Appearing in "What Dwells Beneath: Part One"
Featured Characters:
- Anti-Carnage Task Force
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Carnage (Cletus Kasady)
- Symbiote/Human hybrids (Death)
- Broodlings of Chthon (First appearance)
- Raze (Claire Dixon)
Other Characters:
- Jubulile van Scotter's father (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- Chthon (Mentioned)
- Crew of the 19th century whaling ship
- Olafson (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- Martinson (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- Hembeck (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- Ramirez (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- Briggs (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- Quimbly (Mentioned)
- Harkins (Mentioned)
- God (Yahweh) (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
- Humans
- Klyntar
- Broodlings of Chthon (First appearance)
- Vampires
- Man-Wolves
- Elder Gods (Mentioned)
Locations:
- Earth
- Indian Ocean
- Timor Sea
- Chthonic Island (First appearance)
- The Beach (First appearance)
- Dilapidated Cemetery (First appearance)
- Broodling Village (First appearance)
- Chthonic Island (First appearance)
- Timor Sea
- Cape Town, South Africa (Mentioned)
- Indian Ocean
- Hell (Mentioned)
Items:
- Carnage Symbiote
- Darkhold
- Raze Symbiote
- Toxin Symbiote
- Star Stone (Behind the scenes)
- Venom Symbiote (Mentioned)
Vehicles:
- Fishing boat (First appearance)
- Anti-Carnage Task Force's yacht
- 19th century whaling ship (Only appearance; destroyed)
- Caspian Sea (a freighter) (Mentioned)
Synopsis for "What Dwells Beneath: Part One"
Arriving on the island where the Chthonic altar is located, Carnage sets out into the jungle with three symbiote-hybrids, following directions in the Darkhold. The symbiote-hybrids are abruptly shot down with arrows, and Carnage is trapped under a net by shadowy figures.
Forty-two hours later, the Anti-Carnage task force investigates the fishing boat Carnage hijacked to get to the island. Eddie Brock wonders how a large island could exist in the middle of one of the busiest sea lanes without anyone noticing it, and Victoria Montesi tells him that forces beyond human comprehension are at work. John Jameson arrives from below deck and reports that Carnage used the crew for spell practice, killing six and transforming the rest.
On the task force's yacht, Jubulile van Scotter tells Yuvraj Singh that she can sense Carnage in her head, and that he left a piece of his symbiote in her that's destroying her sense of identity. Singh reassures her, telling her to let the sum of her parts be greater than the whole. Later, the task force regroups on the beach, where they find the wreckage of a 19th century whaling ship. Jameson guesses it was blown to the island by a storm, but Jubulile, tapping into the power of the symbiote inside her, warns him that they were drawn by eldritch forces that still lurk in the jungle, hungry. Brock scoffs at her, saying the only thing in the forest is Carnage and that he shouldn't pose a problem, but Victoria tells him to stay close to Jubulile, warning that she can sense a great evil asleep in the jungle as well. In the distance, Raze surfaces from the ocean and follows them ashore.
Trekking through the jungle, Victoria tells Manuela to confront her about the suspicions she and Jameson have been harboring. Manuela asks Victoria to tell them who and what she is, but Victoria says the answers to those questions will have to wait as they come across an overgrown, dilapidated cemetery. Singh warns the group that the graveyard confirms that the island is a nest for the Broodlings of Chthon. Brock remarks on the age of the tombstones, while Jubulile opens a chest to find a logbook from the crew of the whaling vessel, detailing their encounters with Chthon's spawn. The task force is abruptly attacked by scaly, blue-skinned humanoid creatures with fangs and bulging red eyes, wielding spears and swords. Eddie transforms into Toxin and easily slaughters the first wave of Broodlings, quipping that in a close-quarters fight he's a lot more reliable than Man-Wolf. His boasting is cut short as a second wave of Broodlings attacks, overwhelming the group. Jameson transforms into Man-Wolf, and when one of the Broodlings attacks Jubulile her eyes turn red and she easily defeats it. Returning to human form, Eddie catches her as she swoons, and Victoria states that this is proof that Carnage succeeded in bonding her to a Darkhold-corrupted symbiote. Watching from the undergrowth, Raze breaks into a menacing grin. Regaining consciousness, Jubulile tells them that Carnage is in extreme pain and mortal danger; meanwhile, Singh calms Man-Wolf into returning to human form. Exhausted, Jameson tells Singh that it gets harder to turn back each time: he's becoming addicted to the predatory bloodlust, and remarks that it's no wonder Eddie and Cletus became monsters if bonding to the symbiotes was like what he experiences as Man-Wolf.
After the task force leaves the graveyard, Raze enters the clearing and transforms into Claire Dixon. Picking up the logbook, Dixon begins reading the final entry: stating that the Broodlings of Chthon are all female, and sacrifice their prisoners to their pagan god after raping them to propagate their species. A lone broodling attempts to attack Claire from behind, but the Raze symbiote impales it on dozens of tendrils while Claire nonchalantly continues to read. The task force arrives at the Broodlings' village, with Jubulile in excruciating pain. Brock tries to sooth her to no avail, and Manuela tells her to turn her connection to Carnage from a curse into a weapon. Jubulile says she can't, crying out that Carnage is dying and screaming in pain. Brock shouts at Victoria to do something to help her, but Manuela says there's nothing they can do, pointing to the village, where the Broodlings have chained Carnage to an enormous pan and are roasting him over a massive bonfire.
Solicit Synopsis
• Carnage’s search for more power leads him to a mysterious and secluded island.
• But who are the island’s mysterious inhabitants?
• And what terrifying secrets do they hold?
