Symbiote (comics)

In the Marvel Comics universe, A symbiote is a living alien organism that bonds with another living organism (usually a human) in order to survive. Since it has no classifying name it is refered to as a "symbiote" because of it's symbiotic relationships, or often as a "Living Costume" in reference to the way the amorphous creature envelopes it's host.

The History Of The Symbiote

It is unclear where the Symbiotes actually originated, not is it fully explained how the Symbiote (in its true form) manages to survive without a human host. However, it is known that the symbiotes have lived for millions of years- even longer than the dinosaurs. As explained in The Alien Costume, Part III, Venom explains "We have seen thousands of planets, millions of civilizations, all with but one goal: to survive" Through Venom's words, it is implied that while the symbiotes have lived for millions of years, they are able to remember and encode information- to which the wearer of the symbiote is automatically gained access. They are actual thinking, plotting, scheming creatures.

The forefather of all Earth-dwelling symbiotes, the Venom symbiote, was found on rocks on the Moon. The application of a symbiote prevokes a cool feeling as the black plasmic ooze covers it's host's body. It stimulates them, provides for them, and protects them by itself when the host is unconscious or unaware in a true symbiotic relationship. Symbiotes rely on human hosts because they are able to feed off adrenaline which is essential to their survival. They also feed off diseases fatal to humans, due to the type of energy or "adrenaline" it may produce; for example, the Venom symbiote was able to save Eddie Brock's life from cancer by feeding off it, since Eddie's cancer produced the exact type of adrenaline that the symbiote feeds on.

Each one is also considered to have a mind of its own, and so can actually think. They also are considered to be vicious and wild creatures, as they compel their human hosts to violence. They are much more effective if the human host has the same feelings and urges as the symbiote; for example, the Venom symbiote bonded successfully with Eddie Brock because they shared anger and desires for revenge towards Spider Man. As this shows, Symbiotes have their own emotions and are able to react and reflect one's emotions on their personal desires.

According to Doctor Connor's studies of the symbiote in The Alien Costume: Part 2, it has a cell structure that is constantly dividing, which ensures its survival. When bonding, they replenish the attributes of the human wearer, and over time it replaces itself. By nature, Symbiotes try to permanently bond with their human hosts, ensuring that they live longer. They can, however, leave a human host (or at least try to) at their own will, although this is very rare. The only known case where a symbiote tried to leave its human host at its own free will was when Spider Man taunted Venom's symbiote to return to him. The symbiote tried to leave Eddie Brock, yet the pain and trauma of doing so was too great, thus leading into Eddie's unconsciousness.

Symbiotes also are naturally weakened from intense sonics and infrared intense heat. They also have the ability to asexually spawn another symbiote and it is normal for a symbiote to hate its new born spawn. Venom, for example, tries to kill and destroy its offspring Carnage when it bonds back with Eddie Brock, whereas Carnage tries to kill his son Toxin by leaving it for dead without a human host to find.

Special Abilites

Symbiotes empower the natural abilities of a host to the point where they far exceed the average man's. The abilities are the following:

Super strength
Superior speed and agility
Provide protection (from guns or other damage)

The symboite also reacts to the thoughts and will of the host. When Spider-man was originally selected, he had been thinking about Spider-Woman's costume in the Secret Wars. The symbiote acted on this and formed a similar costume, the one seen on him and Venom. The following are functions that have been demonstrated from various host's will(but are not limited to):

The ability to transform its mass into clothing
The ability to form fangs or simple bladed weapons out of their limbs
The ability to mimic the appearance of anyone, or anything (Venom and Toxin can do this)
The ability to blend within walls
The ability to stick to walls (adopted from Spider-man)
The ability to produce Unlimited webbing (from its own mass, adopted from Spider-Man)
The ability to bypass Spider Sense (due to knowing how it works from when Spider-man was it's host)

Well Known Symbiotes

Here is a complete list of existing symbiotes whom have/had human hosts

Spider Man (was the first man to not only wear the Venom symbiote, but to also serve as a human host to a symbiote)
Venom (worn by Eddie Brock)
Carnage (worn by Cletus Kassidy)
Scream, Phage, Riot, Lasher, Shriek (all symbiote offspring of Venom)
She-Venom (worn by Anne Weying)
Scorpion (current wearer of the Venom Symbiote. Sometimes referred to as "Scorpion-Venom")
Toxin (symbiote offspring of Carnage, worn by Patrick Mulligan)

The Punisher was also shown to have worn the Venom symbiote in Marvel's "What If" comic series. This however, is unlikely to have an effect on the history of Symbiotes though.

There is also an incident where Wolverine wore the Venom symbiote for a brief time. He managed to tear it from his body and fought with it during the series "Venom Vs Wolverine"

Active And Inactive Symbiotes

The activeness of the symbiotes vary. Here is a list of their activeness:

Spider Man: Active (no longer wearing any symbiote)
Venom: Unknown (because Scorpion is currently wearing the Venom symbiote, Venom's status is officially considered as dormant. There is much anticipation that Venom will return)
Carnage: Unknown (nobody knows, as The Sentry ripped the Carnage Symbiote in two, but there was no body inside)
Scream: Unknown (most likely dead)
She Venom: Deceased (through suicide)
Scorpion-Venom: Active (most likely to lose the Symbiote back to Eddie Brock)
Toxin: Active

Trivia

The majority of the human hosts to the symbiotes are citizens of New York. It happens because Spider-man (who brought the first Symbiote to Earth) lives there, and all the other Symbiotes were born from him, and merged with people nearby.
Venom is the oldest symbiote of all the introduced symbiotes of the Marvel universe.
Toxin is the first symbiote to gain a "good" status. While Venom is referred to as an anti-hero, he is generally a supervillian.
She Venom and Scream are considered to be horrible symbiotes, which therefore lead to their short appearances.
The Venom symbiote is the only symbiote to have been worn by both men and women. Normally, the symbiotes in general are worn by men.
Carnage surpassed his "father" Venom by being the first symbiote to produce weapons from his limbs. He does not shoot webbing, but strands of tissue.
Spider Man is the first character to have worn a symbiote (that being the Venom symbiote)
Venom's symbol on his chest is a Black Widow Spider- one of the world's dangerous and venomous spiders.
Toxin is said to be the most powerful symbiote of them all- having the abilities of both Venom and Carnage combined. Toxin is also the first symbiote that can actually speak to its human host.