When Spider-Man rid himself of the alien symbiote costume he acquired during the Secret Wars, it bonds with reporter Eddie Brock, who hates Spider-Man for causing him to lose his job and reputation. The symbiote, known as Venom gives Brock all of Spider-Man's powers, protection from his Spider-Sense and the knowledge of Parker's secret identity. Brock would gain a new symbiote and face-off against Mac Gargan as Anti-Venom.