The All-New Venom series was built around a mystery; who was the new host of the Venom symbiote? The series put forth four main suspects, with clues slowly shrinking the suspect pool even as new possibilities emerged. However, Marvel Comics spoiled the big reveal with a press release confirming the new hero’s identity two days before All-New Venom #5 was to arrive in stores. More, the new host is someone else entirely, who has a history with both Spider-Man and Venom.

Marvel confirmed that Mary Jane Watson is the new symbiote host in a press release. The publisher also previewed two hereto unseen covers for All-New Venom #5 which revealed the new host. They also showcased one cover and interior splash page for the upcoming sixth issue, which show Mary Jane and her symbiotic partner. These may be viewed in full below.

Martin Coccolo cover

Clayton Crain cover

Lucas Werneck cover

Carlos Gomez interior

Why Mary Jane as All-New Venom works

(Image Source: Marvel / Clayton Crain)

Mary Jane Watson was a supporting character in All-New Venom, but not listed among the possible hosts by those investigating the mystery. However, she was conspicuously absent during each of the new symbiotic hero’s appearances. More, MJ was shown to be arguing with her current boyfriend, Paul Rabin, who invented the technology she utilizes as the hero Jackpot. Paul was concerned that the technology he used to monitor MJ while she was on patrol wasn’t working. This also obscured her whereabouts, making it possible she was hiding her new identity from Paul. These facts gave readers a fair chance at figuring out the mystery before the grand reveal.