Venom

History

After running from some unnamed laboratory, Venom's host at the time gets run over by a train. Unable to heal his broken body, the symbiont leaves it behind and finds its way into the sewers. After several months of taking rodent hosts, Venom once again finds its way to the surface. This time, it is in Opal Gardens, the central park of the Shade's haunting ground of Opal City.

It bonds with young Michael West, a teenage refugee from New York at the time of the Bizarro Ray incident, and is immediately confronted by Opal City's protector, the Shade.

Michael, unknowledgeable about the symbiont, talks with the centuries old shadow wielder and convinces him that he means no harm. A situation involving a speeding car and a drugs heist from the local hospital convinces the Shade of Michael's intentions and also exposes 'Venom' to the local media.

That night, after being taken to Michael's mother's home, the symbiont joyrides Michael's comatose body around Opal City and eats the brain of a mugger. A very angry Shade confronts him and, after a flippant remark, Venom runs away. He encounters a drunk, middle aged, balding man hanging from a fire escape and rescues him. Ultimately, this act seems to mollify the Shade, since the symbiont-driven Venom hands him over to the other's care without quarrel.

At the end of a very long and, from Venom's point of view, boring night a request to team up during the next night is apparently accepted by the Shade.

In the morning, during aa chance encounter with the Shade, the symbiont's abilities are revealed to Michael. The teenager, apparently unwilling to take full responsibility for the symbiont, asks for the Shade's help in keeping it under control. The Shade agrees, much to Michael's relief, since the idea of killing people to sustain himself is repulsive to him. After the Shade leaves, Michael, hearing a noise on the roof of the tenement building, clambers out onto the fire escape to see what's happening on the roof. He does not go as Venom, believing quite rightly that a semi-friendly face might be more appropriate, especially since it's doubtful that a burglar would make so much racket, or be plying their trade during the day.

The person turns out to be a girl of around Michael's age known as Sister Grimm. An accident involving one of her spells has teleported her to Opal and left her stranded, albeit temporarily. After a little bit of banter, and a few insulting exchanges, Michael agrees to help her off the roof. He enters the apartment, grabs his bag, and is just about to agree to let her use the apartment's telephone when he is teleported to the Panoptichron.

Naturally, he's annoyed at this.

The Timebroker introduces herself, and Michael wanders the halls of the palace as Venom.

Enemies

None yet.

Powers

Shape changing, mild telepathy (affecting mainly it's host), 'sixth sense' allowing him to detect others, ability to use own mass to produce webbing. Grants superhuman strength, agility and regeneration to it's host.