Venom Is Getting a New Costume to Look Even More Like Spider-Man (& That’s a Good Thing)

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One of the reveals during a retailer exclusive panel at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend was that Venom is getting a new costume that is inspired by Spider-Man. According to Popverse, this costume will debut in Venom #252 this fall. The timing of the costume update is important, since Spider-Man’s original black costume also debuted in 1984’s Amazing Spider-Man #252. Of course, this was no mere costume, and instead, the black symbiote that Spider-Man picked up in the original Secret Wars.

But first, the new Venom costume will officially be unveiled in November’s Battleworld #3. Homage covers shown during the retailer panel (via Bleeding Cool) feature Venom mirroring the web-slinger’s poses from 1962’s Amazing Fantasy #15 — Spider-Man’s debut — and Secret Wars #8, where he donned the Venom symbiote for the first time.

Venom Looks Good Wearing Spider-Man’s Colors

There haven’t been too many changes to Venom’s look over the years, but what Marvel has planned for Venom #252 is perhaps the boldest yet. We’ve seen Flash Thompson as both Agent Venom and Venom the Space Knight, and now Mary Jane Watson is the All-New Venom. It’s unclear if Mary Jane is still the host of Venom when it adopts its new costume, but with her connection to Spider-Man and Venom’s growing admiration for Spider-Man, it’s a safe bet.

image credit: marvel comics

However, Cory Smith’s Homage Variant inspired by Amazing Fantasy #15 does feature Venom swinging and holding both Mary Jane and Eddie Brock’s son, Dylan Brock, another previous host. It is important to note that not all variants accurately represent the story that can be found inside the comic. But just going by the visual look of Venom, the red and blue color scheme isn’t a bad look.

Marvel previously announced that All-New Venom will go back to its legacy name and numbering for October’s Venom #250. The issue will mark the return of Knull, the original King in Black. Written by current All-New Venom writer Al Ewing and drawn by artist Terry Dodson, Venom #250 kicks off a major symbiote saga where Knull, the god of symbiotes, seeks revenge on Venom, who is currently bonded to Mary Jane Watson. Knull debuted during Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman’s run on Venom in 2018, quickly moving up the echelon of iconic Marvel villains. He was the main antagonist of the King in Black event series and made his big screen debut in last year’s Venom: The Last Dance.

“When Donny and Ryan brought Knull into being, they created the first new villain in a while with what I’d call ‘big villain juice.’ He’s visually arresting, you know what he wants in one sentence, you can’t talk him out of it, he’s powerful enough to hold down a crossover… and he was given the wonderful luxury of going away for a while,” Ewing said about Knull’s appeal. “When a big bad is allowed to lay fallow and drift into memory, what’s remembered is all the things readers liked about them – and that’s when it’s time for a comeback. The final ingredient in a good villain – they may be down, but they’re never out.”

What do you think about Venom changing up its look? Let us know in the comments below!