All-New Venom's Shocking Reveal Leaked Early

The identity of Marvel Comics' All-New Venom has officially been spoiled.

Per Bleeding Cool, the true identity of the titular hero of Marvel's All-New Venom has been spoiled by collectors online. Following retailers receiving what Marvel Comics described as "free All-New Venom #5 suspect surprise variant" copies of the next issue of the series, a copy of the title landed on eBay. This featured both the issue's cover and interior pages, showcasing none other than Mary Jane Watson as the mysterious host of the Venom symbiote.

Marvel Comics' All-New Venom kicked off in the immediate aftermath of the publisher's Venom War crossover event. At the time, both Eddie Brock and his son Dylan were vying for control over the Venom Symbiote. Unfortunately for them, each had been shown a vision of the future in which the entire Marvel Universe was rended asunder by the other. As such, Eddie and Dylan amassed their own factions of symbiotes to fight against one another, all in the hopes of staving off an apocalyptic event.

At the end of Venom War, the Venom symbiote itself was seemingly destroyed, though that couldn't have been further from the truth. Instead of passing away, Venom found itself a mysterious new host and embarked upon another career as a superhero. Initially, there were four main suspects in this particular case. These included acclaimed investigating journalist Robbie Robertson, career sidekick Rick Jones, Hero for Hire turned Mayor of NYC Luke Cage, and the villainous Whitney Frost, better known as Madame Masque.

The early leak may have inspired Marvel to launch a press release with the confirmation to hype the upcoming release of All-New Venom #5:

Since the start of Al Ewing and Carlos Gómez’s ALL-NEW VENOM, the secret identity of Venom’s all-new host has been driving fans wild! Following the clues alongside Dylan Brock, readers have ruled out various suspects over the months, including LUKE CAGE, MADAME MASQUE, RICK JONES and ROBBIE ROBERTSON, before becoming nearly certain the new symbiote hero was PAUL RABIN. But no, this week’s ALL-NEW VENOM #5 reveals the shocking truth that no one guessed—ALL-NEW VENOM is none other than MARY JANE “MJ” WATSON!

See for yourself on the newly-revealed ALL-NEW VENOM #5 SPOILER VARIANT COVER by Martín Cóccolo that pays homage to MJ’s iconic first appearance, a secret fifth SUSPECT VARIANT COVER by Clayton Crain which many comic shops will receive as a complimentary surprise variant cover, AND Lucas Werneck’s Spoiler Variant Cover for ALL-NEW VENOM #6. Crain’s surprise cover and the final page of the ALL-NEW VENOM #5 will be used as Variant Covers for the issue’s upcoming Second Printing.

From strutting down runways as a high fashion model to fighting supervillains as the super hero Jackpot, Mary Jane’s life has taken some unpredictable turns—but never like this! Now that she’s been unmasked, the REAL mystery begins—how and why did she become ALL-NEW VENOM?! Stay tuned for answers in next month’s ALL-NEW VENOM #6 where symbiote and host have a tense confrontation as MJ’s adventures as a symbiote hero continues!

On his decision to take Spider-Man’s greatest love in this bold new direction, Ewing explained, “We hooked readers in with the big mystery - albeit with a little misdirection thrown in - but now the cat's out of the bag, we can really get into the unlikely interaction of MJ and Venom. Unlike previous hosts, these two aren't together by choice, but their odd-couple energy makes for a bubbling pot of old-school soap opera thrills. If you've enjoyed this lighter take on Venom, there's a lot more on the way -- as well as some darker directions to come."

While Mary Jane Watson has long been one of the most prominent characters in Spider-Man's corner of the Marvel Universe, her career as the All-New Venom is hardly the first time she has played the role of a hero. In fact, recent years have seen Mary Jane take up the mantle of Jackpot.

Thanks to a gauntlet created by her current romantic partner, Paul Rabin, Mary Jane has been able to use a series of arcane symbols to call upon various, semi-random sets of superpowers. Although she has certainly made a name for herself as Jackpot and proven what she is capable of as a hero, all of that pales in comparison to what she can accomplish as the host to the Venom symbiote.

All-New Venom #5 will be available April 2 from Marvel Comics.

Source: Bleeding Cool