PHAGE

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (Xenophages) technology user

Occupation: Predator

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Donna Diego, Zeena Hodges, Jerry, Rocky, George Strickland, Venom (Eddie Brock)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Xenophage

Base of Operations: Mobile throughout the galaxy

First Appearance: Venom: The Hunted#1/1 (May, 1996)

Powers/Abilities: The Phage was a member of a technologically-advanced sentient race (the Xenophages) which primarily subsist on symbiotes and the cerebral cortexes of their hosts; while symbiotes are their preferred food, they can also eat the cerebral cortexes of any living thing. It possessed great strength and durability, and was sheathed in an exoskeleton that possessed no pain receptors. In its normal form, it possessed sharp jaws and two clawed hands; its lower body was composed of a mass of tentacles. The Phage was a shapeshifter, capable of disguising itself as complex inanimate objects. It could vomit a complex neurotoxin that paralyzed symbiotes but left their hosts undamaged; the neurotoxin also enhanced the symbiote's flavor. The symbiote's flavor was also enhanced in direct relation to the length of the bonding between a symbiote and its host; while a recently-bonded symbiote was relatively tasteless, an individual like Venom, who had been bonded with Eddie Brock for years, would be considered exceptionally delicious. It could store uneaten symbiotes within itself for later consumption. The Phage could also speak flawless English.

The Phage travelled the galaxy in an advanced starship capable of faster-than-light travel. Via a topological anomaly, it could compress itself to the size of a football without harming the living occupants inside. Even when expanded, it was ten times as large inside as it was on the outside. It possessed an advanced tracking system capable of detecting symbiotes from light-years away.

History:

(Venom: The Hunted#2/1 (fb) - BTS) - The Phage travelled across the galaxy, devouring symbiotes and their hosts. It eventually came to Earth after a symbiote invasion, and began feeding upon the symbiotes that had survived that invasion.

(Venom: The Hunted#1/1 (fb) ) - The Phage devoured a female symbiote host outside the Lizard Lounge nightclub. The killing was caught by a surveillance camera, and the grainy footage led the police to believe that the killer was Venom, prompting New York City to form a Venom Task Force to capture the villain.

(Venom: The Hunted#1/1) - The Phage fed upon symbiote host Zeena Hodges.

(Venom: The Hunted#2/1) - The Phage remained in Zeena's apartment, where it disguised itself as a china cabinet. When her roommate Donna Diego and her ally George Strickland (both symbiote hosts) returned to the apartment, it attacked them, devouring Strickland and saving Diego for later. It shifted back to cabinet form and remained there until NYPD Venom Task Force members Clark and Steen burst in.

(Venom: The Hunted#3/1) - The Phage leapt from the apartment to the streets below, where several cops were attempting to arrest Venom. He dosed Venom with his neurotoxin, then pursued the fleeing Brock (who remained active, but severely weighed down by his symbiote). Pursued into the subways by police helicopters, they battled atop a speeding subway car, with Donna and her paralyzed symbiote in tow. As Brock's symbiote revived, he snagged a white phosphorus grenade from a passing SWAT cop. With Venom out of reach, the Phage considered eating Jerry and Rocky, two skateboarders who had followed the battle. Before he could do so, however, Venom began taunting him. With his prey finally in reach, the Phage bit his head off...only to find that Venom had disguised a symbiote tendril as his head and placed the grenade inside. It exploded, incinerating the alien.

Comments: Created by Larry Hama, Duncan Rouleau, and John Strangeland.

The symbiote invasion occurred in Planet of the Symbiotes, 1995's summer event that ran through the Spider-title annuals.

The cerebral cortex is the outermost layer of the brain, about 2-4 mm thick, and unfolds to about the size of a newspaper. It plays an important role in processing memory, thought, and language.

The Phage had an action figure in the 1998 Venom: Along Came a Spider line. It did not sell well, and could be found on store shelves for years afterwards.

Some people refer to the symbiote host Carl Mach, who was introduced in Venom: Lethal Protector, as Phage. These people are morons, and should be severely beaten.

Profile by Minor Irritant.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Phage and his race, the Xenophages, have no known connections to

ZEENA HODGES

(Venom: The Hunted#1/1 (fb) ) - Bonded with a symbiote during the symbiote invasion of Earth, Zeena's symbiote survived the mass suicide than ended the invasion. Having trouble adjusting, Zeena was found by fellow symbiote host Donna Diego, who took her in. She also befriended fellow symbiote host George Strickland.

(Venom: The Hunted#1/1) - After seeing Donna off, Zeena watched TV, unaware that the Phage had entered the apartment. It attacked her - she frantically called 911, but the Phage killed her before help could arrive.

--Venom: The Hunted#1 (Venom: The Hunted#1 (fb), 1




GEORGE STRICKLAND

(Venom: The Hunted#2/1 (fb) ) - Bonded with a symbiote during the symbiote invasion of Earth, George's symbiote survived the mass suicide than ended the invasion. Having trouble adjusting, George was found by fellow symbiote host Donna Diego.

(Venom: The Hunted#2/1) - George and Donna arrived at Donna's apartment to find that her roommate Zeena had been murdered. As George pleaded with Donna to leave, fearing the killer was still present, Donna insisted they stay. They both shifted into their symbiote forms and fought, until Donna noticed a china cabinet that wasn't there before. It turned out to be the Phage, which promptly devoured George.

--Venom: The Hunted#2 (Venom: The Hunted#2 (fb), 2



images: (without ads)
Venom: The Hunted#3/1, p7, pan1 (main image)
Venom: The Hunted#3/1, p2, pan1 (headshot)
Venom: The Hunted#1/1, p17, pan2 (Zeena)
Venom: The Hunted#2/1, p11, pan5 (George - human form)
Venom: The Hunted#2/1, p13, pan2 (George - symbiote form)

Appearances:
Venom: The Hunted#1-3 (May-July, 1996) - Larry Hama (writer), Duncan Rouleau (pencils), John Strangeland (inker), Tom Brevoort (editor)

Last updated: 01/29/06

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™  and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Back to Characters