Read beyond this point at your own risk!
Part of the "Extreme Carnage" event   Design Variant Design Variant Textless Johnson Connecting Variant Symbiote Variant Symbiote Wraparound Variant Young Variant
Issue Details | ||||
Appearing in 1st story
Featured Characters:
- Scream (Andi Benton) (Loses the Scream symbiote)
Supporting Characters:
- Scream Symbiote (Controlled by Carnage; joins Carnage's Hive) (Death)
Antagonists:
- Alchemax
- Doctor Steven (Cameo)
- Numerous unnamed scientists
- Guardsmen (Death of several)
- Doppelgänger
- Demagoblin (Mentioned)
- Carnage's Hive
- Carnage Symbiote (Controlled by Cletus Kasady)
- Carnage (Cletus Kasady) (Vision) (Deceased)
- Phage Symbiote (Mentioned)
- Lasher Symbiote (Mentioned)
- Riot Symbiote (Mentioned)
- Agony Symbiote (Mentioned)
Other Characters:
- Unnamed Brood Sleazoid (Cameo)
- Unnamed symbiote-dragon (Cameo)
- Unnamed troll (Cameo)
- Freak (Cameo)
- Friends of Humanity (On-screen)
- Senator Peter Krane (On-screen)
- Symbiote Hive (Mentioned)
- Knull (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- Eddie Brock (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis for 1st story
The Alchemax Tower stands silhouetted by the full moon. Inside, Doctor Steven oversees unethical experiments being performed on a variety of captured extraterrestrial and extra-dimensional creatures: a Brood sleazoid floats in a tank of green fluid, a small symbiote-dragon devours a cow, an Asgardian troll sits in a cramped cell, and a group of scientists strap Freak to an operating table. Abruptly an alarm signalling a containment breach goes off, one of the scientists grousing that it's the third incident that month. The escaped monster, Doppelgänger, leaps from the window pursued by a squad of Guardsmen.
Watching, Andi Benton and the Scream symbiote note that Alchemax is an evil place where monsters are made, but that others are the product of nightmares waiting to be unleashed. Doppelgänger hits the street and attacks the pursuing Guardsmen, snapping one's neck. Calling out to the monstrous parody of Spider-Man, Scream asks if it knows where Demagoblin is and tells it to keep its hands to itself. As Doppelgänger roars at her, the Scream symbiote admonishes Andi for making it angry. Doppelgänger lunges at Scream and tries to throttle her, Andi noting that she's known brainless jerks who think they can use their brawn to get whatever they want her whole life. As Andi notes that the way to deal with them is dig in and bite back, Scream chomps down on its shoulder before restraining it with tendrils. One of the Guardsmen radios for backup, saying he's encountered a symbiote, Scream looming over him as Andi and the Scream symbiote note that the Guardsmen are hunting for symbiotes and that it's time for the hunter to become the hunted. Pointing bladed tendrils at the Guardsman, Scream demands to know why they're hunting her and her kind. The Guardsman retorts that all he knows is that their orders are to capture and/or kill any nonhuman entities. Snaring the Guardsman with tendrils, Scream tries to scare the truth out of him by carving off his armor, but stops as the Scream symbiote detects a thrumming sound that grows in volume. The Scream symbiote asks if Andi can hear it, and Andi responds that she can't but that she can feel it and it's making her dizzy. As Andi asks if the Scream symbiote can tell where it's coming from, Scream turns to stare at an electronics store broadcasting Senator Peter Krane's televised interview. As the Scream symbiote smashes the store's window and picks up one of the TVs, Andi incredulously quips that she never figured her symbiote would be interested in politics. The Scream symbiote says that something else is calling them, an overwhelming urge to follow it to its family. As the sound grows louder and louder, Scream staggers and clutches her head, dropping the TV; Andi notes she's starting to feel nauseous - the throbbing like a migraine. As Andi tells herself and her symbiote to pull themselves together, a passing car strikes her. As Andi demands to know what's going on, the Scream symbiote hisses that it can't resist the overwhelming need to join its family. Andi protests that she thought that she was the Scream symbiote's family, the Scream symbiote saying that it can't stop or fight the need to head the call. Prying off a manhole cover, Andi retorts that what her symbiote needs is a time-out. As Scream drops into the sewer, the symbiote protests that it doesn't want to do this. Surfacing, Andi demands to know what the thrashing Scream symbiote means by that. Falling silent, the Scream symbiote sloughs away from Andi, who wonders what's going on before realizing she's not standing in water but red-and-black ooze.
As Andi wonders where she is, a sinister voice replies that that's a good question; turning to see Carnage towering over her. Carnage replies that Andi is inside her head - inside the Symbiote Hive-Mind. As Andi recoils in horror, Carnage states that Knull used to rule the Symbiote Hive, and after deposing him Eddie Brock thinks he's usurped Knull's throne as the King in Black... but that he got there first and has been biding his time. Sneering that Eddie thought he'd put him down like a rabid dog, Carnage laughs maniacally as he declares he can never die. As Carnage encases her in a cage, Andi calls out to the Scream symbiote to help her fight him. Retorting that Scream can't hear her anymore, Carnage scoops up the Scream symbiote and saying he's long overdue for a chat with his little sister. Sneering at the codependency of the Scream symbiote's bond to her, Carnage stitches Andi's mouth shut with tendrils before remarking that he pities his symbiote's siblings - forced into existence by the Life Foundation. Saying that he's planned a family reunion, Carnage says that he wants Scream to be the first guest, telling her to Scream for him.
Corrupted by Carnage's will and under his control, Scream bursts from the street - her upper body red-and-black. Speaking through her, Carnage asks if she wants to have some fun committing wanton slaughter. The Carnage-infested Scream is attacked by a squad of Guardsmen, evading their attacks and gleefully slaughtering them while making sadistically flirtatious quips.
In the Hive-Mind, Andi is encased in a cage formed from Scream's hair-tendrils. Calling out to it, Andi begs it to fight back against Carnage's control, but the Scream symbiote refuses - Andi incredulously shouting that her symbiote isn't acting like itself. The Scream symbiote retorts that it can't resist Carnage's call, nor does it want to, since it means its family is reaching out for it. As Andi protests that she's its family, the Scream symbiote constricts Andi's cage at Carnage's urging to not let its host get the better of it. As Andi incredulously demands to know why the Scream symbiote is choosing Carnage over her, it retorts that it sees now that Carnage is its true family. As her cage constricts even further, Andi screams for her symbiote to stop - her eyes blazing with hellfire as she activates her Hell-Mark - which manifests both in the Hive-Mind and on Scream's chest in the real world. As Scream cries out in agony, Carnage incredulously protests that Andi can't do that to her symbiote. Saying that she doesn't want to hurt Scream, Andi snaps that Scream and Carnage aren't leaving her any choice and that she was the one who granted her symbiote immunity to the hellfire - immunity that has just been revoked.
Engulfed in demonic flames, Scream lets out another howl of agony and Andi regains control of her body, lamenting that she thought that she and the Scream symbiote would be together forever and demanding to know how it could turn on her so easily after everything they'd been through together. Carnage sneers that Andi was the one who turned on Scream, urging it to kill her before she kills it. The Scream symbiote attempts to throttle Andi, snarling that Carnage is right that Andi is holding it back and making it weak. Crying out that she can't breathe, Andi protests that she doesn't want to hurt the Scream symbiote, but it angrily calls Andi a liar and rants that she won't be able to feed it her lies anymore. As it engulfs her, Andi lets out a scream of anguish and blasts Scream with an eruption of hellfire that burns away Carnage's influence. Collapsing to her knees in her human form, Andi realizes the Scream symbiote has gone silent. As the Scream symbiote sloughs off her, Andi breaks down in despair, weeping as she begs it not to be dead. A Guardsman accosts her, ordering her to step away from the symbiote and allow herself to be arrested, but Andi furiously blasts him with a torrent of hellfire - shouting for him to get away from them before collapsing in despair again, her rage burnt out. As Andi tearfully apologizes, clutching the remains of the Scream symbiote, a squad of Guardsmen arrive and aim their weapons at her.
Solicit Synopsis
SCREEEEEAM!
SCREAM: CURSE OF CARNAGE writer Clay McLeod Chapman returns to the character to lend his lethal sensibilities to EXTREME CARNAGE!
Andi Benton has always been a fighter, and that's never been truer than since she bonded to the Scream symbiotea few months ago. But even after ABSOLUTE CARNAGE and KING IN BLACK, Andi has never had to fight like this — and, worse still, if she can't save her symbiote from whatever unseen force is affecting it, she might have to do it alone...
See Also
Footnotes
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