Leslie Gesneria (comics)
Encyclopedia
Leslie Gesneria is a fictional character
and a supervillain
from the Spider-Man
comic books. She is the host to one of six symbiote spawns of Venom
. Her symbiote is predominantly purple.
of the Cold War
and sought to provide a comfortable underground life for their wealthy clients after the impending nuclear holocaust
. The Life Foundation was experimenting with the Venom symbiote
in the hopes of developing superhuman peacekeepers to watch over their imagined fallout shelter utopia. Leslie was one of two women who were chosen as hosts for Venom's forcibly-extracted symbiote spawn
. She is defeated by Venom
and Spider-Man
in the storyline Venom: Lethal Protector
. Her symbiote is artificially aged to dust and her body is presumed destroyed in a massive explosion that destroys the Life Foundation's main headquarters.
The symbiote was revealed to have survived in the mini-series Venom: Separation Anxiety. Leslie mentions that she had wanted to be a hero
, but like the other hosts of Life Foundation symbiotes was having trouble in controlling her symbiote. This lack of control over the alien bonded to her kept resulting in violence
. Leslie and the others break Eddie Brock, Venom's secret identity
, out of prison and kidnap him in order to make him teach them how to control their symbiotes. Leslie shows remorse
and regret for her actions, just before she is murdered by her "sister" Scream, using a sonic knife
.
After Leslie is killed, what is left of her symbiote merges with its siblings (except Carnage
and Scream
) and bonds with a man named Scott Washington to form a new antihero called Hybrid.
's "spider-sense". Leslie Gesneria can also use her metabolism to spit acid
, and can absorb chemicals (such as Spider-Man's webbing).
. She is encountered late in the game, and attacks mainly by extending her arms and spinning around.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
and a supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
from the Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
comic books. She is the host to one of six symbiote spawns of Venom
Venom (comics)
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
. Her symbiote is predominantly purple.
Fictional character biography
Leslie Gesneria was a mercenary who worked for a sinister corporation called the "Life Foundation", who was preparing for the M.A.D. nuclear falloutNuclear fallout
Fallout is the residual radioactive material propelled into the upper atmosphere following a nuclear blast, so called because it "falls out" of the sky after the explosion and shock wave have passed. It commonly refers to the radioactive dust and ash created when a nuclear weapon explodes...
of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and sought to provide a comfortable underground life for their wealthy clients after the impending nuclear holocaust
Nuclear holocaust
Nuclear holocaust refers to the possibility of the near complete annihilation of human civilization by nuclear warfare. Under such a scenario, all or most of the Earth is made uninhabitable by nuclear weapons in future world wars....
. The Life Foundation was experimenting with the Venom symbiote
Venom (comics)
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
in the hopes of developing superhuman peacekeepers to watch over their imagined fallout shelter utopia. Leslie was one of two women who were chosen as hosts for Venom's forcibly-extracted symbiote spawn
Symbiote (comics)
In the Marvel Comics universe, The Symbiote is a specific parasitic species of extraterrestrial organism...
. She is defeated by Venom
Eddie Brock
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
and Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
in the storyline Venom: Lethal Protector
Venom: Lethal Protector
Venom: Lethal Protector was a six-issue comic book limited series featuring the Eddie Brock Venom, published by Marvel Comics from February 1993 to July 1993...
. Her symbiote is artificially aged to dust and her body is presumed destroyed in a massive explosion that destroys the Life Foundation's main headquarters.
The symbiote was revealed to have survived in the mini-series Venom: Separation Anxiety. Leslie mentions that she had wanted to be a hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
, but like the other hosts of Life Foundation symbiotes was having trouble in controlling her symbiote. This lack of control over the alien bonded to her kept resulting in violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
. Leslie and the others break Eddie Brock, Venom's secret identity
Secret identity
A secret identity is an element of fiction wherein a character develops a separate persona , while keeping their true identity hidden. The character also may wear a disguise...
, out of prison and kidnap him in order to make him teach them how to control their symbiotes. Leslie shows remorse
Remorse
Remorse is an emotional expression of personal regret felt by a person after he or she has committed an act which they deem to be shameful, hurtful, or violent. Remorse is closely allied to guilt and self-directed resentment...
and regret for her actions, just before she is murdered by her "sister" Scream, using a sonic knife
Sonic weaponry
Sonic and ultrasonic weapons are weapons of various types that use sound to injure, incapacitate, or kill an opponent. Some sonic weapons are currently in limited use or in research and development by military and police forces. Others exist only in the realm of science fiction...
.
After Leslie is killed, what is left of her symbiote merges with its siblings (except Carnage
Carnage (comics)
Carnage is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . The character first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #344 , and was created by writer David Michelinie and artist Mark Bagley. The character is frequently depicted as an enemy of Spider-Man...
and Scream
Scream (comics)
Scream is a fictional supervillainess from the Spider-Man comic book series. She is one of six symbiote spawns of Venom.-Fictional character biography:...
) and bonds with a man named Scott Washington to form a new antihero called Hybrid.
Powers and abilities
Leslie possesses all the powers the original Venom has, including suit-generated webbing, shape-shifting, superstrength and the ability to be undetected by Spider-ManSpider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
's "spider-sense". Leslie Gesneria can also use her metabolism to spit acid
Acid
An acid is a substance which reacts with a base. Commonly, acids can be identified as tasting sour, reacting with metals such as calcium, and bases like sodium carbonate. Aqueous acids have a pH of less than 7, where an acid of lower pH is typically stronger, and turn blue litmus paper red...
, and can absorb chemicals (such as Spider-Man's webbing).
In other media
Leslie is one of the six symbiote bosses in the video game Spider-Man & Venom: Separation AnxietySpider-Man & Venom: Separation Anxiety
Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety is a side-scrolling beat 'em up video game and sequel to Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage, released for Sega Mega Drive and Super NES and then ported to PC, in which one or two players could team up as Spider-Man and Venom to defeat the evil symbiote Carnage...
. She is encountered late in the game, and attacks mainly by extending her arms and spinning around.
Relatives
- VenomVenom (comics)Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
(father) - CarnageCarnage (comics)Carnage is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . The character first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #344 , and was created by writer David Michelinie and artist Mark Bagley. The character is frequently depicted as an enemy of Spider-Man...
(brother) - LasherLasher (comics)Lasher is a fictional character from the Spider-Man comic books. He is one of six symbiote spawns of Venom. He is predominantly green and the name "Lasher" derives from the character's action figure...
(brother) - ScreamScream (comics)Scream is a fictional supervillainess from the Spider-Man comic book series. She is one of six symbiote spawns of Venom.-Fictional character biography:...
(sister) - ToxinToxin (comics)Toxin is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He is the third major symbiote of the Spider-Man series, the ninth known to have appeared in the comics outside of the Planet of the Symbiotes storyline, and the first symbiote that Spider-Man considers an ally, despite...
(nephew)