Who Is the Amazing Venom? Boomerang Gets a Symbiote and a Space Adventure

Marvel's symbiote corner just got weirder in the best possible way. This September, the publisher launches The Amazing Venom, a miniseries that hands the Venom mantle to Fred Myers — better known as the perennial D-list villain Boomerang — and pairs him with a symbiote called Passenger. The book arrives September 30 as a spinoff of the ongoing Queen in Black crossover, which pits Asgardian death goddess Hela against symbiote god Knull in a conflict reshaping the entire Spider-Man franchise. For readers who have spent years watching Boomerang bounce between the Sinister Six and punchlines in Superior Foes of Spider-Man, this promotion from boomerang-throwing joke to cosmic anti-hero feels like a punchline that landed seriously.

The timing is deliberate. Marvel is simultaneously launching a new Eddie Brock Venom series, but Morris makes clear the two books are chasing different vibes. Where Brock's title seems like it's going to be focused on more street level adventures, The Amazing Venom blasts its protagonist into space — a decision driven as much by artist Luke Ross's sci-fi chops as by narrative ambition. This is a book about a guy who wants to rob banks and throw trick boomerangs suddenly navigating extraterrestrial weirdness, and the friction between those two impulses is where the series lives.

When Venom Went Full Cosmic

Fred Myers has never been an A-lister. Created as a gimmick villain who throws specialized boomerangs — explosive, gas, razor-edged — he spent decades as a Sinister Six filler member and occasional Thunderbolts recruit. Then Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber's The Superior Foes of Spider-Man (2013–2015) rewrote him as a lovable loser with genuine pathos, a narrator whose self-justifying voice carried an entire series about C-list criminals trying to pull off one big score. That run turned Boomerang into a cult favorite, and Morris openly acknowledges the debt. The new series even replicates Superior Foes' signature skull-and-crossbones censorship bleep when characters swear, a visual callback Morris requested specifically.

Queen in Black provides the launchpad. The crossover's symbiote-centric chaos — Hela versus Knull, the symbiote god — creates a moment where new hosts can emerge and old status quos can shatter. Eddie Brock gets his classic symbiote back in the flagship title; Fred Myers gets Passenger, a symbiote with its own agenda, and a costume that deliberately echoes Spider-Man's silhouette. The Amazing Venom #1 arrives September 30, drawn by Luke Ross whose work Morris first saw in a Star Wars book, with Morris scripting a story that finds Fred trying to live a quiet life while his symbiote drags him toward adventure.

Who Spun the Web for Ven?

Morris explains why Fred works as a Venom host by pointing to something that feels familiar: the difference between the person you aspire to be and the one you constantly end up showing up as. It cuts right to the core, making the connection feel real for anyone who's ever felt stuck.

"Beyond being funny, Fred has some really relatable baggage. I think he wants to be better but self-doubt keeps him repeating destructive patterns, which is pretty relatable."

Jordan Morris

That self-awareness distinguishes him from Eddie Brock's operatic rage or Flash Thompson's soldierly discipline. Fred is a grunt who stumbled into power, and the comedy comes from watching him negotiate with a symbiote that keeps dragging him toward adventure when he'd rather be throwing boomerangs at armored cars.

The Lethal Protector influence shows in Morris's approach to the host-symbiote dynamic. He cites the 1993 Venom: Lethal Protector miniseries as a touchstone — "That cemented Venom as an anti-hero with his own weirdo morality. And it's funny too!" — and frames Fred and Passenger's relationship as a "sci-fi body horror buddy comedy." Passenger wants excitement; Fred wants a quiet life. That tension powers a metaphor Morris describes as "the different impulses in all of our brains that pull us in different directions," only externalized as an alien organism wrapped around your nervous system. It's a smart hook: the symbiote as the part of you that signs up for a 5K at 2 AM while the conscious you screams into a pillow.

Venom's Mistake: Why Boomerang Got It Wrong

Some gamers might question whether Marvel's symbiote roster is already packed. With Eddie Brock, Dylan Brock, the many Carnage line‑ups, and a seemingly endless string of one‑shot hosts, can another Venom actually find a home? The formula of a legacy hero snagging a new symbiote often loses its edge once the shock fades and the narrative slides back into the same old tropes: the host battles inner control, the alien craving energy, the anti‑hero grappling for balance. Fred Myers's particular draw—his modest ambitions, that gritty old‑school voice— is at risk of getting lost in a space‑faring plot that carries him well beyond the gritty streets where he really excels.

There's also the question of Passenger as a symbiote character. New symbiotes need distinct personalities to avoid feeling like palette swaps of Venom or Carnage. Morris describes Passenger as pushing Fred toward adventure, but the source material doesn't detail Passenger's origin, voice, or agenda beyond that dynamic. If the symbiote becomes a generic "go do hero stuff" impulse generator, the buddy-comedy friction loses its specificity. Ross's art will carry significant weight here — his expressions and acting need to sell Passenger as a character, not just a costume.

<strong>Spider-Man's Darkest Enemy Is in Boomerang's Hands</strong>

The dual-launch strategy — Eddie Brock on Earth, Fred Myers in space — suggests Marvel understands the Venom brand now supports multiple flavors simultaneously. Morris compares it to the current Marvel shelf:

"You have big, world-ending stakes in an Avengers book that's on the shelf next to a fun and funny Jeff the Land Shark adventure."

Jordan Morris, Writer

Variety keeps the series lively, letting fans jump in wherever they feel like. A few chapters lean into epic, continuity‑heavy storytelling, while others swing back into quirky, self‑contained humor. One of the most memorable twists follows a character who died at a vampire's claws only to return, proving that cosmic mischief belongs in the same universe as Avengers or X‑Men, not just a boomerang‑wearing hero. That balance makes the mix feel balanced, not forced.

The Superior Foes DNA is the strongest signal of intent. That series proved Marvel's deepest-cut villains could carry a book if the writing respected their absurdity while grounding their humanity. Morris gets this:

"It's funny (obviously) but it also has a sneaky big heart. It's very curious about its wacko characters and what makes them tick."

Jordan Morris, Writer

If The Amazing Venom delivers on that promise — a space opera anchored in a villain's petty, relatable neuroses — it could be the most surprising symbiote book in years. The first issue drops September 30. Preorders are open at local comic shops.