Venom Unleashed #16: Himbo Frankenstein, and deep cuts on MJ, Paul, Carnage, and what comes next

Venom Unleashed returns with our sixteenth edition, and as Marvel’s symbiote saga barrels toward Death Spiral, the upcoming crossover is set to entangle the Venom and Spider-Man corners of the Marvel Universe. With Venom #254 now on shelves, this installment dives into fan questions, editorial insights, and the evolving status of MJ as Venom, while also teasing where the symbiote mythos heads next.

Announcement time! Fans of both Spider-Man and Venom, prick up your ears, as Venom Unleashed is shifting to a bi-weekly release schedule running alongside Death Spiral! The expanded coverage will include voices from across the Spider-Man office, including Amazing Spider-Man writer Joe Kelly, Spider-Man editor Nick Lowe, and current symbiote writers Charles Soule and Al Ewing.

The schedule begins after Death Spiral #1 on February 25 and will continue through the crossover’s eight-part rollout, with fan Q&A features timed to each major chapter of the event.

Look for the first fan survey on February 26th as we get the ball rolling!

Let’s dig into Venom Unleashed!

AIPT: And we’re back for Venom Unleashed #16. Venom #254 is out today, and I gotta start with a key question: Himbo Frankenstein. Were there meetings around this iconic t-shirt?

Jordan: Hahaha, you know, I believe that shirt pre-dates me on Venom! I think Al Ewing cooked that particular one up before my time. So I just jumped on board and held on for dear life.

AIPT: Onto poll questions! Fans were asked if Venom is a “Spider-Man-level hero” now that MJ is inside. It was a dead heat for 3 answers, 23% each, for Yes, no, and not yet. 30% of people answered saying it depends on who is wearing the costume. Jordan, is it too early to call MJ a “Spider-Man-level” hero?

Jordan: Gosh, what makes a hero “Spider-Man Level”? By some measures, she is not even close–number of people saved, for example. Number of villains defeated. And obviously, in our world, Spider-Man is probably the best superhero ever created, a huge cultural icon, and the symbol of all of Marvel. So on those levels, for sure no. If we’re talking about her intentions, she definitely wants to help people and do good, so she is pretty up there…but I bet more books with Spidey and Venom in them together will reveal more about it. 

AIPT: In our second poll, fans were asked what kind of relationship they would want with their symbiote (if they had one). A whopping 73% said they wanted to be best friends with constant chatter. Other options were:

• 10.5% Professional partners
• 7.9% Uneasy truce, lots of rules
• 5.3% Absolutely no relationship, keep it quiet.

What say you, Jordan, what would you want with your symbiote?

Jordan: OBVIOUSLY I want to be best friends!!!! If there is someone I am going to be spending all my time with, I want to like them and enjoy their company! 

AIPT: One more question from me before we open it up to fan questions. With Madame Masque becoming a heavy hitter in the Iron Man relaunch, I was curious from an editorial standpoint, was there a point when you knew the Iron Man team wanted her, and about when did that happen, and what goes into closing out her story in Venom to send her over to Iron Man?

Jordan: Exactly as you said, editor Danny Khazem reached out and said they wanted to use her and asked when we would be done. From there, it was just a matter of lining things up, and I think Al and Josh Williamson did a good job of playing nice and working with what each other wanted to do! We had a lot of fun adding layers to AIM in our book, and I think it will be fun to see them pick up on that in their series. Sharing is caring! 

Onto fan questions!

On Paul:

Lu asks: How does Paul actually make a living? He doesn’t seem to have a job, and savings probably don’t transfer across realities.

Jordan: Hahaha, great question! I guess he was leeching off MJ for a while there! How on Earth is he affording an apartment on his own? I guess he was always a pretty smart guy–he can likely get work doing tech stuff. Though what his employability status is with him being from another universe and all is a good question. I always want to know the bureaucratic aspects of the superhero universe, but for some reason, no one green-lights these series ideas. Imagine–Paul trying to get multiversal refugee status so he can legally work in the US! I am sure this Paul mini will be solicited any day now. 

Anonymous asks: Paul is probably one of the most divisive characters. If Paul wasn’t in the spider-verse where would y’all put him?

Jordan: I mean–I bet him and Jean Grey would make a nice couple? 

Unpacking Venom/MJ:

Lu asks: MJ seems to have taken up using Venom as a handbag. Does this indicate a growing level of comfort with their new situation?

Jordan: Mmmmmmmmmmaybe. 

Blueknight asks: A simpler question: since Venom can change color right now, is the black-and-gold something he and MJ enjoy, or has it become the default?

Jordan: You know what? I think folks might not realize this, but the gold is also an aftereffect of the Gold Venom transformation in VENOM WAR, where Venom was infused with Enagrac! He was entirely gold at that time, but in the aftermath of his wounds at the end of that story, he remained PARTLY gold along with his classic black. 

Overwatch asks: Will MJ get to interact with other former symbiote hosts other than Peter and Eddie ?

Jordan: Like Flash? I see what you’re getting at here–you want MJ and Flash to get together. That, or you want her to start dating Lee Price, and last time we saw him, he was a zombiote, so I am not super into that idea. 

Gearing up for Death Spiral:

Blueknight asks: Since Death Spiral is coming up, what’s your favorite pre-Death Spiral Spidey, Venom, and Carnage interaction?

Jordan: I was a pretty great age for MAXIMUM CARNAGE to really get me pumped as a reader. It was so epic and so bonkers, and it’s definitely the reason I still ship Carnage and Shreik despite their terrible relationship. They’re like Mickey and Mallory! And it was the very noble Eddie coming to help, and about a ZILLION guest stars! I have not read it in a bit–I should dig back into it at some point. 

Sleepyjoe asks: Is Death Spiral inspired by Maximum Carnage?

Jordan: Haha, sorry, I did not read ahead when I answered that last one! The answer is… not really? I mean, as I said, it’s an inspiration in that we like it, and it brings these characters together, but story-wise, it doesn’t share a ton in common with it. 

Doomsupreme1811 asks: Are we going to see any of Peter’s current space friends play a part in Death Spiral, like Glitch or Raelith?

Jordan: Short, boring answer–nope! Sorry! 

General Symbiote Questions:

Oliver Zarmy asks: Does Ghost-Spider-Gwen count as part of the Symbiote Clan, former though she might be?

Jordan: I mean–she had a symbiote for a long time, and now has a symbiote foe, so… yeah! Even if it was a completely different sort of symbiote from a different universe. That said, I doubt the former hosts have picnics or whatnot that they would invite her to. But she has that experience and could weigh in about it just as much as anyone else. 

Venom King asks: Will the venom lore expand more than just symbiotes, or will we get expanded lore on xenophages and poisons?

Jordan: No plans to use xenophages or poisons just now, I am afraid! 

Questions about Carnage: 

Meredith is asking about Carnage, wondering: How does Carnage feel about its host? As a friend? Family? Or something else entirely?

Jordan: Depends on the host and depends on the moment! With Cletus at first, they were very much aligned and worked so well. I imagine they had a relationship that was pretty much the definition of that symbiote/host relationship, which I imagine is not really quite ANY of those relationships–I think it’s its own thing. But by the end of his time with Cletus, the two of them were disagreeing majorly about what they wanted; they were very much NOT in alignment. So, it can clearly change. And now, with Eddie, he views him as a victim more than anything else! 

SleepyJoe asks: Do you think Carnage belongs on the Spider-Man villain Mt. Rushmore?

Jordan: Sorry, Carnage-fans, but I am gonna say no. Who would it be…Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Kraven…and then probably Venom. Even though Venom has been a “hero” for a long time now, I think he was still such an incredible and epic Spidey villain that he totally trumps Carnage. That Carnage is sort of a replacement, worse (morally) Venom. Carnage is the Cheryl Blossom to Venom’s Veronica Lodge. The colors even match! 

General publishing: 

Tinker13 asks: Any clue if ya’ll are going to make more books like Venom: Black, White, and Blood? That or other recent books like the 2022 Lethal Protector? Those been my favorites to pick up for the past few years after Cates’s run.

Jordan: I am sure we will be getting to doing more Venom side series and books exploring the gooey guy’s past adventures–we always love diving into the pages of the comics we loved in the past, reveling in and celebrating them!

Nothing I can announce just yet, but honestly, this column is making me wonder if there isn’t some way we can jump back into Maximum Carnage and take a look at it again from a new angle we never revealed before. 

Patrick asks: What can we look forward to from Queen in Black?

Jordan: I hope you’re checking out both VENOM and KNULL as they are both steering us into a head-on collision that the entire QUEEN IN BLACK epic is going to smash through the windshield of! We’ve been taking VenoMJ back to the street-level since ALL-NEW VENOM #1, and it’s about time the symbiote’s more cosmic origins come crashing at her doorstep in the biggest way possible. Is she up for the task? And meanwhile–what is Knull planning to do about his title being usurped by an evil sorceress? Plus, you know…I have a sneaking suspicion all the other heroes of Earth might have something to say about the fact that their planet is going to be ground zero for a major battle for the fate of the universe. There is a TON of cool stuff planned for this crossover, and I cannot wait to share it with you all in full! Soon, soon…

Icefanatic asks: With the Marvel Rivals synergy, will Jean Grey/Phoenix be showing up in Knull or Queen in Black?

Jordan: Not this time–you can check out the MARVEL RIVALS game to get the details on that! They already did that story–this is our take, and it’s a pretty different one. We were inspired by the work they did with that, but even at this early stage, I think you can see that we took the same toys and smashed them together from a completely different angle than they did! 

Fun Questions:

Not-a-squirrel asks: What’s your Symbiote name?

Jordan: Crackshot, for sure. It was my superhero name as a child. 

And another from Oliver: Are VemJay better at quizzes now, or would Jeopardy be too literal a name now?

Jordan: Face it, Tiger–she’d just hit the jackpot. 

That’s a wrap on Venom Unleashed #16! Check out exclusive art below, and stay tuned for the next fan survey on February 26!