| Klyntar Symbiotes | |
|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Venom_vs._carnage.jpg) Two most enduring symbiotic characters, Venom (below) and its offspring Carnage (above), battling each other in the textless cover of Venom vs. Carnage #1 (July 2004). Art by Clayton Crain | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Black Costume, The Amazing Spider-Man #252, The Spectacular Spider-Man #90, and Marvel Team-Up #141 Symbiote, The Amazing Spider-Man #258 (May 1984) |
| Created by | Roger Stern, Tom DeFalco, Mike Zeck, David Michelinie |
| Characteristics | |
| Place of origin | Gorr's unnamed planet; later moved to Klyntar |
| Pantheon | Knull |
| Notable members | See List of symbiotes |
| Inherent abilities | Symbiosis with a host provides superhuman strength, speed, agility, and endurance; gains characteristics of host; amplifies original powers and traits of hosts (like sight, hearing, smell, strength) |
The Klyntar (/ˈklɪntɑːr/), colloquially and more commonly referred to as symbiotes, are a fictional species of extraterrestrial parasitic life forms appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with Spider-Man. The symbiotes, as their alternative name suggest, form a symbiotic bond with their hosts, through which a single entity is created. They are able to alter their hosts' personalities and/or memories by influencing their darkest desires, along with amplifying their physical and emotional traits and personality and thereby granting them super-human abilities. The symbiotes are also weakened when in range of extreme sounds or sonic frequencies. There are more than 40 known symbiotes in the Marvel Universe.
The first and most well-known symbiote is Venom, who originally attached itself to Spider-Man during the 1984 Secret Wars miniseries. After Spider-Man rejected it upon discovering its true evil nature, the symbiote bonded with his rival, Eddie Brock, with whom it first became Venom, but still possessed the powers of Spider-Man. The character has since endured as one of Spider-Man's archenemies, though he has also been occasionally depicted as an antihero. Other characters have later merged with the Venom symbiote, including the villain Mac Gargan, and Flash Thompson, who became the superhero Agent Venom. Other well-known symbiotes are Carnage, an offspring of Venom who, when merged with its most infamous host, Cletus Kasady, has served as an enemy of both Spider-Man and Venom; and Anti-Venom, which originated when the Venom symbiote re-merged with Brock after being separated from him for a long time, gaining a new white appearance and additional powers as a result of Martin Li using his powers on Brock to cure his cancer.
Since their conception, the symbiotes have appeared in various media adaptations, including films, television series, and video games. Venom has been the most featured one, appearing in the 2007 film Spider-Man 3, and as the titular protagonist of the 2018 film Venom. Carnage also made its cinematic debut in the film Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021).