The Marvel Universe is filled with a variety of different characters, but even within it, the symbiotes occupy a unique place.

Although Venom and Carnage are household names, there are a multitude of less-known symbiote characters that have made a large impact in Marvel storylines. This article ranges for some of these lesser known symbiotes, examining their backgrounds and functions.

Agony

Agony is one of the five symbiotes that the Life Foundation, a survivalist organization attempting to genetically create super-powered guardians for their utopian society, forcibly spawned from Venom. Bound to Leslie Gesneria, Agony has the ability to ooze acid from her symbiote that can eat through such things as Spider-Man’s webbing. Despite her potential, Agony is still one of the more obscure symbiotes on Marvel’s roster.

Phage

Phage was another offspring of Venom; he was created by the Life Foundation and bonded to Carl Mach. Phage’s symbiote gives him super strength and agility as well as the ability to create bladed weapons from his arms. Though he has abilities in common with his “siblings” Phage’s unique weaponry makes him a formidable foe when facing off against heroes like Spider-Man and Venom.

Riot

Riot, who is bonded with Trevor Cole, is one of the Life Foundation’s symbiotes who excels in raw power and aggression. Unlike his fellow symbiotes, Riot regularly opts to create bludgeoning weapons such as hammers and maces from his symbiote. Since then, he always stood out in his own stories for being physically imposing but always remained for the most part a not mainstream player in the Marvel Universe.

Lasher

Lasher, another child of Venom, had merged with Ramon Hernandez. Lasher: This green, tendril-producing symbiote is used by its user to ensnare or attack foes. Although Lasher shares unique powers with other symbiotes, he also has very few appearances, in comparison to other symbiotes in popular culture, which is a contributing factor to his obscurity.

Sleeper

A newer member of the symbiote family, Sleeper is the seventh child of Venom. Sleeper is a curious and observational character, unlike his more violent predecessors. He has a the ability to directly ooze chemicals into people that can make them sleep or hallucinate. Not all symbiotes are as famous as Venom and Carnage — Sleeper is one of these lesser-known but incredibly fascinating symbiotes thanks to his unique abilities and personality.

Scorn

One of the more notable new characters is Scorn, a cybernetic symbiote created by blending a symbiote with advanced tech. Scorn is bonded to Dr. Tanis Nieves and has the ability to interface with and control machinery, a rare quality not typically found in other symbiotes. Widely expanded upon in the Marvel lexicon, Scorn is a great mixture of organic and technological aspects, providing a renewed perspective on symbiote abilities, but as it stands; is not very well explored in the way of Marvel’s library.

Toxin

The child of Carnage, Toxin is one of the most powerful symbiotes around. Originally fused to police officer Patrick Mulligan, Toxin inherits the combined powers of Venom and Carnage without their respective weaknesses. Of all the symbiotes in the Marvel family, Toxin is the one who has the potential to wield the most power, but the inherent struggle to control his symbiotic nature proves fateful for this character, holding him back from ever being truly in the spotlight.

Hybrid

In fact, Hybrid is a unique symbiote created out of the combination of four of the Life Foundations symbiotes (the ones named: Riot, Phage, Agony, and Lasher). These symbiotes combined and fused with Scott Washington, a former Guardsman. As Hybrid, Washington possessed the shared abilities of the individual symbiotes, effectively making him a powerhouse. Yet Hybrid is a character whose tatters have remained on the Marvel board for only a limited number of entries.

Mania

Mania as a symbiote is a clone of the Venom symbiote that was bonded to a high school teenage girl named Andi Benton. Along with many of Venom’s abilities, Mania also has a special “Hell-Mark,” giving her extra powers. Her plot deals with the challenges of growing up alongside the pressures of wielding a symbiote, something that gives this narrative a different flavor while probably not being on everyone’s radar.

Anti-Venom

Anti-Venom was born when the last remnants of the Venom symbiote that had once animated Eddie Brock merged with his white blood cells to form a new symbiote capable of healing him. Different from all symbiotes before him, Anti-Venom can actually purify other symbiotes and cure illnesses. And while his powers are ultimately a force for good, Anti-Venom hasn’t gotten as much recognition as his predecessors.

Conclusion

Even though Venom and Carnage are the kings of the symbiote comics, there are other lesser-known symbiotes that add a lot of richness to the Marvel Universe tapestry. Symbiote lore runs deep in the cosmos and their varying powers and complex histories give fans an insight to the strains of symbiotes that don’t dominate the blockbuster representations.