In Marvel Comics, theKingpinof Crime, Wilson Fisk, and Eddie Brock, the Lethal Protector better known asVenom, don’t have much in common, with their similarities as characters mostly stemming from their brutal tactics on the battlefield as well as their herculean levels of strength. But in a comic from a decade ago,the official pairing of Kingpin and Venom was finally and fully realized, introducing a unique symbiote power that needs to make a comeback, and soon.
Marvel Combines Both Its Versions of Kingpin Into One Giant Terrifying Nightmare
Kingpin’s already terrifying, but a killer variant cover shows how much scarier he could be by taking a hint from some fan-favorite adaptations.
Getting involved in the Venomverseon extremely rare occasions, (there are almost no instances of Kingpin being host to or influenced by a Klyntar in his long history in Marvel Comics), Kingpin’s “Venomized” appearances usually stem from variant covers and not much else.
Yet in an epic one-off story set in the year 2061 exactly 100 years after the debut of Marvel’s “First Family,” The Fantastic Four,100th Anniversary Special: Spider-Man #1gives fans a showdown between a future Kingpin and Spider-Man, withWilson Fisk’s monstrous version of Venom revealing his ability to control any and all kinds of technology!
Venomized Kingpin Can Control Any Machine in a Dark Tech-Based Twist on the Venom Character
100th Anniversary Special: Spider-Man #1- 2014 (Sean Ryan and In-Hyuk Lee)
Telling a future-set story where Cyclops is the President of the United States, the grandchildren of Reed Richards and Sue Storm act as part of the latest incarnation of The Fantastic Four, and where Spider-Man dons a never-before-seen “techno-symbiote” suit, this issue reveals howKingpin was responsible for creating said symbiote that’s been “embedded with technology allowing the wearer to control nearly any machine on the planet.”Killing Eddie Brock to get it back, Kingpin bonds with this unique Klyntar, transforming into a hulking brute twice the size ofVenom’s usual buildwhile becoming infinitely more deadly in the process.
Thinking this techno-symbiote suit is “too much power for anyone,” Peter does his best to combatKingpin’s new form, only to be tossed around like a rag doll. Pursued by Kingpin through pieces of technology such as a large electronic billboard that he pops out of like a digital ghost,Kingpin is next shown controlling “all vehicles plugged into a central hub” as well as “all the systems that control absolutely everything.”Also using dangerous electricity tendrils and even a hacked helicopter to attack Peter with, this version of Kingpin shows off powers that the original could only dream of.
Kingpin’s “Techno-Symbiote” Can Travel Through Technology and Is a Hulking Beast of a Villain
Eventually taken down after Peter utilizes the old standby of a stick with fire on the end of it, Venomized Kingpin was a short-lived iteration of this iconic symbiote whoseunique tech-based abilities brought something creatively fresh to a character who often feels a bit overused and stale. It’s not improbable that fans could see thisVenomxKingpincomboin Marvel Comics again, as the company’s sprawling Venomverse holds every combination of symbiote and host imaginable, but as it stands now, a Klyntar-imbued Wilson Fisk was a one-and-done villain who showed just how deadly an upgraded symbiote can be.
Kingpin
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.
