| Knull |  Well, well, you certainly are full of surprises. I don't like surprises. Time to extinguish your tiny flame. Look upon me, child. See the face of your demise  |
| Scream | We have a better idea... |
| Knull | Oh? Indulge us. |
| Scream | Listen closely, and hear usss... SCREEEAAAM! |
| Knull | How... How does one... How does one harnessss... HHow does one harness sssuch... ...pain? |
| Scream | Simple. It's all we've ever felt. All we've ever had. It's what bonds us. Makes uss one. Forged in hellfire. |
Appearing in 1st story
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- ⏴ Demagoblin ⏵ (Main story and recap)
- Symbiote Hive
Other Characters:
- Shriek (Frances Barrison)
- Carnage (Cletus Kasady) (Referenced)
- American Kaiju (Cpl. Todd Ziller) (Cameo)
- Hybrid Symbiote (Referenced)
- F.E.A.S.T. (Mentioned)
- May Parker (Mentioned)
- Big Mother (Mentioned) (Deceased)
Races and Species:
- Humans (Main story and recap)
- Symbiotes (Main story and recap)
- Demons (Main story and recap)
- Alien Gods
Locations:
- Earth (Main story and recap)
- United States of America (Main story and recap)
- New York (Main story and recap)
- Westchester County (Only in recap)
- Ravencroft Institute (Only in recap)
- New York City
- Manhattan
- F.E.A.S.T. (Mentioned)
- Manhattan
- Westchester County (Only in recap)
- New York (Main story and recap)
- United States of America (Main story and recap)
- Hell (Referenced)
Items:
Vehicles:
- Demagoblin's Bat Glider
Events:
- Absolute Carnage (Only in recap)
- King in Black
Synopsis for 1st story
Recapping, Scream narrates how the super villain Shriek sacrificed herself for her lover Carnage, who ripped out her spine and used her corpse as a vessel to resurrect the demon Demagoblin. Scream recaps that Demagoblin has been luring homeless children into a cult and brainwashing them into being her acolytes, but that in light of the ongoing alien invasion the trail went cold until just recently.
Crashing through one of the windows of Demagoblin's church, Scream declairs her intent to send Demagoblin back to Hell where she belongs. As Scream coils her hair-tendrils around her neck, Demagoblin coils her tongue around Scream's neck and cheerfully says she was worried the symbiote vigilante wouldn't make it. Scram slams Demagoblin into the floor, but the demon picks herself up and uses her brainwashed horde of children as a human shield. Scream thinks to herself that Demagoblin was dangerous enough on her own - possessing both demonic powers and Shriek's sonic abilities - but that she can't risk hurting the brainwashed children. Siccing her horde of children on Scream, Demagoblin paraphrases the Bible; ranting that Knull has come to rain a pestilence of black ichor that walks among them and soars through the skies as mighty beasts, devouring the men and woman of New York City so as to deliver them to their just rewards. Andi Benton tells the Scream symbiote not to hurt the children, though it retorts that that's easier said than done. Andi notes that she used to be like them - alone and hurt, with nowhere to go and no-one to help - but the Scream symbiote assuages her and says they'll get the children to safety first. Demagoblin grabs Scream from behind and bites down on her shoulder, but Scream flips the demon over her head and slams her into the floor. Getting up, Demagoblin launches a barrage of burning Bibles at Scream, sneering that Andi Benton is squandering the potential of her Hell-Mark, which Scream snarls is a curse as she swats the Bibles aside. Bringing the church crashing down, Demagoblin sneers that Andi seeing it as a curse means she is unworthy of it, conjuring her demonic Bat Glider and flying away while laughing maniacally.
Turning to save the children, Scream takes on a spider-like form and rescues the children from the burning church. Scream notes the children are still brainwashed and speculates it's due to a version of Shriek's emotional manipulation powers. A young girl snaps out of her hypnosis and asks where she is, Scream telling her she and the others are safe for now but need to go to the F.E.A.S.T. Center and find May Parker. Demagoblin returns and blasts Scream with a sonic attack, brandishing a Pumpkin Bomb as she lauds Knull's symbiote-dragons as avenging angels come to mete his wrath upon the sinners of the world. As the Scream symbiote notes that Demagoblin has an advantage in the air, Andi notes they need more leverage; Scream climbing the side of a nearby highrise. Spotting her, Demagoblin pelts Scream with Pumpkin Bombs, but Scream sprouts a pair of angelic wings and lands on Demagoblin's glider. Asking if Demagoblin can fly without it, Scream rips the demonic construct apart and mockingly suggests she should pray to her god now.
Scream crash-lands on the roof of an apartment, but before she can pick herself up Demagoblin lands beside her and grabs her by the throat, snarling that she's a waste of a Hell-Mark. Sneering that Andi needs to stop running from her inner demons and accept that she is one herself, Shriek attempts to use her sonic attack to blast the Scream symbiote off Andi. Forming bladed tendrils, Scream attempts to garrotte Demagoblin, snarling that Demagoblin is right and that she's tired of believing she's a victim, adding that her pain and scars have made her stronger and that her screams are her legacy. Freeing herself, Demagoblin sneers that soon a legacy will be all that's left of Scream, who senses a dark presence and turns to see an avatar of Knull manifesting on a nearby rooftop. Demagoblin prostrates herself and gushes that now Scream and those she sought to save are damned; the Scream symbiote noting that the chilling darkness of Knull's presence feels just like home to it. Knull's avatar disperses and reforms on the same rooftop as them, the Scream symbiote noting that the closer he gets the harder it is to resist succumbing to his will. Demagoblin kneels before Knull and gushes that she is unworthy of his holy presence, Knull telling her to shut up and grabbing her by the face before throwing her over his shoulder. Turning to Scream, Knull says he remembers her from their last encounter, and intends to make her suffer for the trouble she's caused him -- having defied his will by turning against Dark Carnage and killed one of his children. Andi mentally asking the Scream symbiote why they're not attacking, the Scream symbiote stating that it can't bring itself to attack the god of its species; but as Knull contemptuously states he'll rip the Scream symbiote from its host's flesh, then kill Andi and snuff out the spark of light burning inside her, Scream sneers at him to come and try it. Admitting he's impressed by her bravado, Knull conjures a symbiote-dragon and asks how she thinks she'll fair against it now that he's here to empower it. The symbiote-dragon coils its tongue around Scream, attempting to force her symbiote to submit to Knull's will, and Scream topples from the rooftop. Andi urges the Scream symbiote to snap out of its torpor and help her, but it says Knull's will is too strong. As Knull's voice says he's decided to let his progeny play with her first, Scream is swarmed by a pair of small symbiote-dragons that chomp down on her arms and legs. As her symbiote goes silent, Andi begs it to respond as Scream slams down onto the roof of a car. As the Scream symbiote sloughs away from her, Andi urges it to keep fighting and activates her Hell-Mark, blasting one of the symbiote-dragons with a torrent of hellfire. Standing as the Scream symbiote rebonds to her, Andi declares they need to learn from and harness their pain; blasting the second symbiote-dragon.
Manifesting his Necrosword, Knull remarks that it disgusts him how the galaxy has sullied his progeny - their hosts corrupting them with willful insolance - and leaps onto the back of a large symbiote-dragon as he declares it's time Scream learned to respect her elders. With a scream of defiance, Scream blasts the symbiote-dragon and Knull, but they are unharmed - Knull dismounting to engage her directly. Scoffing that Scream cannot stop him or even begin to comprehend his power, Knull slices through her hair-tendrils, and bashes her upside the head with All-Black's pommel. Telling Scream that her only hope for living another day is if she joins him, Knull stabs her through her Hell-Mark. Retorting that that's not true, Scream sets Knull's Necrosword ablaze with hellfire and then blasts him -- the Scream symbiote saying it can sense Knull's pain through the Hive-Mind. As the flames disperse to reveal Knull's avatar covered in severe burns, Andi notes he looks more pissed-off than ever, mockingly noting he's not as invincible as he likes to think. Grabbing Scream by the throat, Knull snarls that he dislikes surprises and that it's time to extinguish her flame. Scream retorts that she has a better idea, Knull telling her to indulge him with her last words... only for Scream to blast him point-blank with an omnidirectional eruption of hellfire. His avatar reforming, Knull incredulously asks how Scream can harness such pain; Scream retorting that pain is all she and her symbiote have ever known, a bond of shared suffering forged in hellfire. Mounting his symbiote-dragon, Knull states he's only sparing Scream because she's amused him, but that he will return once he's decided what to do with her. As he flies away, Scream retorts that the next time they meet Knull will be the one to scream, the Scream symbiote admonishing Andi for taunting him. Andi retorts that it doesn't matter if Knull hates her, since they know they have the means to hurt him.
Solicit Synopsis
SCREAM RETURNS!
• Andi Benton has faced other symbiotes before, but never has she faced the power and might of KNULL himself!
• Does SCREAM have what it takes to put a dent in Knull’s symbiotic armor?
• Or is this the end for SCREAM?