Mania Part Two

Visiting the Son of Satan at a Virginia prison, Agent Venom is shocked to learn that he no longer carries the Hell-Mark given to him by Mephisto. Daimon Hellstrom reminds Flash about the Descent, a time when one of the Hell-Lords will become the one true Devil and how each Hell-Lord is selecting hiers for this eventuality.[1] Daimon knows that there are those seeking to harvest the Hell-Marks and explains that how, prior to his incarceration, he used dark magics to create shadows of himself to investigate the coming Descent. Recalling all this, Daimon can’t be sure if he’s the real Son of Satan or one of the copies, particularly since he has fallen so far. He considers Venom lucky that he no longer has the mark since he is now free from his infernal obligations now. While Hellstrom is confident he will be safe in prison, Flash is concerned about those who are out in the open. Before leaving, Venom tells Hellstrom that he hasn’t quite hit rock bottom yet, but he’s certainly on his way down.

Meanwhile, back in Philadelphia, Venom’s sidekick Mania has located Lord Ogre’s hideout and breaks in so she can avenge the death of her father. Lord Ogre has been expecting Mania’s arrival and is ready for her. When Mania gets through his guards, Lord Ogre reveals that he has strapped some kind of chemical weapon to his chest, warning her that if Mania kills him the device will go off killing countless innocent people. This causes Mania to pause, however, she is certain that her symbiote will protect her from the toxins and decides to call his bluff anyway.

Before she can land the killing blow, Agent Venom arrives and knocks Mania away from Ogre. When the gangster gloats over Venom not being able to sit this one out, he tells Lord Ogre that he came to save his life, not that of Mania, who is far more dangerous than he thinks. He then starts scolding Mania for risking the lives of innocent people to get her revenge. However, Mania still thinks that Lord Ogre is bluffing and insists on killing him. When Flash begins speaking down to her, Andi tells him to stop doing it because he isn’t her father. Flash realizes that he is approaching this wrong and takes a softer tone and is about to warn her about the Hell-Mark she is wearing when Crossbones and his DOA minions arrive to collect it.

At Crossbone’s command, Master Mayhem unleashes a horde of demons through the portal in the pentagram on his chest. Lord Ogre finds himself fighting side-by-side with Venom and Mania but he is quickly swarmed and killed by the demons. This triggers the bomb on his chest to start counting down. Quick thinking, Venom grabs the bomb and shoves it through Master Mayhem’s portal. This makes Mayhem feel incredibly weak and cuts off his supply of his demons. Still, they are outnumbered and the demons begin surrounding them until Mania tells them to back off and, surprisingly, they do just as she commands. She then orders the demons to attack Crossbones and the others, covering Mania and Venom’s escape.

They return to Flash Thompson’s apartment where he hopes to use a mind probing device to learn how the his symbiote spawned the duplicate that Mania is now wearing.[2] Flash uses the device to open the lines of a communication between himself and his symbiote. Force to relive memories of his own life, the symbiote explains that when Flash made a pact with Mephisto it was the symbiote that was branded with the Hell-Mark, not him because it was trying to protect him. It was still protecting him when they got possessed by a demon. In order to do so, it cast the demon and the Hell-Mark out, resulting in this second symbiote that Mania now wears. It warns him to expel the demon before it is too late.[3]

With the sphere shut down, Flash doesn’t have the answers he was looking for but he now knows who to ask. When he tells Mania that they have to go and make a deal with the devil, somewhere in the depths of Hell, Mephisto smiles at the mention of his name.

Recurring Characters

Agent Venom, Mania, Son of Satan, DOA (Crossbones, Master Mayhem, Gargoyle Brothers), Lord Ogre, Mephisto

Continuity Notes

1. For more on Flash getting a Hell-Mark and the Descent see Venom (vol. 2) #13-14 and 23-25.

2. This memory probing device was recovered from the U-Foes in Venom (vol. 2) #28-30. The secret of this second symbiote is revealed next issue when Flash and Andi are told that it is actually a clone of the Venom symbiote that was eaten years earlier. For more on this clone see Venom #1-18.

3. There are a lot of images from Flash’s past that he relives. They include:

   • Flash drinking in a bar. Thompson has struggled with alcoholism dating back to Spider-Man: Redemption #1.

   • How Flash lost his legs saving one of his fellow soldiers while in the military. For more on this see Amazing Spider-Man #574.

   • Another scene shows Flash as he joined Project Rebirth 2.0. Flash was originally bonded to the Venom symbiote when he joined this program as seen in Amazing Spider-Man #654.

   • Another scene shows Betty Brant crying on the couch. She and Flash have dated on-and-off over the years since Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #90. They broke up, apparently for good, in Venom (vol. 2) #12.

   • Yet another moment shows Flash at a funeral. This was for his father, Harrison Thompson who died of cirrhosis of the liver after his own battle alcoholism in Venom (vol. 2) #7. Harrison’s funeral was in issue #10.

   • Lastly, we see Flash in a gym. This representation of his recent employment as assistant coach at West Philadelphia High School back in Venom (vol. 2) #31.