Synopsis
Preface[]
In the wake of Eddie Brock's attempt to utterly destroy it,[1] a piece of the Dark Carnage symbiote sinks towards the bottom of the ocean, latching onto a passing fish before transferring to a great white shark. Making its way to the Indian ocean, it attacks a boat crewed by Somalian pirates and takes over one of them, then makes its way to where a local warlord is meeting with an arms dealer representing Alchemax - who it takes over. Upon arriving in the United States, the symbiote devours an airport driver and takes over his car.[2]
At a political rally, political demagogue Senator Peter Krane delivers a speech exploiting the growing prejudice and xenophobia towards non-humans in the wake of recent events such as the War of the Realms and Knull's invasion of Earth. Announcing his affiliation with the Friends of Humanity, Senator Krane later argues with his son Arthur over his hardline stance, stating he'd happily instigate a genocide if it brought him closer to his goal of becoming the President.
Main Event[]
The recently resurrected Flash Thompson - working a delivery job with other veterans - is suddenly pulled into the Symbiote Hive-Mind by Cletus Kasady, whose codex has posthumously reunited with the Carnage symbiote and is piloting the Dark Carnage symbiote from within the Hive. Carnage tries to corrupt Flash's symbiote, but Flash severs their connection and comes to his senses in time to stop himself from killing Hank, one of his coworkers. Flash is contacted by Iron Man, who shows Flash his Extrembiote armor - a symbiote-dragon mutated with Extremis - and informs him of the deaths left in Carnage's wake; while Flash in turn informs Iron Man that Cletus Kasady is plotting something from beyond the grave using the power that Knull had granted him.
The Dark Carnage symbiote makes its way to the Friends of Humanity headquarters and bonds to Arthur Krane; and shortly thereafter Flash attempts to infiltrate one of Senator Krane's rallies only to be made and chased away by security, Senator Krane using the incident as publicity. Coming to the conclusion that Carnage has taken over Senator Krane, Flash subsequently recruits Hank to infiltrate the Friends of Humanity as one of Senator Krane's bodyguards.[2] While Senator Krane conducts televised interviews and carries out his business as usual, Carnage uses Knull's power to reach out to the Phage, Scream, Lasher, Riot, Agony, and Toxin symbiotes over the course of several months. Phage - which had bonded to Buck Cashman's dog Mitch - immediately succumbs and viciously mauls Buck before transferring to him and joining the Friends of Humanity, becoming Senator Krane's head of security.[3] Scream succumbs while it and Andi Benton are searching for Demagoblin, going on a rampage and killing several of Alchemax's Guardsmen before Andi is forced to immolate it with hellfire.[4] Lasher refuses to join Carnage's cause, leading Cletus to manipulate its host - an elderly man suffering from dementia - into making a cross-country journey to Washington D.C., rewarding his cooperation by destroying his codex after his body perishes during the trip.[5] Riot - bonded to a man on-board a Greyhound bus - goes on a rampage looking for a superior host and other butchers the passengers until it finds one.[6]
Taken prisoner by Alchemax, Andi Benton is approached by Dr. Steven, who offers to try to save the Scream symbiote. However, Carnage dispatches Phage to assassinate her, leading to the deaths of several Guardsmen and Andi being fatally wounded.[3] Arriving just in time to save her, Agent Anti-Venom rushes the dying Andi to Dr. Steven's lab, and she bonds to a new symbiote created by merging Scream's remains with a sample of Anti-Venom Serum. Calling herself Silence, Andi uses her new symbiote's cleansing powers to severely weaken Phage's connection to the Symbiote Hive and happily reunites with Flash, though their reunion is cut short by Alchemax's security forces.[5]
Bren Waters, host of the Toxin symbiote, sees a news report about the battle at Alchemax and rushes out afraid that his father Ozkar - who works as one of the Guardsmen - has been injured or killed. En route, Carnage attempts to corrupt the Toxin symbiote - demanding that it kill Bren and find a more worthy host - but is rejected and overpowered; Bren discovering that his father was badly injured during Phage's rampage.[7] Andi and Flash regroup at a café, where Andi unsuccessfully tries to confront Carnage within the Symbiote Hive-Mind only to discover her new symbiote is unable to properly connect to it. Andi and Toxin sense one another, leading Toxin to approach them and propose an alliance to take Carnage down. Meanwhile, Hank continues to operate as Flash's mole, frequently reporting back to him about the Friends of Humanity's suspicious activity. However, Carnage quickly figures out that he is a mole and sends him to recruit the Riot symbiote's new host, dispatching Agony and its host Gemma Shin to keep an eye on him from the shadows.[5][6]
Flash, Andi, and Bren arrive in Washington D.C. and meet up with Hank, using his intel to deduce that Carnage is plotting to assassinate the President during his memorial speech for the victims of Knull's invasion. Frustrated by her coworkers' sexism, Gemma goes out jogging and is attacked by three muggers; but transforms into Agony, kills them, and uses their body parts to decorate her apartment. Pulled into the Hive-Mind by Carnage, Gemma and Agony reaffirm their alliance to his plot; Andi attempting to spy on the meeting and discovering that Carnage knows they're coming and that it's a trap. Agent Anti-Venom directs Hank to continue spying on Senator Krane while he, Silence, and Toxin watch from a distance; discovering that their theory was wrong when Arthur Krane unveils himself as Carnage and - under Cletus Kasady's control - mortally wounds Hank before leaving to assassinate his father.[8]
Hank is resuscitated by the Sleeper symbiote, who Flash had secretly sent to bond to him; and Sleeper incapacitates Riot before reporting in to Agent Anti-Venom. Carnage kills Peter Krane and sics his followers on the gathered civilians, but Silence, Toxin, and Sleeper oppose them until Alchemax Guardsmen sent by Dr. Steve arrive as backup. Agent Anti-Venom battles Carnage, who reveals that Arthur Krane is a sociopathic serial killer and was plotting to kill his father even before the symbiote bonded to him. As Carnage declares itself and Arthur kindred spirits, Iron Man arrives bonded to the Extrembiote, which he uses to separate Arthur from the Carnage symbiote. Cletus Kasady infects the Extrembiote with his will and incapacitates Tony Stark, but Agent Anti-Venom saves him. The Carnage symbiote assimilates the Extrembiote and transforms into a symbiote-dragon, rescuing Agony and flying away while gloating of its victory.
Assessing that Hank is unaware that he's bonded to the Sleeper symbiote, Flash elects not to tell him - for which he is later chastised by Bren and Andi. Andi protests Bren's involvement due to his young age but begrudgingly accepts him as a member of the team. Arthur Krane is made a senator to replace his father, but despite the Friends of Humanity gaining more supporters than ever feels distraught without the Carnage symbiote, swearing fealty to Carnage in exchange for Gemma's help in getting it back.[9]
Solicit Synopsis[]
Flash Thompson is back - and it's just in time! Carnage's codex is loose in the Symbiote Hive, and it's out to convert as many symbiotes as possible into its own underlings. No human, symbiote or otherwise, is safe until Carnage is dealt with for good.Issues
See Also
- 1 minor appearance(s) of Extreme Carnage
- 7 mention(s) of Extreme Carnage
- 8 article(s) related to Extreme Carnage