The following contains spoilers for Venom: Lethal Protector II #4, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Marvel's new follow-up series Venom: Lethal Protector II has been filled with twists and turns. However, the most surprising yet is Doctor Doom and Eddie Brock's "team-up" in the fourth issue (by David Michelinie, Farid Karami and Paulo Siqueira).
The issue opens with Victor von Doom and Eddie Brock in a car together, discussing the former's mother. Once a powerful sorceress, his mother landed herself in Hell for her vanity. Ever since then, Victor visits Hell once a year on Midsummer's Eve to fight demons in an attempt to save her from an eternity of suffering. Unfortunately, Doom's efforts have been fruitless. And, after failing so many times, he realizes that despite how powerful he is, he's still ultimately a human being who will eventually die. Finally snapping out of denial, he admits the harsh truth that he is running on borrowed time, time that he can't afford to waste. As a result, he has decided to switch things up and try a different strategy.
This is where Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote factor into his plan. After a little research and stealing some private files from the superheroes, Doctor Doom came to the conclusion that symbiotes could possibly be immortal "without outside influence" or at the very least near-impossible to kill. And, due to Eddie and his symbiote's incredible abilities, Victor believes that they could rescue his mother from rotting in Hell.
Why Doctor Doom Ultimately Betrays Venom
After they arrive at Doctor Doom's castle in upstate New York, Eddie and Venom are unexpectedly thrown into a fight. As it turns out, this was Victor's way of testing the pair to see just how powerful they are together. He even coaches them throughout the intense battle. When the grueling battle comes to an end, Franz Goddard, a longevity expert Doom recruited for his project, entered the scene. Goddard announces that he was analyzing some new data and apologizes to Eddie, telling him that he was being forced to work for Doctor Doom.
While Franz's statement should have been a clear red flag to Eddie, he was still interested in striking a deal with Doom. Sadly, he is quickly but unsurprisingly betrayed by the supervillain. After countless painful experiments and tedious tasks, Victor ripped Venom right out of Eddie's body and bound it to himself. He proceeds to lock Eddie up in a cell and taunts him before he and his new symbiote head off to Hell, presumably to save his mother, leaving the Venom symbiote's original host's fate unknown.
Venom: Lethal Protector II #4 by David Michelinie, Farid Karami and Paulo Siqueira is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Source: Marvel