The Venom War is over, but Eddie Brock’s carnage is just beginning. Venom War #5, by Al Ewing and Ian Coello, marked the final battle between the King in Black and the villainous Meridus, an alternate future version of Eddie who unleashed the zombiotes: the plague of symbiote zombies that reanimated the dead and possessed the living. Meanwhile, when the Venom symbiote returned to its original host, Peter Parker, as the Venomous Spider-Man, Venom’s progeny also returned: Carnage.
Eddie’s son, Dylan, had waged war with his father over who should be bonded to the Venom symbiote. In the end, Venom bonded to both Eddie and Dylan and linked their minds together. Flash Thompson, Agent Anti-Venom, turned the tide of battle with his healing powers before Eddie, using his powers as King in Black with the Anti-Venom, cured the zombiotes.
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Carnage gave Meridus All-Blood the Necrospear (the counterpart of Knull’s All-Black the Necrosword), which Meridus used to corrupt Eddie and poison the symbiote hive. To stop the infection from spreading further, Dylan stabbed Eddie with the codex blade capable of severing symbiotes from the King in Black’s hive. No longer a human symbiote, Eddie was cut off from his hive as a powerless human. The King in Black was dead.
Meridus, seeking the Venom symbiote to remake a Venomverse with his zombiotes, then attempted to corrupt Venom with the Necrospear. Old Man Venom — another Dylan from an alternate future — fired his secret weapon: Eganrac (“Carnage” backwards), the Anti-Carnage. He fired it at the Venom-clad Dylan, coating the black symbiote in gold. “The gold resists red — and more than that. We can feel it on the deep levels of our being,” Venom-Dylan thought as the gold Venom was able to withstand the corrupting touch of the Necrosword. “It burns the red out.”
The powerless Eddie distracted Meridus long enough for the gold-coated Venom to stab him with the Necrospear. “A thing of Carnage… but the Eganrac reverses that. It makes the spear ours — as we drive it right through Meridus’ heart.” With Meridus’ death, the mindless unlife of the zombiotes was ended.
When Venom realized Eganrac and All-Blood would destroy themselves and any symbiote connected to them, he ejected Dylan — who is part symbiote like his father — from their bond to save him from the spreading contagion causing him to deteriorate. And then the dying symbiote told Dylan, “I love you, son,” and disappeared.
Venom War #5 ended with Eddie, mortally wounded by Meridus, dragging himself back to the church where he first bonded with Venom. There he was approached by the Carnage symbiote, who revealed it put too much of itself into the Necrospear. With the All-Blood destroyed, Carnage was dying.
Carnage told Eddie he felt Venom die, and that they both needed each other to survive: a symbiotic relationship. “You’re dying. I’m dying. What choice do we have?” And just as he did so many years ago, Eddie Brock was reborn in a church — as the all-new Carnage.
The All-New Venom and Carnage
A new Venom host will bond with the symbiote in All-New Venom #1 by Ewing and artist Carlos Gomez (Fantastic Four) in December. Meanwhile, Eddie Brock becomes the most lethal protector of all in Eddie Brock: Carnage #1 by writer Charles Soule (Star Wars) and artist Jesus Saiz (Captain America) in February.
“Carnage is someone that has to kill, so Eddie has to feed him deaths. In order for Eddie to be okay with that, the people he feeds Carnage are serial killers,” Soule said of the new title. “But Carnage is also an addict, and addicts need bigger and bigger highs…”
“I’m having a blast with this,” he continued. “Jesus Saiz wanted to do a horror book. This is his wheelhouse. He loves creepy organic things to draw, and I’m giving him everything he can handle.”
Who will wear the gold emblem as the all-new Venom? Marvel is keeping their identity under wraps for now, but the publisher has teased four suspects: The Journalist, longtime Daily Bugle editor and Amazing Spider-Man supporting cast member Robbie Robertson; The Terrorist, Whitney Frost, a.k.a. the gold-clad Madame Masque; The Sidekick, Rick Jones, who has fought alongside Captain America and the Hulk; or The Mayor, a.k.a. Luke Cage, former Hero for Hire who has led the Avengers and the Thunderbolts.
“We take a swing away from the big cosmic thing,” Ewing told Polygon. “The pendulum swings away from that and back into a much more intimate, character-based story, but also has a lot of that ground-level superhero action, where it’s less about cosmic entities battling in each other’s mindscapes, or mysterious zones beyond time, and much more on the street — slinging webs, slinging chains, doing the Venom thing. It’s almost like my return to an old-school sort of superhero comic, but with a couple of twists that we’re gonna have fun bringing in.”
All-New Venom #1
WHO IS THE ALL-NEW VENOM? The smiling, swashbuckling spider-hero New York loves to hate to love is back – and more fun-loving than ever! That’s right, it’s… Wait, it’s VENOM?! An all-new host is taking the symbiote in a whole new direction – but who? It could be the Journalist…the Terrorist…the Sidekick… or even the Mayor… We’re giving you all the clues, good believers – but you won’t know until the mask comes off! Writer Al Ewing (VENOM, IMMORTAL THOR) takes Venom in a completely new direction with artist Carlos Gómez (FANTASTIC FOUR, THE AMAZING MARY JANE) bringing the story to gorgeous life!
On sale: Dec. 4, 2024
All-New Venom #2
A.I.M. AND FIRE! A.I.M. are on the hunt for the All-New Venom – and they’re not alone! Who are.. the SYMBIOTE SQUAD? Meanwhile, Dylan Brock’s search for the new Venom host puts him on a collision course with the deadly Madame Masque! And the mystery deepens as one suspect is eliminated… with extreme prejudice!
On sale: Jan. 8, 2025
All-New Venom #3
HERE COMES THE SON! At last – the All-New Venom comes face-to-face with Dylan Brock! After all this time, how will symbiote and son react? Meanwhile, Madame Masque is making her move against A.I.M. – but is she doing it from inside a black-and-gold symbiote? As another suspect is eliminated, the answers are closer than ever…
On sale: Feb. 12, 2025
Eddie Brock: Carnage #1
THE MOST LETHAL PROTECTOR OF ALL! He’s been VENOM, he’s been ANTI-VENOM, he’s been THE KING IN BLACK! Now Eddie Brock has made his darkest bond yet as he joins with the one and only CARNAGE! Can he control his new other’s endless bloodlust? Or will he be give himself over to madness and murder? Writer Charles Soule (DAREDEVIL, DARTH VADER) and artist Jesús Saiz (PUNISHER, DOCTOR STRANGE) lead us on a journey into the darkest parts of the Marvel Universe with bloody death as our only guide! RATED PARENTAL ADVISORY.
On sale: Feb. 12, 2025