Symbiotes have a bad reputation. For those who first think of Venom, Spider-man’s archnemesis made famous by the inimitable Tom Hardy, its understandable that what symbiosis brings to mind is a damaging or dangerous relationships. In reality, most symbiotes exist specifically because they’re a good deal for everyone. The billions of bacteria in your gut breaking down that slice of pizza are a perfect example or maybe the Oxpecker bird pulling out and eating ticks from the hippo’s flesh is more your style. Symbiotic relationships aren’t confined to nature, however. Our media landscape is full of them, too. And 10 years ago an iconic video game franchise got off the ground because it latched onto a perfect host for finding an audience.
