Bonding Of Symbiotes

Symbiotes can attach themselves to anything solid and grow on it or around, such as grains of sand or water, even though they need something living in order for a true bonding to occur, mostly humans (symbiotes have temporarily bonded to a wolf and a gorilla). The application of a symbiote provokes a cool feeling as the plasmic ooze covers its host. Symbiotes may start off small but can grow to match the size of any host, no matter the size. It stimulates them, provides for them, and protects them by itself when the host is unconscious or unaware of a true symbiotic relationship. Symbiotes rely on human hosts because they are able to feed off adrenaline which is essential to their survival. They also feed off diseases fatal to humans, due to the type of energy or "adrenaline" it may produce; for example, the Venom symbiote was able to save Eddie Brock's life from cancer by feeding off it, since Eddies' cancer produced the exact type of adrenaline that the symbiote needs to survive. Symbiotes are capable of living independently off a host as all known symbiotes have, as they have at one time or another, left their hosts or been forced to be without their hosts for extended periods of time. However, there has been no indication that a symbiote can survive permanently without a host.

It is possible that the symbiosis is preferred due to the advantages that host and symbiote gain, especially in regards to survival. Combined with a host, the symbiote is able to wield great strength, speed, stamina and other physical attributes of the host, enhanced well beyond normal levels. As such, symbiotes prefer stronger hosts and when they find an ideal one, will attempt to bond permanently with them.

If a symbiote is strongly bonded, as the Venom symbiote was to Eddie Brock, an attempt to break the bond causes a shock sufficient to render both host and symbiote unconscious. However, a symbiote can easily sever a weak bond, such as when the Carnage symbiote abandoned Cletus Kasady for the Silver Surfer, or when Angelo Fortunato was left to plummet to his death, mid-jump, by the Venom suit.

Recently within the Marvel mythos, the bond between a symbiote and it's host seems to becoming more of a "any host will do" type of situation. When Spider-Man originally was the host to the Venom symbiote, the symbiote would go out on patrol at night, using Peter's unconscious body as a mode of transportation. Carnage's bond to Kasidy has also been described as such, Kasidy quipping in the Carnage vs Venom miniseries, "You may be the bus driver, but you still need the bus." Mac Gargan has also been heard saying similar regards, describing that Venom and he are separate entities, saying that Venom was inside of him, not him himself in Thunderbolts 116. Toxin's bond with Mulligan is also this way, as can be seen throughout the Toxin miniseries.