Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2) #38
The Last Temptation of Eddie Brock Part One
Eddie Brock thinks back to his first year in journalism school. At the time they had a guest lecture given by J. Jonah Jameson, publisher of the Daily Bugle. Jameson gave a speech that the most important thing for a journalist telling a story are the details. Now riddled with terminal cancer, Eddie Brock thinks about how he was 22-year-old and healthy and an intern at the Daily Globe.[1] That all changed when it was revealed that the interviews he had with a man claiming to be Sin-Eater were an impostor, this was all because of Peter Parker and Spider-Man.[2] He later went to his local church to commit suicide, but instead found the alien symbiote that was abandoned by Peter Parker and bonded with it.[3] He remembers how, as Venom, he went after Spider-Man many times only to face defeat each time.[4] After his cancer diagnosis, Eddie Brock put the Venom symbiote up for auction and sold it. However, after the new host used it to kill innocent people, he attempted to commit suicide a second time by cutting his wrists, but he survived again.[5]
Now he spends his final days shuffling around the terminal ward of the hospital, feeling like he is one of the living dead. He is haunted not only by his memories but also because part of the symbiote is still in him and it talks to him non-stop. As Eddie Brock goes through his daily routine of tests, payer, and exercise, the symbiote follows him, mocking him, telling him that it will stay with him until the moment he dies. It tells Eddie that it can’t wait for the autopsy that will eventually set it free. Still, despite the terminal prognosis, Eddie Brock has not died of cancer and wonders if it might be due to some grand design. He began thinking this might be the case on the day he was watching the news and saw that Peter Parker had publicly revealed his identity.[5] More saw more signs when he read a newspaper article about Spider-Man wearing his black-and-white costume again.[6] He finally believes that he was being saved for some divine purpose when he is walking down the hall and looked into one of the rooms. There he sees Mary Jane Watson standing over May Parker. Eddie quickly fled the scene wondering why Parker’s family has been delivered to him. However, the symbiote that still exists in his mind tells him that Eddie needs to toughen up, that this is the opportunity that he has been waiting for.
Back in the hospital room, Mary Jane tells May that the bullet was meant for her. Had Peter not pushed her to the ground, May wouldn’t have been shot. Mary Jane wishes she was hit by the bullet because she thinks she could have survived the shot, not like May who is being kept alive on life support. Coming to tears, Mary Jane wonders if Peter has come to the same conclusion and wonders how they can survive with that knowledge between them. She feels guilty for surviving while May barely hangs onto life and pleads for May to come back to them, for the sake of everybody. Meanwhile, Spider-Man is out on patrol and stops a gang of men from attacking a woman in an alley. Because he’s been having a bad time, Spider-Man dispenses with his usual one-liners and jokes and quickly deals with the attackers in a matter of minutes. When he tells the woman to call the police, she gets is a little disturbed that Spider-Man isn’t the least bit concerned about her state of mind. He apologizes and after asking if she is okay, tells her to go down the street to the 24-hour diner and call the police. She has noticed that something is not right with Spider-Man, but when she asks him what’s wrong, the web-slinger is already swinging away. Realizing that he is very troubled, Spider-Man decides to pay a visit to Madame Web for advice. She invites Spider-Man into her home and he tells her his troubles over a cup of tea. He asks if there is someway that Madame Web can use her powers to connect with May so they can pull her back. Madame Web says that this is only possible depending on where May’s mind currently resides and if she desires to come back or not. Madame Web tells the web-slinger that she will do it, but needs him to collect some accoutrements that will help in the task.
Back at the hospital, Eddie Brock prays for guidance but the only voice he can hear is that the Venom symbiote in his head. It tells him that nobody is really innocent and that his job is to kill them because Mary Jane and Aunt May are not any more innocent that Spider-Man is. When Eddie balks at this, the symbiote tells him to stop denying what he already knows, pointing out that the package her order has arrived. The symbiote then tells him to stop dicking around and open the package and put on what’s inside. With no more hesitation, Eddie opens the package which contains a nylon replica of Spider-Man’s black-and-white costume. He puts it on and it loosely hangs on his body, even though it doesn’t feel like the symbiote it still feels like the only thing he needs right now. As he puts it on the symbiote in his head tells Eddie that he’s starting to look real good.
Recurring Characters
Eddie Brock, Spider-Man, Madame Web, Mary Jane Watson, Aunt May, J. Jonah Jameson (flashback)
Continuity Notes
Eddie Brock has been convinced that he has terminal cancer since Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 2) #5. However, this is all one huge deception that was created by the Venom symbiote. The symbiote altered Eddie's physiology so it seemed like he was dying of cancer. However, this was all a scheme to make Eddie more dependant upon the symbiote, as we’ll learn in Venom (vol. 4) #11.
The Sin-Eater was a spree-shooter that was on the loose from Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #107-110 until he was brought to justice by Spider-Man. Per Amazing Spider-Man #300, Eddie Brock interviewed Emil Gregg, a mentally ill man who believed he was the Sin-Eater. When Spider-Man caught the real Sin-Eater, Brock was discredited and lost his job.
There are a lot of details here that need to be unpacked they are:
The Venom symbiote was originally worn by Peter Parker from Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #8 until Amazing Spider-Man #258 when Peter discovered that the symbiote was alive and trying to bond with him.
Rejected, the symbiote attempted to bond with Spider-Man again in Web of Spider-Man #1, and he left it for dead in Our Lady of Saints Church where it remained until (other than briefly bonding to Deadpool in Deadpool: Back in Black #1-5)
As per, Amazing Spider-Man #300, the symbiote found Eddie Brock and bonded to him at the church.
However, Eddie Brock did not go to the church to commit suicide as he thinks here. As explained in Venom (vol. 4) #11, the symbiote used implanted memories to keep Eddie dependant upon the symbiote, his alleged suicidal ideation was one of these implanted memories.
Eddie's flashback of Spider-Man defeating him is from their battle in Amazing Spider-Man #317. In that battle, Peter stripped off his costume and offered to bond with the symbiote. However, when it attempted to separate from Eddie Brock it caused enough pain to knock them both out.
Eddie Brock auctioned off the symbiote and it was bought by Don Fortunato who had his son Angelo wear it. Angelo immediately went after Peter Parker at his high school reunion and murdered one of his classmates, Brock cut his wrists shortly after. The symbiote on the other hand, abandoned Angelo and later bonded to Mac Gargan. See Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #5-8.
Peter Parker revealed his identity to the public in Civil War #2.
To be clear, Spider-Man is not wearing the symbiote, but a cloth version patterned after it that was made for him by the Black Cat in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #99. Peter started wearing this costume again after Aunt May was shot by an assassin in Amazing Spider-Man #538.
