Venom (G1)
| The name or term "Venom" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Venom (disambiguation). |
- Venom is a Decepticon Insecticon from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Venom is the official leader of the Insecticons, but he's so paranoid about one of the others trying to usurp his position that he does more damage to his own standing among them than most of the plots they might hatch against him. He trusts none of them and suspects everyone of being after his place. He won't hesitate to utilize his manipulative and destructive psychological warfare techniques on those under him to stay in power: his self-esteem is based solely around his job!
The stinger on his head is loaded with all sorts of chemicals that can mess up organic and mechanical life... as long as it doesn't get stuck in an enemy and break off.[1]
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Marvel UK continuity
Venom and his teammates in the elite Mayhem Attack Squad were sent to aid the Wreckers against the team-up of Megatron and Galvatron. Despite the Mayhems' reputation, however, they were no match for their opponents, and Venom was slain by Galvatron shortly after the battle began. Twice. Time Wars
Regeneration One
Venom and two of his boys were ordered by Soundwave to ensure the Skyscorchers, under siege in a Kalis weapons depot, would be "martyrs". The Insecticons sneaked in and killed their targets, with Venom taking out Eagle Eye and Terradive with a sinister WRUP, and set up a bomb to detonate. However, the Wreckers blew in and captured them inside a detention sphere. Loose Ends, Part 1
Kid Stuff storybooks
Venom and his Insecticon forces were in charge of an oil-mining operation on the Pacific Rim island of Buru. Having enslaved the natives with their special venom, they patrolled the island to make sure that no Autobots interfered with the operation. Venom refused Megatron's orders to pump faster, saying it was impossible. When Megatron arrived on his oil driller and transporter to speed up the drilling operations, Venom boarded the vessel to meet with the Decepticon leader. He freaked out Megatron by just staring at him in total silence, leaving Megatron and Soundwave to whisper and speculate what he might be thinking.
Venom's forces were subsequently crushed underfoot by a horde of Dinobots. Slaves of the Insecticons
Dreamwave Generation 1 comics
8.2 million years ago, Venom participated in Shockwave's assault on Iacon. The War Within #3 He presumably retreated with the rest of the Decepticons when Starscream activated the planetary engines, devastating the city.
After the fragmentation of the Decepticon forces following Megatron's seeming destruction in a space bridge accident, Venom joined Ratbat's Ultracons. He accompanied Ratbat and fellow Ultracons Chop Shop and Ransack on a mission to the Tagan Heights, where they unleashed the deadly Devastator on the Wreckers. Capturing the Wreckers' leader, Springer, the Ultracons were prevented from executing him when Devastator's battle with Defensor raged out of control. Escalation In the chaos that ensued, Venom and his allies escaped, leaving Devastator behind. Devastation
Later, Venom, Chop Shop, and Barrage were involved in an altercation with Ultra Magnus, Blaster and Grimlock. Venom also accompanied his leader to the Autobot/Decepticon peace ceremony at Tyger Pax. The Age of Wrath
Venom, along with Barrage, Chop Shop, and Ransack, remained on Cybertron following the departure of the Ark and the Nemesis. The planet's chronic energon shortage reduced them to a vampiric existence, forcing them to capture Micromasters and drain them of their fuel. While pursuing Falcon and Flanker in the Wastelands, they ran into the middle of a conflict between the Hot Rod Patrol and Race Track Patrol. Destined for Nothing
After devouring Falcon, they soon set upon the other Micromasters, but were driven back by the timely arrival of Groundshaker, who left with the Hot Rod Patrol. The subsequent arrival of Shockwave prevented them from devouring the Race Track Patrol, but Shockwave did surreptitiously toss them Flanker as a snack once the others had left. The Gray Race The Insecticons subsequently abducted the Race Track Patrol and several other Micromasters from Little Iacon in an attempt to ferret out the Hot Rod Patrol and gain some new recruits in the process. Venom berated Chop Shop after the latter accidentally snatched Road Hugger, accusing him of trying to undermine the mission. As Venom attempted to persuade his captives to join the Decepticons, he ordered Barrage to blast Blaze Master as a show of force. Taking his captives and recruits back to Decepticon HQ, Venom passed along a communique from Shockwave (actually a disguised Skystalker) to Barricade and his teammates, summoning them to his quarters. Recipe for Hate While attempting to stop an invasion force of Micromasters from freeing their comrades, Venom was skewered by a revived Blaze Master. Victims of the Revolution
The Battle of the Star Gate
When Megatron confronted the two Starscreams on the Trigger, Venom was part of his forces. When the Autobots arrived, the Decepticons battled them, till the Starscream of the future interrupted the battle by merging with the Trigger. In the ensuing conflict, the Trigger was destroyed and the Transformers were sent falling to the Earth, becoming lost. The Battle of the Star Gate
G.I. Joe vs the Transformers
As part of Serpent O.R.'s forces, Venom defended the newly unified Decepticon army's base against a combined Autobot/G.I. Joe strike force. During the battle, he and Barrage were pounded on by Snarl and Storm Shadow. The Art of War #5
Toys
Generation 1
- Venom (Deluxe Insecticon, 1985)
- Venom is a green and orange redeco of Armored Insect Battalion Beetras Beet-Zeguna and transforms into a robotic cicada. He comes with a small blaster and an axe, and is one of the few Deluxe Insecticons whose arms actually let him aim either in any useful manner.
Notes
- Venom, like all of the Deluxe Insecticons, was designed and originally produced by Takatoku Toys for inclusion in their Armored Insect Battalion Beetras toyline (甲虫隊ビートラス). Decoed in black and brown, the mold first saw release under the name Beet-Zeguna. Takatoku Toys went out of business a short while later in 1984, and their assets were purchased by fellow Japanese toymaker Bandai. At that time, the American market was one Bandai was not very active in, which made it a competitor of Takara, but not of Hasbro. Due to this, the company had no objection to licensing various Takatoku molds to Hasbro in 1985 for sale in the American market primarily as part of their version of the The Transformers toyline. Nowadays, Bandai has a worthwhile interest in every market and since it only once licensed the molds, there is little likelihood that Venom and company will ever be put up for reissue.
- Since Hasbro and Takara shared the Generation 1 cartoon as promotional material for their respective versions of the toyline, Venom and the other Deluxe Insecticons were not included in its cast to avoid giving Japanese market-competitor Bandai free publicity. The group was also omitted from the US Marvel comics and barely appeared in the UK Marvel comics, making them the least "successful" of the Takatoku molds. This trend has continued in fiction since, the team's current highlight being their role in the Micromasters comics.
- Barrage, Chop Shop and Venom all appeared in their Beetras color schemes on Hasbro's 1985 packaging mural, along with several other toys in early or unused color schemes.
- Because of the Deluxe Insecticons' regular absence from fiction, Venom has rarely acted as leader of the whole Insecticon group. Instead, the more prominently appearing Insecticon trio usually seems to be rather communal in leadership, though Shrapnel often gets to be in a leadership position of sorts. Venom is keeping an eye on him.
- Real cicadas have no venom. They don't even bite or sting. They're just noisy.
- Venom has shown no evidence in any fiction of a desire to eat your brains.
