Venom
Edward Charles Allan Brock
Character profile
Toxin
Patrick Mulligan
Carnage's son, raised by a cop out of pure spite.
Biography
Toxin is the third generation of the symbiote line: Venom's grandchild, Carnage's direct offspring, and — by the standards of its family — enormously more powerful than either. Cletus Kasady tried to kill the spawn on sight, because he understood exactly what a third-generation symbiote would grow into. Eddie Brock stopped him, then made the more interesting decision: help the newborn bond with NYPD officer Patrick Mulligan, a decent man with a wife and a newborn son, precisely to spite Carnage.
The result is one of Marvel's better symbiote ideas. Mulligan hated the thing and refused to be its partner, so the bond was a permanent argument between a police officer's ethics and an alien child's appetite. Later hosts changed the tone completely: Eddie Brock himself wore Toxin after losing Anti-Venom, and villain Lee Price used it as a straight weapon. Mulligan came back in the King in Black era as Bedlam, the version that finally made peace with what he carries.
Vital statistics
- Real name
- Patrick Mulligan
- Also known as
- Officer Mulligan, The Third Symbiote
- Species
- Human bonded to symbiote
- Place of origin
- New York City
- First appearance
- Venom vs. Carnage (2004)
- Created by
- Peter Milligan, Clayton Crain
- Affiliations
- NYPD, Savage Six adversaries, Symbiote hive
- Groups
- Anti-Heroes Symbiotes
Power grid
Intelligence3
Strength6
Speed4
Durability5
Energy3
Fighting4
Rated 1–7 on the classic Marvel power-grid scale.
Powers
- Third-Generation Strength
Toxin is measurably stronger than both Venom and Carnage, its parent and grandparent.
- Symbiote Constructs
It forms blades, tendrils and armour, inheriting Carnage's bladed vocabulary.
- Enhanced Tracking
Toxin senses and follows other symbiotes across a city, its most useful power.
- Wall-Crawling and Camouflage
Standard symbiote adhesion and near-total visual concealment.
- Regeneration
It repairs its host from injuries that would be fatal to an unbonded human.
- Hive Resistance
As a young symbiote it resisted Knull's control longer than most of its relatives.
Abilities
- Trained NYPD officer with real investigative instincts
- Genuine moral compass, unusual among symbiote hosts
- Experience fighting Venom, Carnage and the Savage Six
- Effective at tracking and containing other symbiotes
Weaknesses
- Sonics and fire, like every symbiote
- Host and symbiote frequently work against each other
- Immature and impulsive by symbiote standards
- Family — both Venom and Carnage have tried to reclaim or kill it
Comics history
Peter Milligan and Clayton Crain created Toxin in Venom vs. Carnage (2004), with Carnage trying to abort his own offspring and Venom protecting it. Mulligan's solo series and Toxin one-shots followed, positioning him as a reluctant street-level anti-hero.
The symbiote has since passed through several hosts: Eddie Brock wore it after Anti-Venom was destroyed, Lee Price used it during the Venom: Inc era, and Patrick Mulligan returned in Web of Venom and King in Black as Bedlam. Marvel has consistently maintained the same hierarchy — Toxin is the strongest of the three, and the least stable.
Allies
- Eddie Brock
- Spider-Man
- Black Cat
Enemies
- Carnage
- Venom (initially)
- Knull
- Lee Price
Weapons & equipment
- Symbiote blades and tendrils
- The Toxin symbiote
- NYPD service equipment
Trivia
- Toxin is Carnage's offspring and Venom's grandchild — the third generation of a single alien line.
- Carnage tried to kill the newborn symbiote immediately because a third-generation spawn would inevitably outclass him.
- Eddie Brock helped it bond to Patrick Mulligan purely to give Carnage a lifelong enemy in the family.
- Eddie later wore Toxin himself, making him the only person to host Venom, Anti-Venom and Toxin.
- Mulligan returned in the King in Black era as Bedlam, the most stable version of the pairing to date.
Famous quotes
I'm not your kid, and I'm not your weapon.
You made me to be worse than you. Bad luck.
Officer Mulligan is still in here. That's the part you should worry about.
Timeline
- 2004
Born in Venom vs. Carnage and bonded to Patrick Mulligan.
- 2005
Headlines the Toxin solo series as a street-level anti-hero.
- 2012
Eddie Brock becomes Toxin's host after losing Anti-Venom.
- 2020
Mulligan returns as Bedlam during the King in Black era.
Gallery
Poster art is generated from each character’s signature palette. Drop official art into assets/images/ and set the img field to swap it in.
Related characters
Frequently asked
Is Toxin stronger than Venom and Carnage?
Yes. Marvel established from its first appearance that each symbiote generation is more powerful than the last, and Toxin is the third. Carnage's attempt to kill it as a newborn was a straightforward act of self-preservation.
Who has hosted the Toxin symbiote?
NYPD officer Patrick Mulligan first, then Eddie Brock after his Anti-Venom symbiote was destroyed, then the villain Lee Price. Mulligan later reclaimed it and operated as Bedlam.
Why did Venom protect Toxin?
Spite and strategy. Eddie Brock knew a third-generation symbiote bonded to a decent man would become a permanent problem for Carnage, so he helped it bond with a police officer rather than letting Cletus destroy it.