Appearing in "Symbiocide"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Ethan (Undergrounder)
- ⏴ Reverend Rakestraw ⏵
- Elizabeth (Undergrounder)
- Carnage (Referenced)
Locations:
Items:
- Web-Shooters
- ⏴ The Venom Symbiote ⏵
- ⏴ The Scream Symbiote ⏵ (Apparent death)
- ⏴ The Agony Symbiote ⏵ (Apparent death)
- ⏴ The Lasher Symbiote ⏵ (Apparent death)
- ⏴ The Riot Symbiote ⏵ (Apparent death)
- ⏴ The Phage Symbiote ⏵ (Apparent death)
Vehicles:
- Life Foundation's Hovercrafts
Synopsis for "Symbiocide"
At a laboratory in the Mojave Desert, Carlton Drake of the Life Foundation has seemingly killed Venom by separating Eddie Brock from his symbiote. Showing this to Spider-Man via a video feed, telling the wall-crawler that he has no reason to stay. However, Spider-Man continues to fight through security in order to determine for himself if Venom is truly dead. That's when one of the doctors examining Brock's body reports that Eddie is still alive, but in a coma due to the shock of being separated from his other. Spider-Man hears this and continues to fight through security. Drake then orders his scientists to prep Brock for dissection. He also orders their new symbiote warriors to destroy Spider-Man. Elsewhere in the complex, Spider-Man is shocked when he is confronted by five new symbiotes.
Meanwhile, back in San Francisco, Roland Treece is overseeing the park revitalization project. Wanting to get at the gold buried below the park in the underground city, he intends to use a large number of explosives. From the bushes, some of the undergrounders are horrified to see what Treece is planning and they realize that it was a mistake to eject Venom from their hidden sanctuary. While back at the Life Foundation Compound, Eddie Brock wakes up just before the scientist begin conducting the autopsy. They try to incapacitate him with sonic weapons, but without his symbiotic other, the weapon has no effect on him. While a few floors above, Spider-Man realizes that five symbiotes are a bit too much for him to handle. The battle is being watched by Carlton Drake who is impressed with the symbiote's performance. When they destroy Spider-Man, Drake believes they will have proven themselves as the perfect enforcers in the Life Foundations secret compounds. Spider-Man continues to be on the defensive until Eddie Brock arrives. Even though he is stark naked and doesn't have the protection of his symbiote, he still tries to face his five offspring. While back in San Francisco, the undergrounders debate changing their decision on recruiting Venom as their protector. As with the previous discussion on the issue, Reverend Rakestraw refuses to change his decision.
At this moment, Spider-Man and Eddie Brock retreat into one of the labs where they find sonic guns and incapacitate the symbiotes. Brock wants to kill them because they are no longer innocent, but Spider-Man won't let him. While they are arguing, the other symbiotes recover and destroy their sonic guns. On the retreat again, they happen upon the containment unit that is holding Eddie's symbiote. He quickly frees it and becomes Venom once more. As he struggles with one of the symbiotes, Spider-Man tries to find a weapon he can uses to stop the creature. The device he eventually activates is the ray that sped up the symbiote's development. When it strikes Venom's attacker, it causes the symbiotic substance on his arm to crumble to dust. Venom wants to use it to completely destroy the symbiotes, but Spider-Man protests as it may kill the human hosts. While the wall-crawler is distracted, Venom uses a tendril from his symbiote to strangle the hero to unconsciousness.[Continuity 3] When the symbiotes attack him again, Venom activates the device, seemingly destroying the symbiotes and their hosts.[Continuity 4]
Spider-Man comes around just as this happens and he is horrified by the wanton destruction of life. Seeing the death of his symbiotes, Carlton Drake decides to cut his losses and escape. This triggers the self-destruct sequence of the secret base. As Spider-Man rushes to the hanger to find an aircraft to escape in, he realizes that he has lost track of Venom in the confusion. Spider-Man manages to escape moments before the compound explodes. Although he saw no trace of Venom, he is certain that things are far from over. Spider-Man's hunt is correct, as a truck speeds away from the burning base. Inside, Venom is forcing the driver to take him to San Francisco so he can take care of some unfinished business.
Notes
Continuity Notes[]
- ↑ This symbiote is not officially named until Civil War: Battle Damage Report #1.
- ↑ The Agony, Lasher, Riot, and Phage symbiotes are not officially named until Carnage, U.S.A. #2.
- ↑ Venom recalls his promise to not kill Spider-Man. This was a promise he made in Amazing Spider-Man #375.
- ↑ Although they appear to be killed here, the symbiotes are revealed to have survived as seen in Venom: Separation Anxiety #1–4.