Warning: contains spoilers for Spider-Man: Black Suit & Blood #3!Venom is most famously associated with his iconic host, Eddie Brock, as well as the man who brought him to Earth - Peter Parker's Spider-Man. But a new look into the past shows that a Marvel character bonded with Venom first, before Spider-Man had even set eyes on the symbiote.

In Spider-Man: Black Suit and Blood #3, a hidden moment in Marvel history comes to light. The story "Whatever Happened to Master Blood?" (by Al Ewing, Juann Cabal, Edgar Delgado and Joe Caramagna) reveals the unseen story of Master Blood. A master planner, Blood is a successful villain who finds himself on Battleworld during the 1984 event Secret Wars. In the story, Master Blood finds the Venom symbiote and frees it before Spider-Man, becoming 'Master Venom.'

As it turns out, Master Blood was the first Earthling to bond with the Venom symbiote and become a powerful (and, surprisingly, red) version of the symbiote called Master Venom. The reason fans never knew this fascinating story is that, shortly after his connection with the symbiote, Kang the Conqueror erased Master Blood from the timeline. As far as anyone but Kang is concerned, Master Blood never existed, however his history with Venom could have some major consequences.

Venom's First Human Host Was Master Blood

The Forgotten Villain

During Secret Wars, Peter Parker discovered a black version of his costume in what he assumed was a costume fabricator. It turned out the costume was actually an imprisoned symbiote - one which tried to take over Spider-Man's life. Peter ultimately rejected the symbiote, which bonded with Eddie Brock, taking on the name Venom. Venom became a major antagonist to Spider-Man, but recent years have seen him make the move to heroism, with Eddie Brock eventually becoming the godlike King in Black.

Most notably paired with Eddie Brock, the first human that took on the moniker of Venom, the symbiote also paired with Flash Thompson, becoming Agent Venom. It has also paired with Deadpool, Mac Gargan aka the Scorpion, and most recently Eddie's son Dylan. However, it turns out another human beat them all to it. It's a fascinating development for fans of the character, but also one with some major potential consequences.

Master Blood Could Return Thanks to the Symbiote

Kang the Conqueror Might Regret His Betrayal

While the story is a short, nasty tale about a villain fans have never heard of, it could also be setting up Master Blood's return. Venom lore has expanded into cosmic territory, with the fate of the symbiote species becoming a proxy war for Kang the Conqueror and Doctor Doom. Given Al Ewing is writing both Marvel's main Venom series and this short story, it wouldn't be surprising to see Master Blood return. While Kang may have erased him from the timeline, symbiotes transcend time and space, meaning that Master Blood's consciousness could still exist somewhere within the alien species' shared DNA.

Given Kang has been trying to influence Eddie's actions as the King in Black, it would be the perfect twist for a rival he erased from time to finally return, given a second chance thanks to his brief bond with Venom. While Ewing's story is a vicious example of how deadly Kang the Conqueror can be, the writer has made a habit of bringing back long-forgotten lore with new consequences, and there's every reason to expect that fans will be seeing the onetime Master Venom again.

Spider-Man: Black Suit & Blood #3 is on sale now from Marvel Comics!