Venom is known for being a combination of two beings: an alien symbiote and an unsuspecting host. So when you think about the Lethal Protector, you usually picture Eddie Brock behind the pointy teeth and big white eyes. However, that hasn't always been the case. Many people have bonded with the Venom symbiote, including Spider-Man, Mac Gargan, Flash Thompson, and even Eddie's son, Dylan Brock. That's why learning somebody new recently took on the mantle wasn't shocking in the slightest.
Fresh out of the events of Venom War (2024), the Venom symbiote and Eddie Brock parted ways for good. While the latter eventually bonded with the Carnage symbiote to create a new version of Marvel's most lethal character, the former teamed up with a mysterious host whose identity hasn't been revealed yet. However, the All-New Venom (2024) comic book run gave us four likely candidates to keep an eye on: Luke Cage, Madame, Madame Masque, Robbie Robertson, and Rick Jones. While fans assumed one of the four would be revealed to be the new iteration of the Lethal Protector, every character has been slowly discarded one by one.
The person who bonded to the symbiote is physically small, which means Luke wasn't an option. Furthermore, Madame Masque has fought against Venom, which means she isn't a candidate either. And during the events of All-New Venom (2024) #4, it was revealed that Rick Jones bonded with a different symbiote altogether in the form of Sleeper. That means Robbie Robertson is the only one remaining... but now we know he isn't the chosen one either. In an unexpected turn of events, Venom's identity leaked ahead of time, and Spider-Man fans aren't too happy about the reveal.
Mary Jane Watson is seemingly the new Venom
Marvel promised that Venom's host would be revealed during the events of All-New Venom (2024) No. 5, which is set to release on April 02, 2025. However, fans have seemingly discovered one of the issue's variant covers, which unveils that Mary Jane Watson has been behind the symbiote all along. If this turns out to be true, then there would be a big sigh of relief given that Paul Rabin—one of Spider-Man's most hated characters ever created—isn't the new Venom even when it seemed like a very real possibility. That being said, fan response to Mary Jane's new identity has been mostly negative as well.
This isn't the first time we've seen M.J. bond with a symbiote. During the events of Marvel's Spider-Man 2, video game players witnessed how she turned into Scream after being infected by Harry Osborn's Venom. Not only that, but Spidey had to fight her one true love in what is considered one of the most tragic boss fights in the whole game. However, the response in that scenario was radically different for the better, so why was that?
For starters, M.J. taking on the role of a lesser-known symbiote, such as Scream, isn't as scandalous as her being the new Venom. Furthermore, this is the latest in a chain of controversial decisions in Spider-Man comic books. Peter's beloved marriage was undone, he also died for good only to be resurrected as Juggernaut, Gwen Stacy is coming back to life... as a killer in the form of Gwenpool, and now one of Spidey's most iconic enemies turns out to be Mary Jane. At some point, it feels like some of these storylines are created based only on the shock factor and not because fans have asked for any of them — further prompting the negative response.
Mary Jane recently became a superhero in comic book pages under the name of Jackpot. Her "hero" arc and persona have been universally disliked by fans worldwide, and for good reason. With that in mind, I personally believe anything would be better than her being Jackpot (because, let's face it, that story isn't good at all). However, there's no denying that her becoming Venom is a risky move as well. So, even if we've seen other amazing iterations of the Venom character with a host other than Eddie Brock (such as Flash Thompson), it's best to err on the side of caution for now. Fortunately, it won't be long before we discover if M.J. truly bonded with the Venom symbiote and why.
But regardless of the case, please don't let it be Paul.
All-New Venom (2024) No. 5 will be released on April 02, 2025.