Making mistakes is part of human nature. We fail, learn from it, and move on. But what would happen if we could go back in time and undo that which we regret? Would it make for a better life, or would it cause a ripple effect leading towards a darker world? In the Marvel Universe, second chances are rarely what they seem, and Venom was about to learn such a lesson the hard way. Even if the Lethal Protector wanted to do the right thing, his actions would lead to the eventual death of one of the greatest heroes ever created: Spider-Man.
Back in 2024, Marvel published Venom: Original Sin Infinity Comic exclusively on Marvel Unlimited. Now, a collection of the series' eight issues was released in the form of Venom: Original Sin (2025) — a tale of big regrets and even bigger mistakes. When Eddie Brock defeated Knull and became the new King in Black, he was able to control all symbiotes throughout space and time. That gave him the ability to not only revisit the past through the eyes of the Venom symbiote, but also to change it.
Eddie wanted to undo his "original sin", which involved willingly letting two men get killed in favor of chasing a big story. However, messing with the flow of time can have unexpected and dire consequences.
Spider-Man dies in Venom: Original Sin
We all know how Eddie Brock's story goes. Long before Venom entered the picture, he worked as a reporter in the Daily Globe, chasing the next big story. His pursuit of greatness led him to strike a deal with Jack O'Lantern, a Spider-Man foe who loves to work for the highest bidder. Before the supervillain would jump into action, he'd tell Eddie to be on the crime scene in order to report the story. In exchange, Jack would get a part of the Daily Globe's cut. Everyone got what they wanted, so there was no risk in following this pact in the long run, right?
One night, when Jack attacked and Eddie was ready to break the story down, someone else unexpectedly joined the party. A symbiote-induced Spider-Man appeared to put a stop to all the madness and save the day. The hero and villain started to fight while Eddie witnessed the show from the sidelines. Suddenly, one of Jack's bombs set a building on fire with two cops trapped on the inside. At that moment, Eddie had two options: save the life of those strangers, or keep watching the show unfold and write about it in the paper. However, every man is for himself... or at least, that's what the Daily Globe reporter thought at the moment.
Two people died, but Eddie got to report on a bigger story than originally anticipated. See, while Peter Parker was definitely at the scene, he wasn't in control of his own body. Instead, a future version of Eddie Brock, who had already become the King in Black, was manipulating the wall-crawler's symbiote. This future version of Eddie started to talk to his past self, all in hopes of warning himself of all the mistakes he'd make throughout his life before they even happened and possibly fix them. Unfortunately, the two Brocks were too excited for a shot at redemption that they failed to see their opponent was still standing.
Jack O'Lantern struck from the shadows, killing the black-suited Spidey. As simple as that, the means of communication between the two Eddies was broken and, most importantly, New York lost its biggest protector. This would have devastating repercussions down the line, as it's revealed that multiple supervillains would never be stopped. Rhino, Scorpion, Doctor Octopus, and The Hobgoblin all brought the city to its knees. Even if Kletus Casady never bonded with a symbiote, he was never imprisoned either — an act that would end countless lives. Aunt May would perish, and the Green Goblin would go even crazier since he wasn't the one to take out the spider.
Meanwhile, Eddie's career would skyrocket as he was the one to exclusively report on Spidey's death. While the world plunged into chaos, the acclaimed writer got the long end of the stick. However, the future version of Eddie Brock (called the Illuminated) couldn't do anything but regret how his only chance at redemption had gone to waste. Worse yet, he knew that history was worse all due to his intervention. The Illuminated selfishness cost him big, as instead of simply using Peter's body to save the cops, he instead opted to try to fix his own life in the past.
Fortunately, there was one more chance at salvation. Yet another different version of Eddie Brock, called Eventuality (who's considered a god), would give the Illuminated one last chance to go to the past and do the right thing. This time, Eddie would successfully save the police officer's lives, even if it meant his past self would never get to be a successful reporter. At long last, peace was met, and the wall-crawler would get to swing for many days to come.
So what happened to the Illuminated after he put the needs of others above himself? Well, he was finally granted passage to "heaven" to properly rest. It was a happy ending for everyone involved... except for the past version of Eddie, who now hated Spider-Man for saving the day and taking his big story away. Well, you know what they say: You can't always please everybody.