Venom (vol. 2) #14
Circle of Four Conclusion
Flash Thompson has given the Venom symbiote to the Red Hulk for their final battle against Blackheart, who has turned Las Vegas into a Hell on Earth. As he tries to save a woman from a bunch of goat demons, and fails, Flash finds himself trying to fend them off on his own with only two clips of ammo as he realizes that giving away his symbiote was a huge mistake.
Not far away at Blackheart’s tower, the Red Hulk has bonded with the Venom symbiote and the Spirit of Vengeance to give him an edge over Blackheart. The demon isn’t overly impressed but is overpowered by the Hulk.
Not far away, X-23 has found Johnny Blaze who is still racing around the centrifuge that maintains the Blackheart’s spell. He’s not going to last much longer due to the punishment of racing around hellfire and demons for hours. X-23 orders him to turn reverse course on her command to suck Hell back into the portal so she can detonate a bomb that will destroy the centrifuge. Her work is interrupted by Blackheart’s lover, the gargoyle known as Gari Oyle. She is impressed with Laura’s claws, but the gargoyle uses her black magic to turns the adamantium blades into copper dust.
Back on the streets, Flash is rescued by Alejandra Jones who comes by in a car. She is furious that he and the Red Hulk kept their plan a secret from her and vows to do anything — even killing her comrades — to get the Spirit of Vengeance back. However, Flash is focused on completing their plan and pulls his gun out to force Alejandra to head over to the centrifuge to make sure that X-23’s mission succeeds.
While at the scene of the battle between the Red Hulk and Blackheart, the Hulk attempts to use the Spirit of Vengeance’s Penance Stare on the demon backfires because misdeeds are what powers Blackheart, and making him relive all of his at once does nothing but boost his strength even more.
By this time, Laura Kinney attempts to plant her explosives on Gary Oyle’s back but has her throat ripped out before she can detonate the explosives. That’s when Flash and Alejandra arrive on the scene. Unfortunately, Flash is betrayed by Jones, who pushes him out of the car and speeds off, leaving him at the mercy of Gari. Things aren’t going as well for the Red Hulk either who has been fleeing from Blackheart’s massive form. Unfortunately, his motorcycle is not fast enough and the Hulk gets grabbed by Blackheart who then tosses him into the side of a building. Back at the centrifuge, Gari Oyle decides to stop toying with Flash and deal with Johnny Blaze. As she turns away, Flash sees the plastic explosives strapped on her back and with the last of his strength aims his gun and shoots the explosives, blowing the gargoyle to pieces.
Meanwhile, the Red Hulk has managed to recover H’Elian’s Mirror Cauldron, a mystical object that can create a mirror opposite of the souls it is cast upon. He uses it on Blackheart, creating an angel that flies toward Blackheart, seeking to cure him of all of his sins. As Blackheart begins being cleansed of all evil, Flash tells Johnny to turn around After they suck Hell back to where it came, X-23 detonates the explosives that destroy the centrifuge. With Las Vegas restored to normal, Alejandra orders the Red Hulk to relinquish the Spirit of Vengeance and he willingly passes it back to her. Transforming into the Ghost Rider, Alejandra takes off on her motorcycle before the others arrive. Johnny Blaze is unhappy that Jones left without her, but the Hulk is happy to return the Venom symbiote to Flash Thompson. That’s when Captain America arrives with Giant-Man, the Beast, Doctor Strange, and Son of Satan. Cap intends to take Agent Venom into custody for going AWOL, but the Red Hulk appeals to Cap, by telling him how Agent Venom just saved the world.[1] Captain America still can’t trust the Venom symbiote but decides to give Flash a chance to prove himself when Giant-Man and the Beast suggest means of keeping the symbiote dormant. Flash tells Cap that he just wants to serve his country. Cap decides to give Agent Venom a chance on the condition that Flash return the motorcycle he stole earlier.
Meanwhile, Doctor Strange is asking Daimon if he is free from Blackheart’s influence. However, the Son of Satan is distracted because he is the only one who can see blazing pentagrams on the chests of X-23, Agent Venom, and the Red Hulk, but decides not to tell Strange, saying that his concerns are a problem for another day.[2]
While in Hell, Blackheart and Gari Oyle plead with Mephisto to give them another chance. Impressed with what Blackheart had done, Mephisto has decided to open his own casino in Las Vegas and asks his son if he wishes to work at it for him. Both Blackheart and Gari Oyle agree to the job. Mephisto returns them to Earth in their human forms. However, this time, they are working as janitors for the casino. Watching developments from Hell, Mephisto wonders how long it will take his son to climb to the top of the ladder this time.
Recurring Characters
Agent Venom, X-23, Red Hulk, Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze, Blackheart, Gari Oyle, Doctor Strange, Son of Satan, Secret Avengers (Captain America, Giant-Man, Beast), Mephisto
Continuity Notes
Some facts about Agent Venom at the time of this story:
Agent Venom went AWOL because he was being blackmailed by Crime-Master to steal the Toxin symbiote. See Venom (vol. 2) #10-12. It was at the time Flash stole Captain America’s motorcycle.
Flash states that he also helped save New York City. This is a reference to Spider-Island. See Amazing Spider-Man #666-673 and Venom (vol. 2) #6-8.
These are Hell-Marks placed on these heroes by Mephisto as part of the pact they entered with the demon last issue. In order to resurrect the dead heroes, Mephisto had them pledge to assist him when he called. However, as I write this in October 2020, this plotline has not seen fruition.
