

The mutual hatred they both had for Spider-Man caused the symbiote to bond with Eddie, taking the name Venom. The symbiote bonded with the former reporter, Eddie Brock, who blamed Spider-Man for having ruined his career after discrediting his story about the Sin-Eater. After discovering that the suit was actually a living being that sought to permanently merge with him, Spider-Man rejected the symbiote and eventually tried to kill it. The symbiote's prison was transported to Battleworld by the Beyonder, where it was unwittingly freed by Spider-Man, who it bonded to - taking on the appearance of a black costume.

Eventually the symbiote joined a group of malicious symbiotes, but was imprisoned out of fear its relative benevolence would contaminate the Hive. After Knull's imprisonment, the symbiote was taken by Kree scientists and bonded to Tel-Kar, but had its memories sealed upon being separated from him. The scenes in the capital Bangkok were no less colourful as two men dressed as Spider-Man, one carrying a guitar, entertained people on the hot streets.The symbiote that would later be known as Venom is an alien parasite created by the dark elder god Knull and cast into exile by the rest of its kind.

Hundreds of miles south near the ancient capital Ayutthaya, elephants helped at a local polling station, local media reported, with photos of the pachyderms queueing with voters. Hmong people - who in Thailand mainly live in northern Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai - have a complicated history with central Thailand and some continue to face discrimination. "I hope this election will move the country into a better direction," said Maethawee, 30, wearing a traditional Hmong blue velvet embroidered jacket. "I expect this election will change Thailand for the better since the economy is really bad at the moment," Maethawee Wangwanapat told AFP. Opposition parties have led in polling ahead of the election, building on voters' dissatisfaction with a struggling economy and a feeble post-pandemic recovery.

"If this election turns out well and there's no corruption, then I think the country would be better," the 22-year-old said. "This election is good for everybody since we will see a big change that we have been waiting for the past eight years," Jidapa Wangwanapat told AFP. In northern Chiang Mai, hundreds of Hmong hill people queued to vote in an echoing teak-pillared hall as roosters crowed, shortly after polls opened at 8:00 (0100 GMT).
