With Cletus Kasady catatonic, the Wizard has decided to transfer the Carnage symbiote into the body of Karl Malus via blood transfusion.[1] With the process complete, the Wizard frees Malus. He instantly turns into Carnage and starts attacking over being used as a guinea pig.

However, Malus makes the mistake of attacking Klaw, who is made out of solid sound and loud sonics are the symbiote’s weakness. This allows the Wizard to regain his mental control helmet and subjugate Malus’ mind. He then sends orders for Karl to reform the symbiote into a new form that the Wizard dubs the Superior Carnage. He then orders Carnage to arm himself with weapons and to form a trench coat for modesty’s sake.

As he arms himself, the new Carnage warns Klaw that the Wizard’s hold on him is tenuous at best and once he is free he will destroy them both. Klaw then convinces the Wizard to make repairs to their equipment. While they are alone, Klaw expresses his concerns over what Black Bolt did to Bently’s mind.[2] However, Wittman insists that what Black Bolt did was awaken his mind and made him more brilliant than ever before. While there are doubts, the Wizard insists that they continue their mission — taking over the mayor’s office — as he thinks this will convince his son that he is a worthy father.[3] When Carnage is fully armed, the Wizard can’t keep their mission priorities straight until Klaw reminds him that taking the mayor’s office is just a small step in a grander scheme to take over the world.[4] When they leave their hideout, the Wizard tells them they aren’t coming back and promptly blows it up.

A short time later the new Frightful Four attacks City Hall as mayor J. Jonah Jameson is being briefed on the new subway expansions. As Klaw stuns Jameson’s security details, Carnage begins opening fire on the guards as well. In the middle of the hunt for Jameson, the Wizard becomes briefly disorientated causing Carnage to briefly revert back to his original form. However, Klaw manages to get the Wizard to think straight. However, Carnage was aware of this momentary slip and reminds Klaw that he will be free soon. When they finally force their way into the mayor’s office they don’t find Jameson. Instead, they find Spider-Man and his Spiderlings waiting for him.

Recurring Characters

Frightful Four (the Wizard, Klaw, Carnage), Spider-Man, J. Jonah Jameson

Continuity Notes

1. Cletus was lobotomized by the Scarlet Spider in Minimum Carnage: Omega #1.

2. Black Bolt punished the Wizard for his crimes by giving him dementia. See FF (vol. 2) #7.

3. The Wizard’s son is actually a clone of himself named Bentley-23, first seen in Fantastic Four #570. The boy has been adopted by the Fantastic Four and is part of their Future Foundation. The Wizard mentions his past affiliations with AIM (FF #1-5) and the Intelligencia (Fall of the Hulks: Alpha #1 to Age of Ultron #10)

4. In his confusion, the Wizard states that their mission is to take down the Human Torch once and for all. This is a reference to the fact that the Wizard was initially a foe of the Human Torch before expanding his rivalry to the entire Fantastic Four. See Strange Tales #102, 105, 110, 112, and 118.