1 Word Just Changed Venom Lore Forever

Hot off of The Amazing Spider-Man/Venom: Death Spiral, Marvel is giving Mary Jane Watson, as well as the symbiote companion she’s a host for as Venom, no respite. She and Peter Parker are on the same platonic friendship page, much to the chagrin of almost all readers and Spider-Man fans, with Venom and Spider-Man having reason to be at odds once more, but this brief intermission in Venom #258 was more or less a means of having these characters cordially part ways so MJ could be drawn into the upcoming Queen in Black event.

Just as Marvel’s brand-new Avengers team was revealed (spoiled prematurely, technically), monthly solicitations have already painted a vivid portrait of what the entirety of the Queen in Black crossover event will entail, including the comics that will tie into it. This fall, it’s been foreshadowed that MJ is in for one last hurrah as the All-New Venom as Venom literally takes over the Marvel Comics universe via symbiotes consuming the Earth.

Enter Queen In Black’s ‘Venomworld’

This summer, Queen in Black presents a cosmic war waged by Hela of Asgard and Knull, God of the Void, and MJ finds herself smack-dab in the middle of it in Al Ewing and Carlos Gómez’s ongoing Venom run. The self-titled Queen in Black limited series will run for five issues, from July to September, and introduces ‘Venomworld.’

The Queen in Black series, and the tie-in comics tethered to it, are:

• Queen in Black
• Queen in Black: Defenders of Light and Dark
• Queen in Black: Venom Unchained
• Queen in Black: Hela
• Queen in Black: Thor
• Black Cat
• Venom

It is unknown how Venomworld may affect Venom lore overall, but the solicitations for the finale entries in the event series have begun to plant seeds for how Venomworld may take shape, and how the series in general may be the last big outing for MJ’s All-New Venom—or VenoMJ. Indeed, the September solicitation for Venom #262 reads as follows:

WHO IS THE NEW ALL-VENOM? Mary Jane Watson is Venom... and so is everybody else! Venomworld lives! The war between Knull and Hela just ended—and even Eight Billion Venoms might not be enough to beat the winner! It’s the strangest adventure yet for the World’s Strangest Roommates... but is the lease finally up?

Interestingly, each of these issues’ synopses suggest that the Earth’s eight-billion symbiotes will be on MJ’s side and help fight whoever wins between Hela and Knull. The war will apparently be over by this point, and Venomworld will play a role in battling its victor, as teased in the solicitation for Queen in Black #5:

OH, THE HUMANITY! In the war between Light and Dark, the winner’s taken their prize... but is it Hela or Knull who’s ascended to the Throne of All? Either way, the only thing standing between them and all life on Earth is... the Venomworld! It’s the ultimate symbiote battle—and for Mary Jane Watson, it’s the last stand!

Will MJ Still Be Venom After Venomworld?

If nothing else, this event seems to be preparing readers for yet another major status quo change regarding MJ and the symbiote. Per the official Marvel website:

“As Earth is consumed by symbiotes, current Venom host Mary Jane Watson is forced to make a desperate choice, one that will shape both the fate of the Marvel Universe and her future as a symbiote hero in VENOM #262.”

Venom #262 teasing the end of MJ’s lease as the All-New Venom is notable, as the events of Venomworld and Queen in Black could conclude with MJ and the symbiote separating. Whether this is in order for Eddie Brock to retrieve the symbiote and reprise his role as Venom or simply for MJ to go back to being an ordinary person again, it will be fascinating to see what becomes of MJ and the symbiote after they only recently chose to bond willingly and took on a decidedly more MJ-forward design.

Venom #262 is scheduled to be released on September 30, 2026.