The Turning Point!

Maximum Carnage continues from Spider-Man #36...

Spider-Man and his allies have discovered that their stolen sonic gun no longer has any effect on Cletus Kasady.[1] Carnage explains that his symbiote has mutated into something different that the one worn by his "father" Venom. In this case, Cletus Kasady's symbiote is not just bonded to his body, but his blood. Gloating over this revelation, Carnage orders his "family" to charge and begins firing spikes made out of his symbiote's mass. Spider-Man tries to shield his allies with a web-shield, but Venom, Cloak and Morbius rip through so they can fight with Carnage and his minions. As they watch from the sidelines, Firestar is disturbed by some of the allies Spider-Man has chosen to side with. When the wall-crawler suggests that the ends justify the means in this situation, Firestar disagrees. That's when the Black Cat chimes in, reminding the young mutant that Carnage and his "family" have slaughtered countless innocent people and while the pair wants to debate morality, she and the others are putting their lives on the line to put an end to the massacre. With that, the Black Cat leaps in to join the battle. Spider-Man and Firestar look at each other silently for a moment and then enter the fray as well.

Meanwhile, in Soho, Mary Jane tries to read a book, but can't help but think about how angry she is at her husband, Peter.[2] Mary Jane is furious with Peter for going back on his promise to give up being Spider-Man for at least a week.[3] Her anger gets the better of her and she throws the book across the room. She then breaks down and prays that her husband doesn't die.

Back in the park, Cloak attacks Shriek, wanting to avenge the death of his partner Dagger.[4] He manages to pull Shriek into the darkness of his cloak. Deciding that she knows what true suffering is, Cloak frees her and reaches out to her. Unfortunately, this has done little to change Shriek's personality and she bites Cloak's hand. Shriek reminds Cloak that if it hasn't been for Cloak pulling her into his cloak when she was a young drug addict, she wouldn't have become who she is now and that it is actually Cloak's fault that Dagger is dead. This rattles Cloak badly enough that it allows Shriek to blast him with her powers. Unable to handle it, Cloak teleports away. With her ability to transmit her insanity, she then summons an angry mob to join the battle. When Morbius tries to drink the blood of one of Shriek's thrall, but the Black Cat stops him. The Black Cat is knocked out by one of the angry mob. As Morbius tries to go to her aid, he is struck down by one of Demogoblin's flaming pumpkin bombs.

Meanwhile, Carnage decides to slaughter the people that Shriek have summoned to fight on their side. He is opposed by Spider-Man, who is quickly forced onto the defensive. Seeing Spider-Man in danger, Firestar comes to his aid. Surprisingly, her microwave blasts force Carnage to flee. Seeing this, Venom points out that Carnage's symbiote must still have a weakness to fire. Venom then insists that Firestar continue attacking Carnage until he is dead. After a moment of thought, Spider-Man tells Firestar to do it. This comes as a shock to the young woman, but she complies. As she blasts away, Carnage begs for Firestar to stop. As she continues to pour it on, Spider-Man and Venom watch from the sidelines. While Venom encourages Firestar to come going, Spider-Man suddenly has a change of heart. He tells Firestar that this is wrong and to stop. Uneasy with this herself, Firestar pulls away, stopping while Cletus Kasady clings to life. Venom is furious and tries to attack Firestar, but Spider-Man comes to her aid. Furiously, Venom swats Spider-Man away and turns his attention to Carnage. Unfortunately, Shriek is there to defend her lover and blasts Venom to the point where his symbiote is left in tatters. This allows Carnage and Shriek to beat Eddie Brock within an inch of his life. However, instead of killing him then and there, Carnage suggests they have some fun and prolonge Brock's suffering. They pick up Eddie and go looking for the sonic blaster he dropped earlier.

With Carnage and his crew gone, and Spider-Man's allies all defeated, the wall-crawler struggles to pull himself off the ground. That's when someone offers him a hand. When Spider-Man looks up he sees Captain America standing over him.

Maximum Carnage continues in Web of Spider-Man #103...

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Venom, Cloak, Dagger, Morbius the Living Vampire, Black Cat, Firestar, Mary Jane Watson, Carnage, Shriek, Spider-Doppleganger, Demogoblin, Carrion, Captain America

Continuity Notes

1. This Sonic Cannon was stolen from the Four Freedoms Plaza in Amazing Spider-Man #379.

2. Peter and Mary Jane are referred to as husband and wife here. However, years later, their marriage is erased from existence by Mephisto in Amazing Spider-Man #545. As such, they should be considered a common-law couple here.

3. Peter made this promise in Spider-Man Unlimited #1

4. Dagger seemingly perished in Web of Spider-Man #101, however she turns up alive and well in The Spectacular Spider-Man #203.