The All-New Venom series was built around a mystery; who was the new host of the Venom symbiote? The series put forth four main suspects, with clues slowly shrinking the suspect pool even as new possibilities emerged. However, Marvel Comics spoiled the big reveal with a press release confirming the new hero’s identity two days before All-New Venom #5 was to arrive in stores. More, the new host is someone else entirely, who has a history with both Spider-Man and Venom.
Marvel confirmed that Mary Jane Watson is the new symbiote host in a press release. The publisher also previewed two hereto unseen covers for All-New Venom #5 which revealed the new host. They also showcased one cover and interior splash page for the upcoming sixth issue, which show Mary Jane and her symbiotic partner. These may be viewed in full below.
Martin Coccolo coverClayton Crain coverLucas Werneck coverCarlos Gomez interior(Image Source: Marvel / Clayton Crain)
Mary Jane Watson was a supporting character in All-New Venom, but not listed among the possible hosts by those investigating the mystery. However, she was conspicuously absent during each of the new symbiotic hero’s appearances. More, MJ was shown to be arguing with her current boyfriend, Paul Rabin, who invented the technology she utilizes as the hero Jackpot. Paul was concerned that the technology he used to monitor MJ while she was on patrol wasn’t working. This also obscured her whereabouts, making it possible she was hiding her new identity from Paul. These facts gave readers a fair chance at figuring out the mystery before the grand reveal.
The revelation that Mary Jane Watson and Venom have bonded is an interesting one, given the two characters’ long antagonistic relationship. The Venom symbiote resented MJ for how close she was to its “other,” Peter Parker. Conversely, Mary Jane hated the symbiote for everything it did to Peter trying to take him over and for terrorizing her. Forcing them together puts a far more interesting spin on the All-New Venom than any of the other potential hosts.
“We hooked readers in with the big mystery – albeit with a little misdirection thrown in,” explained All-New Venom writer Al Ewing. “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.”
All-New Venom #5 arrives in comic shops everywhere on April 2, 2025.