Red, White, and Die!

Growing his symbiote to massive size, Carnage has taken control of the town of Doverton, Colorado. When the Avengers were dispatched to investigate, Spider-Man finds himself alone when his teammates are also forcibly bonded to the Carnage symbiote. Cletus Kasady then forces the Avengers to attack Spider-Man. Luckily for the wall-crawler, Carnage doesn’t have the experience his teammates have and is easily able to evade their attacks.

When the Thing attacks him, Spider-Man tricks him into slamming into a fuel truck. Some of the locals then toss a Molotov cocktail at the truck causing it to explode. While Carnage is distracted, they help Spider-Man getaway. The blast also briefly frees the Thing as symbiotes are vulnerable to fire. However, this is short-lived as Carnage overwhelms him and enslaves him again.

Meanwhile, the US Emergency Response Center is working on contingencies to defeat Carnage. Their first is Tanis Nieves, aka Scorn. She is the host of a Cyber-Symbiotic prosthetic that is part symbiote part machine.[1] She has been under government training and has been utilizing her ability to interface her symbiote with mechanical parts to fashion weapons. After demonstrating her new abilities she is met by General Brandon Duggan.[2] He has one question for her: If given the opportunity to kill Cletus Kasady would she take it? When she says yes without hesitation, he considers her ready to go on the field.

General Duggan is then taken out to a training grounds where he watches a demonstration with Mercury Team. Each member has been given a symbiote that used to be amalgamated into the Hybrid symbiote. He informs his assistant that they separated the symbiotes and says they made Scott Washington cooperate, but can’t get into details because they are classified.[3] Mercury Team won’t repeat the same mistakes as Agent Venom as they are part of Special Forces and totally loyal to the military. Moreover, they don’t have to worry about the symbiotes permanently bonding to the Mercury Team because the process that split up the Hybrid symbiote left its components catatonic. The team then gives a demonstration of their abilities. Chief Petty Officer Marcus Sims has the Lasher symbiote bonded to a war dog, making it the ultimate tracker. Lieutenant James Murphy uses the Agony symbiote to boost his strength allowing him to use a railgun with one hand. Lieutenant Rico Axelson has been assigned the Phage symbiote, which enhances his natural sniper skills allowing him to hit targets half a mile away. Lastly, there is Petty Officer Howard Ogden, who uses the Riot symbiote to enhance his stealth skills.

Back in Doverton, Spider-Man has been taken to the Ralsby Family Estate by the few citizens who managed to avoid being taken over by Carnage. One of them, Officer Eric Morrell asks if Spider-Man saw his children. He confirms that he did and they appear fine all considered. Spider-Man is then shown around the estate, which was owned by the owner of the meatpacking plant in town. Ralsby had a private zoo and the locals freed the lions to act as a defense against Carnage. Brought inside the compound, Eric tells Spider-Man about how he discovered the symbiote at the meatpacking plant and how it escaped into the town water supply. He tried to warn people, but it was mostly too late. The survivors see Spider-Man as hope that help is on the way, but the web-slinger admits that he’s not sure if any more Avengers will be coming.

At that moment, fifty miles outside of town, the Mercury Team has set up in a mobile outpost where General Duggan gives them their orders. He tells them that if they cannot liberate Doverton by sunup a number of stealth bombers will drop enough napalm on the town to wipe it off the map.

Back in town, Cletus Kasady has taken to kicking back at a local bar. He tells Cole Morrell that he was about the same age when his father brought him to a bar. Cole, however, is moping even though Cletus has the Spider-Doppelganger play with the boy. His mother, Hannah, demands that Cletus give her back her children. Kasady decides that he will if she promises to bring him her husband’s head. Hannah reluctantly agrees. He then sheaths Hannah and her children in the Carnage symbiote and sends them off on their mission. Watching them go, Cletus admits to himself that he is tough but fair.

Recurring Characters

Carnage, Scorn, Mercury Team (Marcus Simms, Lasher, Riot, Agony, Phage). Captain America, Hawkeye, New Avengers (Spider-Man, Wolverine, Thing), Spider-Doppelganger, Eric Morrell, Cole Morrell, Brandon Duggan, Hannah Morrell

Continuity Notes

1. For more on how Tanis Nieves became Scorn, see Carnage #1-5.

2. General Duggan mentions a few symbiotes that are unavailable:

   • Agent Venom is listed as AWOL. This story takes place after Flash Thompson left military service to act on his own, circa Venom (vol. 2) #15.

   • Anit-Venom is listed as inactive. This is because Eddie Brock sacrificed his symbiote to create a cure for the spider-plague during Spider-Island. See Amazing Spider-Man #666-673.

   • Toxin, aka Patrick Mulligan, is listed as missing. We’ll later in Venom (vol. 2) #13 that Patrick Mulligan is dead and his symbiote is being contained in Las Vegas.

3. These symbiotes are Riot, Phage, Lasher, and Agony. They were offspring of the Venom symbiote that was birthed in Venom: Lethal Protector #4. They merged together into the Hybrid symbiote and bonded to Scott Washington in Venom: Along Came a Spider #2. Although Duggan says that Scott Washington suddenly started cooperating with them, we’ll learn in Venom (vol. 2) #15 that Washington was murdered by Eddie Brock.