WARNING! Major Spoilers for All-New Venom #5After months of teasing and speculation, Marvel Comics has finally confirmed the identity of Spider-Man's iconic love interest who currently fights crime as the hero Jackpot, has bonded with the Venom symbiote in a shocking turn of events that has culminated in a truly odd couple.

At long last, Marvel Comics has unmasked Venom's new host, revealing that it's none other than Mary Jane who's been working with the symbiote in Eddie Brock's absence. The full reveal of Mary Jane as Venom is set to take place during the highly anticipated All-New Venom #5, written by Al Ewing with art by Carlos Gómez.

The confirmation that Mary Jane has ed forces with Venom may come as a shock to many, considering the complicated history between the two characters. Venom and Eddie Brock may often be referred to as an "odd couple", but the symbiote's team-up with Mary Jane is even more unexpected.

Venom's Team-Up With Mary Jane Watson Forms Marvel's Most Unlikely Duo

Step Aside, Eddie Brock: Venom and MJ Are a Real "Odd Couple"

Throughout the series' first four issues, All-New Venom has been dropping hints about who's hiding underneath the form of the Venom symbiote. The four main candidates have been Luke Cage, Madame Masque, Robbie Robertson, and Rick Jones, but Mary Jane has suddenly emerged as the true wielder of the symbiote in an unprecedented twist. This reveal from Marvel has therefore caught many off-guard, especially since MJ wasn't included in the list of suspects within the comic itself. In an interview with AIPT Comics, writer Al Ewing offered insight into his thought process behind selecting Mary Jane as the new Venom host:

We hooked readers in with the big mystery – albeit with a little misdirection thrown in – but now the cat’s out of the bag, we can really get into the unlikely interaction of MJ and Venom. Unlike previous hosts, these two aren’t together by choice, but their odd-couple energy makes for a bubbling pot of old-school soap opera thrills. If you’ve enjoyed this lighter take on Venom, there’s a lot more on the way — as well as some darker directions to come.

Ewing specifically describes this peculiar team-up as having "odd-couple energy", a term that frames their dynamic as one where they're working together despite being completely different from each other. Mary Jane's long-standing grudge against Venom as a result of her experiences with Spider-Man's symbiote suit will likely create friction between them, as their shared history with Peter Parker fuels drama that Ewing likens to an "old-school soap opera". Like it or not, for reasons that have yet to be disclosed, Mary Jane and Venom are stuck together for the foreseeable future as forces beyond their control bond these polar opposites to one another.

Venom and Mary Jane's Tentative Alliance Overhauls Their Status Quo

Marvel's Oddest Couple Must Work Together, Despite Their Differences

Mary Jane Watson and Venom have never gotten along swimmingly, but things seem to have shifted for them since Jackpot gear, and it looks like that reluctant union has evolved into a long-term deal. It's only a matter of time before Venom finds his way back to Eddie and reverts to his status quo, but for now, Mary Jane is bonded to the symbiote in a strange dynamic that no one could have predicted.

All-New Venom #5 will be available on April 2nd, 2025 from Marvel Comics!

Source: Marvel, AIPT Comics