Do we like them?

Do we like Venom (Eddie Brock)?

A character from Venom (2018-2024)

Our score: 7 out of 10. A messy, lovable pair. They're a chaotic double act who mostly punch up and protect the innocent, and we'd back them even if we'd keep our pets away.

Eddie Brock is a San Francisco reporter who likes to take on the powerful. When an investigation into a shady life-sciences company goes wrong, he loses his career and his relationship. Then an alien symbiote called Venom bonds with him. It gives him great strength and a voice in his head that never stops commenting.

The films work as a buddy comedy about two bad roommates who have to learn to live together. Eddie is a decent but self-destructive man who needs a push. Venom is a predator who wants to eat bad guys and slowly picks up a sense of loyalty. Their bickering is the heart of the series.

We score them 7 because they mostly choose to protect people, and the harm they cause is usually collateral damage rather than cruelty. The scruffy charm and the fact that they stick together count for a lot. Critics were mixed on the later films, but the pair itself was often praised.