Venom Lore Changed Forever as Marvel Officially Debuts the “K-Chemical”

Warning! Contains Spoilers For Venom War #2!

Marvel’s symbiote lore is being radically altered, as the escalating VenomWar storyline has just introduced “K-44,” a serum that will give rise to the “Zombiotes,” a horrifying admixture of Marvel’s most dangerous alien species and the undead. As lethal as the symbiotes can be on their own, this evolution makes them a threat on an unimaginable new scale.

Venom War #2 – written by Al Ewing, with art by Iban Coello – will officially reveal the origins of the Zombiote menace, just as they have begun to terrorize the streets of New York.

Unlike the regular symbiotes, Zombiotes aren’t exactly alive. They’re only acting on pure instinct and can even be directed and controlled to some degree. These were created by an evolution of the K-43 drug, now called K-44. This drug infects a person with dead symbiote tissue, which then reanimates and takes control of the body.

Marvel Reveals The Truth Behind “K-44” And Its New ZOMBIOTE Outbreak

Venom War #2 – Written By Al Ewing; Art By Iban Coello

Meridius is the darkest aspect of Eddie Brock’s personality, a version of him that will do anything he can to escape the responsibility of becoming the King in Black. Meridius tried to manipulate Eddie and the timeline to achieve the end goal he wanted, but when this failed, and he was cast out by the other Kings in Black, it seems that Meridius changed tactics. Instead of trying to brute force his victory alone, Meridius used his advanced knowledge of how symbiotes work to create the Zombiote virus.

The Zombiotes have proven to be a major threat for New York, as they can infect just about anything. The Zombiotes can infect both living and dead tissue, which means if they ever make it to a graveyard, the Earth will be in serious trouble. Even more concerning, both Spider-Man and Eddie Brock seem completely unaware of this outbreak. Other heroes, like She-Hulk and Hellcat are fighting the Zombiote infection, but it only seems to be growing, and both heroes and villains have joined the ranks of the Zombiotes. At this rate, Meridius could have unleashed an apocalyptic threat.

The Zombiote Infection Is Rapidly Taking Over New York, Escalating Marvel’s VENOM WAR Out Of Control

Meridius’ Greatest Revenge

Meridius grew furious after he was cast out by the Kings in Black, and it seems he is attempting to get his revenge by simply destroying everything. After all, there’s no real reason to worry about the future if there’s no one left to have a future. Whatever the reason behind Meridius unleashing this virus, the only people who seem capable of stopping it are utterly oblivious that it’s even going on. If Earth is to survive this new Zombiote calamity, they’re going to need the help of Venom.