Venom and Spider-Man have both had successful recent adaptations in film. However, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker and Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock have never clashed. This is a very different story in Marvel Comics and their other media, as the pair have a fierce rivalry. While they would eventually come to a truce and even become friends in the comics, their conflict started from Eddie Brock’s hatred of Peter Parker.
Why the Symbiote hates Spider-Man
The symbiote arrives on Earth in different ways depending on what media the storyline is adapted for. However, the symbiote always first bonds itself to Peter Parker who is unaware of its alien status. The Black Suit Saga sees Peter’s personality changing due to bonding with the suit, which he soon discovers is alien. After this happens, Peter tries to break the bond with the symbiote as he tries to reject it.
Peter discovers the symbiote does not respond well to sound and heads to a church. He uses the church bells to battle the symbiote until he eventually succeeds and rejects the symbiote. Feeling shunned, the symbiote bonds with Eddie Brock, as the pair become Venom through their shared hatred of both Peter Parker and Spider-Man.
In simple terms, Venom hates Spider-man because Peter Parker rejects the Symbiote.
This results in Eddie learning Spider-Man is Peter Parker in most media, discovering he only has one enemy. While the symbiote will bond with many different individuals during its time, the bond with Eddie is the most deadly due to this shared rage.
Why Eddie Brock Hates Spider-Man
This leads to the human host, Eddie Brock. Brock’s hatred for Peter and Spider-Man is different depending on the medium. Some versions of Brock hold a strong hatred for Peter Parker more than Spider-Man, while others hold more of a rivalry with Spider-Man. The main cause of the issue comes from Peter Parker or Spider-Man costing Eddie Brock his job.
In the comics, Spider-Man ends up costing Eddie Brock his job at the Daily Globe due to revealing that information Eddie posted about a killer was false. In other media, Brock works for the Daily Bugle and Peter/Spider-Man manages to make him lose his position by exposing him as a liar.
It is after losing everything that Eddie Brock wishes Peter Parker/Spider-Man would be destroyed in order to stop him from ruining his life. The majority of media has showcased Eddie Brock being at the church at the same time as Spider-Man, with the symbiote instantly bonding with Brock. The symbiote senses Brock’s hatred and the two set out to destroy Spider-Man’s life.
If the two characters ever meet in the MCU, it seems that it will not be Tom Hardy’s character who is an anti-hero. Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s post-credit scene may have revealed this conflict is coming to the MCU but will Venom end up staying a foe or become an ally?
