Why do some fans say the symbiote was wronged by Peter?

[Agent Z]

This is an alien creature than concealed its true nature from Peter for weeks (meaning that Peter didn't even know it was a living being for most of its time with him) and was taking over his body for joyrides, depriving him of much needed sleep. When Peter discovered it was alive, the symbiote tried to forcefully bond with him and restrain his movements. And then it bonded with Eddie Brock for the purposes of terrorizing and killing him.
So why do some fans say Peter was wrong to reject the symbiote?

[wleakr]

The "suit" was taken from its environment - it didn't ask for transport to earth.

Peter could've had the suit analyzed from the beginning, which would have minimized the suit's attachment to him or earth.

Then, once finally getting around to having it analyzed, the first response was to cage it indefinitely on a planet that wasn't home. Least they could've done was figuring out where home was and taking it there, instead of making it a Reed Richards lab rat.

[Kaitou D. Kid]

I met maybe a handful of people who think that. Maybe. I wouldn't even say it's a loud minority of fans.

Most fans either look at the symbiote as evil or (more accurately IMO) an ex with toxic and narcissistic traits.

[Agent Z]

The "suit" was taken from its environment - it didn't ask for transport to earth.

Peter could've had the suit analyzed from the beginning, which would have minimized the suit's attachment to him or earth.

Then, once finally getting around to having it analyzed, the first response was to cage it indefinitely on a planet that wasn't home. Least they could've done was figuring out where home was and taking it there, instead of making it a Reed Richards lab rat.

That's still on the symbiote for not divulging its true nature from the beginning. And we know it could have done that because that's exactly what it did when it bonded to Eddie.

[wleakr]

That's still on the symbiote for not divulging its true nature from the beginning. And we know it could have done that because that's exactly what it did when it bonded to Eddie.

I'm not versed on symbiote history, as I stopped following the story of them once it became its own franchise away from Spider-man. So this may have been addressed, but the way I view the symbiote, it was introduced to human ways with Peter and exposed to the earth via Peter. It was basically an infant with a lot to learn. IMHO, it wouldn't know how to communicate with Peter from the start.

Just like any life that is new, it's not expected to know how to communicate immediately. It learned and matured via exposure to Peter. By the time it gets to Brock, he inherits a "teenager" vice the infant Peter had.

It's on Peter for not recognizing the suit was not just an "alien costume".

[Celgress]

Well, one reason is, originally the symbiote saved Peter's life after he passed out from the bell tower's intense ringing. It took him to safety then seemingly accepted death after realizing he did not want a bond. In many ways it was too bad this heroic ending was ruined when it seeped through the cracks in its weakened, confused state and met the hate-filled Eddie Brock. This meeting reignited seemingly its own hatred at being rejected.

I was unaware of this scene for many years until I purchased the old trade paperback Saga of the Symbiote.

[K7P5V]

The "suit" was taken from its environment - it didn't ask for transport to earth.

Peter could've had the suit analyzed from the beginning, which would have minimized the suit's attachment to him or earth.

Then, once finally getting around to having it analyzed, the first response was to cage it indefinitely on a planet that wasn't home. Least they could've done was figuring out where home was and taking it there, instead of making it a Reed Richards lab rat.

I know, right?! I remember reading these panels towards the end of every Spidey comic at the time...



But yeah, I can see where fandom's coming from...

[marhawkman]

That's still on the symbiote for not divulging its true nature from the beginning. And we know it could have done that because that's exactly what it did when it bonded to Eddie.

Did it have the ability to do so? How much does Venom know about it's existence before coming to Earth?

A lot of stories... seem to act like it just... has no memories prior to coming to Earth.

[Huntsman Spider]

Did it have the ability to do so? How much does Venom know about it's existence before coming to Earth?

A lot of stories... seem to act like it just... has no memories prior to coming to Earth.

According to the original Planet of the Symbiotes from the 90s, midway through the Clone Saga, the symbiote was rejected and imprisoned by its kin for wanting to form lifelong bonds with one host, as opposed to just using up host after host and feeding off the adrenaline from forcing those hosts into life-risking stunts like the rest of them would.

[marhawkman]

According to the original Planet of the Symbiotes from the 90s, midway through the Clone Saga, the symbiote was rejected and imprisoned by its kin for wanting to form lifelong bonds with one host, as opposed to just using up host after host and feeding off the adrenaline from forcing those hosts into life-risking stunts like the rest of them would.

hmm... so it had reason to NOt want to return home, and definitely didn't want to tell the Earth's heroes where it came from.... hmm....

[Agent Z]

Did it have the ability to do so? How much does Venom know about it's existence before coming to Earth?

A lot of stories... seem to act like it just... has no memories prior to coming to Earth.

It was able to inform Eddie of Spider-Man's secret identity and their shared hatred of Spider-Man. If it could do that, it could have told Peter it was a sentient creature.

[exile001]

It's always going to happen when you have fans re-evaluating events after decades of retcons.

Originally, it was just a magic suit. Then Marvel wanted to go back to the original costume so the idea came to make it sentient. Then you might as well make it an enemy and kill it. But that's leaving a great idea on the table, so have it bond with a villain. Then it has "kids," as Venom was insanely popular and turning face but there needs to be an evil one. Skip to now when there's a whole race of Symbiotes with decades of lore and Spidey's Symbiote has been everything from an exile to a hero and more. The Symbiotes have a god now that is the antithesis to Captain Universe.

The original stories kind of need to be taken in context of when they were written or the whole thing falls down, which is as much problem of the utterly careless way the Symbiotes have been handled/expanded over the years as it is the relatively simplistic manner in which the original story was written.

Otherwise, yeah, Peter does look like an ignorant jerk.

[evolutionaryFan]

Have we had any issues where the symbiote talks directly to anyone?

[Majesty]

Usually because Peter often made dumb decisions that came back to bite him in the comics that if we analyzed them deeply enough we could blame him for a lot of it. But that's also how comics were written back then.

Peter could have done better by the Symbiote or at least asked it's origins and seen if it would divulge to him.

We've seen the symbiote work well with other people before and even help them be heroes through the right mediums, so it probably could have done the same for Peter if that was the story intended to be told and Peter put the time and effort into it. So I guess it just depends.

We have a Spider-Man show where Mary Jane literally finds a way to control the Carnage Symbiote with the help of Dr. Connors and made herself a superhero with it.

[K7P5V]

That's still on the symbiote for not divulging its true nature from the beginning. And we know it could have done that because that's exactly what it did when it bonded to Eddie.

It was able to inform Eddie of Spider-Man's secret identity and their shared hatred of Spider-Man. If it could do that, it could have told Peter it was a sentient creature.

Correct. Here's proof...

Have we had any issues where the symbiote talks directly to anyone?

Does Deadpool count... ?