Most of us Marvel fans know that Venom was the first known symbiote in the Marvel timeline.(having landed on Earth and bonded with Peter Parker, whose alter ego we all know)... after which he bore Carnage, another well-known villain who was much more powerful and more complicated than his predecessor. But what many fans don't know is that he also 'fathered' five more offspring, according to the 'Separation Anxiety' storyline.
The hosts for Scream, Phage, Riot, Lasher and Agony were volunteers for the Life Foundation Organization, an organization that was preparing for the M.A.D. (Mutually Assured Destruction) fallout of the Cold War and provide a comfortable life for their wealthy clients after the impending nuclear holocaust. The Life Foundation was experimenting with the Venom symbiote in the hopes of creating so-called 'super-cops' to watch over their imagined fallout shelter utopia. Donna was picked from the organization's security force, made up of police, soldiers, and mercenaries.
The five symbiotes possess all the powers the original Venom has, including suit generated webbing, shape-shifting, superstrength and the ability to cancel Spider-Man's "spider-sense".
SCREAM (Donna Diego)
Scream was the unofficial leader of the 'Leading Foundation' symbiotes. Scream's superhuman abilities are due to her alien symbiote. The creature can mimic clothing and camouflage Donna. She often uses her 'hair' as a weapon, to wrap or tangle enemies, much like Medusa of the Inhumans. Like Spider-Man and Venom, Scream has wall-crawling and web-slinging abilities, and also boasts an early-warning sense. Scream also possesses some degree of superhuman strength, the exact limits of which aren't known. Scream went insane and turned against her other siblings, killing them one by one. Her current whereabouts are unknown.
PHAGE (Carlos Mach)
Phage's primary method of attack is to form his symbiotic suit into long serrated blades and slash or stab his opponents.
RIOT (Trevor Cole)
Riot is extremely aggressive and evil, his personality much worse than that of his other siblings (with the exception of Carnage). He can expel a potent acid from his suit. Unlike his fellow symbiotes, Riot doesn't like to use his tendrils to form blades or spikes, but prefers to create bludgeoning weapons like hammers and maces.
LASHER (Ramon Hernandez)
Lasher has the capability of creating thick green mucus from his suit that crushes its victim under its weight as well as using the tentacles from the suit to "lash" or grab its victim.
AGONY (Leslie Gesneria)
Agony can use her metabolism to spit acid, and can absorb chemicals (such as Spider-Man's webbing). Before her death at the hands of Scream, Leslie showed remorse and regret for her actions.
Later the four fallen symbiotes merged together to form one single symbiote... a new anti-hero named HYBRID.
HYBRID (Scott Washington)
Hybrid is the first off-the-bat "good" symbiote. Though Toxin is better known, he came later, and Venom is a one-time anti-hero who often appears as a supervillain.
Personality and character-wise, he is very similar to Toxin, his successor (and Carnage's spawn). Both are New York cops, both are determined to use the power they derive from the symbiote for good, both display hero worship of other superheroes.
Like Spider-Man and Venom, Hybrid has wall-crawling and web-slinging abilities, he can form his symbiote into pseudopodia or tendrils creating snares and bladed weapons. The symbiote also has camouflage abilities and can blend in with its surroundings. It can also mimic clothing. Hybrid has a border-line warning sense and can "see" through his symbiote. He also possesses some degree of superhuman strength. He can also detach a piece of his symbiote to send messages to his friends and allies, and he can shape his symbiote to form a membrane that allows him to glide through the air.
