CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR VENOM #251
Recent months have seen the birth of a new era for Spider-Man. Following a brutal battle against the villain Hellgate, Peter Parker is currently living in space, seeking to grow stronger. Now, our hero is a cosmic adventurer alongside a ragtag team of companions, which includes Rocket Raccoon. He's also seemingly found love with Raelith, one of his alien teammates. Of course, being in outer space means Peter left a Spidery-sized hole in New York City.
To fix that, Norman Osborn stepped up and, in a shocking twist of fate, became the new Spider-Man to carry on Peter's legacy in his absence. One of Spidey's (former) deadliest allies donning his costume to help the city was not something many saw coming. Shockingly, however, Marvel Comics will also give the Spider-Man mantle to another major character: Mary Jane Watson's Venom.
It was announced in September that Venom would take on the Spider-Man identity. Now, a leaked panel shows the exact moment when that happens. On the r/Spiderman subreddit, user u/Haadhai posted a panel leak from Venom #251 (which goes on sale November 12), written by Al Ewing and drawn by Paco Medina. The panel shows Mary Jane Watson's Venom perched on top of a building, dressed as the web-slinger, proudly proclaiming,
"I'm Spider-Man!"
Seeing MJ's evolution, from being one of Peter's major supporting characters, to becoming a superhero through the Jackpot identity, then Venom, and now a version of Spidey, it's exciting to think what she will be like as her own take on the Wall-Crawler.
Now, understandably, those who aren't caught up with Marvel Comics lore probably heard "Mary Jane Watson's Venom" and went "What?," so allow me catch you up. During the events of Venom War, Mary Jane—suited up in her superhero identity, Jackpot—and the symbiote found themselves dying, and in need of bonding with one another to stop their impending demise. Now, the two need to be in constant physical contact with each other, or they risk perishing. Taking advantage of their bond, MJ and everyone's favorite black goo now fight crime as the All-New Venom.
The comic book is a fascinating take on the symbiote and Mary Jane, delivering an interesting new take on the symbiote-bond concept we've seen so many times before. Though the setup for the run sounds bleak, the stories are actually quite fun, and deliver a buddy-cop dynamic that is reminiscent of the Venom live-action trilogy starring Tom Hardy.
As mentioned, in September, Marvel Comics announced Venom would be taking on the Spider-Man mantle through a preview for Venom #252, which included this synopsis:
"THE RUMORS ARE TRUE! Venom has a brand-new red-and-blue suit—and a brand-new name to go with it! How will the people of New York react when they find out that the city's newest Spider-Man is the SYMBIOTE they love to loathe? Luke Cage and Otto Octavius are ready to debate the matter—with their fists! PLUS: A bonus tale of the origin of an even All-NEWER Venom! AND a celebratory flashback story by the team behind the classic AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #252!"
Marvel also released several variant covers to celebrate Venom's Spider-Man debut, two of which can be seen below:
Given the leak posted on Reddit, it looks like Venom will become Spider-Man at the end of issue #251. Of course, it's important to point out that, depending on how the story plays out in Venom #251, Mary Jane might not be the symbiote host. Having said that, that feels like a huge development to happen over a single issue, so it's likely safe to assume MJ's under the costume.
What will be fascinating to see is what leads to MJ and Venom becoming the new Spider-Man. If Norman Osborn is already around continuing Peter's superhero legacy, it's intriguing to think about what will prompt this new Venom to feel the need to carry the responsibility as well.
Venom #251 goes on sale on November 12 and Venom #252 will be available on December 3, 2025.
What do yo think about Venom becoming the new Spider-Man? Do you think the change will stick once Peter returns? Drop your thoughts in the comments!