—Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan)I heard every word you said, Venom. You didn't know what was about to happen. How would you have felt if you'd stabbed your own father in the heart and he'd just died? For the rest of your life--how would you feel about that?
Appearing in 1st story
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- ⏴ Bedlam (Eddie Brock) ⏵
- Meridius (Eddie Brock)
- Limbo's demons
- "Tom"
- "Devin"
- King Chasm (Ben Reilly) (Cameo)
- Insidious Six (Cameo)
- Gorepion (Cameo)
- Doctor Octoball (Cameo)
- Grave Goblin (Cameo)
- Rhiceratops (Cameo)
- Kraken the Hunter (Cameo)
- Lizzaro (Cameo)
Other Characters:
- Necrosword (All-Black)
- Avengers (Mentioned)
- Champions (Mentioned)
- Secret Warriors (Mentioned)
- Cyclops (Scott Summers) (Mentioned)
- Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) (Mentioned)
- Hulk (Bruce Banner) (Mentioned)
- Finnegan (Eddie Brock) (Mentioned)
- Liz Allan (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Prime Marvel Universe
- Garden of Time (Mentioned)
- Limbo
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for 1st story
Turning to confront Ms. Marvel, Codex snaps at her for interrupting his duel with Bedlam. Kamala berates Codex for stabbing Bedlam -- who she heard Dylan say was his own father -- in the eye, Codex saying that he also cut off Bedlam's hand and intends to carve out his heart. As Codex menecingly asks if she has a problem with that, Red Goblin mockingly calls her "grandma". Kamala incredulously asks if Venom put a child in a symbiote to be his sidekick, but as she berates him for being irresponsible and reckless Dylan retorts that his current codename is Codex. Kamala snaps that she recognizes his voice from the last time they met, calling him out for acting even more darker and edgier. As Codex replies that the world is a dark edge that he reflects, Kamala mockingly asks if he's trying to sound tough before suggesting they talk things through. Bedlam interrupts, roaring that he's going to kill Codex for injuring him, and Kamala begrudgingly resigns herself to a fight. Annoyed, Kamala embiggens her hands and slams Bedlam to the ground, irritibly informing him that she's a member of the Avengers, the Champions, and the Secret Warriors, and has Captain Marvel on speed-dial. Bedlam retaliates by biting her, causing Kamala to fling him halfway across the city.
Furious, Codex yells at her for endangering civilians by letting Bedlam escape, but as the Red Goblin volunteers to go after Bedlam Kamala interrupts, saying that she'll go after Bedlam and that whoever's wearing the Red Goblin symbiote should get rid of it immediately. Kamala remarks that she threw Bedlam into the Hudson River, which should buy them some time, and that the area has been evacuated given the ongoing demonic invasion. As Kamala says she knows what she's doing, Codex shouts that she doesn't know anything about what's going on before crying out in pain and collapsing. Reabsorbing All-Black, Codex notes that he can't stay in his empowered form for prolonged periods due to the Necrosword's power injuring him, retracting the Venom symbiote. Ms. Marvel is shocked to see he's even younger than she is, indignantly calling herself a young adult when Dylan points out that she's a kid too... before abruptly noticing that the Red Goblin has gone missing.
Climbing out of the Hudson, Bedlam finds himself confronted by Meridius, who mockingly recalls his own experiences after getting his memories ripped out by Chasm before revealing that this is where his own obsession with reclaiming the Venom symbiote stems from. As Meridius notes that Bedlam still remembers the Garden of Time and wants to return to it, Bedlam roars that he only wants to do so to recover from the wounds Codex inflicted, and that he's going to kill Meridius and take his throne. Meridius reminds Bedlam of the time loop, pointing out that upon returning to the Garden he attacks Finnegan, tries to make good on his threat to Meridius, and then goes back in time to attack Dylan and instigate his transformation into Codex. Observing that Bedlam is missing a hand and that that could lead to a paradox, Meridius transfers some of his living abyss to Bedlam in order to restore his wounded arm, calling Bedlam his right hand. As Bedlam snarls that he'll never serve Meridius, slashing futilely at him, Meridius says that Bedlam will regain his eye when the time comes to return to the Garden. As Meridius time-jumps, he points out that since Codex has a sword, Bedlam should too. Absorbing the symbiote Meridius vacated, Bedlam transforms his arm into a massive chainsaw. Arriving on his Carnage Glider, the Red Goblin gushes about how awesome the chainsaw arm is, Bedlam agreeing before trying to cut him in half with it. Evading, the Red Goblin tries to restain Bedlam with webbing, though the hulking King in Black easily breaks free.
Ms. Marvel and Venom arrive on the scene, the latter telling Normie to fall back. Enraged, Bedlam screams that he is Venom, demanding Dylan return the symbiote to him. Dylan refuses, Bedlam roaring that he'll just rip the symbiote off him when he's done carving Dylan into bloody chunks. As Ms. Marvel tries to get them to stop fighting, a pair of possessed benches egg them on and make bets regarding who will win. Kamala and the Red Goblin take on the demons while Venom charges at Bedlam, who in a moment of clarity says that he no longer remembers who he is, only the name Meridius gave him -- "Bedlam". Snapping that Eddie deserves this fate for having abandoning him and the Venom symbiote to play god as the King in Black, Dylan laments wanting to save his father and pulls out All-Black, declaring his intent to end the cycle of pain there and then. As Ms. Marvel calls out for him to stop, Dylan says that the vision of Eddie left within the symbiote called him the Chainbreaker, but that Eddie himself is the chain that shackles him. Asking what would happen were he to break that chain, Venom prepares to impale Bedlam only for the Goblin Queen to teleport Bedlam to her location. Furious, Venom rounds on Ms. Marvel for interfering, shouting that he was trying to save Eddie. Ms. Marvel points out that by his own admission Dylan didn't know what would have happened and could've killed Eddie and thus robbed himself of any chance of reconciliation. Retracting the Venom symbiote from his face, Dylan admits he doesn't know how he'd feel if that were to happen, but that one way or another their conflict has to end.
Kamala admits that Dylan was right that she doesn't know what he's going through, but that doesn't mean she can turn a blind eye to his feud with his father -- especially given that it's putting innocent lives in danger. Normie indignantly informs her that he chose to bond to the symbiote to help Dylan, and that she's a hypocrite for trying to stop him given that she was once a kid hero herself; Kamala noting that that she technically still is one. Lamenting that she's starting to sound like a Child Hero Reconnaissance and Disruption Law Enforcement agent, Kamala says that both Normie and Dylan need someone to look out for them, and that she intends to do so once the demon invasion is dealt with. Brushing her off, Dylan tells her to go take care of that while he and the Red Goblin deal with Eddie.
Elsewhere, the Goblin Queen comments on Eddie's changed appearance before apologizing for letting Chasm violate his mind. Informing Bedlam that she and Chasm have had a falling out and that he wants to destroy everything, she asks if Eddie would be willing to stand by her. As a portal to Limbo opens, Bedlam growls and asks if he'll get to hurt anyone. Stepping through the portal with an army of demons, Chasm -- transformed into a demon through usurping the throne of Limbo -- brandishes the Scythe of Sorrows and says that he's welcome to try.