a book he's not even the star of.

@Symbiocide said:

I'm not berating Rick Remender's directions for Eddie. I'm actually very happy with Eddie getting so heavily involved with this book, and seeing Eddie constantly put through the ringer only makes me appreciate him more. Attacked & defeated, left unconscious, forced to make critical sacrifices, then forgotten about and discarded by the public he helped save, homeless again, considered crazy, humiliated, stripped naked while tied and bound, bonded to another symbiote against his will with no free will or control. He's a character whose trials are engaging. I may feel sorry for him, but I'm ecstatic to see Eddie have so many key moments in a book he's not even the star of.

LMAO! I feel the exact opposite way :p

Poor Eddie, guy just can't catch a break....

@hectorsquall:

Well, you already know the gist of what I think (I posted on your blog). Its cool that you feel as strongly against the direction and handling of Eddie Brock, as much as I feel strongly for this series of events for Eddie Brock.

@Symbiocide: Yep, to each his own I guess ;p

I still hope that things will get better and that Eddie's characterization will be more consistent in the future.

Poor Eddie ;(

Great analysis, btw.

I hate what he has done to Eddie I would have preferred him staying as antivenom and having nothing being done with him.

@VenomousDragon: For me, I rather see Eddie being treated like a dog than not see him at all.

That would be horrible (for me) to have him still be Anti-Venom, and then never actually see him do anything thing. People complained about how the original Toxin just upped and disappeared and was never given any stories. I'd rather see Eddie go through hell and back than to have him disappear from comic books for 5 years (Toxin) or 10 years (Scream, Hybrid). I just rather see him in some capacity even as Toxin than to have him all happy, fine and dandy as Anti-Venom, but off-screen and never, ever used all the time.

I love Eddie and would rather not see him at all than watch his character be slowly butchered

Remember when Venom used to be spidermans archnemesis and have his own comic that went through the trials of a man who always tried his hardest to better the planet and protect the innocent but was seen as a lunatic serial killer for his unconventional ways (just like Punisher except using his predatory appearance and demeanor to inflict fear as well)?

His character was so unique. Like all symbiote carriers he initially had to fight for control of his own body, struggle to prevent himself from harming those he wished not to. Yet unlike other carriers he learned to meet an equalibrium with his symbiote, a true symbiosis. They agreed that the killing of those who act against the innocent was both satisfying and righteous.

He then became so close to his symbiote that they were practically lovers. All they needed was each other. They each had their own personality and were like two vigilantes in the body of one versus other symbiotes like carnage who seemed dominated by one being. Best friends they were. Like batman and robin but they werent. Like dr jekyll and mr hyde but they weren't. They were two individuals and one at the same time. "There is no Eddie Brock! Only Venom!"-Venom

Then came the death of our beloved Venom. Although he lost his symbiote to the scorpion (really?) he soon gained the new alias of Anti-Venom with powers of his old symbiote and beyond. At first i was horrified to see my favorite character thrown away and rebranded just for the sake of refreshing an old formula (yet i did have to admit his look was at least better than the rest of the symbiotes). Yet i was able to adjust. His personal dilemma of doing the wrong thing when he intended the best was easily seen during his time with the punisher and his ignorance in self proclaimed innocence was finally unveiled and replaced with the desire to make amends for all the evil deeds he commited as Venom. This new eddie brock came across exactly so - a new eddie brock. He was back on his mission to save the world. Once i was able to accept the fact that our Venom was laid to rest i also realized how awesome eddie now looked.

So finally here we are. Flash Thompson has taken Venoms name regardless of the fact that it was a combined name, NOT the symbiotes. Eddie Brock lost his powers/awesome suit combo. Brock is merged with the Toxin symbiote to come out another generic hybrid living with the carcass alias of a previous character. Marvel now cares more about Flash Thompsons "venom" more than the original man who created the legend! I'd understand if they killed eddie off back when his symbiote left him but the two are both alive yet Flash has his own series while Brock is left in the dust only to be shown sparsely in others comics and always made a bafoon. Marvel wonders why their Anti-Venom was shown little interest. It was an unnecessary dramatic change. Yet they do it again when people (referring to not myself, but the majority of comments ive read on CV) finally have warmed up to him.

Overall i hate this flip flop, multiple u-turn, a few flips, direction theyve taken with Brock. I'd like the savage six if Eddie came out as he came in. I'd be fine with the twist of loosing his suit as long as he gets it back. Fine with the symbiote attempting to possessing him. NOT pleased that the toxin symbiote is thrown on to eddie as if the guys at marvel thought that combining two old untouched characters would gain reader fame by combining them. I'd rather have Brock die with some respect than be used as what seems like random fan fic turned cannon. R.I.P. real Eddie Brock

♪ Venom-Man, Venom-Man, friendly symbiote Venom-Man, ♪

♪ spins a web, any size, catches thieves, makes them die, ♪

♪ Look out! Here comes the Venom-Man. ♪

♪ In the chill of night, at the scene of a crime, ♪

♪ Like a streak of light, he will rip out your spine! ♪

♪ Venom-Man, Venom-Man, friendly symbiote Venom-Man, ♪

♪ Wealth and fame, he’s ignored, killing is his reward, ♪

I miss Eddie/Venom. Kinda wish there was petition for marvel to get him the venom suit back somehow. But that's just me

Eddie's been obsolete as Venom for years now.

Hey you, why aren't you all up in the Venom #42 review?!

I need a link, I can't find it. :P

http://www.comicvine.com/reviews/venom-42/1900-2324/