Warning: Spoilers Ahead for the Short Story “Shock and Awe” in Spider-Man: Black Suit & Blood #2!A horrifying new feature in Marvel’s Venom lore finds the symbiote taking a cue from Jordan Peele‘s hit horror film, Get Out. The 2020s have been a big decade so far for Venom and its symbiote kin. They’ve been undergoing massive changes in their lore with Carnage rising to godlike stature and Venom seeking out a new host. However, a new detail during Venom’s time with Peter Parker has unveiled something incredibly sinister in his lore.
In Spider-Man: Black Suit & Blood #2, the story “Shock and Awe” – written by Greg Weisman and Javi Fernàndez –finds Peter waking up in a mysterious dark environment. While trying to figure out what’s going on, a sinister voice can be heard telling him “go back to sleep” and “let go. All is well.”
He quickly discovers that it’s actually the Venom symbiote, and his body is being controlled to fight Shocker while he’s unconscious. It’s a horrifying scenario Peter finds himself in, but what’s even scarier is how it eerily relates to one of the scariest elements of Get Out: the Sunken Place.
Venom Controls Peter’s Body by Pushing Him Down Into His Mind, Similar To The “Sunken Place” From Get Out
“Shock and Awe” From Spider-Man: Black Suit & Blood #2 – Written By Greg Weisman, Art & Color By Javi Fernàndez
In Get Out, Daniel Kaluuya’s character, Chris, finds himself in a living nightmare when he’s hypnotized by his girlfriend’s mother to sink into his mind at the sound of her teacup clinking. This eerie space he finds himself floating in with no voice is called the “Sunken Place”, which is used to push a person down into a small fragment of their mind as they’re forced to watch a completely new person pilot their body. This happens following a horrific operation called the Coagula.
In similar fashion, Black Suit & Blood does a phenomenal job exploring the horrific side of Venom, and this choice to mirror the Sunken Place is a fascinating way to expand upon Marvel’s symbiote mythos. It has been confirmed before that Venom can control its host’s body from time-to-time, as Peter would find himself waking up in strange places. However, the fact that it goes as far as Venom taking total control of his mind and forcing its host’s personality into a dark void while they’re asleep or unconscious makes it a terrifying new take on the symbiote.
According To Venom, The Symbiote Forces His Hosts Into The Void Only When Necessary
Symbiote Lore Continues To Grow More Intense
What’s fascinating about this change in Venom’s lore is what it means about how it interacts with some of its more compatible hosts. While it did love being tied to Spider-Man, the two weren’t exactly the best match for each other, as Peter ended up fighting against the parasite when he realized how much it changed him. However, when Venom was introduced to Eddie Brock, there was no need for the two to be at odds. Venom finds itself a perfect match in Eddie, cementing the two as one unit. For this reason, Eddie likely never saw the void because there was no need for Venom to put him there.
This ultimately suggests that Venom saves this mysterious void for those that don’t comply with him. When the symbiote comes into conflict with its host body, it can easily push their brain functions down into a version of the Sunken Place, so it can take control for the time being. It’s a terrifying update to Venom’s lore, and having the character take a page out of Jordan Peele‘s acclaimed film Get Out makes it a cool way to connect to one of modern horror’s most refreshing concepts.
Spider-Man: Black Suit & Blood #2 is available now from Marvel Comics!
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.
