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The return of The Jury could put Venom back on the path of a true antihero, allowing him to both revisit his roots and discover new ground to cover as a character.
Officially debuting in 1988’s Amazing Spider-Man #299 and #300 by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane, Venom quickly became one of the most iconic and stylish foes to ever hunt Spider-Man. Misdirecting his rage and claiming vengeance against Spider-Man for ruining his life, Eddie Brock bonded with the alien symbiote known as Venom and promptly set out to defeat Spider-Man once and for all.
Venom proved himself to be an incredibly dangerous foe for Spider-Man as the alien symbiote possessed immense strength, stamina, and was able to manipulate its body similarly to how Spider-Man used his webs. The Venom symbiote was even able to protect itself from Spider-Man’s Spidey Senses. Compounding all of his impressive abilities was the fact that Venom knew Spider-Man’s true identity and took to tormenting him and his family.
It wasn’t until Venom was apprehended and sent to the supermax prison The Vault that he began to experience a change of character. Venom had killed a handful of innocent people over the years before his incarceration, but the murder of Hugh Taylor, a security guard stationed in The Vault, was the catalyst for a series of events that would bring catastrophic consequences upon Venom.
The release of 1993’s Venom: Lethal Protector by David Michelinie was a pivotal moment for both the alien symbiote and its host, Eddie Brock. As Venom began to reconsider who he was not just as a person, but as a superpowered entity that could stand toe-to-toe with some of Earth’s most powerful beings. He eventually chose the path of the righteous vigilante. The difference between Venom and heroes such as Spider-Man was that Venom had no moral qualms with killing criminals, oftentimes in particularly gruesome ways. The moniker of Lethal Protector was one that Venom took to heart and one that came to define the character for years.
Venom as a character has always been defined as an antihero, someone who commits various acts in the name of the greater good but through means that archetypal heroes may have issues with. Specifically speaking, Venom has shifted between the roles of the pragmatic rebel and the unscrupulous antihero. Eddie Brock has a strong sense of morals and works towards upholding them to the best of his abilities; unfortunately, this often means that his jaded worldview and inner demons influence his decision-making.
The murder of Hugh Taylor in particular resulted, led to Hugh’s father, General Orwell Taylor, creating an elite strike team called The Jury to hunt down and kill Venom. Unsuccessful in their initial mission, The Jury has since operated on much smaller scales, reforming themselves to act as a traditional American court of law. They have worked alongside characters such as US Agent and The Thunderbolts and assisted in defeating the Secret Empire.
While their original purpose has long since been put behind them, reintroducing The Jury to hound Venom would help bring him back to his earlier roots. Simply being violent does not make a character an antihero. If Venom wants to be a hero, he should be a hero. If he wants to be a villain, he should be a villain. Bringing Venom back to his older character dynamic would be challenging, but possible. The complexities of being an antihero for Venom need to extend further than Eddie’s turbulent childhood or anger at losing his job as a journalist.
A classic scenario involving The Jury could be as simple as Venom being framed for a murder he didn’t commit. The Jury’s dogged pursuit of Venom would cast him back into the role of a man who wants to do good but is locked at odds with himself. 2020’s Juggernaut by Fabian Nicieza and Ron Garney was a wonderful example of how to bring a classic villainous character back into the fold as a person seeking redemption and meaning in life. Following a similar narrative construct would place Venom in a story full of explosive action, unexpected team-ups, and ardent soul searching.
Writing Venom off as a two-dimensional character with a backstory that’s been beaten to death is an unfair assessment. People’s lives are not built solely upon a set number of events from a single span of years. Boxing Venom into character development that occurred 30 years ago is a disservice to his character and unrealistic. Life is never simple and finding a means to pit Venom against The Jury again would be a breath of fresh air for him.
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