Appearing in "Broken Plays: Chapter Six!"
Featured Characters:
- Venom (Flash Thompson) (Main story and flashback)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- U.S. Army (Only in flashback)
- Hilla (First appearance)
- Cora (Name revealed)
- One of Cora's children
- P'qui
- Hjuo (P'qui's deity) (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
- Humans (Appear in flashback and main story)
- Symbiotes (Appear in flashback and main story)
- Ruu'lto
- Gramosians
- Wugin
- P'qui
- Several unidentified alien races (Appear in flashback and main story)
Locations:
- Earth (Only in flashback)
- United States of America (Only in flashback)
- New York (Only in flashback)
- New York City (Only in flashback)
- Queens (Only in flashback)
- Forest Hills (Only in flashback)
- Midtown High School (Only in flashback)
- Forest Hills (Only in flashback)
- Queens (Only in flashback)
- New York City (Only in flashback)
- New York (Only in flashback)
- Iraq (Only in flashback)
- United States of America (Only in flashback)
- Outer Rim
- Vvex
- Unnamed P'qui Planet
Items:
- Flash's prosthetic legs
Vehicles:
- Mercurio's battleship
- Flash's ship
Synopsis for "Broken Plays: Chapter Six!"
Talking to Pik Rollo, Flash states that broken plays - operating without a set plan - are his thing, recalling events playing football and as a soldier. He notes that sometimes it worked, and other times it didn't, but that making things up as he went along made it so that he didn't have to ask for help - something that's not an option in space. Flash reveals that this time he made a plan and asked for help. Pik retorts that once she's regained her strength she'll kill him, but Flash tells her they're right where they need to be. Pik responds by asking him if his partner is where it needs to be.
Overlooking a massive army, Mercurio revels in being bonded to the Venom symbiote, noting that he can feel its ravenous hunger and that Flash kept it starved, promising that he will keep it well-fed. Mercurio outlines his plan to conquer the Gramosian Empire and put it in its rightful place in the galaxy, destroying any who stand in their way - starting with Flash Thompson.
As the prison door unlocks, Flash quips that Mercurio is right on schedule. He asks how bad it is, and Pik responds that it looks like the end. Flash remarks that she's been spending too much time with 803, then tells her he was talking to the symbiote, which peels away from Mercurio and reveals he has an armada. Outraged, Mercurio commands the symbiote to obey him, but Flash retorts that being a host is a give-and-take. Manifesting its humanoid form, the symbiote begins crushing Mercurio with tentacles and pins him to the floor. As it prepares to finish him off, Flash yells at it to stop. The symbiote backs away and apologizes, and Flash realizes that letting it bond to Mercurio was a mistake. The symbiote bonds with Flash again as Mercurio picks himself up, sneering that the symbiote is a fool to reject its chance at greatness and is even weaker than Flash. Summoning guards, Mercurio orders them to kill Venom and Pik, who flee. Pik asks why they're running instead of fighting, and Venom tells her Mercurio called for backup, which is smart -- and that he also called for backup, revealing the Wugin and Bhiv battling Mercurio's soldiers. Duelling Mercurio himself, Venom introduces Pik Rollo and Iqa to each other. Fighting back to back, Iqa pointedly tells Pik she has placed a husbandry claim on Flash already, but Pik bluntly informs Iqa she has no interest in him.
Mercurio tells Venom he underestimated Flash's intelligence, but that he was right about the symbiote: it's starving for rage and hatred, but won't take what's its, calling it pathetic and weak. Roaring, Venom attacks Mercurio, who tells the symbiote that even enraged, Flash holds it back. He offers to bond with it again, but Venom roars and slams him to the ground. As Mercurio mockingly sneers that Flash is still holding it back and making it weak, Venom hefts a piece of machinery, snarling that they are not weak. As Venom pummels Mercurio with the machinery, Flash begs for the symbiote to stop. Just as Venom is about to finish the warlord off, 803 calls out for him to stop. Venom turns to see Iqa, 803, Pik Rollo, and the Bhiv watching him and regains composure, stammering that he doesn't know what came over him. Mercurio opens fire with a laser pistol, injuring Venom, and retreats into a small ship, promising that he will return and kill both Flash and the symbiote.
803 apologizes for letting Mercurio get away and asks to be deactivated, but Venom thanks him instead, both for getting everyone there and for stopping him from going too far. Pik Rollo is reunited with her daughter, Hilla, who asks if there are any enemies left that she can kill. Pik thanks Venom, but tells him that next time he should tell her the whole plan. Confused, Venom asks what she means, and Pik tells him that he needs a crew and that she and her daughter need a home. Iqa jumps in saying she needs a quest that will win her glory in the eyes of her people, adding that she finds Venom's rage issues to be attractive. Giving in, Venom tells them that he's no captain and they're not a team, but they're welcome aboard - albeit with no pay. 803 asks what to do with the Bhiv, and Flash has the robots distributed to Cora's family and the P'qui in case Mercurio targets them again.
Onboard the ship, Flash confronts the symbiote over its loss of control. It apologizes again, saying that being bonded to Mercurio brought out old feelings. Flash admits he knows the feeling of falling off the wagon, and asks whether the symbiote's moving forwards or backwards. After a moment of hesitation, the symbiote responds that it's moving forward. Later, Flash enjoys a celebratory meal with his new friends, thinking to himself that for once things worked out. Elsewhere, the Venom symbiote stares into a mirror, seeing its monstrous form reflected back at it.
Solicit Synopsis
CAN A SYMBIOTE TRULY CHANGE ITS INKY BLACKNESS?
Flash and Pik Rollo cleverly penetrated Mercurio’s defenses…by getting captured and thrown in his dungeon. Can Mercurio corrupt the symbiote to serve as his suit and partner in atrocities? Is this the return of the big bad Venom?