WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for King in Black #5, by Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, Frank Martin, Jason Keith and VC’s Clayton Cowles, on sale now.
King in Black has brought a whole new kind of terror to the Marvel Universe, and Eddie Brock has ended its reign with his own hand. The journey from reluctant hero to unliving consciousness to the savior of existence has changed Eddie and Venom in more than a few ways. It has also left him wearing a heavy crown following Knull’s defeat, though his new responsibility comes with some huge perks.
And by the end of King in Black #5, the crossover has seen Eddie Brock wield more powerful than ever before.
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Brand New Transformations
During Venom #34 by Donny Cates and Iban Coello, the Venom symbiote finally found its way back to Eddie Brock from inside the center of the symbiote Hive. Doing so gave Eddie back his typical symbiote powers as well as a host of new transformations. Symbiotes like Carnage have long been famous for turning their living darkness into blades or bludgeons, but Venom is more accustomed to conjuring webs similar to those of the symbiote’s first host, Spider-Man. Venom is able to do far more than web-sling,
Eddie’s new form has enabled him to take any form he can imagine in the real world simply by amassing and reshaping the symbiotic ooze. So far, this has been used to great effect when Venom ripped himself free from the Hive and returned to the real world as a Kaiju-sized version of himself.
Afterlife in the Hive
Eddie Brock might be the new King in Black, but that doesn’t make him the same kind of nigh-immortal being that Knull was. When Eddie died, he found himself not in any real afterlife, but still alive as a Codex within the Hive. There doesn’t seem to be a way to truly kill Eddie Brock without first severing that connection to the Hive itself. Considering the other new changes that he has just gone through, this doesn’t seem likely at all.
The Hive
Knull was the progenitor of all symbiotes. Every original piece of living darkness was drawn from within his very own shadow and as such, Knull very much was the Hive. Now Eddie carries that title, and just as Knull was before him, Venom is now the Hive as well. Presumably, this means that Eddie is directly connected to every symbiote that is still part of the Hive. Knull had been witnessed on multiple occasions using this connection to see, hear, speak and even fully manifest through the symbiotes under his purview, and now it’s likely that Venom has that same power.
The Mighty Venom
The final assault against Knull didn’t just prove that Eddie Brock was worthy of being the King in Black, the Enigma Force made him worthy of an all different kind of godhood. Before going in for the kill, Venom stood firm in the presence of his maker, and with each hand called forth the massive blade crafted from the Silver Surfer’s board and the Mighty Thor’s enchanted hammer. Miraculously, Eddie Brock reached out and, without a word, Mjolnir came to him. While it’s still unclear how much of this had to do with the Enigma Force and Venom itself, it’s not surprising that the God of Light was able to wield the God of Thunder’s hammer.
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