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Toxin (comics)
Encyclopedia
Toxin is a fiction
al character
, a superhero
in the Marvel Comics
universe
. He is the third major symbiote
of the Spider-Man series, the ninth known to have appeared in the comics outside of the Planet of the Symbiotes
storyline, and the first symbiote that Spider-Man considers an ally, despite temporary alliances with Venom
on numerous occasions.
, Carnage
produced offspring: a third symbiote
. Carnage felt only dislike and hatred towards his new spawn, even before he "gave birth" to it, both fearing that it could become much stronger than himself, and being generally disgusted at the thought of giving birth (due to Carnage's host, Cletus Kasady, being male). At the same time, Carnage's rival and "father" Venom became aware that Carnage was "pregnant" and sought out Carnage to talk about this new symbiote. Carnage had resolved to kill his spawn as soon as it was born. Venom was doing his best to protect the new symbiote, with the intention of raising it to become his new partner. Venom was also concerned that, as the 1,000th symbiote of their line, the new symbiote could potentially become psychotic and violent because of genetic breakdown.
After the birth of his "son", Carnage felt too weak to kill his newborn (due in no small part to his attempt to repress the birth after burying himself). Since he could not kill his newborn, he implanted it into Patrick Mulligan and fled, intending to kill him later and destroy the new symbiote when he was up to strength.
Prior to being implanted with the alien symbiote, Patrick Mulligan was one of New York City
's finest cops, yet he was also troubled with various personal problems. His stressful job, along with the strain of his new family (his wife, Gina, was pregnant with their first son, Edward) were taking their toll on him. One night, while on duty, he came across the site where Carnage was giving birth to the new symbiote. Carnage, needing a host to hide the symbiote to keep it from Venom, bonded it to Patrick. Carnage resolved to kill both Pat and the symbiote currently hiding in his body since Toxin wasn't yet strong enough to manifest into a super-powered costume like the Venom and Carnage symbiotes. Venom was still hopeful that he'd be able to use this new symbiote as a partner and fought Carnage to a standstill to protect Pat and the symbiote whom he christened Toxin, after himself.
At first, Patrick didn't realize quite what had happened to him, but before long, the Toxin symbiote had matured enough to gain both conscious thought, and the strength to form a symbiote costume on Pat's body. After Carnage attacked Gina and Edward at his home, he realized the symbiote was a danger to both himself and his family. During a future confrontation between Venom, Carnage, and Toxin, Venom realized Patrick was dedicated to a life of virtue, or as close as he could come bearing the symbiote in him. Venom and Carnage formed a temporary pact to destroy Toxin, as it was clear by now that he was easily as strong as either of his predecessors, and was still growing.
Spider-Man
stumbled into the final confrontation between the symbiote trio, and helped Toxin. After they fended off Venom and Carnage, Toxin had a conversation with Spider-Man, filling him in on what had happened to him. Spider-Man gave him a kind of superhero heart-to-heart, and Toxin resigned himself to a life of battling his base symbiote urges to indulge in violence and destruction, while trying to harness his power for good. He walked out on his wife and child, and left the police force to try to come to terms with his new life and Symbiote.
In 2005, after Spider-Man joined the New Avengers, Marvel started a six-issue Toxin limited series
, which charts Toxin's battles with various supervillains who had escaped from the Raft
as a result of the events beginning The New Avengers series, as well as his constant battle to keep the Toxin symbiote under control, as unlike Venom and Carnage, the host and symbiote minds stayed separate in Toxin, and they even had conversations and arguments with each other; unlike his "grandfather" Venom, Toxin does not refer to himself as "we". Throughout the course of the miniseries, he battled King Cobra
, the Wrecker
, Piledriver
, and Razor Fist
.
At one point, trying to live with Toxin becomes too much for Pat, and he attempts to commit suicide by throwing himself in front of a train. Toxin interferes at the last moment, saving Pat and claiming that deep down, Pat didn't really want to die. When Pat presses the issue, however, it becomes clear that, unlike the Venom and Carnage symbiotes, Toxin is not sure it could survive on its own and find a new host. Both Venom and Carnage have left their original hosts, Peter Parker, Eddie Brock
, and Cletus Kasady, to bond with others. It was in this limited series that Razor Fist murders Patrick Mulligan's father, but Pat/Toxin begins to show true signs of a hero; he tracks Razor Fist down, but instead of slaughtering him as both the symbiote and Razor Fist himself urge, he controls himself and turns Razor Fist over to the police.
At the end of the limited series, Pat reconciles with his estranged wife Gina by 'introducing' her to the Toxin symbiote as a way of explaining why he walked out on his family.
Pat and Toxin co-operate peacefully on a deal that is honored by them both. Pat will be in complete control of the symbiote, if he allows Toxin two hours of "playtime" each night. However, in those two hours, Toxin is not allowed to commit any acts of grand theft, arson, rape, or homicide.
#1, as part of the Fifty State Initiative
.
Toxin is considered as a "potential recruit" for the Initiative
program, according to Civil War: Battle Damage Report.
Unlike many of the other symbiotes, Toxin does not try to take over the mind of his human host. Instead, the symbiote actually thinks and voices its opinions to the human host (as evidenced in Toxin's Cut to the Chase storyline). The symbiote usually speaks when the host is in his "human form", and acts very immature and childlike because of its nascent existence, once refusing to aid Pat in battle until he apologized for an earlier argument. In addition, he seems to have a stronger resistance to sonics and intense heat compared to Carnage, though this does not mean that Toxin is more resistant to violent urges: it can get carried away with violence and fighting crime, even if it's a petty crime. When he's not angry or fighting, Toxin is slim and smooth-lined, although still well muscled, closely resembling Carnage or Spider-Man in his symbiote costume. When he becomes upset or aggressive, he grows into his much bigger and stronger form (like Venom), with vicious fangs and long curving claws.
of Toxin has been produced in the Amazing Spider-Man series, depicting him in his muscular, mouthed form.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al character
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. He is the third major symbiote
Symbiote (comics)
In the Marvel Comics universe, The Symbiote is a specific parasitic species of extraterrestrial organism...
of the Spider-Man series, the ninth known to have appeared in the comics outside of the Planet of the Symbiotes
Planet of the Symbiotes
-External links:* at The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators...
storyline, and the first symbiote that Spider-Man considers an ally, despite temporary alliances with Venom
Venom (comics)
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
on numerous occasions.
Fictional character biography
Much like his "father and grandfather" VenomVenom (comics)
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
, Carnage
Carnage (comics)
Carnage is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . The character first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #344 , and was created by writer David Michelinie and artist Mark Bagley. The character is frequently depicted as an enemy of Spider-Man...
produced offspring: a third symbiote
Symbiote (comics)
In the Marvel Comics universe, The Symbiote is a specific parasitic species of extraterrestrial organism...
. Carnage felt only dislike and hatred towards his new spawn, even before he "gave birth" to it, both fearing that it could become much stronger than himself, and being generally disgusted at the thought of giving birth (due to Carnage's host, Cletus Kasady, being male). At the same time, Carnage's rival and "father" Venom became aware that Carnage was "pregnant" and sought out Carnage to talk about this new symbiote. Carnage had resolved to kill his spawn as soon as it was born. Venom was doing his best to protect the new symbiote, with the intention of raising it to become his new partner. Venom was also concerned that, as the 1,000th symbiote of their line, the new symbiote could potentially become psychotic and violent because of genetic breakdown.
After the birth of his "son", Carnage felt too weak to kill his newborn (due in no small part to his attempt to repress the birth after burying himself). Since he could not kill his newborn, he implanted it into Patrick Mulligan and fled, intending to kill him later and destroy the new symbiote when he was up to strength.
Prior to being implanted with the alien symbiote, Patrick Mulligan was one of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's finest cops, yet he was also troubled with various personal problems. His stressful job, along with the strain of his new family (his wife, Gina, was pregnant with their first son, Edward) were taking their toll on him. One night, while on duty, he came across the site where Carnage was giving birth to the new symbiote. Carnage, needing a host to hide the symbiote to keep it from Venom, bonded it to Patrick. Carnage resolved to kill both Pat and the symbiote currently hiding in his body since Toxin wasn't yet strong enough to manifest into a super-powered costume like the Venom and Carnage symbiotes. Venom was still hopeful that he'd be able to use this new symbiote as a partner and fought Carnage to a standstill to protect Pat and the symbiote whom he christened Toxin, after himself.
At first, Patrick didn't realize quite what had happened to him, but before long, the Toxin symbiote had matured enough to gain both conscious thought, and the strength to form a symbiote costume on Pat's body. After Carnage attacked Gina and Edward at his home, he realized the symbiote was a danger to both himself and his family. During a future confrontation between Venom, Carnage, and Toxin, Venom realized Patrick was dedicated to a life of virtue, or as close as he could come bearing the symbiote in him. Venom and Carnage formed a temporary pact to destroy Toxin, as it was clear by now that he was easily as strong as either of his predecessors, and was still growing.
Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
stumbled into the final confrontation between the symbiote trio, and helped Toxin. After they fended off Venom and Carnage, Toxin had a conversation with Spider-Man, filling him in on what had happened to him. Spider-Man gave him a kind of superhero heart-to-heart, and Toxin resigned himself to a life of battling his base symbiote urges to indulge in violence and destruction, while trying to harness his power for good. He walked out on his wife and child, and left the police force to try to come to terms with his new life and Symbiote.
In 2005, after Spider-Man joined the New Avengers, Marvel started a six-issue Toxin limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
, which charts Toxin's battles with various supervillains who had escaped from the Raft
The Raft (comics)
The Raft is a fictional island prison facility in New York City for psychopathic superhuman criminals appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics...
as a result of the events beginning The New Avengers series, as well as his constant battle to keep the Toxin symbiote under control, as unlike Venom and Carnage, the host and symbiote minds stayed separate in Toxin, and they even had conversations and arguments with each other; unlike his "grandfather" Venom, Toxin does not refer to himself as "we". Throughout the course of the miniseries, he battled King Cobra
Cobra (comics)
The Cobra is the alias of two fictional comic-book supervillains that appear in the Marvel Comics universe.-Klaus Voorhees:Klaus Voorhees, the original Cobra, was also known as The Human Cobra and is currently known as the original King Cobra...
, the Wrecker
Wrecker (comics)
The Wrecker is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Wrecker was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appears in The Mighty Thor #148 The Wrecker (Dirk Garthwaite) is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics....
, Piledriver
Piledriver (comics)
Piledriver is a fictional supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a member of the Wrecker's Wrecking Crew...
, and Razor Fist
Razor Fist
Razor Fist is a Marvel Comics supervillain. There have actually been 3 characters, all virtually identical in appearance and ability, to go by this title. The original Razor Fist was killed off in the comic books many years ago. The next two characters to take the title were brothers...
.
At one point, trying to live with Toxin becomes too much for Pat, and he attempts to commit suicide by throwing himself in front of a train. Toxin interferes at the last moment, saving Pat and claiming that deep down, Pat didn't really want to die. When Pat presses the issue, however, it becomes clear that, unlike the Venom and Carnage symbiotes, Toxin is not sure it could survive on its own and find a new host. Both Venom and Carnage have left their original hosts, Peter Parker, Eddie Brock
Eddie Brock
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
, and Cletus Kasady, to bond with others. It was in this limited series that Razor Fist murders Patrick Mulligan's father, but Pat/Toxin begins to show true signs of a hero; he tracks Razor Fist down, but instead of slaughtering him as both the symbiote and Razor Fist himself urge, he controls himself and turns Razor Fist over to the police.
At the end of the limited series, Pat reconciles with his estranged wife Gina by 'introducing' her to the Toxin symbiote as a way of explaining why he walked out on his family.
Pat and Toxin co-operate peacefully on a deal that is honored by them both. Pat will be in complete control of the symbiote, if he allows Toxin two hours of "playtime" each night. However, in those two hours, Toxin is not allowed to commit any acts of grand theft, arson, rape, or homicide.
Civil War/The Initiative
Toxin is seen with his grandfather, Venom, on the cover of Avengers: The InitiativeAvengers: The Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage with artwork initially by Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy and Harvey Tolibao, the series dealt with the aftermath of Marvel's Civil War crossover Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series...
#1, as part of the Fifty State Initiative
Fifty State Initiative
The Fifty State Initiative, often referred to as simply The Initiative, is a fictional governmental plan that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those related to The Avengers...
.
Toxin is considered as a "potential recruit" for the Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage with artwork initially by Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy and Harvey Tolibao, the series dealt with the aftermath of Marvel's Civil War crossover Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series...
program, according to Civil War: Battle Damage Report.
Venom Series
Toxin is set to make his reappearance in the new Venom series. According to Marvel.com, Venom will go head to head with archenemy Jack-O-Lantern. The fight brings them to Vegas where Venom comes face to face with his grandson, Toxin. And Red Hulk closes in on his target, Venom.Powers and abilities
Toxin possesses the special abilities of his two symbiote predecessors: he can stick to walls (which originally came from when Spider-Man was a host of the Venom symbiote), can change his identity to that of a completely different person, and also has unlimited webbing. His suit is red from the abdomen up and black from the abdomen down. Toxin can also blend in with his surroundings and become undetectable, an ability he gained from his grandfather, and he can form solid weapons from his limbs, an ability first seen in his father. Toxin also seems to have some sort of quick-healing ability like his predecessors, as his wounds from his first battle with Razor Fist healed remarkably quickly. Unlike the others, Toxin can track anyone — not just other symbiotes or symbiote hosts — within the entire city of New York and possibly farther, as long as he has something to begin from.Unlike many of the other symbiotes, Toxin does not try to take over the mind of his human host. Instead, the symbiote actually thinks and voices its opinions to the human host (as evidenced in Toxin's Cut to the Chase storyline). The symbiote usually speaks when the host is in his "human form", and acts very immature and childlike because of its nascent existence, once refusing to aid Pat in battle until he apologized for an earlier argument. In addition, he seems to have a stronger resistance to sonics and intense heat compared to Carnage, though this does not mean that Toxin is more resistant to violent urges: it can get carried away with violence and fighting crime, even if it's a petty crime. When he's not angry or fighting, Toxin is slim and smooth-lined, although still well muscled, closely resembling Carnage or Spider-Man in his symbiote costume. When he becomes upset or aggressive, he grows into his much bigger and stronger form (like Venom), with vicious fangs and long curving claws.
Toys
One action figureAction figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
of Toxin has been produced in the Amazing Spider-Man series, depicting him in his muscular, mouthed form.