Doctor Venom

Doctor Venom is aCobra-alignedhumanfrom theG.I. Joeportion of theGeneration 1continuity family.

Doctor Venom(pronounced, he insists, "Phe-nom" ) is a heroic humanitarian, happy to serve his country in any way he can. Well, that's howhetells it, anyway—with a name like that, it shouldn't come as any surprise to know that his words are poison of the worst sort. As icy as a serpent's cold blood, with a tongue just as wicked, Venom is a smarmy, slimy, self-aggrandizing customer with an overdeveloped vocabulary who bides his time, and will spin any situation to his advantage with a carefully-placed lie that he's willing to go to any lengths to "prove" —including murder. Worst of all, he's actually got the scientific skills to back up his bluster, which always makes him useful to whomeverhewants to be working for.

Sometimes his real name isArchibald Monev.

Fiction

Transformers vs. G.I. Joe

Warning: the following comic contains graphic violence (which may be unsuitable for children)

Doctor Venom developed "Project Creeper"forCobra,but whenG.I. JoeraidedCobra's temple base and put a stop to his experiments, he smugly professed that the terrorists had beenforcinghim to create the weapons for them.The Golden BoysTaken into Joe custody, Venom was confined to the science deck of theUSS Flaggand put to work creating a line ofrobotic troopsfor the Joes. Guarded byDial-ToneandShipwreck,he worked diligently, insisting all the while that he was on the Joes' side, happy to serve his country, hoping his good behaviour would grant him the opportunity to examine the remains ofSoundwave,an alien robot whose corpse the Joes had recently obtained. When the forces of Cobra attacked theFlagg,DreadnokBuzzerwas inserted into the vessel to recover Venom... but when he handed Venom a gun so he could join in the escape effort, Venom responded by shooting him point-blank in the head. This murderous display begrudgingly convincedGeneral Flaggof Venom's apparent good intentions, and he allowed the doctor to work on Soundwave, hoping the scientist could reanimate the robot into the Joes' service.Funeral for a Friend

General Flagg donated the "Bumblecycle" the Joes had constructed from theAutobotBumblebee's headless body to Venom's efforts, and Venom put it to use in an arcane experiment that seemed more sorcery than science, which also involved strapping some Joe grunts into some painful-looking machinery. Reading in the Cybertronian tongue from Cobra's holy text, theDecepticobranomicon,Venom reanimated the Bumblecycle,Form Follows Functionturning it into a suit for armor that he used tobinary bondhimself to Soundwave's body.

Venom had just completed his dark work whenOptimus Primetore his way intoT.H.E. P.I.T.,intent on recovering Bumblebee, and the pair engaged in a battle that soon spilled out into the streets ofNew York City.Eventually, Prime wrenched Bumblebee's body from atop Soundwave's shoulders, taking Venom with it; Venom, of course, immediately began singing Prime's praises and offered to help him however he could.Expelled from the GardenPaying no heed to the Doctor's words, Prime returned to Cybertron, where he confrontedScorponok.Believing Prime was doomed, Venom hauled himself out of his Bumble-armor and legged it.Headmasters

Clad in a suit ofS.N.A.K.E.armor, Venom accompanied Cobra Commander to Cybertron, where he encountered Destro. At Cobra Commander's bidding, he broadcast a secret kill-switch, wilting the creepers that had entangledMegatron.Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #12Venom watched from the sidelines asHawkand Destro dueled one another, interfering only to remove a javelin from Destro's wound. He was amused when Hawk died. He was less amused whenDukeshoved a grenade into his mouth, killing him.The War Never Ends

Beast Wars: Uprising

At some point in the late 20th or early 21st century, Cobra was defeated. Doctor Archibald Monev was among the 731 Cobra scientists and operatives subsumed into US intelligence agencies to help deal with the threat posed by Transformers as a part ofOperation Staple Gun.In the late 24th century,RapticonandNe'llcompared him andBrian BendertoWernher von Braun.The Inexorable March

Notes

• Venom's hairstyle is designed to resemble the Cobrainsignia,with two distinctive fang-bangs.
• Venom was, of course, originally created for the MarvelG.I. Joecomic byLarry Hama.He ended up in a rivalry with the mercenary Kwinn, who once threatened to shove a live grenade down the good doctor's throat (much as Duke actually did in theTransformers vs. G.I. Joeseries). Kwinn eventually did kill Venom with a grenade, though dropped from his hand as he died and landing at Venom's feet. By the time of theG.I. Joe and the Transformersminiseries,Doctor Mindbenderhad taken Venom's place as Cobra's resident mad scientist.

External links

• Doctor Venom at YoJoe