Having a behemoth of a monster providing guidance on your every step has got to be one of the coolest yet horrifying experiences that Eddie and Grey have gone through.
Not to mention that their relationship with their hosts is constantly on the edge.
Venom and STEM have complete control over their hosts and have an almost 24/7 spatial awareness.
These 2018 movies feature the same concept for an action/horror vibe with hints of comedy sprayed throughout.
However, today we get to the conclusion of which symbiotic relationship works out for the better.
The alien that fights for the thrill and has no issue in terminating anyone in its path or the Artificial Intelligence that only seeks its upgrade by using and manipulating its host?
Loyalty
A strong relationship is also one that is loyal.
If the partner/symbiote does not feel any loyalty or think that you are worth their time, that relationship rapidly shifts toward becoming one-sided.
Venom is a strong contender in this round as the symbiote had plenty of fish in the sea to attach itself with and yet he chooses Eddie over and over.
In contrast, STEM is a chip implanted in Grey's body. Even though STEM has multiple versions of itself that are universally connected to each other, it does not have a method of detaching itself from its host.
However, if we were to assume what the AI would have wished for, it would be to implant itself into as many humans as possible.
Whereas, Venom on the other hand, constantly and consistently sticks to Eddie.
As we have already observed in the sequel to Venom, the symbiote has more than enough capacity to take on new hosts.
The actual reason why Venom wins this category by a landslide is for the fact that when Eddie first got injured after being briefly introduced to the symbiote, Venom chose to heal him rather than move into a different body.
Even after Venom is gravely injured and beaten, he still chooses to keep Eddie safe and in perfect health.
One may argue that Venom was merely keeping its host alive so that he himself could survive.
To counter that argument, one may not need to look further than the ending of the film.
When the symbiote has the full intention to sacrifice itself to save its host is an act of true loyalty as far as this comparison is concerned.
Intelligence
When it comes to making a relationship work, utilizing smartness is a key element.
Step on the wrong topic with the wrong ideology and that bond can instantly turn to dust.
Using a hint of intuition with a great sense of communication can go a long way in making a relationship work.
STEM, being the high-end world-class AI that it is, has perfected itself in this category.
Throughout the entire film, STEM has proved time and time again that it is unbeatable when it comes to quick decision-making and logic-driven situations.
The AI even goes as far as to find the most suitable host and gives him the perfect motivation to bind itself to him even after knowing all the risks.
This manipulation continues throughout the film as STEM continues to drive Grey to the point of complete and utter delusion as it sends his consciousness into a world where he gets everything he wants.
When it comes to Venom, it is extremely clear from the start that the symbiote does not care about keeping his relationship with Eddie in perfect condition.
His tactics to solve most of the fights within the relationship are to use fear and anger which are the worst emotions one can use to fix a relationship.
Wants and needs
As to which of these symbiotic relationships require more high maintenance, Venom wins once again.
The fearsome blood-thirsty alien that eats brains/chocolate for breakfast definitely makes him a grumpy roommate to be around whenever his hunger starts to strike.
STEM on the other hand only requires a functioning body and brain.
The microchip AI does not need anything more than its host to be alive for it to fulfill its objective.
Whereas Venom makes Eddie go on these short adventures to find criminals to eat or chicken to keep as a backup.
Thus Grey's little buddy in his neck wins in this part of what it makes a relationship work.
Having little to no demands has got to be one of the best things a partner can relish in another as it provides them with such freedom to surprise them when the time does come to express affection.
Compatibility
Only when the partners are compatible with each other can they work as a proper team.
The quality of teamwork may not seem like a category for the quality of a relationship, however, it is a long-term asset as when things get tougher as time goes on, partners will learn to rely on each other more.
Venom gives a tough competition as we have seen just how much strain comes into his and Eddie's relationship due to compatibility issues and yet they are perfect in combat.
Not to mention that according to the movie, Eddie is the perfect host for Venom.
The only time where they come out of this zone is when they start fighting with each other.
When it comes to STEM, compatibility is always at a 100%.
The only time when their compatibility felt slightly unbalanced was when Grey actively attempted to stop STEM from shooting Cortez at the end of the film.
The fact that Grey even went one step further and removed all firewalls that were protecting his body from being fully accessible to the AI at any given time is a feat of its own that makes STEM win this round easily,
Psychological pairing
One of the major reasons Venom does better as a character than STEM is the fact that he actively attempts to fix any faults he has with Eddie.
Whereas STEM constantly fuels Grey's negative emotions to get what it wants.
The symbiote and the host have to match each other perfectly for a perfect bond to be created between them.
Therefore, no matter how many arguments Eddie and Venom have with each other, they still live and think on the same wavelength.
STEM has no such requirements for its host and therefore does not even attempt to create a relationship with Grey.
It is all for a bigger purpose and Grey is just a stepping stone to what it wants.
Thus, Grey's mind had to be completely broken by the end of the film so that STEM could finally have full control over his body and mind.
Thus, we have our conclusion. STEM gave a good competition to Venom of which symbiotic relationship works out for the better.
Yet, the alien who loves to eat brains came out on top in comparison to a dominating AI.
Dylan Jobe
