Venom

Venom (ベノム), the first planet of the Lylat System, is often seen to be the largest planet in the series. It is usually shown to be about half an orbit away from Corneria, meaning that of all of the regions of interest in the Lylat System, Venom is the furthest away from Corneria. It is mostly an uninhabitable world, generally regarded as a place of death and destruction.

Overview
A harsh place with only decaying remnants of civilization, Venom is a cruel planet with conditions intolerable to most life. The atmosphere is highly un-breathable, as there is barely any oxygen whatsoever and it is covered with a very thick smog that keeps much of the light from both Lylat and Solar from reaching Venom's surface. Overall, Venom is a world of perpetual darkness. The surface is barren, broken by rough cliffs and chasms. A vast acidic ocean kills off any straggling attempts of life to flourish. Andross was exiled to this planet for the deadly crimes he committed near Corneria's population. However, he did survive and even managed to make parts of the planet habitable, allowing himself and his formed army to live in isolation on the planet. It has since become his adopted homeworld and base of operations.
 * In the Star Fox game and its DS remake, Venom was a grey and black planet. The surface was yellow with thick clouds and thunderstorms.
 * In Star Fox 64, it appears shrouded in green gas from space (although it has a mahogany surface). The 3DS remake has conditions that resemble the original SNES and the DS remake designs.
 * In Star Fox Command, Venom has a highly acidic sea, from which the Anglar Empire emerged from.
 * In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Venom is crimson, brown, rocky, and volcanic.

Planetary Compendium

 * “Venom is a harsh frontier world on the periphery of the Lylat system. The atmosphere is almost unbreathable, and the rocky surface is broken by rough cliffs and chasms. Because of its distance from Corneria, it has never been fully explored.”
 * —Star Fox 64.com

History
Before the Lylat Wars, this planet was largely unexplored, most likely due to fears that explorers may have had about it. Andross was exiled to Venom as punishment for performing dangerous experiments that threatened Corneria's safety, and subsequently, Venom became his home world and base of operations during the Lylat Wars. When Andross was exiled to this world, it was considered to be a parallel to a death sentence; few suspected that he would survive to wreak havoc upon the Lylat system.

Five years after his arrival on Venom, the original Star Fox team were sent to Venom by General Pepper to investigate reports of strange activity. James McCloud and Peppy Hare were then captured by Andross after they were surprisingly betrayed by their team mate Pigma Dengar. While Peppy was barely able to escape from Venom and return home to Corneria, James's fate was unclear but widely presumed and implied to have been executed at Andross's hands. A few years later, Andross started the Lylat Wars by launching a massive invasion from Venom, which he had transformed from its barren, uninhabitable landscape into a military stronghold swarming with mechanical minions. His forces nearly succeeded in their conquest of the Lylat system, having just reached Corneria. However, the Star Fox team thwarted his every attempt at interplanetary domination, and by the end of the war, they were leading the counter-charge right back into Venom itself, which would lead to his eventual defeat.

After the Lylat Wars, Venom was mostly left alone, as it was a largely uninhabitable world and of little apparent value. Some remnants of the Venomian Army may still exist on Venom in some form, but the reason why has yet to be seen.

The Anglars came from the acid seas of Venom. When exactly they were born, and how they got there, is another mystery entirely, although one could theorize that the Anglars were an experiment by Andross. Since the Venom Sea corroded any ships, it was thought that nothing could survive there. After an examination, ROB 64 discovered that the Anglar ships were mostly manufactured out of aluminum, with trace amounts of chrome, which kept the ship from being dissolved and allowed them to survive in the caustic sea. Events that unfolded on Titania included the discovery of a terraforming device, left behind by Andross. Having no choice but to trust the superior scientific mind of Andross, the device was launched into Venom's atmosphere, to surprisingly successful results of transforming the toxic, desolate wasteland into a mild climated paradise. The planet's true fate, however, remains uncertain.

Star Fox/DS
In the original Star Fox title and its DS remake, Venom is the main objective in every game, set as the final destination from three different routes. Depending on the selected path, they will enter a different side of the planet. This begins at the airspace near Venom and then the team will take it to Venom's surface - the easy and hard routes' ground level will be at the actual surface of the planet, while the medium route's ground level is some sort of industrial highway or elevated road. The swift Phantron is the boss of the easy path, the Metal Smasher and its Galactic Rider escape pod is the medium route's boss, and the Great Commander is the final line of defense for the hard route. The team is challenged to a grudge match by Star Wolf as the semi-final boss.

Finally, Andross is left. Fox goes down to fight. Andross taunts Fox continuously until Fox enters his warped room. This incarnation of Andross was an inorganic computer cube transmitting Andross' face on each side surrounded by metallic polygonal plates forming an outer layer; in the easy and medium paths the face resembled a human, but Andross takes a more demonic appearance on the hard path. Fox destroyed this form's shell through its vulnerable glowing eyes. Fox destroyed the Andross computer and flew out of the self-destructing base. Fox then received a message from General Pepper congratulating them, and the surviving Star Fox team flew back to Corneria (via the Mothership in the DS version).

Star Fox 64/3D
Venom is again the focal objective of gameplay in Star Fox 64 and its 3DS remake. The planet can be reached from two routes. The "easy route" approaches Venom following the destruction of the Bolse defense satellite - the player will have still have to travel some distance on Venom to Andross' base. The "harder route" (in both difficulty and name) approaches Venom from a different angle, after a massive battle with the planet's primary defense fleet at Area 6 - the player will arrive directly at Andross' base. The routes are named as Venom and Venom II in Star Fox 64 3D's score attack mode.

Mission Briefing

 * “Very little information about the mysterious planet of Venom is available. Andross has undoubtedly built a base of maze-like tunnels going deep into the planet. Because his base is hewn from solid rock, there is no way to learn anything about it from orbit. At this point, the Star Fox Team will be up against the most elite of enemy forces. The Star Wolf team is sure to show up, and will be flying the most advanced ships in Andross's arsenal. This will be the team's last battle before going up against Andross himself, so be prepared to fight hard!

Intelligence - You'll face a different version of Andross depending on which path you took to Venom.”
 * —Star Fox 64.com

Medal Tips
Medal Score: 200 hits
 * “Apply your flying and targeting skills to this mission to score maximum points. If you earn the medal in this mission, you will be allowed to use the Landmaster tanks in the Versus Mode.”
 * —Star Fox 64.com

Easy Route (Venom)

 * The easy route is the simpler one by nature. After the Bolse satellite reaches meltdown, the way to Venom's surface is clear. When the player starts flying across the desolate, lifeless wastes of Venom, they will be ambushed by an onslaught of enemies. Waves of starfighters, flying columns, and minefields of magically appearing metal boxes or even Golemech, a Mysterious Giant Golem, which can stop the player's progress.
 * On the end of the otherwise endless hallways out of the temple, is a stretch of wasteland with an entrance to the interior of the planet. Fox decides to enter the base alone. The tunnels within the entry-way were perfectly straight, and barely wide enough for an Arwing. A few minor defences, being an odd laser beam, arching electricity, and security hatches are the only things that stand in the way.
 * After much anxiety and anticipation, from the midst of a sinister green fog comes Andross at last. An intense battle ensues as the Arwing will need to hold it's own as it is smashed with meteors, slapped around, and chewed and spit out. After destroying both of Andross' disembodied hands, his only remaining weak points, his eyes, must be destroyed. Once enough damage is done, Andross's head will explode, shedding an external layer to reveal a mechanical skull. The skull charges the the Arwing a couple of times, but has very weak armor and is destroyed quickly, being no match for a couple of Smart Bombs. After the skull is destroyed the base self-destructs, Fox is able to escape, leaving Venom's atmosphere and returning to the Great Fox and the rest of the team.

Hard Route (Venom II)

 * After penetrating the last line of defense of the battle-hardened fleet at Area 6, Star Fox arrives on Venom. By this route they descend directly upon the very doorstep of Andross' subterranean lair, taking the fiend totally by surprise. Before being able to charge into the planet, the team is challenged to a grudge match by Star Wolf, in a last ditch effort to prevent Fox from entering the planet. Unlike the other battles, Star Wolf are packing upgrades this time around with their brand-new, state-of-the-art Wolfen II starfighters. After a lengthy and brutal battle, superior piloting skills will allow the player to take the plunge deep into the heart of the planet at last to confront Andross.
 * The shaft leading into the planet is similar to the Easy Route path, except the channel here is less linear and ends up branching out into multiple paths, some of which have certain power ups which will be essential for survival after the punishing engagement with Star Wolf. Andross talks to Fox through the com-link, telling Fox how vain his efforts are and that he will feel true pain.
 * Fox will eventually reach Andross and must defeat him once again. This time, however, as soon as the finishing blow strikes Andross' isolated head, it sheds its outer layer revealing a massive brain and two eyes tethered to the brain by beams - this is the true form of Andross. The ultimate clash begins in All-Range Mode. Chased by pulsating eyes, the only way to destroy the enourmous brain is by shooting at the cerebellum enough times. Getting caught in the snaring tentacles may tear off the Arwing's wings and cause serious damage. In his final moments after being defeated by Fox, Andross self-destructs, creating an immense cataclysm swallowing up everything, even fading the screen to white. Fox was lucky enough to have survived the initial blast, but the self-destruction of Andross' base had begun.
 * The last stretch of the mission begins as who appears to be Fox's father, James McCloud, who leads Fox back to the entrance shaft to allow him to escape, though a fiery death awaits Fox if the wrong turn is taken. Once Fox exits the base, James vanishes and Fox exits Venom's atmosphere, reuniting with the Great Fox and the rest of the team. Fox looks around a few times, wondering if it was his father that he saw, and if so, where he had gone.

Star Fox Command
Venom returns in Star Fox Command where there are four different outcomes to the game's ending, but it does not always appear as the final stage, depending on the chosen paths taken.

Good-bye, Fox
Zazan tells the Anglar Emperor that they are being invaded. Despite his disbelief, he orders Zazan to prepare for an attack. During this time, R.O.B. has launched the device into the Venom Sea. Fox readies everyone for launch. Each of the team shows their readiness to fly, and with that, they begin their assault on the Anglar homeworld. Even after the Anglar bases have been decommissioned, the Anglar Emperor launches a counter-attack, piloting his Arrow Head against them. With his flagship destroyed, the Emperor flees into the Venom Depths, forcing the team to give chase and confront him for one final showdown.

Fox and Krystal
The Anglar Emperor tells his right-hand man Zazan that Star Fox, their "Creator's oldest enemy" are coming and to prepare for an attack. Meanwhile, as Fox tells the rest of the team what their jobs are. After the base has been destroyed, the Anglar Emperor emerges, piloting the Arrow Head. However, even after it is destroyed, the Emperor escapes through a tunnel leading to the Venom Depths, forcing Star Fox to give and they defeat him.

Star Wolf Returns!
When Krystal arrived at Venom with Star Wolf, they started attacking the Anglar forces located on the planet. After defeating many armadas of Anglers, they found the Angler Emperor and defeated him.

Dash Makes a Choice
When Dash arrived at Venom with Fox and Falco, they immediately destroyed the forces located on the planet.

After killing the Anglar Emperor, Dash decided to live on the planet of Venom. Soon after, he returned the legacy of his grandfather and became just like him and ruled the forces his grandfather controlled...

Star Fox 2/DS
In the near-final version of Star Fox 2 and its DS remake, Venom was shown to be green and grassy, and there are trees and mountains in the background. A giant mushroom can even be seen growing in the immediate area, and large flowers can be seen shooting energy waves on higher difficulties. This may indicate that the planet was set to have been terraformed since its last appearance.
 * Star Fox 2 also contains an unused stage based on Venom, with neighborhood places around. It can be found in the menu screen by selecting "Test", then "Venom" and "Planet Step 06". It is also thought to have been a version of Corneria.

Super Smash Bros. Series
Venom appeared as a stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee. It is a stage that is available from the beginning of the game. This is also Fox and Falco's home stage, but you face Falco and his teammates on this stage in All-Star Mode. This same stage did not return in the sequel game Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

The battle takes place on the Great Fox. Unlike the Corneria stage, the fight is played on the front view of the ship. Players' characters can fight on either 4 wings of the ship, and somewhat on the tailpiece in the center of the stage. This tailpiece is also a hazard that makes it hard to go to the other side. The top two wings of the ship slope inwards while the bottom two wings slope outwards. Items tend to roll off the two bottom wings of the ship. Fox and Falco also have easter egg taunts that cause Arwings to come and shoot the area.

Once in a while an Arwing will appear and start firing at the ship then will fly off. Any character that gets hit by the shots will take damage. Also, when the ship flies into the cave, sometimes characters hits the walls of the caves when smacked upwards or towards the sides, which might save one from getting KO'd.

Star Fox Comic
Venom appears in the Nintendo Power Comics based on the SNES continuity, as Andross's base of operations after his banishment. Later on in exile, Andross made the discovery that Venom hosted life-forms of humanoid lizards. These lizards were lacking in sophistication until he made yet another discovery of the instructions on building a telekinetic amplifier, which was used by Andross to grant the lizards intelligence and brainwash them into his followers.

Star Fox 64 manga
Venom appears in the Star Fox 64 manga, filling the same role as it does in the games. Unlike the games, Venom is completely destroyed at the end by Andross's meltdown.

The planet first appears when Pigma and Andrew's Wolfen starfighters are highly damaged by their dogfight with Star Fox, crash landing them on Venom. Pigma and Andrew face Andross, blaming each other for their failures in fear. Andross warns them not to fail at stopping the Star Fox team again or else he'll have them vaporized.

The Star Fox Team eventually make it to Venom, approaching from the Bolse satellite and arriving on the plains. Upon the plains of Venom, Peppy and Slippy are badly damaged by overwhelming odds and are forced to pull out, leaving Fox and Falco to continue the fight. Falco eventually leads the Venomians away from Fox to let him reach Andross's Palace. Breaking though the defences of the Golemech, Fox comes face to face with Andross at last, discovering what the Ape's years of experiments have turned him into. Andross then tortures and mocks Pigma for his failures and treasons before Fox. Despite the swine's constant breaking of trust and treacherous ways, Fox pleads for Pigma's freedom before entering the final battle. After their struggles, Andross's hide beaks apart, revealing a robotic Andross beneath. The robotic Ape then causes serious explosions and forces the planet to be completely blown apart. Fox returns to his team as they make their way back to Corneria.

Trivia

 * Venom has a circumference of 33,000 miles. For comparison, Earth's circumference is just under 25,000 miles, so Venom is a larger world than Earth is.
 * Venom's hard mode contains a strong reference to the second Death Star in the original Star Wars trilogy when flying out of Andross' lair after he is defeated.
 * Oddly enough, Slippy Toad has memories of his time stranded on Titania in Farewell, Beloved Falco, which directs the player to Bolse and thus the easy route. However, the hard route is considered the true ending of Star Fox 64, as Andross was canonically destroyed. This may indicate a continuity error, or, possibly, in an unavailable route to the player, the team recovered Slippy from Titania after he was slapped, and managed to find a path that led to Area 6.