A/N: I thought i might try something a little different while the tv season is taking a break, so lets have a little science lesson.
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The Symbiote’s first appearance
As a Biomedical Engineering student, I thought I would use my knowledge to explore biological the implications of one of my favorite characters, Venom, and what it would take for his symbiote to exist in real life. How would it affect a real human body, physiologically and psychologically? How would it biologically imitate superpowers? How would an alien creature create such a fundamentally strong bond with a human being, where one would die without the other? The Marvel Universe is filled with fantastical creatures and beings of various abilities, and over the years, one of the most popular species has been as mysterious in its nature as it appears in the books. Spider-Man’s living suit, the symbiote—once conceived to be a scientific wonder substance encountered by Spider-Man on Battleworld during The Secret Wars mini-series of 1984–‘85—has been a character of awe and intensity since it was first introduced.
In the 30 years since the character’s debut, it has inspired numerous permutations of itself and various offspring, including fan-favorite characters Venom (the outcome of Spider-Man’s living costume bonding itself to disgraced journalist Eddie Brock), considered to be one of the web head’s deadliest foes; and Carnage, it’s even more lethal offspring. Many creators and artists have inspired their readers with tons of fascinating and distinctive takes on the symbiote, but with expanded interpretations came confusion. A clear explanation of the symbiote’s biology, character, and nature has not yet been demonstrated. In this analysis, I will attempt to take 30 years of continuity and information and consolidate it into a unified rationalization of why and how the symbiote does what it does.
Before I start, I want to shed light on one important idea. According to Marvel, the species is officially called “symbiote,” that specific species categorization is arguable. It is interesting to think about what the binomial nomenclature tag according to standard biological species taxonomy may be (much like Human’s Homo sapien), my vote is for Extraterrestris symbioadsecla (the Latin for “Alien” and Greek for “symbiosis” as a prefix for the Latin for “parasite”, referring to its dual nature.). But for understanding and simplicity, I will continue to label it as “symbiote” when referencing the species both as a whole and when speaking to its individual members.
They symbiote responds to thoughts
First, it might be best to look into a symbiote’s needs from its symbiosis. The symbiotes consume two nutritional resources: phenethylamine and adrenaline. Adrenaline (epinephrine) is the primary resource in a symbiote’s diet, shown by Spider-Man’s repeatedly passing out in the times he became a host to the Venom symbiote. The symbiote would take the driver’s seat of Spider-Man’s body when he consciously slept and then explored into the night for some web swinging and busting criminals. The symbiote turned out not to be an adventure seeker as Spider-Man had proposed, it really only needed a steady diet of adrenaline—something Spider-Man provided easily with the help of his super-powers, making Spider-Man the Venom symbiote’s most attractive host.
The explanation as to why adrenaline would be the primary component to a symbiote’s diet is never explained in the comics, but bearing in mind the biological function of the hormone, it’s reasonable that adrenaline affects the way a symbiote may function. Adrenaline is an agonist, in which it chemically binds to a signal receptor and activates a signal pathway to produce a biological response. Taking this into account, we can assume that the symbiote uses adrenaline to administrate its physical and biological responses, including movement, amorphous formation, and absorption.
The next most important component of a symbiote’s diet is also the main constituent that physically binds the symbiote’s amorphous structure together. Phenethylamine is extracted by the Venom symbiote from two different sources on Earth: the brains of humans and processed chocolate. It is thought symbiotes favor brains over chocolate (with “We want to eat your brains!” becoming one of Venom’s catchphrases) due to their higher molar concentration of phenethylamine in human brain tissue. This chemical needs to be consumed in large capacities, and this is evidenced by the fact that symbiotes can hypothetically maintain themselves with chocolate alone, this was depicted when the Venom symbiote went on a chocolate eating binge in The Spectacular Spiderman: The Hunger.
Human brains manufacture adequate supplies of the alternate β-phenethylamine (PEA). Since it’s been experimentally shown that PEA has a kind of fountain of youth property in both physical and mental health, it can be assumed PEA is the symbiote’s first preference of nourishment over the phenethylamine found in processed chocolate.
The Symbiote doesn’t like roasting marshmallows either
Now, to truthfully appreciate a symbiote’s biology, one must recognize its limitations. Symbiotes possess three innate weaknesses: powerful thermal energy (or more simply, fire), high frequency noise (sonics), and Brock’s own Anti-Venom antibodies. The last is a more recent expansion and the most exceptional of the three, as the antibodies are manufactured by the union of human white blood cells and transformed symbiote tissue. The antibodies act much like traditional white blood cells, aggressively destroying regular symbiote tissue.
The character of the other weak points (fire and sonics) proposes that symbiote tissue is unsound or fragile in its molecular structure. It should be noted that in the comics, literal Hellfire (as in from the Christian mythological Hell) seems to have little consequence on symbiote tissue, as demonstrated in Venom: Circle of Four.Additionally, microwaves have been demonstrated to be a most efficient weapon in opposition to symbiotes as it combines both concentrated high temperatures and vibrational wave forms similar to sonic waves.
This fight with the son of the Devil shows the interconnection between the symbiote and the host
This unsteadiness explains the symbiote’s nebulous physiology. It also elucidates the symbiote’s consumption of phenethylamine, particularly PEA; the instability of a symbiote’s molecular structure gives rise to a predicament of accelerated maturity and organic deterioration, so the symbiote processes and uses PEA to continually renovate the integrity of its molecular structure. In a nutshell, symbiotes consume PEA to stay juvenile, strong, and living. The demolition of a symbiote’s molecular structure via heat and sonics cause the life form powerful pain and anguish, and if it continues it will eventually lead to disintegration.
As a symbiote has an amorphous corporeal makeup, its physiological organization is an enigma. It can be taken that its organs also take on an amorphous shape, and can be easily and efficiently hidden in its mass. It seems that Symbiotes possess organs, as shown by the Xenophage’s (the symbiote’s only shown predator in nature besides Anti-Venom) diet of symbiote organs and the Secret Avenger’s attempts to “neuter” the Venom symbiote to diminish its viciousness. Other than a symbiote’s organs and reproductive system, it is not specified what other structures the symbiote uses for organs. It’s also uncertain what type of sensory structure a symbiote possesses, but the Carnage symbiote has established that the symbiote can “see” in full spherical 360°.
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Well, that’s enough of a science lesson for today, join me next month for the next installment of superhero classroom!
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