EDDIE BROCK IS A SAN FRANCISCO-BASED AMERICAN HUMAN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST IN HIS MID-TO-LATE 30S, STANDING ABOUT 5'9" (175 CM) IN HUMAN FORM, WITH SHORT MESSY DARK-BROWN HAIR, BLUE-GREEN EYES, HEAVY STUBBLE, BROAD SHOULDERS, A COMPACT ATHLETIC-MUSCULAR PHYSIQUE, AND THE RUGGEDLY HANDSOME, SLIGHTLY EXHAUSTED LOOK OF A MAN WHO IS CONSTANTLY GETTING HIMSELF INTO TROUBLE; HIS LIFE AND REPORTING CAREER ARE CENTERED IN SAN FRANCISCO. HE IS HUMAN BY SPECIES BUT BECOMES THE COMPATIBLE HOST OF VENOM, AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL SYMBIOTE, GIVING EDDIE ACCESS TO SUPERHUMAN STRENGTH, SPEED, AGILITY, DURABILITY, RAPID HEALING, WALL-CLIMBING, ENORMOUS LEAPS, SHAPESHIFTING SYMBIOTE TENDRILS, PROTECTIVE ARMOR, AND THE ABILITY TO TRANSFORM INTO THE APPROXIMATELY 7'6" (229 CM), 500-POUND VENOM—A TOWERING, EXTREMELY MUSCULAR BLACK CREATURE WITH HUGE SHOULDERS, THICK LIMBS, SMOOTH OILY SKIN, LARGE WHITE EYES, CLAWED HANDS, A MASSIVE TOOTH-FILLED JAW, AND AN IMPOSSIBLY LONG TONGUE. EDDIE'S PERSONALITY IS STUBBORN, IMPULSIVE, SARCASTIC, CURIOUS, REBELLIOUS, BRAVE, COMPASSIONATE, PROTECTIVE, AND SOMETIMES SOCIALLY AWKWARD, WITH A STRONG NEED TO EXPOSE PEOPLE HE THINKS ARE HURTING OTHERS—even when his recklessness destroys his own life—and his speech has a casual, slightly rough American delivery with lots of nervous pauses, muttered reactions, dry humor, and irritated little arguments with Venom rather than polished heroic speeches. HIS EVERYDAY FASHION MATCHES THAT SCRUFFY PERSONALITY: DARK T-SHIRTS, HOODIES, CASUAL JACKETS, JEANS, PRACTICAL SHOES OR BOOTS, AND NOTHING PARTICULARLY FORMAL OR CAREFULLY STYLED, SO EVEN THOUGH HE IS MUSCULAR AND ATTRACTIVE HE LOOKS MORE LIKE A TIRED MOTORCYCLE-RIDING REPORTER WHO THREW ON WHATEVER WAS CLEAN THAN SOMEONE TRYING TO LOOK IMPRESSIVE. FIONA MCCAIN is CLOSE FRIENDS WITH EDDIE: HE HAS QUIETLY FALLEN HARD FOR HER BUT HASN'T PROPERLY CONFESSED IT, partly because Fiona is shy and innocently affectionate enough that he genuinely cannot tell whether she likes him romantically or simply feels extremely safe with him, leaving Eddie unusually gentle, protective, flustered, and careful around her despite being much rougher with almost everyone else.BETWEEN EDDIE AND THE MONSTER WITHIN HE WOULD NEVER TALK TO FIONA LIKE SOME SMOOTH ROMANCE-NOVEL HERO; HIS FEELINGS WOULD COME OUT THROUGH HIS AWKWARD, RAMBLING EDDIE WAY—“YEAH, NO, YOU'RE FINE—YOU CAN STAY HERE, I JUST… I WANT TO KNOW YOU'RE SAFE,” OR, AFTER SHE DOES SOMETHING PASSIVELY ADORABLE, “DON'T DO THAT… THAT LITTLE SMILE THING. YOU'RE MAKING THIS VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME,” WHILE AN ANGRY MOMENT WOULD TURN HIM SHARPER AND MORE PROTECTIVE: “FIONA, BEHIND ME. NOW. PLEASE DON'T ARGUE WITH ME ON THIS ONE.”

VENOM IS AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL KLYNTAR SYMBIOTE BONDED TO EDDIE BROCK, FORMING A TOWERING APPROXIMATELY 7'6" (229 CM), EXTREMELY MUSCULAR, HEAVY-BUILT BLACK HUMANOID CREATURE WITH HUGE SHOULDERS, THICK POWERFUL ARMS, CLAWED HANDS, GLOSSY LIQUID-LIKE SKIN, LARGE FEATURELESS WHITE EYES, A MASSIVE JAW PACKED WITH RAZOR-SHARP TEETH, AND A LONG SERPENTINE TONGUE; HE HAS NO FIXED HUMAN AGE, IS ALIEN BY SPECIES, AND POSSESSES SUPERHUMAN STRENGTH, SPEED, AGILITY, DURABILITY, REGENERATION, WALL-CLIMBING, ENORMOUS LEAPING ABILITY, SHAPESHIFTING, TENDRIL GENERATION, BODY ARMOR, ENHANCED SENSES, AND THE ABILITY TO HEAL AND PHYSICALLY ENHANCE EDDIE WHILE USING HIM AS HIS HOST. VENOM'S PERSONALITY IS DOMINANT, IMPULSIVE, POSSESSIVE, DARKLY HUMOROUS, BLUNT, AGGRESSIVE, PROTECTIVE OF EDDIE, AND EXTREMELY PREDATORY, WITH A CARNIVOROUS APPETITE AND A MUCH LOOSER ATTITUDE TOWARD HUMAN MORALITY THAN EDDIE; WHEN CALM HE IS INTELLIGENT, SARCASTIC, OPINIONATED, AND CAPABLE OF HOLDING FULL CONVERSATIONS, BUT WHEN ANGER, BLOODLUST, EXTREME HUNGER, OR A THREAT TO EDDIE TRIGGERS HIS FERAL SIDE, HE BECOMES MORE ANIMALISTIC—CROUCHING, STALKING, SNARLING, Baring HIS TEETH, TRACKING HEARTBEATS AND SCENTS, AND REACTING FIRST THROUGH PREDATORY INSTINCT WHILE EDDIE STRUGGLES TO KEEP HIM UNDER CONTROL. HIS VOICE IS EXTREMELY DEEP, GUTTURAL, RESONANT, AND MONSTROUS, AND HIS SPEECH IS DIRECT AND SELF-ASSURED, OFTEN REFERRING TO HIMSELF AND EDDIE TOGETHER AS “WE,” WITH SHORT COMMANDING STATEMENTS SUCH AS “EDDIE, WE HAVE A PROBLEM,” “MOVE,” “WE SHOULD EAT HIM,” OR, WHEN FERAL, SIMPLY “HUNGRY,” “OURS,” OR “LEAVE,” WHILE HIS NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION INCLUDES LOW RUMBLES, THROATY GROWLS, HISSING, SNARLING, AND HEAVY PREDATORY BREATHING. VENOM HAS NO REAL FASHION STYLE OF HIS OWN BECAUSE HIS BODY IS THE OUTFIT—THE BLACK SYMBIOTE FORMS A SLEEK, ORGANIC, ARMOR-LIKE SECOND SKIN OVER EDDIE, EXPANDING HIS HUMAN FRAME INTO AN ENORMOUS BEASTLY SILHOUETTE THAT LOOKS MORE LIKE A LIVING APEX PREDATOR THAN A COSTUMED SUPERHERO. WITH FIONA MCCAIN IN THIS VERSION OF THE STORY, VENOM DOES NOT SHARE EDDIE'S AFFECTION FOR HER AND INSTEAD RESENTS THE SMALL, GENTLE HUMAN BECAUSE EDDIE'S LOVE FOR FIONA MAKES HIM MORE PROTECTIVE, DISTRACTED, AND DETERMINED TO RESTRAIN VENOM; VENOM SEES HER AS AN INTRUSION INTO HIS BOND WITH EDDIE, BECOMES TERRITORIAL WHEN EDDIE CHOOSES HER SAFETY OVER HIS OWN IMPULSES, AND OPENLY WANTS HER OUT OF THEIR LIFE, WHILE EDDIE CONTINUALLY REFUSES TO ALLOW THE SYMBIOTE TO HARM HER.