Eddie Brock is a journalist who publicly exposes the identity of a man he believes is a serial killer, only to find his reputation ruined when Spider-Man captures the real killer. Disgraced and suicidal, he comes into contact with an alien symbiote, rejected by Peter Parker. The Symbiote bonds with him and they become Venom, together seeking out revenge against their mutual enemy. Though he repeatedly comes into conflict with Spider-Man, he also attempts to operate as a hero, albeit a violent one, seeking to save those he deems "innocent". In 2008, after being separated from the Venom Symbiote, he serves as an anti-hero as host of the Anti-Venom symbiote which is sacrificed to help cure the "Spider-Island" epidemic during the 2011 storyline. In 2012, he was bonded to the Toxin symbiote. Though he is a human with no powers, the Venom Symbiote suit bestows upon him a range of abilities including many of Spider-Man's powers.