Venom

An alien symbiote that bonded with disgraced journalist Eddie Brock, Venom became one of Spider-Man's most dangerous enemies — sharing all of Peter Parker's powers while remaining invisible to his spider-sense, and driven by a fierce, shared hatred of the wall-crawler.

Few characters capture the darker, more visceral energy of the Copper Age quite like Venom, who first slithered onto the page in Strange #196 back in 1986, brought to life by Tom DeFalco and Rick Leonardi. This is a character who has shared some of Marvel's most charged pages alongside Spider-Man, Peter Parker, Captain America, and Iron Man — serious company that speaks to Venom's place at the heart of the Marvel Universe. With nearly four decades of publication history stretching from 1986 all the way to 2025, and appearances across Ultimate Spider-Man, Marvel Universe, and even Marvel Rivals, this is a figure with remarkable staying power. Whether you're a longtime collector or just discovering the symbiote saga, Venom's longevity and the weight of the names surrounding them make this a character absolutely worth tracking down.