Eddie Brock (Spider-Man The Animated Series)

Eddie Brock is a rival of Peter Parker's whose hatred for Spider-Man grew and led to him becoming the villain called Venom.

Eddie Brock started out as a journalist for the Daily Bugle and several of his co-workers including Peter Parker did not like him. When the Lizard arrived in New York City, J. Jonah Jameson tasked his reporters and photographers to get the story. One night after following Spider-Man to the Connors house he was attacked by the Lizard but was saved by Spider-Man. After the Lizard had vanished Eddie spied on Spider-Man and learned from Margaret Connors that the Lizard was really her husband. As Eddie ran away he mentioned that this story would win him a Pulitzer Prize. However, Eddie was caught by Spider-Man and all of his evidence was destroyed. After Spider-Man cured Curt Connors, Brock brought Jameson and a police officer to Curt's house. However, Eddie was unaware that Curt had been cured, and with no proof Jameson became infuriated Brock because he believed that he was wasting his time.

Brock latter allied himself with Norman Osborn and Spencer Smythe in an attempt to humiliate and unmask Spider-Man. Their plan was that after the Black Widow Spider Slayer abducted Spider-Man he would be brought to OsCorp and unmasked by Brock on live television. However, the Black Widow accidentally kidnapped Flash Thompson who was dressed as Spider-Man. J. Jonah Jameson learned that the Spider-Man, Brock unmasked was not the real one and fired him for making the Daily Bugle look like fools.

Months later Brock attempted to get a job at another news paper company. At first the publisher refused to hire Brock because J. Jonah Jameson said that he was bad news. However, Brock was able to convince him that he could do a good job. Only seconds later the building was attacked by a new Black Widow. The Black Widow destroyed the building and went after Brock but Spider-Man was able to save him. The news paper publisher knew the Black Widow was after Brock so he fired him and blamed him for the destruction of his news paper. This fueled Brock's hatred for Spider-Man even though Spider-Man saved his life.

Sometime later just by coincidence Brock was on the George Washington Bridge when a space shuttle piloted by John Jameson crashed on the bridge. As Rhino left the shuttle with the Promethium X, Brock took pictures of Spider-Man instead and lied to Jameson saying that he could have the pictures of Spider-Man stealing from the shuttle if he gets his old job back. Jameson agrees being unaware of Brock intentions to frame Spider-Man. J. Jonah Jameson then put a bounty on Spider-Man's head. However, Jameson learned from his son that it was really a man dressed in a rhino costume that stole the Promethium X and he fired Brock from the Daily Bugle once again.

After losing his job Brock also discovered that he had been evicted from his apartment. Brock blamed this and all other bad things that had happened to him on Spider-Man. At that moment Shocker arrived and confronted Brock. Shocker had been sent by the Kingpin to kill Brock and get the photos he took of the Rhino stealing the Promethium X from the shuttle crash site to make sure that it could not be traced back to him. Shocker then threatened to kill Brock unless he gave him the film. However, Spider-Man arrived and distracted Shocker long enough for Brock to get away.

When Spider-Man and J. Jonah Jameson went to get John Jameson (who had been kidnapped by Shocker), Eddie Brock saw them together and believed that they were plotting against him. Eddie Brock followed them to a church and while Spider-Man was fighting the Shocker he grabbed a mace and tried to use it to kill Spider-Man. However, Shocker spotted him and went after him because Shocker had been hired by the Kingpin to kill him. Brock then runs away in fear. However, he later attacks Spider-Man in the church's bell tower. To get him out of the way Spider-Man covered him in webbing and hung him below the church bell. When Spider-Man used the bell to separate himself from the symbiote the symbiote found Brock and bonded with him. Because the symbiote was first bonded with Peter Parker it knew all of his memories so when it bonded with Brock it passed on this information and Brock learned that Spider-Man was Peter Parker and also learned of his family and friends. Brock then swore vengeance on Spider-Man for he and the symbiote had become Venom.