Posts in category: Marvel

Marvel has held the top of the superhero comic sales chart in a choke hold for years now. The company’s heroes have become the most acclaimed in the US, and the publisher has created icons that have moved past the comics. The MCU is the most popular cinematic franchise, and Marvel basically controls the board across the pop culture landscape.

RELATED: The Most Powerful Marvel Characters Not Yet Seen In The MCU

Of course, comic fans can’t be a contentious lot, something which extends to opinions on Marvel’s books. Some comics are either loved by fans or hated, with no in between. In fact, many of Marvel’s bestselling books fit this description, which is quite interesting to think about.

10 Hulk (2022)

After The Immortal Hulk ended, the Hulk was a hot commodity and Marvel tried to take advantage of that. Hulk has always been among Marvel’s most popular heroes and the writer/artist team of Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley seemed like the perfect fit for the next phase of the character’s story. However, many fans rebelled immediately against their run.

The tone was entirely different, and some fans basically only wanted The Immortal Hulk part two. These fans hated the new Starship Hulk status quo. However, other fans loved it. It was a lot of fun, a book that supplied thrills and action like no other.

9 X-Force (2019)

The Krakoa Era kicked off at the end of 2019, with multiple X-Men books launching in the wake of House of X/Powers of X. X-Force chronicled the black ops arm of the new mutant nation. Written by Benjamin Percy with art Joshua Cassara, Robert Gill, and multiple fill-in artists, it’s one of the few books to still have the same writer since the beginning of the Krakoa Era.

Percy’s style is old school. Instead of built for the trade five to six issue stories, Percy’s stories are shorter, developing long-running plot threads over the run of the series. Among X-fans, people either love or hate this book. Some fans love Percy’s approach, while others complain about how long stories took to come to fruition.

8 Wolverine (2020)

Wolverine is another book written by Benjamin Percy, having launched in the second wave of books during Dawn of X. Percy worked with regular artists Adam Kubert, Viktor Bogdanovic, Juan Jose Ryp, and multiple fill-in artists since the book’s first issue. It’s the only solo book in the entire X-Men line that has survived, but its reception is pretty mixed.

RELATED: 10 Iconic Marvel Characters And Their Forgotten Relatives

Wolverine fans love the book, as Percy writes it much like Wolverine expert writer Larry Hama did in the 90s. Of course, he also writes it just like X-Force, which is where all the hate comes from. Many fans don’t like the way the book’s plot lines have extended since the beginning of the book.

7 X Of Swords

X-Men history is full of big crossovers, but 2020’s X of Swords is still among the longest. At twenty-two parts, the book crossed through every X-Men book being published that year. The story pit the mutant islands Krakoa and Arakko against each other, with the demonic hordes of Amenth ready to invade Earth if Krakoa loses.

The first major crossover of the Krakoa Era, this story’s reception has been divided from the beginning. Some people love the care put into every part of it, as well as the surprises of the last half. For others, the story is badly paced, the bait and switch halfway through was more annoying than interesting, and it gave Apocalypse a terrible origin retcon.

6 Civil War

Popularity isn’t good for every Marvel event, as it makes them the focal point of attention. This can reveal flaws in the story, which is exactly what happened with Civil War, by writer Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven. Civil War has always been a contentious story, but recent years have seen it enter the love it or hate it phase.

Those who love the story overlook the liberties it takes with character and just enjoy it like a summer action blockbuster. Those who hate only focus on those liberties and how the story wrecked Marvel events for years to come. The fact there are two diametrically opposed sides is quite ironic given CW’s premise.

5 One More Day

Being a Spider-Man fan is frequently terrible, and for many it’s all One More Day’s fault. Written by J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada with art by Quesada, the story is infamous among Spider-Man and Marvel fans. In order to save Aunt May’s life, Peter and Mary Jane trade their marriage to Mephisto. It’s widely considered the worst Spider-Man story ever.

However, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have fans. Even comics that the vast majority consider terrible have fans, and One More Day is no different. They’re quite rare to find, but there are people out there who love the book and will defend it, which is basically the most thankless job there is.

4 House Of M

Marvel events don’t always bring beneficial change, especially when it is used to devalue a beloved Marvel franchise. House of M, by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Olivier Coipel, was basically Marvel’s way of destroying the X-Men franchise, so that the Avengers and other long-neglected properties could get a chance to shine.

Of course, pretty much every X-Men fan hates it. Grant Morrison fans hate it because Marvel used it to get rid of many of their concepts. Scarlet Witch fans don’t like the character assassination against her which was de rigueur at the time. However, many Marvel fans still love it for its importance to Marvel history.

3 The Avengers (2018)

2018 brought a new beginning for The Avengers, as writer Jason Aaron and artist Ed McGuinness relaunched the team with a more MCU fan friendly line-up. Aaron has been writing the book ever since, working with many different artists since the book’s launch. His run as writer is coming to a close, but it’s hard to say that it’s been successful.

RELATED: 8 Most Important Alternate Timelines In Marvel Comics

The Avengers has been far from the top of sales charts during Aaron’s run, and many fans hate the book. However, Aaron’s run wasn’t cut short because of sales, and there are some fans who love his run. They’re looking forward to its upcoming ending.

2 The Amazing Spider-Man (2022)

Spider-Man has always been a massively influential Marvel hero. The Amazing Spider-Man trades off its place as the industry’s best-selling title with Batman. However, The Amazing Spider-Man hasn’t been a universally beloved book in years. The current run of the book, written by Zeb Wells with art by John Romita Jr. and multiple fill-in artists, has been the target of much fan ire.

Fans haven’t been completely happy with TASM since One More Day, and Wells’s run is hated by many Spider-Man fans. However, they still buy the book and keep it at number one or two. There are still plenty of fans who love it, although they aren’t as vocal as the massive amount of haters.

1 X-Men (2021)

X-Men status quo changes are often the result of new creative teams, something that has happened to many books during the Krakoa Era. That includes X-Men, set up as the book’s flagship title. When Jonathan Hickman left the X-office, writer Gerry Duggan took over the book and has written it ever since, working with artists Pepe Larraz, Joshua Cassara, and multiple fill-in artists.

Duggan’s time on the book has split the fanbase. While everyone agrees the book’s art is impeccable, fans either completely hate the writing or love it. The haters say the book no longer feels like it matters, the characterization is generic, and the villains are mediocre. Those who love it say that it’s just a fun book with a good roster and great art.

NEXT: 10 Deadliest Robots In Marvel Comics

The Lego Sanctum Sanctorum isn’t the first time the Billund brick builder’s have tackled Doctor Strange’s Bleecker Street residence. Sanctum Sanctorum Showdown (76108) is one of the best Lego Marvel sets  of recent years, but it’s only a facade with some very small – albeit cleverly designed rooms. The new Sanctum Sanctorum (76218) (opens in new tab), on the other hand, is a 2708-piece, 18+ behemoth that doubles as a proper modular building.

This means, if you have any other modular building sets like the towering Daily Bugle (76178) that comprises a whopping 3772 pieces or the smaller, yet no-less detailed Jazz Club (10312) (opens in new tab), the Sanctum can attach to them to create a seamless street scene or be integrated into a wider Lego city.

Marvel fans are rallying behind Black Panther star Angela Bassett after she was “robbed” from her Oscar.

The MCU actor has left inches away from making history for the superhero franchise as she was lost to Jamie Lee Curtis for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Everything Everywhere All At Once.

“They really robbed Angela Bassett out of another #Oscar,” one user vented his anger.

While another commented, “I know we’re ALL upset that the legendary Angela Bassett lost her nomination for supporting actress. However, think about her making history being nominated for a Marvel film. The academy despises blockbuster comic films. She was the first actress to accomplish that! #oscars.”

However, Wakanda Forever still bagged the Best Costume Design for Ruth Carter.

Previously, after Wakanda Forever’s release, Bassett said she “objected” to the sequel’s story arc of Queen Ramonda, “I was like, ‘Ryan, what are you doing? Why? You will rue the day! You will rue the demise of [Ramonda]. People are gonna be so upset.’

“He was like, ‘Angela, I know, I know, but look, to die is not really to die in this world. It doesn’t really have to mean that.”

Wolverine rose from relative obscurity to conquer the comic industry, blowing past Marvel‘s Silver Age titans in terms of popularity. He’s eclipsed everyone but Spider-Man and even that’s debatable. Wolverine has grown and changed like few others characters in comics, especially ones of his stature. Wolverine is the best there is at what he does, and what he does is a little bit of everything.

RELATED: 10 Most Iconic Black Marvel Superheroes

The key to Wolverine’s success is the myriad ways Marvel’s creators have made him stronger over the years. Whether it be as a tougher superhero or the way he’s been developed as a character, Wolverine has risen to the top. His success revolves around how much stronger he’s become.

10 Wolverine Has Beaten The Hulk

Wolverine has fought some tough battles, sometimes winning, sometimes losing. However, there’s an opponent that Wolverine has beaten that shows just strong Logan truly is. Wolverine first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #181, and he and the Jade Giant would have many battles over the years. The Hulk is a devastating opponent, but Wolverine has managed to beat him.

In fact, Wolverine has a better win percentage over the Hulk than the Avengers. Marvel doesn’t let many heroes beat the Hulk, so the fact that Wolverine has been able to take him down says a lot about the character. In fact, Old Man Logan has killed two different versions of the Hulk, including the ultra-powerful Maestro.

9 Wolverine Went From Loner To Team Player

When Wolverine first joined the X-Men, he was the gruff loner. Fans fell in love with him, the killer with the heart of gold, and as time went on he softened. Eventually, he became an extremely important X-Man, going from the guy who caused all the problems for Cyclops to Storm’s right-hand man. He became a mentor, someone that other members of the team looked up to.

Wolverine becoming more of a team player was a big step in making the character stronger. Being a mouthy loner can carry a hero for a while, but eventually they have to grow. Wolverine’s growth into a team player and a mentor of Kate Pryde, Jubilee, and others was an important part in his development.

8 Wolverine Is A Ninja

In the 1980s, making a character a ninja suddenly brought them to next level in popularity. It worked for Daredevil and it worked for Wolverine. Making Wolverine a ninja, and later revealing his mastery of multiple martial arts, made Logan more than just a simple berserker. His struggle to use martial arts to bring discipline to the beast within added a new dimension to the character.

RELATED: 10 Powers Wolverine Technically Has (But Rarely Uses)

Wolverine as a ninja enabled writers Chris Claremont and Larry Hama to transform Wolverine into a warrior poet, a superhero ronin fighting against his own demons to do the right thing. It not only made him a stronger fighter, but a stronger character. The best conceptions of the character all come from this one plot development.

7 Wolverine Has A Great Rogues Gallery

A hero isn’t truly someone until they have their own rogues gallery. Spider-Man is a cool character, but he wouldn’t be a greatest-of-all-time superhero without his rogues gallery. Plenty of superheroes are great on teams, but don’t work solo because they don’t have any villains of their own. Wolverine got lucky in that he got Sabretooth as a rival, and the rest came as time went on.

Wolverine has a deadly rogues gallery, all enemies tailor made to make his day worse. Enemies like Omega Red, Roughhouse, Bloodscream, Romulus and more have tested Wolverine like no one else. Giving Wolverine formidable villains is a testament to how strong the character has become.

6 Weapon X Made Wolverine Better

Weapon X created deadly supersoldiers, with Wolverine foremost among them. For years, readers wondered where Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton and claws came from. Writer/artist Barry Windsor-Smith gave them that answer in Weapon X, which told the story of Wolverine’s time at the titular program.

Adding the Weapon X program to Wolverine’s backstory was a step in the right direction. It allowed for so many great stories over the years, giving readers some answers but leaving others opaque. It also made Wolverine just plain tougher. From giving him his unbreakable skeleton to physically enhancing him in other ways, Weapon X became an important part of the toughening of Wolverine.

5 Wolverine Became The X-Men’s Most Formidable Fighter

The X-Men have some great fighters, with the team boasting many of the greatest heroes on Earth. Cyclops, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Storm and more all shined bright on the team, but all of them soon found themselves eclipsed by Wolverine. The ol’ Canucklehead was always a tough guy, but as he got more popular and well-developed, he took the crown as the X-Men’s best fighter.

Wolverine started to get more and more spotlight, got more fleshed out, and became the X-Men’s foremost member, even if he wasn’t the leader. He was the one who could sneak into an enemy base by himself and soften it up. He was the guy who jumped into every fight first. He was the team’s alpha dog, and he proved it in the field.

4 Wolverine Saves The Day All The Time

As the team’s best fighter and breakout star, Wolverine started to carry the X-Men. When all seemed lost, Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton, healing factor, and sheer tenacity allowed him to surprise the team’s foes when they thought they had won. Wolverine became the come from behind kid; every time things seemed lost, he shifted into a new gear and took it to the enemy.

The X-Men knew that if things were at their worst, Wolverine was at his best. He kept the team going through thick and thin, pulling their fat out of the fire over and over again. With his adamantium skeleton or without, Wolverine became the team’s MVP.

3 X-Force Made Wolverine A Leader

Wolverine’s year as a spy and an assassin gave him skills that few other X-Men had, skills that would come in handy when the decimated mutant race moved to San Francisco. Cyclops had Wolverine bring together a team of mutants who had no problems with killing and form a new X-Force. The team’s mandate was simple – kill any enemy before they could kill mutants.

RELATED: Marvel’s 10 Most Popular Heroes, Ranked By Intelligence

Wolverine had become a team player, but he was rarely a leader. X-Force changed that. Wolverine led two different X-Force teams. While he made some mistakes, he still showed that he had what it took to be a leader. This was his first step to becoming something better.

2 Wolverine Started His Own X-Men School

Wolverine was among the most reliable X-Men during the team’s time on Utopia, but an ideological schism with Cyclops would change all of that. Wolverine and a group of like-minded mutants would leave Utopia and go back to Westchester. They rebuilt the X-Mansion and started a new school with Wolverine taking his place as headmaster.

This was a huge step in making Wolverine a stronger, more well-rounded character. He had already been a leader, but becoming the headmaster of a mutant school, responsible for the next generation of mutants, was a massive step. He had finally been positioned at the top of the mutant hero community.

1 Wolverine’s Healing Factor

Wolverine has really cool powers, but his most useful one is his healing factor. At first, it wasn’t as high octane as it would become. He’d heal from gunshots and flesh wounds rather quickly, but more serious injuries took time. His healing factor went into overdrive after he had healed from the loss of his adamantium. When he got his metal skeleton back, his healing factor stayed strong.

As the years went on, it only got stronger. Wolverine could heal from nearly any wound in seconds and attacks that would have taken days to heal took hours. He was even able to regenerate from being disintegrated. This stronger healing factor made him even formidable in battle.

NEXT: 10 Marvel Villains Who Saved Wolverine

Marvel‘s heroes jumped to prominence in the Silver Age, quickly becoming the most famous heroes in comic. This has been compounded in recent years with the MCU, but even before that, the decades of success are extremely impressive. Marvel has kept their heroes fresh, upgrading the characters in a variety of ways.

RELATED: 10 Marvel Superhero Rivalries That Make No Sense

Many upgrades have seen the heroes increase in power and potency. The best upgrades do all of that, but also have given readers memorable stories. They’ve made the heroes better, allowing them to do things they wouldn’t have been able to do before.

10 Scarlet Witch Post-Avengers Vs. X-Men

The Avengers have had some controversial members, but none can compare to Scarlet Witch. A former member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, becoming an Avenger redeemed her. However, she also ended up fighting the team multiple times. She eventually killed three Avengers, rewrote reality, and depowered the mutant race, committing genocide on a massive scale.

After some shenanigans involving Doctor Doom and the Young Avengers, she made a comeback during the battle against the Phoenix Five. She was integral to the win, using the Phoenix Force’s power alongside Hope Summers to repower mutants. Since then, she’s been superlatively powerful.

9 The Immortal Hulk

There have been many versions of the Hulk, but not all of them are created equally. The most powerful Hulks have basically infinite strength, depending on their anger, but none of them were as dangerous as the Immortal Hulk during the height of his power. The Immortal Hulk lived up to his name. Even if he was killed, he woke up the next night and quickly proved to be the most devious Hulk.

Even in his dumber forms, he still had the advantage of immortality. Even if he was dismembered, his body parts would come back together by the next night. It’s this power that gives him an advantage over the Savage Hulk or Worldbreaker Hulk.

8 Captain America With Super Strength

Captain America is so great because he really doesn’t have superpowers. The super soldier serum and the Vita-Rays made him the pinnacle of human physical achievement, which meant he had to work harder and be smarter to fight superpowered foes and groups of enemies. So, a Captain America with superpowers would be extremely formidable. While he’s gained those kinds of powers from Mjolnir, which he’s worthy to hold, he has had super strength in the past.

RELATED: Marvel’s 10 Most Popular Heroes, Ranked By Intelligence

After his battles against the Secret Empire, when he watched the President reveal his leadership of the group then commit suicide, Cap gained super strength. This made him a much more powerful fighter. It especially came in handy when he was pulled from his time and helped battle Immortus and the Timekeepers during Avengers Forever (Vol. 1).

7 Carol Danvers As Binary

Carol Danvers has used many costumed identities, but one is much more powerful than others. After Rogue drained her powers, she ended up hanging out with the X-Men for a while. During this period she gained entirely new powers, ones which allowed her to control all manners of energy. Taking up the name Binary, she joined the Starjammers.

Carol as Binary was monumentally powerful. She had amazing energy powers and could survive in the vacuum of space. She could absorb energy from any source and use it for whatever she needed it for. Becoming Captain Marvel was a good upgrade for her, but her greatest power level was as Binary.

6 She-Hulk Post-Civil War II

She-Hulk can exceed the Hulk in power, but she’s often held back by the fact that she’s basically in control of herself. After Civil War II, when she was nearly killed by Thanos and the Hulk himself was killed, she became a more savage version of herself. She was physically much bigger, and while she lost her intellect, she gained much greater strength.

She joined the Avengers during this period and proved to be a powerhouse for the team. This new savage form was much easier to anger, which made her strength rise more quickly. She took her position as a premiere heavy-hitter for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

5 Iceman

The X-Men’s Omega-level mutants have world-shaking powers. Not all of them started out as powerful as they’d become, their power levels increasing as they mastered them. Iceman was always a tough member of the X-Men, but was subconsciously holding himself back. For years, Emma Frost’s consciousness hid in his mind and she took control of his body, unlocking his true potential.

Since Emma left his mind, his powers have grown exponentially as he’s realized what he’s capable of. He’s now among the most powerful X-Men and at the top of the mutant food chain. He’s even frozen the fires of Hell, something that no one would have expected him to do when he still looked like a snowman.

4 Wolverine Post-2000

Marvel has created many influential heroes, ones that changed the comic industry. Wolverine was one of these. The X-Men’s resident bruiser, for years his adamantium skeleton and healing factor made him a great frontline fighter. However, for years his healing factor was rather slow, but ramped up after his adamantium was removed, when his body no longer had to deal with adamantium poisoning.

Once the adamantium was put back on his bones, his healing factor stayed powerful and actually started to get better than ever. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when this happened, but it started after the year 2000. Now, Wolverine can regenerate from nearly any attack quickly.

3 Iron Man’s Godkiller Armor

Iron Man has long been a top hero, with Tony Stark constantly tinkering with his armor and making it more powerful. On top of that, he’s known for creating all kinds of specialty armor, suits specifically created to defeat certain enemies. These armors are quite powerful, but none of them can match the power of his Godkiller armor.

RELATED: 10 Marvel Heroes Who Created Their Own Worst Enemies

The Godkiller armor was created to fight Celestials. As such, it’s much bigger than his normal armor. It has weapons created to battle some of the most powerful beings in the universe. It’s amazingly powerful, and can take damage that would disintegrate any other suit of armor he has.

2 Thor, All-Father And Herald Of Galactus

Thor is Marvel’s greatest warrior. The Asgardian God of Thunder has always been a heavy hitter, but after the war against the Dark Elves, he was made All-Father of Asgard. This brought with it a huge jump in his power level, but he’d soon gain even more power. Galactus came to Asgard for help with the Black Winter and made Thor one of his heralds.

Suddenly, he not only had the power of the All-Father, but also the Power Cosmic. He was able to smack Galactus around, even after he had devoured five special planets that made him more powerful than ever. He was able to drain Galactus’s power and killed him, something no being without a Cosmic Cube or the Infinity Gauntlet has been able to do.

1 Cosmic Spider-Man

Spider-Man has some great powers, but he’s not considered one of the most powerful heroes. However, there was a time when he had a huge jump in power. Spider-Man was gifted with the Uni-Force, an all powerful energy supply that made its bearer into Captain Universe, a being who was basically an antibody for the universe.

Called Cosmic Spider-Man, he stomped Firelord when he was Herald of Galactus and easily defeated the Hulk, two things he never would have been able to do. His strength was increased a thousandfold and he gained amazing energy-controlling abilities, as well as becoming nearly invincible.

NEXT: 10 Greatest Marvel Heroes Who Draw Power From Alternate Dimensions

Marvel’s Midnight Suns has introduced its second DLC character, Venom. The character is on a lot of people’s minds right now, having a pair of live-action movies of his own, a cameo in the latest Spider-Man movie, and a major role in the upcoming Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 video game. The developers of Midnight Suns were always going to have an uphill climb in deciding who would follow the ridiculously popular Deadpool, but it seems that with Venom, they may have managed to make lightning strike twice.

Available in the Redemption DLC, Venom works as a heavy-hitting damage character great for either crowd control, tanking the most powerful enemies, or even farming Heroism. As with the other playable characters available in Midnight Suns, Venom comes with a handful of quirks and abilities that set him apart from how the other characters function. With that in mind, here’s a rundown of Venom’s passive ability and some of the best cards for his deck.

Related: How Marvel’s Midnight Suns Hints at a Potential Sequel

Venom’s Passive Abilities Make Him One of Midnight Suns’ Most Powerful Characters

Venom’s primary Passive Ability is called Ravenous, and it affects just about every strategy Venom can use. Venom begins each encounter with a full meter of three Ravenous Points, and so long as Ravenous is active with at least one of these points, Venom gains a significant boost to his damage output. Each Attack and Heroic Ability consumes one Ravenous Point, while he naturally replenishes one Ravenous Point on each turn, so players will need to plan their strategies around this limited resource to keep Venom at his most effective.

Venom’s additional Passive Ability, called We Are Venom, adds a random 25% that an Attack Card will not consume a Ravenous Point. We Are Venom can also be upgraded to We Are Venom II, which adds the extra effect that the first Attack Card of any encounter is guaranteed to not consume a Ravenous Point, greatly increasing the ferocity and power with which players can use Venom from the start of a fight.

Related: What Midnight Suns’ DLC Can Learn From Past Marvel Games

Lethal Embrace+ Is Venom’s Strongest Attack Card

Lethal Embrace+ is a rare Attack card for Venom that does a staggering 142 damage to a single target, while also generating one Heroism when it is played. The base version of this card, Lethal Embrace, only does 142 damage if the target is at full health, doing only 95 damage otherwise, and doesn’t generate Heroism. In this upgraded version, the target’s health doesn’t matter, making this an extremely valuable Attack card.

Web Toss+ Is a Simple Yet Effective Attack

Web Toss+ is a common Attack card that’s a must-have in any Venom deck. With Web Toss+, Venom can hit a target with a Forceful Knockback, providing some solid crowd control, while also dealing damage based on what the target hits along the way. Web Toss+ also generates one Heroism when played. Players should include two of these in their deck, as they are so easy to find and effective to use.

Related: Critics Loved Marvel’s Midnight Suns – So Why Didn’t Anyone Buy It?

Spike Burst+ Is Venom’s Best Heroic Card

Spike Burst+ is a Heroic card does a powerful area-of-effect attack, dealing massive damage to every enemy in an area, making this a great card for crowd control. Further, Spike Burst+ also has an additional 10% chance to add the Bind status to any target hit by it. Add to that a low cost of only Two Heroism to play it, and Spike Burst+ is definitely one of Venom’s best cards.

Symbiotic Senses+ Helps Manage Venom’s Resources

The Skill card Symbiotic Senses+ is a great tool in Venom’s arsenal for resource management. With it, Venom can immediately draw one Attack or Heroic card, gain two Heroism, and the following two Attack cards will not consume any Ravenous points. This card is particularly useful if players can combine it with the We Are Venom II Ability at the start of an encounter for even more free attacks.

Related: What Marvel Games Could Learn From the MCU

Insatiable Hunger & Insatiable Hunger+ Help Maintain Venom’s Ravenous Meter

Insatiable Hunger and its upgraded version immediately grant the player one Ravenous point when played, plus an extra Ravenous point at the start of Venom’s next turn. The only difference between the two cards is that basic Insatiable Hunger grants two Heroism, while Insatiable Hunger+ instead counts as a Free card. Both of these extra effects have merit, so it’s a good idea for players to have both versions in their deck.

Assimilation+ Is Venom’s Ultimate Endgame Card

In addition to granting one Ravenous point and two Heroism, Assimilation+ gives all of Venom’s Attack and Heroic cards both the Quick status and the “On KO, draw an Attack or Heroic Card” feature until the end of the player’s turn. Assimilation+ turns Venom into an unstoppable wrecking ball, destroying enemies, getting refunds on their card plays to continue destroying even more enemies, and so on. The downside of Assimilation+ is that it gives Venom the Exhaust status at the end of the turn, meaning that this card works best near the end of an encounter or as a desperate move to turn around a losing battle.

Venom makes for an excellent member of any Midnight Suns team, focusing on strong, overwhelming attacks to keep the enemy numbers low so the other team members have space to breathe and set up big strategies. As long as players keep track of Venom’s Ravenous meter, and play cards that help them maintain that resource, Venom can easily turn most encounters into a cakewalk.