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Black Widow is the new Venom - and she's probably staying that way. Natasha Romanoff has been off the board at Marvel Comics for a little while now, following the end of her most recent ongoing title in 2022. But now, along with her upcoming return in the new Thunderbolts limited series, she's taking the spotlight again - just not in a 'Black Widow' title.
Instead, starting with November's Venom #27, she'll bond with a new symbiote suit which spins off of the original Venom, going on to star in the title for the foreseeable future, with writer Torunn Grønbekk and artist Julius Ohta taking over as the creative team.
The change was originally teased prior to Comic-Con International: San Diego 2023, with further details revealed at the Marvel Spotlight panel on July 21. Marvel hasn't specified how long Natasha Romanoff will stay in the role of Venom, but the publisher's editor-in-chief CB Cebulski reportedly indicated that the storyline will last for some time, rather than simply fading away as a gimmick.
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Marvel also released art of Black Widow as Venom that was shown in the panel, including Natasha's Venom design seen above, and the cover of Venom #27, both by CAFU, seen below.
This won't be the first time a Venom symbiote has been used as a tool for espionage. Aside from Eddie Brock, the symbiote's longest running host was Flash Thompson, who bonded with it as Agent Venom, a symbiote super-spy. Thompson is currently Agent Anti-Venom, bonded with the so-called Anti-Venom symbiote.
As for Natasha Romanoff, bonding with the symbiote will be a first for her. However, it seems in keeping with her overall spider-y vibe - and it will certainly be interesting to see her in action with a whole new set of abilities and weapons at her disposal.
It's also fascinating that Natasha will be bonding with the Venom symbiote right around the time the video game Marvel's Spider-Man 2 introduces its own brand new take on Venom, with a still-unrevealed host who hasn't been Venom in comics before.
Venom #27 goes on sale November 1.
Will Natasha Romanoff join the ranks of the best Venom hosts of all time?
