business / Thursday, 21-Aug-2025

Venomized Colossus Marks the Most Badass Symbiote Form in Marvel Lore

With his organic steel skin, incredible strength, and rich history, Colossus ranks high on the list of fan-favorite X-Men and one version of him also stands out among the most powerful characters to ever host the Venom-like symbiote. One Marvel event introduced a whole new side to the mutant giant by giving him his own symbiote. Venomized Colossus was a short-lived phenomenon, but it's worth revisiting the idea's incredible potential.

Venomized #1– by writer Cullen Bunn and artist Iban Coello – saw a massive group of heroes bonded with Venom-like symbiotes at the hands of the deadly Poisons, who intended to assimilate the symbiotes and their hosts to grow in power. Among several other X-Men and familiar faces, Colossus ended up with his own symbiote, completely changing the character's look.

Kitty Pryde looks at Venomized Colossus, Wolverine, and Nightcrawler.
Kitty Pryde looks at Venomized Colossus, Wolverine, and Nightcrawler. 

With so much action during the Venomized event, Piotr didn't pull in a lot of attention for himself, but with the mutant powerhouse's strength and durability, Venomized Colossus would doubtlessly be one of Marvel's strongest symbiote hosts with the right spotlight.

Colossus Has One Of Marvel’s Best Symbiote Designs, Even If It Only Saw Limited Action

Venomized #1 – Writen By Cullen Bunn; Art By Iban Coello; Color By Matt Yackey; Lettering By Joe Caramagna

Spider-Man, Magneto, Wolverine, and other Marvel heroes in symbiote forms fight Poisons.
Spider-Man, Magneto, Wolverine, and other Marvel heroes in symbiote forms fight Poisons. 

Marvel has unveiled several different iterations of Colossus in the mutant's long comic tenure. While he'll always be primarily known for his recognizable metallic skin and massive stature, Piotr's Venomized design proved that there's plenty of room for variation. After being forcibly bonded with a symbiote, which the Poisons engineered to be more difficult to remove than the standard fare, Colossus' whole look changed. Rather than a glint of organic steel, his body took on the inky black color of the symbiote, with only the top of his head giving a real hint of who he was before being converted.

Venomized Colossus turned out to be close to unstoppable, with the symbiote taking Piotr's numerous abilities to new heights.

Venomized Colossus only really appeared within larger groups, but the concept of Piotr taking on a symbiote is worth exploring further. On his own, he has the strength to defeat or put up a good fight against Marvel's other powerhouses like Juggernaut, Hulk, and The Thing, but that would be heightened even further with a symbiote. Likewise, the incredible durability granted by his steel skin would have a further layer of protection in that form. All told, Venomized Colossus turned out to be close to unstoppable, with the symbiote taking Piotr's numerous abilities to new heights. Piotr is far from a regular human host.

Marvel Should Bring Back Venomized Colossus In A Future Storyline, And Let The Character Really Do Some Damage

While the Venomized event stretched on for several issues, Venomized Colossus didn't take a major role with so many players on the board, but it's too compelling a concept to discard forever. Although the Venom War event just ended, and Piotr has been through plenty of rough times himself in the last few years, bonding Colossus with a symbiote again is worth considering. The sheer potential of his already considerable mutant gifts housed in a symbiote is impressive, and the design itself was a memorable spin on his usual look. Venomized Colossus combined the best of both beings, and fans deserve more of him.

Venomized #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.

Venom in David Baldeon Comic Cover Art
NAME
Venom (Symbiote), Eddie Brock (most prominent host)
Alias
Eddie Brock
Created By
David Michelinie, Todd McFarlane
POWERS
Superhuman strength, speed, agility, and endurance, Ability to cling to surfaces, Shape-shifting abilities (forming weapons, shields), Regeneration and healing factor, Immunity to Spider-Man's spider-sense, Enhanced senses, Able to produce webbing, Bonding with a host to share or amplify powers, Immunity to all Earthly diseases
RELATIONSHIPS
Eddie Brock (primary host and ally), Peter Parker/Spider-Man (initial enemy, later uneasy ally), Anne Weying (former wife of Eddie Brock and occasional host), Cletus Kasady/Carnage (offspring of the Venom symbiote and a deadly enemy)
HISTORY
The Venom symbiote is an alien organism that first bonded with Peter Parker (Spider-Man) during the "Secret Wars" storyline. After Parker rejected the symbiote, it found a new host in Eddie Brock, a disgraced journalist. The symbiote and Brock bonded over their mutual hatred for Spider-Man, becoming the anti-hero known as Venom. Over time, Venom has evolved from a villain to an anti-hero, often fighting alongside other heroes to protect innocents, though his methods remain brutal.

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.

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