10 Characters the Marvel Universe Should Hope NEVER Get a Symbiote

The symbiotes of the Marvel Universe like Venom do not have the best reputation, as they have a habit of transforming their hosts for the worse. When they inhabit the more evil-inclined characters, carnage (no pun intended) is sure to follow. There is no need to look further than Venom for an example of the violence that can arise from a symbiote infection. Likewise, characters who belong in the antihero category can be completely overtaken by their negative qualities when they are inhabited by the symbiote.

Even the heroes of Marvel are not safe from the bad influence of the symbiotes. Feeding off negative emotions and adrenaline, the symbiotes push their hosts — villain or hero — to do the unthinkable and bring out their bad side. There are rare cases where a super-powered individual can fight off a symbiote before it ever affects them, like Franklin Richards. However, most characters, as powerful as they may be, would be an absolute nightmare if they bonded with a symbiote.

10 Invisible Woman (Sue Storm)

Debuted In 1961

While a symbiote has become attached to Sue Storm in the past, it was only for a short time. The parasite was jumping from one Richards family member to another until it got to Franklin Richards, who was able to easily shake it off. Since the symbiote was not attached to Sue for long, it was not catastrophic. However, if the symbiote had bonded to her for longer, it would be a catastrophe for all involved due to Sue Storm’s past as Malice. When she had a breakdown, she was a force of destruction, having none of Sue’s typical restraint. The symbiote would bring on an even worse version of that part of herself.

9 Sabretooth

Debuted In 1977

Wolverine’s arch nemesis, Sabretooth represents all of Logan’s worst qualities, like his anger. A bully from day one, Sabretooth has a history of victimizing others as well as being a victim himself; as a child he was chained up in the family’s cellar by his own father. A symbiote would exaggerate Sabretooth’s violent and aggressive qualities while amplifying his already cynical views on people. His murderous tendencies have been seen in multiple circumstances, even when he was acting as a civilian in the Vietnam War. These would provide a lifetime supply of adrenaline for a symbiote, enabling him to get more evil. The Venom symbiote once inhabited the Punisher, causing him to have his highest kill count ever. A similar situation would occur if a symbiote ever infected Sabretooth.

8 Iron Man

Debuted In 1963

Just because Tony Stark is a hero through and through, that does not mean that Iron Man has no negative qualities. He can be quite arrogant, which a symbiote would only increase. Moreover, Tony has personal demons that the symbiote would only exploit. As a result, a symbiote would destroy Tony Stark. Also, given Tony’s background as a weapons manufacturer before he became Iron Man, the symbiote would basically revert him back to his pre-superhero ways and use the weapons manufacturer role to the detriment of the entire planet. Tony’s vast amount of power in the world, mixed with personal character flaws and an endless amount of resources, makes him one of the worst people to receive a symbiote, both for himself and the world at large.

7 Molecule Man

Debuted In 1963

Owen Reese aka Molecule Man has the formidable power of being able to control the molecules of matter and energy. As a result, he could hypothetically remove the symbiote from himself with no problem. However, he would not want to get rid of the symbiote because of the boost in power it would give him. Reese is ultimately power hungry, but due to self-esteem issues, he subconsciously limits his own abilities, which have left him unable to manipulate organic molecules (save for limited periods of time). Consequently, he would welcome a symbiote that could unleash the full capability of his powers, which are already so lethal that Galactus himself felt that Molecule Man could destroy him with no effort.

6 Rogue

Debuted In 1981

A powerhouse of the X-Men, Rogue was not always the heroic Southern belle that she currently is. In her past, she allied herself with Mystique, who used her as her own weapon. She fought against the Avengers, as ordered by Mystique, and was fueled by bitterness and anger due to some traumatic incidents in her background. Had Rogue not absorbed Ms. Marvel’s psyche and turned to Professor X for help, it is very possible that Rogue would still be aligned with villainous mutants. Therefore, it would be gravely negative if a symbiote were to latch itself onto Rogue because it would bring back all those bad feelings of loneliness, rage, and cynicism. Bringing back those feelings would show a return of Rogue’s bad side, which, in combination with her unstoppable powers, would be a calamity.

5 Magneto

Debuted In 1963

Hungering for world domination for mutantkind, Magneto is more than willing to get violent if it suits his needs and goals. This propensity for aggression would be a dream come true for an adrenaline-eating symbiote. However, while Magneto only turns to violence if it is a necessity, a symbiote would aggravate the rageful aspects of himself and cause him to be more violent than he would otherwise be. Likewise, the horrific things Magneto has gone through would cause him to be easily manipulated by the symbiote. Despite Magneto being super powerful, the absence of metal in the symbiote would make it impossible for Magneto to use his powers against the parasite, leaving him helpless to fight it off.

4 Captain America

Debuted In 1940

Captain America is one of the most hopeful, high-principled, and honorable characters in all of Marvel. He has been through so much pain yet chooses to live life optimistically and heroically. However, a symbiote would latch onto Captain America’s pain and thrive on it, turning all his heroic attributes into evil ones. It’s lucky for civilians that someone as powerful as Captain America is a hero, protecting and serving the world at large. If those good qualities were corrupted by a symbiote, then the world would have a powerful enemy.

3 Wolverine

Debuted In 1974

While Wolverine may be everyone’s favorite rough-around-the-edges X-Men member, he is an incredibly complicated character. He has a fury that seems to have no bounds and is as deadly as they come, especially for a hero. Very much a loner and prone to getting into arguments with some of his teammates, he also is not the easiest to get along with. Therefore, it would be horrible if a symbiote were to find its way to Wolverine, because it would magnify his negative qualities like anger and violence. Moreover, the symbiote would feed on his negative emotions, which are plentiful, erasing all the positive changes he has made in his life that have transformed him to be a protector of Krakoa.

2 Doctor Doom

Debuted In 1962

Someone who once ripped the skeleton out of Thanos’ body would be the absolute last person who should ever have the symbiote. One of the most powerful villains ever, Doctor Doom is a master of sorcery and science, making him highly capable in specialized fields. On the other hand, he also has an oversized ego and believes that only through his conquering the planet can the world become a better place. His hubris would only be fed by the symbiote, making his aggression that he uses for world conquest increase exponentially. Doom is powerful enough on his own, so a symbiote would aggrandize his most negative qualities while concurrently making him more of a threat than ever.

1 Hulk

Debuted In 1962

The Hulk is destructive enough on his own, having gone through a lot of trauma. A symbiote would exacerbate Hulk’s already less than optimal qualities and destruction would skyrocket even more. The symbiotes feed off negative emotions and can even turn bad feelings into biomass. Considering that Hulk has a whole mess of negative feelings, the symbiote would have a never-ending food supply and be able to create heaps of biomass. The rage he feels generates the adrenaline that the symbiotes feed off of as well as negative emotions, making the symbiote get increasingly more and more powerful until it would inevitably completely overcome the Hulk. The Hulk and Venom have fought in the past, but a combination of the Jade Giant and a symbiote could spell doom for the Marvel Universe.