deluxetrashqueen:

I don’t think it’s too much of a case of queer coding villains since Venom, even in the early days, has always been a bit of an anti-hero. They’re obsessed with protecting the innocent, even if they go about it the wrong way. One of the major focal points of their character is their very strong moral code, as flawed as it often is. And, by the time I think a lot of their romantic undertones really started becoming overtones (The Hunger, for example), they’d already branched off into their own sort of anti hero role. As Spider-Man once put it, they’re more of a “temporary ally or problematic frenemy [than an arch nemesis]”. I also feel like queer coded villains usually are defined by the fact that they are never quite made explicitly queer, which I feel Venom is fairly early on in their existence. I mean, I don’t mean to only reference “The Hunger”, but that comic was not subtle. Nor was the many times they referred to themselves as “Married” even early than that. 

As far as metaphors go, I think moreso than anything, it’s a metaphor for relationships that, even though they are not “abusive” and both parties love each other deeply, are still unhealthy. 

Early Eddie and the Symbiote are very codependent. They’re obsessed with each other and they’re so concerned with keeping each other and not being alone that they’ll do anything to keep the relationship going. They start to fear normal, healthy things like having connections with other people or knowing the truth about certain parts of their past (this is more on the symbiote’s side since Eddie physically cannot hide his past from the symbiote). They want so badly to be together and to agree that they just bounce twisted morals off each other endlessly. Like “I want to divert the blame for my life onto someone else” “Well, I want to be with you and I like you so I’ll agree!” “Well I like YOU and want to be with YOU so I’ll  agree!” “Well, I like YOU so–” etc etc. In an endless loop until both are convinced they’re right beyond all doubt despite the fact that they’re obviously wrong.  Eddie gets more violent and self righteous and the symbiote equates heroism with punishment and violence.

Which is honestly, while the early 2000s Venom comics were undoubtedly a travesty, I excuse their existence for the simple fact that they separated Eddie and the Symbiote for a significantly long time. Time enough for them both to grow and experience life (and a fairly good life) without each other so that they are then able to clearly and without the influence of the other’s fears, choose to get back together. They were able to become healthier themselves so that they would be healthier together. Now their relationship has very much focused on each of them working hard to make the other better, instead of lowering themselves in a desperate attempt to always agree. 

Long story short, I’m not sure I’d call old school Venom a perpatrator of the whole “queer coded villains” thing, though I’ll admit, most of my knowledge of Venom is kind of Lethal Protector and onward so I could be wrong. And I think, as a metaphor, it’s closer to unhealthy relationships than substance abuse. 

A wholesome post.

The more I read about the old Venom comics the more I get the feeling that the relationship between Eddie and Symbiote is more of a negative loop of a union out of a common hatred. They were both on a very low place, emotionally and otherwise, when they met and they feed each other with all those negative emotions even though Eddie still want to do good things when it’s not about Spiderman (the writers didn’t gave the Symbiote much character back then, it’s no way to tell whether it thought of the same). So that’s a bad relationship because most of their love for each other was shown in a more obsessive and overexaggerate way for them being a villain, and more often than not their actions do colleteral damage to those they care (ex: Ann), which didn’t help them feeling better. It felt more like a downward spiral relationship in a downward spiral environment than actual addiction to me.

PS: I think except The Hunger, the other old comics are not particulary queer coded, more like the writers want to make Eddie being this anti-hero who’s too obsessed with his “suit”. Personally I can’t tell if The Hunger being so blatant about the romantic elements is the writer guniuinly wanted to push the hint of a romantic relationship or using those elements as some sort of dark humor kind of joke. It’s old so it’s hard to judge.