Eddie Brock has has a rough upbringing. His father has struggled with alcoholism, and often physically abused Eddie and his mother. These less than ideal circumstances at home caused Eddie to spend as much time away from it as possible.

Eddie chooses to deal with his situation through humor, often joking about the very things he experiences at home, so that nobody will believe they're actually happening. His wide-open friendliness hides a very serious, almost sullen side to Eddie that he allows very few people to see.

Eddie was a former student at Midtown's cross-town rival PS-40 before a re-districting merged the two schools. It's because of this that Eddie meets Peter, Mary Jane, and Gwen Stacy. Eddie's wise-cracking personality is a stark contrast to Peter's introverted shyness when the two first meet, but the two quickly strike up a friendship.