Ah, Venom — the slimy, toothy, alien symbiote that we love to love and hate at the same time.
Venom isn’t your typical Super Hero — or villain, for that matter. Venom curiously lingers somewhere between good and bad as an anti-hero with an origin story as twisted as his tendrils. Lurking in the shadows and invading people’s genetic personal space since the 1980s, Venom has grown to become a popular, sprawling symbol of chaos in the Marvel cinematic universe.
From Peter Parker to Eddie Brock and beyond, Venom’s insidiousness impacts a number of (un)fortunate hosts across multiple decades, representing audiences’ collective fascination with complex anti-heroes that defy easy classification.
While this symbiote isn’t here to be understood, we’re at least going to try. Keep your wits about you and read on to join us as we venture into the origins of one of Marvel’s most enigmatic and slippery creations, brought to life by Displate’s collection of Venom posters.
Who is Venom?
If you’ve not had the pleasure of encountering the insipid alien with the charming smile yet, allow us to introduce you. Venom is a complicated anti-hero with a dark presence that bleeds across much of the Marvel Universe. Known for his dual existence as a monstrous villain and morally ambiguous lethal protector, Venom has much more depth than your average parasite.
Before Venom ever set foot on Earth, he existed as a sentient alien symbiote on the planet Klyntar (more on this later). Fast-forward a bit; Venom first arrived on Earth as an extraterrestrial parasite looking for a host. We’ll explore Venom’s first bondings in more detail below, but, as you can imagine, Venom’s hosts became filled with rage and resentment — oh and superhuman strength alongside a set of teeth terrifying enough to make any orthodontist weak at the knees.
At this point, we know what you’re probably thinking: Venom as we know him did not fully gain the name and identity of ‘Venom’ until after his bonding with Eddie Brock. So, while we’ll be calling him Venom throughout for ease of understanding, we simply had to point out our anachronism before the die-hard fans rightly do so first!
When it comes to morals, Venom isn’t the cleanest cut. However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know right from wrong on some level — he just prefers to operate on a more primal sense of justice. Unpredictable, dark, and reluctantly heroic (at a stretch), Venom exists in the gray area of Super Hero lore, and we’re ok with that.
Venom’s Origins
Before Venom extended his slimy tentacles to Earth, his life was far less eventful as he existed as a sentient alien symbiote on the planet Klyntar. But we need to go back even further to discover Venom’s creation.
Once upon a time, there was… OK, we’ll spare you from cliche and cut to the chase. Venom — like all symbiotic life — was created by Knull, the dark god of the symbiotes. Before creating the symbiotes, Knull reigned solo in a void of eternal darkness (as one does). Enraged by the emergence of life in the universe, Knull forged his iconic Necrosword to carve out the very first symbiote from the dark void, imbuing it with hatred and the desire for dominance.
Venom Comes to Earth
Knull continued to create an entire race of symbiotes designed to spread his malign agenda across the universe. And in comes Venom — though, as Venom: The Last Dance teases, there’s always more to Venom’s complex history than at first appears. By nature, Knull’s symbiotes must bond with hosts in order to survive, in the process sapping their emotions and enhancing their abilities.
But our friend, Venom, is far too complex to put in a box; when seeking out hosts on Klyntar, Venom looked for a ‘partnership’ based on mutual respect rather than just plain control. To his fellow symbiotes, this was not normal behavior. In fact, Venom was exiled for seeking out connections deeper than traditional bond relationships. And that’s how Venom ended up coming to Earth.
Venom’s Greatest Hits
Here at Displate, we’re big on capturing great moments with our metal posters — and our Venom collection has allowed us to do just that for this loveable parasite. Below we’ll take you through our top 5 Venom poster designs so you can get up close and personal with this alien fiend.
If you haven’t seen the newest Venom film, what are you waiting for? Released at the end of October 2024, while Venom: The Last Dance marks the end of the trilogy, for many viewers, it will mark the beginning of a new obsession. Love him or hate him, Venom is an iconic character — even if he’s just a parasite with an attitude problem.
1. Say “Cheese!”
Molars, canines, incisors — Venom’s got rows of them and he’s flashing us a charming smile for this headshot poster. Perfect for frightening visitors in the guest bathroom or adding a little edge to your office or gaming room walls, this unflinching version of Venom is a surefire way to make a statement.
2. Blood Bath Venom
If you’re a fan of gore, boy, do we have the Venom poster for you. We had to add this hyper-detailed blood bath Venom to our top 5 list for the shock factor in its own right.
A testament to the truly gruesome scrapes that Venom gets himself and his hosts into, this poster doesn’t hold back. If you’ve already got some Venom merch or memorabilia on display, take it to the next level with this still that looks like it’s straight out of a zombie-killing video game.
3. Super Strength Venom
One thing to note about Venom: he can lift. Many of Venom’s powers piggyback off of Spider-man’s prowess (namely camouflage), but his super strength really takes the biscuit. As this poster illustrates, Venom has muscles upon muscles. We can’t help but think that the perfect spot for this poster would be in the gym — perhaps right next to the weights for some motivation. Don’t be disheartened, though, Venom can also shapeshift, so who knows how many of those biceps are actually real…
4. Venom vs Spider-Man
We had to include a battle scene on our list, and some of the conflict between Venom and his first host, Peter Parker, is pretty iconic to say the least. While things might not have ended on great terms between this pair, the severance and related combat make for excellent entertainment. Add some action to your walls and Display two of your favorite Marvel characters at once with this poster.
5. Tongue Swing
Lastly, time for a touch of humor with this last poster. What’s the matter, Venom, spider got your tongue? This insanely detailed, eye-catching poster perfectly captures the power dynamic between Spider-Man and Venom and would make the perfect addition to a Super Hero wall or as a standalone statement piece in your TV room!
Venom The Anti-Hero
Before we wrap up this villain origin story, it’s worth debating whether that’s really what it is. Since Venom’s debut as a gruesome menace seeking to ruin Spider-Man’s life, he’s evolved into more of an antiheroic figure, changing with each new host and appearance.
During his bond with Eddie Brock, Venom’s motivations shifted and, together, they developed a sense of justice (albeit warped). In his bond with Flash Thompson, Venom became an Agent, saving lives even! Now, however, Venom stands as a complex antihero — neither good, nor bad. We’ll leave you to decide how you really feel.
Venom at Displate
If you’ve developed a newfound curiosity for the symbiote since watching Venom — or you’re a long-time fan — fuel your obsession with Displate. Our range of Venom-themed metal posters brings your favorite anti-hero to life with bold decor perfect for your living room, gaming room, and more.
Browse our full collection of Marvel posters here or, for more information about your favorites, keep up with the Displate blog.
