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The Sinister Six once recruited Venom into their ranks, a mistake that nearly destroyed the entire team.
The Sinister Six is one of the most formidable supervillain teams and has featured a rotating cast of super-criminals. Over the years, Spider-Man has been challenged by several incarnations of this deadly supervillain team.
The most volatile member of the Sinister Six was probably Venom, who ended up tearing the team apart.
Venom joined the Sinister Six during a two-part storyline that took place in 1999’s Amazing Spider-Man #12 and Peter Parker: Spider-Man #12, by Howard Mackie, John Byrne and John Romita Jr. At the time, the Sandman had reassembled the Sinister Six to hunt down their former leader, Doctor Octopus, along with his ally, Senator Stewart Ward.
Other mainstays such as Vulture and Electro, along with new versions of Mysterio and Kraven the Hunter, took part in this hunt for Doctor Octopus. During a fight with Spider-Man, the Sandman’s new team gained their sixth member: Venom. Of course, as soon as he appeared, Venom began to clash with the other villains.
Sandman didn’t want Venom anywhere near his Sinister Six, and Venom didn’t take too kindly to the villains either. Sandman and Electro mocked Venom’s weakness for fire, which caused a bit of a skirmish. This should have been a clear sign that Venom would not be a good fit for the Sinister Six. Despite the red flags, Mysterio offered Venom membership on the team — much to Sandman’s chagrin.
Venom joined the team on one condition: the other members could go after Octavius, but Spider-Man was his. As soon as the Sinister Six found Spider-Man, Octavius and Senator Ward, however, the Sandman offered Spider-Man the opportunity to flee. Venom was enraged, since the Sandman went back on their deal and subsequently turned on the symbiotic villain.
After their defeat, the Sinister Six were ruthlessly hunted by Venom. In 2000’s Peter Parker: Spider-Man #16, by Howard Mackie and John Romita Jr., Venom fought the Sandman, taking a large bite out of his foe. This attack nearly killed Sandman, showing how serious Venom was. In the following issue, Venom hunted down the rest of the team, seriously injuring both Electro and Kraven.
There are some clear reasons why Venom didn’t work as a member of the Sinister Six. Venom himself explained that he saw the Sinister Six as a group of evil criminals fighting for petty personal gain. As Venom, Eddie Brock has never been motivated by money or greed. Most of the time, Venom just wanted revenge on Spider-Man.
By this point, Venom had become quite the “lethal protector.” Ever since 1993’s Venom: Lethal Protector #1, by David Michelinie and Mark Bagley, Venom had become more of an anti-hero than a villain. With this in mind, it makes sense that Venom wouldn’t get along with the Sinister Six. The team was filled with the kind of villains that Venom would fight in his quest to protect the innocent.
It’s true that the villains of the Sinister Six weren’t at the level of Carnage, who forced Venom to swallow his pride and team up with Spider-Man. Even so, the Sinister Six were after their own goals, which Venom viewed as petty and evil. Venom only really joined the team so he could go after Spider-Man.
As soon as the web-slinger was off the table, Venom devoted himself to protecting innocents from the Sinister Six’s power. This exemplified the Sinister Six’s unstable condition at the time, since the team was also hunting down their former leader.
Additionally, Sandman only really trusted Vulture and Kraven, illustrating the great division within the Sinister Six at the time. Venom compounded this tension, bringing a mentally unstable anti-hero into the equation. With Venom on the team, and later against them, the Sinister Six had reached one of their lowest points.
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