WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Venom #7, available now from Marvel.
Ever since Eddie Brock became the King in Black and seemingly lost his life to protect his son, things have never been the same for the character or his legacy. Now, Dylan has bonded with the Venom Symbiote while Eddie continues to fight his way back to his son to live again and continue his duties as a King in Black. But things have only gotten tougher with the Life Foundation chasing Dylan and a powerful ex-King named Meridius plotting against the two. Even so, Dylan has continued to prove that his connection with Venom has only scratched the surface of their potential.
Ever since Dylan was left to fend for himself following the untimely fate of his father, he's struggled with fighting against Venom's base urges to lethally protect and his own desires to be a hero. On top of that, he's had no time to process the loss of Eddie or how he could even begin to help return him to the mortal plane. Nevertheless, Dylan has done his best to lie low while protecting those in need until his actions brought about a biker gang war in Venom #7 (by Ram V, Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, Alex Sinclair, and VC's Clayton Cowles). But as Dylan tried to be the hero to the one person that gave him a place to stay, he's sideswiped by a new enemy named Bedlam.
Not much has been released about the all red Symbiote but what is known is that he was a King in Black sometime in the past and was a powerhouse ruler that was likely as ruthless in his rule as he is in combat. Nevertheless, Dylan showed a huge sign of his hidden potential when he cut loose with Venom and killed Bedlam in just a few short attacks and a stab to its head. What made the moment so exciting was that it teased that even when Venom and Dylan hadn't reached full symbiosis, the two were able to get the upper hand on an ex-King in Black.
While Bedlam was taken down quickly, it didn't signal his demise as he rose up and ambushed Dylan, who was distraught that the rival gang killed the friend he tried to protect. In his moment of weakness, he briefly lost all edge in the fight, which was why Bedlam could subdue him so quickly. But a break in concentration isn't enough to show that Bedlam was even stronger than the young hero. But what could make Dylan a veritable treasure trove of untapped potential when compared to his father, who wrote the book on symbiosis?
By definition, symbiosis is a mutual balance between two things; there's harmony and a give and take once it's reached. Eddie and Venom gained this through their similar desires to kill Peter Parker and Spider-Man and later to protect innocents and eat brains. But with Dylan, it's more of an opposites attract scenario. For example, Dylan wants to fight on the straight and narrow and be a true superhero. However, Venom is back to its old desire for violence, brains and brutal justice. While the two rarely see eye to eye, those moments they do produce beautiful results even before they've reached full symbiosis.
Eddie Brock was also a character who had a connection to the Hive before he had a symbiote, and because of these factors, he's proven that he could gain an edge on a former King in Black based on sheer will and understanding alone. As a result, it could stand to reason that if Venom and Dylan ever reach a point of understanding and reach a complete symbiosis, the two could be one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. Where Eddie is the King in Black, Venom would be the first and one that isn't afraid to get violent to protect those in need.
