Venomm (Horatio Walters) is a character appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. Created by

Don McGregor Donald Francis McGregor (born June 15, 1945) is an American comic book writer best known for his work for Marvel Comics; he is the author of one of the first graphic novels. Early life Don McGregor was born in Providence, Rhode Island, where he ...

and

Rich Buckler Rich Buckler (February 6, 1949 – May 19, 2017) was an Americans, American comics artist and penciller, best known for his work on Marvel Comics' ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' in the mid-1970s and for creating the character Deat ...

, the character

first appeared In comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first issue to feature a fictional character. These issues are often highly valued by collectors due to their rarity and iconic status. Reader interest in fir ...

in ''

Jungle Action ''Jungle Action'' is the name of two American comic book series published by Marvel Comics and its 1950s precursor, Atlas Comics. The Marvel version contained the first series starring the Black Panther, the first black superhero in mainstream co ...

'' vol. 2 #6 (September 1973). Venomm is a

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

using snakes as weapons in his schemes, and frequently collaborated with

Erik Killmonger Erik Killmonger (né N'Jadaka) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Don McGregor and Rich Buckler, he first appeared in '' Jungle Action'' #6 (September 1973). The character is commonly depic ...

in his efforts to challenge

Wakanda Wakanda (), officially the Kingdom of Wakanda, is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the country first appeared in ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' ...

. Eventually, Venomm became a member of the Department of Occult Armaments, a group dealing with mystical and supernatural threats.

Development

Concept and creation

From the beginning, writer

intended for Venomm and Taku to be not only gay men but an interracial couple. However, due to censorship at the time, he could not show it explicitly. In ''Black Panther: Panther's Prey'' #2 (1991), McGregor's narrative hints at a deeper, more intimate relationship between Venomm and Taku, subtly indicating they are companions. This connection was further explored and confirmed in later Marvel stories, with Danny Lore and Lucas Werneck’s storyline fully revealing their relationship. 2022's '' Marvel's Voices: Pride'' fully confirmed them as a married couple.

Publication history

Horatio Walters debuted in ''

'' vol. 2 #6 (September 1973), created by

and

. He appeared in the 2022 ''Marvel's Voices: Pride'' one-shot.

Fictional character biography

Horatio Walters grew up a loner and was scarred after his classmate Bruce Morgan threw acid in his face. Having become a recluse, Horatio befriended some snakes which were shunned like he was. While studying them, Horatio developed an immunity to their venom. While taking some night classes, Horatio was saved by

who recruited him in his plans to invade

.''Jungle Action'' #8 (January 1974) Stowing away on a plane sent from Wakanda, Venomm made his way to the

Vibranium Vibranium () is a fictional metal appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, noted for its extraordinary abilities to absorb, store, and release large amounts of kinetic energy. Mined only in the kingdom of Wakanda, the metal ...

mines to attack

Black Panther A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...

. However, the Black Panther beat Venomm into submission. Within the Wakandan prison, a man named Taku tried to establish a friendship with Venomm, but Venomm distracted Taku so that Malice could free him. Black Panther returned and drove off Malice, while W'Kabi choked Venomm into submission and was then re-imprisoned. Taku continued to try to reach Venomm, but when W'Kabi attempted to interrogate Venomm, Venomm attacked both of them and escaped. Venomm returned to his snakepit, and the Black Panther followed him there. Venomm sent a small army of constrictors and poisonous snakes against him, but Taku had followed the Black Panther, and when Venomm was unable to allow Taku to be harmed, he surrendered to the Black Panther. When Killmonger assaulted Central Wakanda, Venomm was able to escape the prison again. Having grown disenchanted with the insurrection, he stopped King Kadaver's psychic assault on Taku, and got Cadaver killed by one of his own dinosaurs. In the aftermath of the battle, based on the recommendation of Taku, Venomm was pardoned and released. Venomm later lived in the Wakandan Palace alongside Taku. A CIA agent had secretly embedded a transmitter under the skin of Venomm's giant pet python Matilda, causing the Black Panther to initially think that Venomm was a spy in their midst, but when he learned the truth the Black Panther removed the transmitter from her head. Venomm maintained a position of trust within the Wakandan Palace, where be befriended Nick Collins, the son of

Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...

. Under the command of their king, the Black Panther, all of Wakanda marched onto the land of the Jabari to punish the Man-Ape for murdering a doppelganger version of the Black Panther. Venomm was at the front lines in the midst of the army and tribal warriors, and battled Jabari tribesmen during the conflict. He briefly reappeared as one of the villains summoned by Sin to battle Earth's heroes. He joined the DOA's battle against the

Avengers Avenger(s) or The Avenger(s) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of "The Infinity Sag ...

and other heroes at the DOA's HQ in South Carolina, but was knocked unconscious by Iron Fist.

Powers and abilities

Venomm uses poisonous snakes as both whips and lassos, wrapping them around his body and developing an immunity to their venom.

Other versions

''Black Panther''

An alternate version of Horatio Walters appears in ''Black Panther''. He allied himself with T'Charra, Killmonger, and several other villains in a plot to kill T'Challa. The group kidnapped Everett Ross as part of their plan. However, after T'Charra betrayed Killmonger, Venomm helped move Ross to Coney Island, where they were confronted by Black Panther, Falcon, Power Man, and Brother Voodoo. They were ultimately defeated in this confrontation.''Black Panther'' (vol. 3) #36 (September 2001)

References

External links

Venomm
at Marvel.com * Venomm at Marvel Wiki * {{Black Panther Characters created by Don McGregor Comics characters introduced in 1973 Fictional characters in a same-sex marriage Fictional gay men Marvel Comics LGBTQ supervillains Marvel Comics male supervillains Wakandans