The Exorcism of Peter Parker May Be the Darkest Take on Venom We've Ever Seen Before

Spider-Man usually goes out of his way to make himself appear friendly and kind - but this dark take on his Venom form changes how any fan would see the character. The last thing Peter wants is for anyone to be scared of him, but a fan-made movie poster puts an amazing horror twist on one of the darkest periods in Spider-Man's history, and the best part is that it completely works with the subject material.

This fantastic fan art by Instagram artist @bosslogic is actually a mock horror movie poster based on The Last Exorcism Part II and is even scarier than the original. While the original movie deals with an innocent girl being taken over by a demon, the artist recontextualizes the poster by using Spider-Man and his iconic black suit, a brilliant twist that really plays on the horror of Spider-Man's Venom form.

The original Black Suit arc never shied away from how scary the suit could be, but it didn't really delve into actual horror elements. The story presented the suit as a bad thing, and thoughtit eventually led to the popularity of Venom, the actual terror of having an alien bonded to someone's body and having it change their personality wasn't explored as in-depth as it could have been in the original arc. Later stories definitely dived more into the horror of Spider-Man's black suit.

Spider-Man Black Suit Is a Terrifying Part of His History

The Origins of the Fan-Favorite Venom

The Black Suit is a symbiotic alien from outer space. When it bonds with a person, it can get possessive and refuse to leave them. Spider-Man's entire personality was being changed by the suit. He was becoming far more aggressive and far more willing to use violence. Thankfully, Peter accidentally discovered the suit's weakness and was able to remove himself from it. But future stories showed what would've happened if he hadn't. In one universe, the symbiote ends up draining Peter dry, leaving him nothing more than a lifeless skeleton after it leaves him.

In Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow by Chip Zdarsky, Pasqual Ferry, Matt Hollingsworth, and Joe Caramagna, the suit convinces Peter to go on a killing spree. It's easy to see the parallels to demonic possession, and if Peter hadn't discovered the symbiote's weakness against sound, it's very possible that Spider-Man would have needed an exorcism to be able to escape the Venom symbiote. While Peter has been transformed into a zombie and a giant man-spider in the past, the Black Suit remains one of the scariest forms that he has ever taken, because it's one that nearly robbed him of who he was.

Marvel Has Published Several Amazing Horror Stories About Spider-Man's Venom Suit

Panel from "Inside the House" by Alyssa Wong, Fran Galán, and Joe Caramagna from Spider-Man: Black Suit & Blood #1

Hopefully, when Marvel decides to revisit the Black Suit era in future comics, they'll remember to keep that fantastic horror element. While Spider-Man will always have a lighter red and blue costume and a friendly attitude to go along with it, that only makes the horrific juxtaposition of his Black Suit era so much better. There's so much fan art and cosplay of Spider-Man, but some of the best always focus on how, sometimes, Spider-Man can be a little bit terrifying - especially in his black Venom suit.

Source: @bosslogic

Your changes have been saved Venom Venom is a symbiotic alien entity bonded with various human hosts, notably Eddie Brock and later Flash Thompson. It grants superhuman strength, agility, and a shape-shifting black costume. Initially a Spider-Man villain due to its origins, Venom evolved into an antihero, battling both villains and his own dark impulses. The character embodies themes of duality and redemption within the Marvel Universe. Created By David Michelinie , Todd McFarlane Cast Tom Hardy , Topher Grace First Appearance The Amazing Spider-Man Alias Eddie Brock RELATIONSHIPS Eddie Brock (primary host and ally), Peter Parker/Spider-Man (initial enemy, later uneasy ally), Anne Weying (former wife of Eddie Brock and occasional host), Cletus Kasady/Carnage (offspring of the Venom symbiote and a deadly enemy) Alliance Vigilante Race Klyntar (Symbiote species) Movies Spider-Man 3 , Venom , Venom: Let There Be Carnage , Venom: The Last Dance TV Shows Spider-Man , The Spectacular Spider-Man , Ultimate Spider-Man , Guardians of the Galaxy Video Games The Amazing Spider-Man 2 , Spider-Man: The Video Game , Ultimate Spider-Man , Spider-Man: Web of Shadows Franchise Marvel , Spider-Man , Venom POWERS Superhuman strength, speed, agility, and endurance, Ability to cling to surfaces, Shape-shifting abilities (forming weapons, shields), Regeneration and healing factor, Immunity to Spider-Man's spider-sense, Enhanced senses, Able to produce webbing, Bonding with a host to share or amplify powers, Immunity to all Earthly diseases HISTORY The Venom symbiote is an alien organism that first bonded with Peter Parker (Spider-Man) during the "Secret Wars" storyline. After Parker rejected the symbiote, it found a new host in Eddie Brock, a disgraced journalist. The symbiote and Brock bonded over their mutual hatred for Spider-Man, becoming the anti-hero known as Venom. Over time, Venom has evolved from a villain to an anti-hero, often fighting alongside other heroes to protect innocents, though his methods remain brutal. NAME Venom (Symbiote), Eddie Brock (most prominent host) Age Ancient Height Around 6'3" (190 cm) when bonded with Eddie Brock Comic Books Venom #1 , Marvel's Venom: Lethal Protector #1 , Venom: Lethal Protector II #1 , Venom: Space Knight #13 , Venomized #1 , King in Black #1 Summary When a sentient alien symbiote merges with Eddie Brock, the result is the supervillain Venom, a classic and fan-favorite addition to Spider-Man's rogues gallery. Though Brock is not the only human that the Venom symbiote has bonded with, he is the most well-known and popular, in part due to his appearances in the Spider-Man as well as standalone films. Since his introduction, Venom has gone from villain to antihero, facing down the serial killer Cletus Kasady and his symbiote, Carnage. Expand