During a confrence call on Friday with writer Rick Remender to promote his upcoming Venom ongoing series, Marvel Senior Editor Steven Wacker dropped a bombshell on the spoiler front.
The new Venom, the military esque take on the character that looks more black ops than super hero or villain?
Flash Thompson.
We were teased not too long ago that the new Venom would be an established supporting character of the Spider-Man franchise, and looking at the cast….Flash is the most obvious choice. He’s always wanted to be a superhero, and he is an actual hero after her service in Iraq. He also lost his legs while he was there, which only makes being the new Venom easier to understand. He wants to be a hero, he has everything it takes to be a hero, but without his legs he’s limited. If he has the symbiote, if he has control over the symbiote, then he has the means to do everything he always wanted.
Remender did his homework though, as he also plans to play in Flash’s history with addiction. After all, isn’t just substituting a symbiote for the bottle? And at the same time, Flash Thompson isn’t a grim and gritty sort of guy, and Remender made a point to say that he wouldn’t be a cynical character like most of the others he writes. It’s a good thing to know.
I’ve never been a fan of Venom. Even as a kid I felt he was obnoxious, but maybe this is the time to give him another shot. Rick Remender has been doing some great work at Marvel, and I’ve always liked Flash Thompson. A fresh take on the character, one that doesn’t rush back to the teeth and tongue, it’s reassuring.
Venom launches in March, and I’m going to check it out. Anyone else?
