Amazing Spider-Man #570
The Killer Cure
Learning that Venom is attacking the FEAST Center, Spider-Man races there for fear that Aunt May might get hurt. However, things at the homeless shelter have taken on a strange turn. Venom had gone there to try and destroy Eddie Brock, the symbiote’s former host.[1] However, Brock suddenly underwent a transformation, having grown a new symbiote of his own. Now calling himself Anti-Venom, Brock is determined to destroy the Venom symbiote once and for all. As the pair battle each other, Aunt May rescues a child who gets in their way and scolds Eddie for being so careless. The shame distracts Brock long enough for Venom to take advantage of the situation. Thankfully, Spider-Man swings and knocks Venom off his opponent. He then orders Martin Li to get everyone to safety. Li responds by ushering everyone into his office, which also doubles as a panic room, and begins calling the police. Meanwhile, Spider-Man has noticed that he is facing yet another symbiote and is unimpressed.[2] By this point, both Venom and Anti-Venom turn their attentions to the wall-crawler and send him flying out of the building by hitting him together. At that moment, Norman Osborn is speeding to the scene in one of the Thunderbolt’s jets. He is on the phone with mayoral hopeful Randall Crowne assuring him that he will capture Spider-Man, something they can both claim credit for.[3] Osborn has brought Bullseye along with him as an ace-in-the-hole if the battle takes a turn.
Meanwhile, Bill Hollister gets a report on his standings in the mayoral election. He tells his assistants that they will not run any attack ads in light of the revelation that Randall Crowne had a sweatshop running out of one of his buildings as he is certain that the Front Line is doing an adequate job airing Crowne’s dirty laundry. Outside, Vin Gonzales and Al O’Neil are standing guard when Menace ambushes them. The attack on the building knocks out Bill Hollister, ruining Menace’s plans as she needed eyewitnesses and the villain makes their escape.[4]
Back at the FEAST Center, Spider-Man has recovered and after webbing his camera up to take photos, he leaps back into the battle. By this point, Anti-Venom has been attempting to burn away the symbiote with is touch. This process is starting to work as Mac Gargan begins speaking in the singular again. However, Anti-Venom once again puts another person into jeopardy, necessitating Spider-Man to come to the rescue. This only serves to make both symbiotes return their attention to the wall-crawler. By this point, Norman Osborn has lowered himself down to one of the rooftops. There he tells the other Thunderbolts to hold back, saying the best strategy against Spider-Man is to battle him one-on-one until he is worn down, telling Songbird that he has learned this tactic from experience.[5] While down below, Spider-Man has convinced Anti-Venom that the real threat is Venom and the pair put aside their differences to bring down Gargan. While Spider-Man restrains Venom, Anti-Venom uses the tendrils of his new symbiote to start burning away the alien creature bonded to Mac. While at the offices of the Front Line, Ben Urich is mobilizing his reporters to continue their coverage on the Randall Crowne sweatshop scandal. He notices that all of the workers were Chinese and suspects they are undocumented immigrants. More disturbing is the fact that they all seem to have strange lesions on their skin. When Urich asks where Peter Parker is, Joe points out that there is a Spider-Man battle going on downtown so that answer should be obvious.
Back at the scene of the battle, Anti-Venom is almost finished burning away Mac Gargan’s symbiote. However, Brock has gotten to thinking about how the symbiote had corrupted everyone it has come into possession with. He then remembers that Spider-Man was the first to wear it and decides to purge the wall-crawler of any trace of the symbiote as well.[6] As Anti-Venom begins purging Spider-Man’s system, he also detects a strange tainting in the wall-crawler’s physiology and decides to clean that as well. As the radioactivity in his blood is the source of his powers, Spider-Man pleads with Brock to stop and struggles to get free. As this is happening, Norman Osborn continues to watch, telling the other Thunderbolts to continue to stand-by saying Anti-Venom is a wildcard they need to play out. That’s when Menace arrives to confront Norman Osborn who upon seeing this new villain on a Goblin Glider asks whos little boy they are.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Anti-Venom, Thunderbolts (Venom, Norman Osborn, Bullseye), Menace, Aunt May, Martin Li, Ben Urich, Sally Floyd, Joe Robertson, Bill Hollister, Vin Gonzales, Alan O’Neil, (voice only) Radioactive Man, Songbird
Continuity Notes
Eddie Brock used to be the symbiote’s original host as revealed in Amazing Spider-Man #300 until he bonded to Mac Gargan in Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #9
Spider-Man quips that the Anti-Venom symbiote is at least a different color than the others he’s faced. These would include Carnage (Amazing Spider-Man #360), Scream, Phage, Lasher, Agony, Riot (Venom: Lethal Protector #4) and Toxin (Venom vs. Carnage #1).
Spider-Man has been accused of being the spider-tracer killer in Amazing Spider-Man #547.
It is later revealed in Amazing Spider-Man #586 that Menace is actually Bill’s daughter Lily. She has taken on the Menace identity to try and manipulate the public into voting for her father by making politically-motivated attacks during the mayoral race.
Norman's “experience” with attacking Spider-Man as a team is referring back to his first battle against the wall-crawler back in Amazing Spider-Man #13. At the time, Norman attempted to defeat Spider-Man by hiring the Enforcers to help bring down the hero.
Peter first wore the alien symbiote in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #8 until he discovered it was alive and abandoned it in Amazing Spider-Man #256.
