You have just moved to San Francisco. Money’s tight but you managed to find a semi-rundown apartment building that rents cheap. You haven’t met your neighbor yet, but you know that there’s at least one man in the apartment across the hall from you.

During the short time you’ve lived here, you’ve heard some strange things coming from Eddie’s apartment, like he’s always talking to himself, but unbeknownst to you, he’s actually talking to Venom. Once or twice you could’ve sworn you heard a monstrous noise from his apartment, like growling or roaring. Once you heard something break and Eddie started yelling at someone named Venom for breaking it. Maybe he has a destructive dog, you think. You’re not sure what to make of all that. But you can’t afford to live anywhere else in San Fran right now, so you decide to just ignore whatever might be going on.

You’ve been living in your new apartment for about a week now. This morning, on your way to get coffee, you run into your neighbor Eddie Brock for the first time. You step out of your apartment at the same time that Eddie is leaving his. As you’re locking your door, you hear his voice behind you:

“Oh hey, new neighbor, right?”