Marvel’s Old Man Venom is teaming up with the most dangerous Elder God in the entire universe.

Venom #38 picks up with Doctor Strange and the elder, time-displaced Dylan Brock venturing forth through the treacherous Flickering Realms alongside two ominous, likely demonic children. There, they search for the one being who might be able to help them avert the devastating future that Dylan calls his home. Unfortunately, no matter how hospitable he seems to be, there is never a good reason to trust Chthon.

Written by TORUNN GRØNBEKK Art by GERMÁN PERALTA & CAFU Colors by FRANK D’ARMATA Letters by VC’s CLAYTON COWLES Design by STACIE ZUCKER Main cover art by IBAN COELLO & FRANK D’ARMATA Variant covers by GABRIELLE DELL’OTTO and CARLOS MAGNO & ALEX GUIMARÃES

Originally introduced as The Other in Marv Wolfman, Bill Mantlo, Ed Hannigan, and Yong Montano’s story “Magic is Alive!” from the pages of 1975’s Marvel Chillers #1, Chthon was born billions of years ago from the sentient life force of the Earth itself – the Demiurge. Alongside his siblings such as Gaea and Oshtur, Chthon ruled Earth for millions of years. Eventually, Chthon’s interest took a turn for the occult, and he became the first master of the dark side of the Mystic Arts. This, coupled with the Elder Gods’ degenerating into a race of demonic beings almost in their entirety, led Chthon to become one of if not the first Dark Elder God.

In the eons that followed, Chthon gave rise to countless species of monsters and demons, as well as some of the most infamous tomes of all time. First and foremost of these is the Darkhold, which has been at the center of numerous storylines in the pages of Marvel Comics, not to mention the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Initially, the Darkhold was designed to act as a bridge between the Flickering Realms that Chthon had been relegated to and the Earthly plane he once lorded over.

The older Dylan better known as Old Man Venom made his comic book debut in the pages of Free Comic Book Day 2024: Ultimate Universe/Spider-Man #1 in Al Ewing and Iban Coello’s closing story. This version of Dylan traveled back in time from a future in which the Venom symbiote had spawned a species of symbiote-machine hybrids that had not only invaded Earth but stood to take over the entire universe. Due to the many injuries this Dylan has suffered over the course of his decades-long battle, he can no longer be separated from the Venom symbiote without almost immediately passing away.

Venom #38 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.

Source: Marvel Comics