Peter once asked Venom about its home planet. After all, Klyntar, the home of the symbiotes, was a very important location. Peter wondered if this world could be a bit safer, maybe this universe didn't have Knull?
The answer was the opposite of what he wished for.
"Symbiotes come from a distant planet called Klyntar... I think that's the right way to understand it. Symbiotes can't speak until they bond with an intelligent host, so it can only give me a general idea or show me some memory fragments."
Peter scratched his head. Even in Nick Fury's office, he didn't take off his mask. Nick Fury couldn't analyze Peter Parker's expression to determine if what he was saying was true, but he was willing to trust his gut feeling that Peter Parker wasn't lying.
"Symbiotes are a very special life form. Except on their home planet, Klyntar, they must bond with a higher life form to function stably. On Earth, they need to bond with at least a vertebrate to be stable; otherwise, their molecules will be in a constant state of instability, making them more vulnerable to harm."
"For symbiotes on their home planet, their minds are shared through a hive-like collective consciousness. But once they leave their home planet, this sharing is temporarily interrupted. Most symbiotes are affected by their hosts, but this effect usually only appears in creatures that have bonded for more than 48 hours. For example, if Venom were to leave me now and bond with another creature, the new host would not only be able to use my combat skills through Venom but might also be influenced to become more like me in personality."
He can use Venom to create more Spider-Men? Nick Fury finally became interested. He knew about Reed Richards' research on these creatures and had gotten similar results, but he didn't really understand their other characteristics outside of the research.
"Did it tell you why it came?"
Listening to Peter Parker explain the basic characteristics of symbiotes, Nick Fury didn't focus on those details. Instead, he asked about something more important. Peter understood what Nick Fury was getting at and continued to speak. "Well, Venom isn't really sure why it came. It seems like it came here by accident, but its four counterparts didn't. The other four symbiotes were 'exiled' from Klyntar because they violated Klyntar's law—pretty much the only law."
Nick Fury nodded, motioning for Peter to continue.
"Uh—how about I just let Venom come out and speak for itself? It probably knows more about this."
Spider-Man's body changed. The black suit became a viscous, living biomass, roughly the size of the Hulk, with fangs and sharp teeth. It touched its head, which was nearly hitting the ceiling, and then decided to sit cross-legged.
Nick Fury's face didn't show any change, but he put a hand under the table. Cindy seemed a bit startled, but her Spider-Sense told her there was no danger. Venom mimicked Peter's action, rubbing its chin, and then opened its mouth and stuck out its long tongue.
"What do you want to ask us?"
"I'm most concerned with whether you were the first of your kind to arrive on Earth, or if more of you alien slimes will come to Earth."
"The chances are very slim. Klyntar is on the edge of the universe, in the coldest, darkest place, and very far from Earth. It's almost impossible for a symbiote to get here naturally. Unless you humans listen to those guys and intentionally go to Klyntar."
Nick Fury picked up on the key point in Venom's words. "You mean, your counterparts might try to take humans to your planet? Why?"
"Because they're insane. They want to release Knull."
Nick Fury's face was full of question marks. "What's a Knull?"
"Knull is our creator, our maker, an ancient god. He created our ancestors, enslaved us, stripped us of our minds, and used us to spread his chaos and darkness, conquering one world after another."
Venom's slightly slurred accent made its story somewhat amusing. Nick Fury put his feet down and spoke. "Is this Knull very powerful?"
"Uh... I don't know."
"? You don't know how powerful your god is?"
Venom answered honestly. "In Knull's time, no one was his opponent, so we don't know how strong he really is."
With no opponents, they couldn't judge his strength. That's why the symbiotes themselves didn't know how powerful Knull was. Nick Fury looked at the being in front of him that answered every question and asked, "So, how did you defeat Knull?"
"We didn't. We just imprisoned him."
Well, then tell me how you imprisoned him!
"Knull, controlling his most powerful servant, invaded a planet. But that planet had its own protector, who struck Knull's servant with lightning. So Knull's consciousness became trapped in his servant's body, and his own body became an empty shell. Our ancestors took the opportunity to gain their freedom, and they became a prison at the planet's core, trapping Knull inside."
He struck him with lightning? Nick Fury was intrigued again. "Can you identify which planet that was?"
Venom shook its head. Knull's loyal servant, the symbiote dragon Grendel, and Knull's consciousness were disconnected. Their consciousness didn't enter the symbiotes' consciousness network, so the symbiotes didn't know if Knull was on Earth.
But if it was on Earth, the identity of this protector was obvious—Thor, who loved Earth more than Asgard. Unfortunately, Thor was rarely on Earth. Otherwise, he could just ask him.
"So, those four of your kind are the outcasts of your species, and they want to free the god you imprisoned. So your planet decided to exile them. How did you end up with them?"
"They were worried they'd get hungry on the way."
"?"
"I couldn't beat them, so they caught me to be their emergency food."
"..."
Nick Fury sighed and shook his head helplessly. He waved his hand, and Venom turned back into a suit. Peter was about to say something about Thor, but Nick Fury just waved his hand and sighed. "Alright, I'll have Hawkeye give you two a tour of the Triskelion. I need to think about what I just heard."