Venom is Moving to Philadelphia

For the longest time, Venom and the rest of the Spider-Man Universe has been associated with New York City.  However, that is starting to change.  Already, the Scarlet Spider has taken up residence in Houston, TX.  And now we know that Marvel Comics is planning on relocating Venom to Philadelphia.  With this change, Venom will instantly become the city’s highest profile superhero.  But along with that comes more responsibility for Flash Thompson – the current human host of the Venom symbiote -and opportunity to prove himself as a great hero..or mess it up entirely.  This is Flash Thompson and Venom we’re talking about, neither having a real strong history of making great decisions.

In an interview given to the Sacramento Bee, Venom writer Cullen Bunn and editor Tom Brennan gave some insight into why they decided to relocate Venom to Philadelphia.  As a lying alcoholic, Flash Thompson hasn’t really made a whole lot of friends with the Secret Avengers, the super-team that he’s a member of after Captain America put a good word in for him.  While Flash wants to be a good guy, and make Venom into more than a scary Spider-Man villain, he hasn’t been doing an overly impressive job at it.  According to Bunn, this is where the move to Philly comes into play…

Now, he’s trying to do the right thing. He’s reassessing what it means to be a hero. And he’s looking for a fresh start. This means a lot of things for Flash. He’s surrounding himself with new people – such as tabloid journalist Katy Kiernan and his new love interest, the Asgardian Valkyrie. He’s changing his approach to being a superhero. And he’s looking for a change of scenery.

The Philadelphia skyline

Both Collen Bunn and Tom Brennan have spent time living in Philadelphia, each having attended Drexel University.  In the same interview as cited above, Tom Brennan gave some more insight into why the team chose Philadelphia as Venom’s new base of operations and what it means for the city…

I worked in public schools in gritty Kensington and tough West Philly. I spent way too many hours in the Constitution Center and historical sites of Old City. I lived on Race Street in a less-than-stellar apartment in a creaky old town house.

All the while that I lived there, I wanted a superhero for the city of Philadelphia, a town full of heart, hustle and hope – and I don’t care what anyone says – some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Sure, they don’t suffer fools, and you’ve got to be mindful if you cross against the light, but I found the City of Brotherly Love to be a character in and of itself that I thought more fiction should explore.

Flash Thompson and Valkyrie becoming more than teammates?

Adding to that, Collen Bunn gave a bit more insight into his plans…

I’ve always liked that Marvel superheroes are adventuring in the ‘real’ world. Certainly, there will be some fictional elements popping up in stories, but I’ll try to keep it as grounded in the actual city as possible. It’s time Philly gets a little Marvel Universe face-time. Local landmarks, neighborhoods, legends, and history will play a role in the book.

Flash Thompson’s move to Philadelphia begins with Venom #28, which ships in December from Marvel Comics.  As more details on Venom’s move to the City of Brotherly Love, I’ll be sure to keep everyone up to speed.  In the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.