The Spider Stratagem

Beneath Rockafeller Plaza is the secret government facility run by the Overwatch Committee. There, Eddie Brock is eating supper when his minder, Agent Daryll Smith fires him with tranquiziler darts that contain both dopamine blockers and sodium pentithol so they can question Brock without him commanding his symbiote. Still, soldiers begin blastic Brock with sonic blasters to weaken the symbiote further. Entering the room is General Arlen Dunlevy, Parker Holdworth, and Vivian Raintree. Raintree wonders why they don’t eliminate Venom after his last mission, but Dunlevy points out that Venom gets results and is worth keeping around.[2] Still, he was outvoted and the rest of the Overreach Committee decided that Venom needs to be deactivated until they find some permanent course of action on how to deal with him. Agent Smith voices his concerns that the current facilities don’t have the means to keep Venom locked up indefinately and suggests the comittee make up their mind quickly. His warnings fall on deaf ears as they believe that they have the best means of keeping Venom contained.

When Eddie Brock wakes up he quickly realizes what’s going on and begins protesting his confinement, reminding his captors that he has been following orders since they faked his death to be their assassin.[3] The reply comes from a microphone that’s was installed in the thermite bomb they planted in his chest. They tell Brock to calm down before they turn on the thousand decible speakers they have rigged into his room to pacify him.

Meanwhile, Agent Smith pays a visit to Doctor Yao for more dopamine blockers. When Yao goes over the technical specifications, Daryll tells him to save it for the team that surgically implanted the bomb in Eddie Brock’s chest. This causes Yao to pause and ask if the bomb works on a biochemical battery and nanite technology. When Daryll confirms this, Yao warns him that the immune system inhibitor they used to prevent Brock’s body from rejecting the implant will also negate the effects of the dopamine blockers.

Back in the control room, General Dunlevy is outvoted again as the committee decides to eliminate Eddie Brock. When nobody else wants to do the honors, Vivian resigns to do it herself. While everyone in the control booth is distracted, Eddie feels the symbiote reacting to his emotions and realizes that the dopamine blockers are no longer working. Turning away from the camera so nobody sees he realizes his only hope of escape is to have the symbiote surgically cut the bomb out of his chest. As this delicate surgery begins, Agent Smith tries to get an audience with the heads of the committee but the guards at the door tell him that they were ordered not to be disturbed. When Smith gets into the control room he sees that the others are about to set off the bomb and tells them that it is inhumane to kill him when he hasn’t stepped out of line. Parker points out how Venom nearly killed J. Jonah Jameson the last time they let him out and they are justified to eliminate him.[4] By the time they finish arguing with one another, Eddie has managed to remove the bomb and place it by the door to his cell so when they set it off all they succeed in doing is setting Venom free. When the smoke clears, Venom emerges from his cell. Seeing this fron the control room Raintree orders her men to detain Venom again. Despite their efforts, Venom manages to escape through an air vent which leads to the sewers beneath the city. Before they know it, Venom emerges from the sewers in the middle of 5th avenue.

Meanwhile, at the home of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson, the couple are debating over what movie to sit down and watch together.[5] While the argument goes on, there is a live coverage of a parade on the television. The parade is being covered by Trish Tilby who also shows viewers that there are people using the parade to form an organized protest against Latverian monarch Doctor Doom. Suddenly, the crowd goes into a panic when Venom emerges from under a manhole cover. A SWAT team quickly arrives on scene and tries to subdue Venom. Watching the carnage unfold, Peter decides that there is only one person who can stop Venom and changes into Spider-Man.

Recurring Characters

Venom, Arlen Dunlevy, Vivian Raintree, Parker Holdsworth, Daryll Smith, Doctor Yao, Spider-Man, Mary Jane Watson, Trish Tilby

Continuity Notes

1. As revealed in Venom: The Hunter #1-4, the symbiote feeds on dopamine. The dopamine blockers are a means of inhibiting Eddie Brock’s ability to command the symbiote.

2. Vivian is referring to the events of Venom: License to Kill #1-3.

3. The public was led to believe Venom was executed during Venom: The Trial #1-3. In reality he was forced into being an assassin for the government.

4. Venom attempted to kill J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man: The Venom Agenda #1.

5. The movies in question are depicted as being on VHS tape. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616 as VHS is an obscelete media format.