'Black Ops' Venom Host Revealed!

Marvel held a "Next Big Thing" press conference call this afternoon in order to talk a little about what is happening with the 'Venom' ongoing series that should be debuting this March. Marvel's Senior Editor Stephen Wacker let it slip that the new host will be Flash Thompson. Flash will official bond with the symbiote in February's Amazing Spider-Man #654.1 where Venom will begin working black-ops missions for the military. Yes, you read that right.

After the Amazing Spider-Man series One More Day, Flash
had rejoined the Army and fought in Iraq where he was injured rescuing his C.O. and had to have his legs amputated from the knees down and receive prosthetics. Wacker and Rick Remender (writer) also revealed some other interesting information that was reported on by Comic Book Resources. Some of the bigger points included:
  • Flash will have to keep his temper in check or the symbiote may take over him.
  • "The suit will need to be removed after a certain time limit, Wacker said, to keep it from bonding with Flash's psyche. Remender added that there's a twenty-mission limit—"they don't want any one person wearing this thing more than twenty times."  This is interesting as it may already be putting a time limit on Flash's run as Venom or setting up Flash to become addicted to the suit and take it full time.
  • Many of Marvel's known characters will run into this new Venom and react to him as though he is still his crazed former self.
  • Spider-Man's reaction to Venom will play into plans for Spidey this summer.
  • Venom's weaknesses will still be the same.


'Black Ops' Venom

This is definitely an interesting direction for the character of Venom. I understand the concept of wanting to make him a full hero and therefore creating an internal struggle for the host between wanting to do good and the symbiote wanting to unleash its rage. But can Venom as a full hero work? Also, I am not sure if I completely agree with the new look. It looks kinda cool at first glance but is anyone else just thinking this is Spider-Man mixed with the Punisher? And does anyone completely buy that venom is now a US military block ops soldier?

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