Venom Unleashed #13: MJ-Venom’s future, Carnage’s next chapter, and exclusive art revealed

Welcome back, symbiote fans — we’re cracking open Venom Unleashed (lucky) #13! Editor Jordan D. White joins AIPT once again to dive deep into all things symbiote: from gory horror inspirations and multiversal madness to MJ’s ongoing bond with Venom and Eddie Brock’s next big chapter.

This month’s issue continues to peel back the emotional and monstrous layers of Marvel’s wildest corner — while teasing how Venom #251 and the upcoming Amazing Spider-Man/Venom: Death Spiral crossover will shake the symbiote line to its core. Jordan shares how MJ’s evolving relationship with Venom shapes the book’s identity, how the creative team balances heart with cosmic horror, and even how the symbiote “strength debate” between MJ and Eddie might not be as simple as you think.

Oh — and don’t miss the exclusive first-look preview art from upcoming Venom books we’ve got waiting below and a new fan survey!. From MJ-Venom’s transformations to what’s next for Carnage/Eddie and beyond, there’s plenty to feast your eyes (and fangs) on.

Let’s get unleashed.

AIPT: We’re back with Venom Unleashed #13! You’re a busy guy, Jordan, editing not only symbiote titles, but Marvel Zombies and Ghost-Spider. What’s been the most surprising or fun part of working on such a gory, over-the-top series? AND, was it fun to return to editing X-Men characters?

Jordan: I love horror movies–especially gory ones. My favorite movie of all time is the 2012 remake of Evil Dead–though all the Evil Dead movies are faves, including Evil Dead Rise, which I have watched twice in the last month. I have a horror podcast called Nature Trail To Hell, and we actually covered the Romero zombie movies in a recent season. I have been a Dawn of the Dead fan going back to when I first got into horror movies, back when zombie movies were a rarity rather than being ubiquitous.

And I am a fan of the MARVEL ZOMBIES series going back to issue 1…before issue 1, really, with their debut in ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR. And did you know there was a crossover between MARVEL ZOMBIES and Ash from the Evil Dead series? There was, and it was terrific. Anyway–yeah, I love working on horror stories, and I am always up for more MARVEL ZOMBIES!

That said… I am not sure I count this as “returning to X-Men characters” as it’s a pretty small piece of this puzzle. I have done more X-Men content working on the MARVEL RIVALS comics than I did here. Maybe someday I will return to the X-Men in a larger way, but for now, my heart remains on Krakoa. 

AIPT: Onto Venom-related topics! We had two new poll questions last month, starting with: 

53.8% said street-level rival with a personal connection to MJ. Why do you think that idea resonates so strongly—and is that something you could see fitting into the tone or direction of her story down the line?

Jordan: Honestly, yes–that is something that is very much in keeping with the tone of the book we’re doing, so hearing that result makes me happy. I feel like people get what we’re going for here, which is really nice. It’s a much more street-level book, and one trying to delve into the personal. So heck yeah. 

AIPT: For the second poll, fans said the theme that resonates most with them in the current Venom run is “the push-and-pull of identity in relationships,” with 55.8% of the vote. That idea feels like it’s at the heart of both Eddie and MJ’s stories lately.

From an editorial standpoint, how do you balance that emotional core with the action and cosmic horror that come with a book like Venom?

Jordan: Again–this is really great! That is, for sure, a big part of what we’re going for, so I am glad it’s resonating! The Eddie book has a lot more on the addiction wavelength, but the main book hasn’t really been leaning into that. Venom has been much more about relationships, which I think is very natural in a book about a symbiotic bond.

As for how we balance that with superhero action, that is a dilemma that pretty much every Marvel Comic has to deal with, and I think it’s one that you just learn to feel out. It’s not like I have a page count for every issue saying “X number of pages for action and Y number for emotion”. It just needs to scratch both of those itches by the end of the issue. Sometimes it might lean more to one, the next more to the other… but so long as the balance comes out struck, it works. 

AIPT: Eddie Brock: Carnage wraps up with issue #10, marking the end of a really distinct chapter in the broader Venom saga. As editor, how do you approach closing out a book that’s been so intense and self-contained, while also making sure it feels connected to the larger symbiote mythos?

Jordan: That’s a tough question. I think it’s pretty obvious that we would have been happy to do more of the series–what series wouldn’t want to do more? But it wasn’t in the cards right now. 

At the end of the day, we’re proud of this series–both in how different the concept was, and in the execution. And I think we knew the book was ending with enough time to wrap up the stories in a satisfying way, I think. I am really glad we were able to go down this avenue with Eddie and Carnage. 

Obviously, I stand by MJ in the Venom costume, so with Eddie off the board in that role, I think this was a really great way to examine who he is and a good next step in his development. And I think it’s going to lead well into both the place he appears next and the next larger direction of the symbiote line. 

AIPT: Venom #251 is out today, and it features MJ/Venom trying out new hero personas. What went into thinking up different heroes Venom can appear as, and what was it like working with Ewing and Medina on this fun try-out session?

Jordan: Well, the two personas MJ reaches for in this issue are the two that she has a personal connection with, so I think it’s a pretty natural thing. I had no idea they were going to dress up as Iron Man until I got the script in, and I busted out laughing. Plus, any reference to Iron Man’s roller skates is an automatic win for me, and that was before having they go up against a roller skating villain. But, like you said, it’s a book that is playing a lot with identity, so it makes sense to me that MJ is trying some things on–not just as Iron Man, but…

AIPT: In Venom #251, we have quite a reveal on the last page, which we’ve talked about before. Any teases for fans scratching their heads?

Jordan: What–you mean our spontaneous guest-appearance by the one-and-only, original Spider-Man? Like you said–we talked about this once before. The idea came up for there to be a red-and-blue costumed version of Venom, and I got Luciano Vecchio to design a look that everyone LOVED. We used the design to inspire an all-new backup story about an alternate universe version of Venom… but Al Ewing didn’t want to be left out of all the fun, so he cooked up a reason for MJ and the symbiote to take on this look as well!

You’d think for two people who are so into Spider-Man, they would do a better job recreating his costume, right? But seriously, the next issue is a great one. Check it out. 

AIPT: Onto fan questions!

MJ, Venom & Relationship Threads

Alnasmar asks:

The MJ and Venom relationship has been really fun to follow — from MJ’s creative use of the symbiote to Venom being portrayed as Peter’s #1 fan. Many fans want a meet-up between Eddie and Peter, but are there any plans for MJ-Venom to interact with Venom’s “offspring”? 

Jordan: If you mean Carnage… then you should look no further than the upcoming AMAZING SPIDER-MAN / VENOM: DEATH SPIRAL crossover. VenoMJ is definitely going to be meeting up with CarnagEddie there, and both with the Amazing Peter-Man. If you mean Venom’s OTHER offspring…well, Sleeper has been popping up regularly in the series, and grand-offspring Toxin as well, but ye olde Life Foundation symbiotes are not in the current plans just yet. 

Igor asks:

Hey Jordan! I wanted to ask if we’ll see Liz Allan and Mary Jane meet in the new issues? Right now, Liz has the Misery symbiote (I really loved the miniseries), and Mary Jane has teamed up with Venom. I think it would be cool to see them team up. 

Jordan: I will be honest with you, it is a bummer to me that Liz Allan–one of the oldest Spider-Man supporting characters–is out there with a symbiote right now and doesn’t really appear in any books. That said, I don’t think there are any plans for her to show up right now. 

We used her last in the VENOM WAR: VENOMOUS miniseries, and I assume she is still out there cleaning up the corporate fallout from that mess. I cannot imagine the quarterly earnings call they had to hold after unleashing hordes of Zombiotes into the streets of New York City. She’s lucky Alchemax is still around! 

Nate asks:

How does MJ-Venom work out in terms of strength? I remember that Eddie was stronger than Spider-Man because he had a bigger muscle frame to work with, but here it seems like Venom is doing all the lifting (MJ’s arms don’t seem like they even would be used for Venom based on where Venom’s arms connect). Weaker than Spider-Man, or stronger because the symbiote has become more effective at working without the supporting underlying frame? 

Jordan: Great question! Honestly, I think we could go either way on this one–that was certainly the case when Venom and Eddie were together back in the day, but the suit’s been through a lot since then–has learned a lot of new tricks since then.

I do think you’re right that MJ’s arms (like Dylan’s before her) are not doing the heavy lifting in regards to the feats Venom pulls off, but at the same time, even some of the more exaggerated versions of the Eddie Venom were larger than his body was, and therefore I think were not as simple as the original idea of a costume over his arm boosting his strength.

I think, at this point, the relationship between symbiote and host has moved beyond that idea–his muscle strength is boosted–to something richer that has to do with the strength of the bond, and the will of the host as well. That said, I can totally buy the argument that MJ is not as strong as Venom as Eddie was. That’s probably the case. 

Eddie Brock, Carnage & Symbiote Legacy

Patrick S. asks:

Where is Eddie and Carnage heading next now that their current book seems to have ended?

Jordan: The aforementioned AMAZING SPIDER-MAN/VENOM DEATH SPIRAL crossover! It is, for certain, the next place to find him and the next chapter in Eddie’s story! 

Kyle P asks:

I’ve noticed a pattern with Eddie. He goes away for a few years, plays host to other symbiotes, then comes back. Would you say that he’s one of those toys in the toybox if you have a good idea you’ll take him out to play with? Or is he a constant presence you can’t/ don’t want to get rid of?

Jordan: I think Eddie is central to the core idea of Venom and that he will never stray too far from the orbit of the symbiote. There were years without him in the suit, but as you said, during that time, there was always one thing or another that popped up to draw him back in, whether Anti-Venom or Toxin or Carnage. But I think it’s like taking any of the big three out of the Avengers, or taking Professor X out of the X-Men. You can make it work without them for sure, you can do great comics without them…but eventually, you’re going to get them back in there one way or another. 

Alexander asks:

I think Eddie has never forced the symbiote to do anything it didn’t want to do, so I think both of them are equally guilty for the mistakes they made in the past. But in the recent story, the Venom symbiote seems to blame Eddie more for these mistakes. Does it really think so, or is it just avoiding its own problems?

Jordan: We’re getting philosophical here, and I love it. I think the answer is all of the above.

Do I think the symbiote bears some responsibility? Yeah, of course. But I don’t think it bears the bulk of it. It didn’t have the same amount of autonomy back then that it has now, and it didn’t understand as well how much it was allowed to decide about its own actions. It was still learning.

Regardless, I don’t think it DOESN’T feel guilty for what it did. I think it knows it was a willing participant. But I do think that while it was willing to do whatever Eddie wanted, that doesn’t necessarily make it equally as guilty as he was. But that’s just my interpretation–I am sure others have different ones.  

The Broader Symbiote Line & Editorial Direction

Venom King asks:

I’m Really Enjoying The All-New Venom Run And The New Venom Legacy Run In General…You Said Villains That Never Appeared In Venom Comics Can Be Great Venom Villains And Give A Example Of Kingpin Being Stolen From Spider Man…Is That Foreshadow For Venom Stealing Madam Masque From Iron Man?

Jordan: Not completely–she is going to be appearing in the upcoming IRON MAN series, as eagle-eyed readers may have seen on the cover of Shellhead’s first issue. We borrowed the lovely Madame, and we are not planning to make away with her forever… though really, at the end of the day, that isn’t entire up to us. If people love the Venom / Masque fights enough, then for sure they will become a continuing thing, just as DD and Kingpin have. 

Fer_skywalker asks:

Will we have some symbiotes from Rivals making their appearance as synchronization with the comics?

Jordan: Do you mean will we have the Venom from the Rivals game, for example, showing up in the main Venom series? Never say never–Marvel Rivals is a huge game, and I happen to know there are lots of plans being cooked up between us and them on a daily basis…

And that’s a wrap on Venom Unleashed #13! Scroll down to enjoy exclusive art, and get in on the fan-fun by taking our fan survey. Your questions may be answered in the next edition!

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