Discover Top Posts Tagged with #aiden darrow

Everyone’s Talking About Venom...

But where is the love for his younger brother, Ruin?

(Ruin art by @barkthedog)

(S.H.I.E.L.D. Template by Awkward-Nerdd, art and info by me)

I mean, Ruin is just as big of a goofball as he is badass!

(Paying an old “friend” a visit)

(Left - Jack by @barkthedog, Right - Clemency)

(Jack by @barkthedog)

(Art and Jack by @barkthedog)

But what hero would be complete without “The Look”?

Aside from having a “Rage” form, similar to how his older brother usually looks in size, Ruin’s touch is caustic to inorganic materials. The stronger the material, the longer he has to hold onto it to break it down.

Want to know more about Aiden/Ruin? Plenty of origin story goodness and stats below the cut!

Aiden Darrow

Info Real Name: Aiden Darrow Alias: Ruin Relatives: James Darrow (father, deceased); Alicia Darrow (mother); Ruin (symbiote) Affiliation: Temporary ally of Spider-man Base of Operations: Manhattan, NY Status Alignment: Good Identity: Secret Identity Citizenship: American Martial Status: Single Occupation: Vigilante Characteristics Gender: Male Height: 6' 2” Weight: 210lbs Eyes: Brown Hair: Short, Brown Unusual Feature: N/A Origin Origin: Fully bonded with symbiote Universe: Earth-616 Place of Birth: Mulberry Street, Manhattan, NY Power Grid (Scale 1-7) Intelligence: 4 Strength: 5 Speed: 3 Durability: 6 Energy Projection: 2 Fighting Skills: 4

History

Early Life

Aiden Darrow grew up as part of a busy blue-collar family. His father, James Darrow, was a hard-working mechanic, while his mother, Alicia Darrow, was a detective for the NYPD, known and respected throughout the neighborhood for her efforts to help take down the various crime syndicates infesting New York.

Most of Aiden’s youth was spent with his father at the shop, learning the value of hard work and dedication to one’s craft. His mother spent a lot of her time working cases, but was always there for him when he needed her most. She taught him the importance of justice and determination, in an imperfect world, and that although the system typically works, sometimes matters had to be taken into your own hands. This resonated with him, sometimes leading to trouble, as he would get into fights with bullies, defending other kids.

This led to many defeats at first, coming home with busted lips, black eyes, and other assorted bumps and bruises. Although Aiden’s parents did not agree with one another on his extracurricular activities, they at least came to terms with each other, to teach him how to defend himself. His father taught him aspects of street fighting and that anything goes in a fight, along with precise strikes and take-downs from his mother. Although he promised his father to cut down on the fighting, he rarely lost ever since.

All things considered, Aiden’s life was turning out well. He excelled in his classes and even managed to win the heart of the girl next door, Gabriela Catalan.

Birth of Ruin After many years had passed, with Aiden now in his mid 20s, he was in college and living in his own apartment. He would frequently stop by his old home to visit his mother and father, when either of them were around. He worried about his mother, considering her work helped put Wilson Fisk behind bars. Such concern, however, ended up with good reason.

Wilson Fisk had returned to New York to “settle old business”. To send a message to anyone who would dare cross him again, Fisk ordered a hit on everyone that was once and currently was in a position of power within his own organization, along with those responsible for his incarceration and exile. Unfortunately, this included Alicia Darrow, whom Fisk believed was responsible for discovering and turning over financial documentation, and other key evidence, that assisted Matt Murdock the numerous times that the two have crossed paths in court. Aiden returned home to the sight of police cars and emergency vehicles parked outside of the apartment complex his parents were living in. Gabriela was crying hysterically in front of the building, and insisted that he not go inside. He rushed in anyways, only to be stopped by a police officer, who explained the situation. The apartment was broken into and his father and mother were gunned down in cold blood, leaving the police to suspect Fisk, but with no real evidence to back up the claims. His father died during the assault, but his mother was left in critical condition. He shoved past the officer to be at his mother’s side, as she was being rushed into an ambulance. Overwhelmed with grief, anger, and confusion, Aiden left as the paramedics drove away, to sort out his thoughts. Gabriela tried to console him but he apologized and refused, insisting that he needed to be left alone. Walking down the streets of New York, Aiden was still trying to take in everything that had transpired. Not paying attention, Aiden was thrown back by the force of the nearby F.E.A.S.T. shelter being destroyed. Brushing off the debris and regaining his footing, he was shocked to see two monstrous creatures in a frenzied battle. Venom and Anti-Venom were trading blows, as Spider-man was caught in the middle. With Spider-man's assistance, Anti-Venom managed to use his power to burn away the Venom Symbiote from Mac Gargan, but a part of the symbiote split and slid away. After the mayhem was resolved by Spider-man, Aiden's focus returned to Fisk, as his anger only began to fester and grow inside of him. Aiden rightfully blamed Fisk for his father's death and mother’s current state, and he planned on getting revenge, one way or another.

Still weak and drawn by such strong emotions, the symbiote that had split from Gargan followed Aiden as he made a detour down the alleyway. Waiting until both were out of view, the symbiote attached itself to Aiden, engulfing him, and causing him to momentarily blackout Upon regaining consciousness, Aiden held more power than he could possibly comprehend. He heard a voice creeping in the back of his mind. The symbiote knew Aiden's history upon bonding, and shared knowledge of Venom’s previous hosts as well. It offered to assist him in his plot for revenge. Aiden questioned the entity’s motives, having seen what it is capable of and what Venom has done to its previous hosts, to which it responded that it simply fed off of the raw emotions and adrenaline that Aiden was giving off, and that the actions of each host was of their own free will. Aiden was unsure of this new “partnership” at first, knowing there would likely be no turning back, but the symbiote amplified his hatred for Fisk and clouded his judgment, without him realizing it. He agreed to remain bonded to the symbiote, at least until his parents were avenged. Using his newly gained web-slinging ability and increased agility, Aiden searched the streets for any criminal activity, in hopes of finding leads on Fisk's location. After brutally beating the information out of various criminals, Aiden gained the information he was looking for and headed straight for his target.

Exacting Revenge on Kingpin Feeling the rush from incapacitating numerous guards, Aiden crashed through the doors of the top floor of the high-rise, still in symbiote form. Fisk was caught by surprise, but was more confused than anything. Fisk mistook Aiden for Eddie Brock, commenting on the lack of bulk while callously joking about Brock's cancer apparently getting the best of him. Aiden forcefully explained that he had no idea who Brock was and that he was there on behalf of his parents, only to assault Fisk before there was a chance for him to retort. Much to Aiden's surprise, Fisk fought back with incredible force. Knowing that such strikes would have likely snapped bones otherwise, Aiden was thankful that the symbiote's power decreased any damage done considerably. Aiden eventually gained the upper hand, grabbing Fisk by the throat and lifting him up off of the ground. The symbiote peeled away from Aiden's face to reveal himself to Fisk. While slowly squeezing ever tighter around Fisk's throat, he explained that he had come for Fisk, to make him pay for all that he had done, with his life. Even though Fisk was in a lot of pain, barely able to breathe, he was able to muster up enough air to taunt Aiden further. At this point the symbiote snapped back into place, but this time its form was different. Growing slightly in bulk and size, a fiendish maw filled with razor sharp teeth had appeared, extending its jaw until it was almost large enough to engulf Fisk's head.

Without warning, Aiden was bombarded with several pulses of high-frequency sonic waves, ripping the symbiote from him before it could bite down. The symbiote slithered away, leaving him exposed. Fisk took advantage of the situation and continued his assault, beating Aiden to a pulp, while explaining that he was not an idiot. The room had contingencies in place to deal with most heroes, and villains, including symbiotes.

Fisk dragged Aiden’s broken body across the floor, lifting him up to stare him in the eyes one last time. He wanted Aiden to know that not only was he going to die but, for his actions, Fisk would ensure that his henchmen would finish off his mother, and kill anyone else close to him. As Aiden was tossed through the window, the symbiote quickly latched onto him as he fell, protecting him the from the impact of the fall, that otherwise would have killed him. While Fisk presumed Aiden’s death, the symbiote went into overdrive, healing his wounds.

Aiden awoke moments later, to realize he had bonded with the symbiote once again. The same voice could be heard, but was much more faint than before. The symbiote explained that it had repaired most of the damage to Aiden’s body, but it was unable to fix the internal bleeding, in its current state. The process of Aiden’s regeneration left the symbiote very weak, and on the verge of death itself. The only way for both of them to survive would be to fully bond with one another.

Again, Aiden was hesitant, unsure of what consequences fully bonding with the symbiote would have. The symbiote explained that the two would become one, with Aiden being in full control of his body and mind, along with all of the powers and abilities it had to offer, while the symbiote shared his lifeforce and experiences, as it is unable to live without a host anyways.

With the choice being fully bonding or death, Aiden accepted the symbiotes offer. The symbiote immediately grew in strength as they merged, all the way down to a cellular level, mending what damage was left, and saving Aiden and the symbiote’s life in turn. Despite still recovering from the fight and the process of permanently bonding, there was no time to rest, as Aiden remembered Fisk’s promise. Unsure of where Gabriela might be, he focused on saving his mother first.

Arriving near the hospital, the symbiote shifted itself into casual clothing, allowing Aiden to enter the hospital without drawing any attention to himself. After finding out the location of his mother’s room, he also asked if anyone else had come to visit her, to which the attendant informed him that three men also requested to see her, a few minutes before he entered.

In a race against time, he quickly ran back outside and out of sight. Shifting back into his symbiote form, Aiden scaled the side of the building, until he reached the floor his mother was on. Peering in through the window, he saw the three hired guns taking position outside the door, their heads peeking out from both sides of it. As the first man entered, Aiden crashed through the window, hitting them with a blast of webbing, pinning them to the hallway wall. The other two came charging in, guns blazing, only for the bullets to be blocked by a barrier created by Aiden, while tendrils knocked the weapons from their hands and wrapped around them.

As the tendrils tightened their vice-like grip on the thugs, Aiden’s form began to change again, his rage making him become something more sinister and twisted. Just as he was about to squeeze the life out of the gunners, he heard his mother scream out in horror. It wasn’t the gunmen that frightened her though, it was Aiden. Looking into a nearby mirror, he saw the creature he had become, causing him to recoil. The two men passed out, but were still left alive. He looked back to his mother for a moment, and the terror on her face, before leaving back out of the window.

Aiden heard police sirens as he swung further and further away from the hospital, his form slowly returning back to normal. When he questioned the symbiote about what happened, it replied that it reacted to his strong negative emotions, and was not the one to be blamed. All it did was amplify the feelings, which was not something it truly had no control of, resulting in the change. Unhappy with the answer he received, he dropped the discussion for the moment, his thoughts returning Gabriela.

Checking Gabriela’s apartment first, Aiden got there just in time, as he watched two men, similar to the ones from the hospital attack, stop her from going inside. Right as they reached for their guns, he leaped into action, only to be surprised that Gabriela was able to hold her own, disarming and knocking out her assailants. Unfortunately for Aiden, she also thought that he was with the attackers, and attempted to attack him as he landed right in front of her.

Each strike connected, but had little effect. Aiden caught one of her fists and pulled her into a deep embrace. Confusion turned into relief, as the symbiote pulled away from Aiden, revealing him to her. He apologized for what happened, blaming himself for it all, and promised to explain everything at a later time. He stated that he had to take care of a loose end first.

Swinging in through the same window he was thrown out of, Aiden swiftly dropkicked Fisk from his chair, sending him crashing into a nearby wall. Stunned to see that Aiden and the symbiote still lived, he quickly activated the pulse waves again, only for Aiden to laugh it off and explain that it had no effect on him anymore. Aiden warned Fisk that if he or anyone that works for him ever came after those close to him again, Aiden would tear Fisk limb from limb. Fisk charged Aiden, and the two fought once more, but the result was very much different than the last time.

Fisk was barely able to get back on his feet. Aiden’s form began to alter itself again, as he tackled and pinned Fisk to the ground. With one sickening thwack after another, Aiden relentlessly alternated strikes, almost losing himself in the flurry. It wasn’t until he was about to deal the finishing blow, that he stopped himself.

The symbiote questioned why Aiden didn’t kill Fisk, that this was exactly what he wanted. Talking to himself aloud, he agreed that he did wish for Fisk’s death, but it wouldn’t bring back his father, and would only make him just as bad as Fisk was. Remembering his father’s death, his hospitalized mother, and the attempt on his girlfriend’s life, however, caused the rage and hatred to well up again, only to be intensified by the symbiote. He felt his control over himself slipping, almost as if he was becoming someone else, something else.

Fighting with himself, Aiden was in disbelief as to what he had almost done. Fisk tried to capitalize on the moment, only to be shoved out of the window by Aiden, as he thrashed about. Luckily for Fisk, Spider-man had been tracking Aiden's path of destruction back to the tower, and managed to catch Fisk. After cracking wise about Fisk's weight, Spider-man was also surprised by the sight of yet another symbiote. Still not in complete control, along with the sight of Fisk still alive, set him off. He furiously charged Spider-man. Although Aiden was quick in his new form, Spider-man still had greater agility and a lot more experience over him. As they fought Spider-man questioned why Aiden wanted Fisk dead. Aiden yelled in protest, insisting that Spider-man would never understand losing someone close to him by the hands of a criminal. This caught Spider-man off guard just long enough for Aiden to slam him to the ground. Before Spider-man had a chance to respond, Aiden knocked him out cold. With Spider-man defeated, Aiden turned back to Fisk, only to be welcomed to the sight of various firearms, grenade launchers, and even rocket launchers. With only a few seconds to spare, Aiden jumped over to Spider-man, refusing to let anyone else die for his cause. Fisk and his henchman open fired, as the symbiote created a barrier to deflect the barrage. There was only so much heat and force it could endure from the rockets and grenades bombarding it. Aiden was forced out the window, Spider-man still in his grasp, as he fell once again from the top of the high-rise, everything faded to black.

Taking Control Lost in a sea of darkness, Aiden felt as if he was floating, only to slowly realize that he was within his own mind. The symbiote appeared before him, taking on the form of the costume that Aiden wore. It expressed its frustration with him, stating how the world would be better off without such scum like Wilson Fisk roaming the Earth. So many future lives would be saved had he finished him off, and how that is the right thing to do.

Disagreeing with the symbiote’s assessment, Aiden explained that the situation was more complex than that, and merely killing Fisk wouldn’t change things as drastically as it believed it would. Another villain would simply take his place. It was much better to leave him alive, but dismantle his operations, until Fisk’s power was diminished beyond the point of being able to do anyone harm, also rendering him incapable of using it to manipulate the justice system.

Although there was still anger and sorrow in his heart, having the conversation with the symbiote was providing Aiden with a moment of clarity, giving him a sense of relative peace, and freeing his mind from the shackles of his hatred and need for vengeance. He assured the symbiote that Fisk would pay for his crimes, but it would be done the right way. The way his mother would do it.

Aiden awoke in a test tube, to the concerned looks of the Fantastic Four and Spider-man. Seeing that Aiden had come to, Spider-man explained that he regained consciousness before the two hit the ground and brought them there. Spider-man also pointed out that Aiden could have easily left him there to die, but instead Aiden chose to help Spider-man, thus proving that he was capable of being heroic. Spider-man continued to explain the situation that led up to the present, to the Fantastic Four, stating that Aiden had left Fisk's building in “ruins”. The symbiote voiced its fondness of the name, and even Aiden agreed it had a nice ring to it. That's when Aiden had pointed out that his alias would be “Ruin” from now on. Reed Richards turned away from the test results to address everyone in the room with the bad news. He informed them of what Aiden had already known, that the symbiote and Aiden had fully bonded on a cellular level, and are now as one. Although there is currently no known way of even attempting to separate the two, any such process would likely result in the death of both Aiden and the symbiote. Richards added that the symbiote was different in the way it was formed. It's genetic makeup was almost identical to that of Venom, instead of it simply being a symbiote offspring. When Aiden explained how he first came into contact with it, Spider-man added that Anti-Venom had “cured” Gargan of the Venom symbiote. Richards came to the conclusion that the healing process must have caused a schism that created this new symbiote, rather than natural reproduction. The symbiote was in a sense a copy of Venom to some degree, and yet something new as well. This intrigued Richard's greatly, who insisted that Aiden stay for further testing, only for Aiden to refuse. Richards allowed Aiden to leave, but stated that they would be keeping an eye on him in case he ever lost control of himself completely. Upon leaving, Spider-man stopped Aiden to speak with him. He stated that he was well aware what losing someone close to him to a criminal was like, and explained to Aiden that he was put in a very similar situation that he actually could have prevented. Upon facing the criminal Spider-man also wanted to take his revenge, but something that was said by the person he had lost stopped him from doing so. Aiden thanked Spider-man and headed back home. Dark Reign

Norman Osborn is tying up loose ends. Targets Ruin, as he would likely interfere with his plans, and expose Mac Gargan, who is pretending to be Spider-man

Mac Gargan is ordered to pose as Ruin and commit crimes, to make him an enemy of the public

Ruin catches onto Osborn’s plan, as the people of New York start to turn against him

Confronts Gargan, who shifts back into his Spider-man form, which only makes Ruin look even worse

Ruin kicks Gargan’s ass, but is forced into hiding

Spider-Island [TO BE ADDED]

Powers Black Symbiotic Costume: Ruin can stick to walls, can change his appearance to any form of clothing, armor, or appearance; and also has unlimited webbing, which takes on a more black tendril form in his case. Unlike most symbiotes, Ruin can't form weapons from his limbs, but he does possess the ability to create numerous tendrils, of varying sizes, that can stretch out to several feet away. Ruin also seems to have some sort of quick-healing ability like his predecessors. Given the fact that the symbiote had fully bonded to Aiden, and the sheer force of will that he commands, the symbiote's durability seems to surpass that of most of it's siblings and predecessors. In addition, Ruin is completely immune to sonic attacks, but is still affected by extreme heat to some degree. This too is likely due to the full bonding process. Superhuman Strength: He possesses vast superhuman strength, able to lift between 60 to 90 tons at a time. Superhuman Speed: He can move or run at speeds greater than any normal human being, capable of even catching up to most automobiles on foot. Superhuman Stamina: He can fully exert himself for at least 36 hours until fatigue impairs him. Superhuman Agility: His agility is superior to any normal human being Superhuman Reflexes: His reflexes are superior to any normal human being, capable of dodging many forms of attack (including firearms) if he is aware of the attack and is far enough away. Superhuman Durability: He is much more resistant to injury than many other symbiotes, but still is weak to extreme heat to a minor degree. The tissue the symbiote is composed of renders Aiden's body much harder and much more resistant to physical injury than the body of an ordinary human. Aiden can withstand high caliber bullets, great impact forces, powerful energy blasts, and falls from great heights without sustaining physical injury. He is durable enough that he can withstand multiple barrages of high caliber weapons such as machine guns from close range, completely unscathed. He can withstand blows from some superhuman beings and be relatively unharmed. He also possesses an extreme resistance to pain, and seems to feel it only to a certain extent. Genetic Memory: The symbiote possesses some limited psychic ability, making it capable of obtaining information from its host and memories from Venom's previous hosts. Symbiote Detection: The symbiote is also capable of psychically detecting others of its kind, however with effort this ability can be blocked. ESP (Spider-Sense): Aiden is also granted an extrasensory ability similar to Spider-Man’s spider-sense. This response is not as complicated as Spider-Man’s inherent sense since the alien costume can detect danger from every direction and conduct Aiden in plenty of time. It's a lot more efficient than Spider-Man’s spider-sense because it is more simplified to where the danger is. Immunity to Spider-man's Spider Sense: Due to Spider-man being a host to the main symbiote, Aiden is able to bypass Spider-man's spider-sense. Caustic Touch: Ruin's touch, at will, can disrupt and breakdown inorganic matter. The speed and effectiveness of this ability depends on the material being destroyed, and requires Ruin to make physical contact with it throughout the process. Constituent-Matter Generation: Ruin can also use the same substance comprising the symbiote in the form of tendril-like matter. This can be used offensively as a form of attack, or defensively to create a barrier between Ruin or the attacker, or even be used to restrain them. Constituent-Matter Manipulation: Although Ruin can't manipulate his mass on command or form weapons from appendages, he can change the amount and/or size of the tendrils that he can create. Ruin can instead forgo this process to create a single tendril that can instead travel a great distance. Accelerated Healing Factor: The symbiote is capable of healing injuries in the host at a faster rate than normal human healing allows. The symbiote is even capable of healing injuries and illness that current human medical care cannot, such as cancer. Camouflage Capabilities: The symbiote is capable of mimicking the appearance of any form of clothing, armor, or appearance. It can blend into its surroundings but, unlike other symbiotes, it can't take on the physical appearance of anyone else. Wall Crawling: Much like Spider-man, Ruin has the ability to cling to virtually any surface. He can rapidly crawl, walk, or run across even slick/wet surfaces. Webbing Generation: Ruin can project his matter into a powerful, organic web-like substance similar to the webbing Spider-man has. He typically uses this webbing to swing from one point to the next, or as a means of immobilizing someone. The webbing is incredibly strong.

Abilities Indomitable Will: Aiden has a strong Force of Will, completely free of evil and temptation. Although conflicted at first, and nearly taken over by the symbiote, Aiden was able to regain control and keep it. Remembering his fallen father’s words, and the advice that Spider-man had given, there is almost nothing that could overcome him mentally when he is determined. Weaknesses Heat: Although Ruin is completely immune to sonic attacks, he is still affected by extreme heat, but to a much lesser degree than other symbiotes. Total Symbiote Bonding: Aiden and Ruin are as one. Although this isn't exactly a weakness, if anyone was able to find a way to separate the symbiote from Aiden, the process would gravely injure or even kill both of them.

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