Sinking Fast

Maximum Carnage continues from The Spectacular Spider-Man #201...

Morbius the Living Vampire has come to the rescue of a woman being mugged in an alleyway. After stunning one of the thieves with his hypnotic gaze, Morbius then begins to feed upon his blood. The entire grisly scene is applauded by Venom who have arrived with the Black Cat and Cloak. Venom wants to recruit Morbius to their cause, despite the Black Cat and Cloak's misgivings about it. At that moment in Soho, Peter Parker is changing the bandages on his chest. It is a painful exercise as he hasn't given himself time for his ribs to heal.[1] He wishes his wife, Mary Jane, was around to talk things out.[2] Unfortunately, she had stormed off after they had an argument over his responsibility to stop Carnage.[3]

At that moment, Mary Jane is dancing her worries away at the new nightclub called the Deep. As she dances she thinks she sees her husband in the crowd. Unfortunately, it is a case of mistaken identity as the man only vaguely resembles Peter Parker. She figures that Peter is out being a hero again and decides to give the paparazzi something to take pictures of. However, the scene takes a horrific turn when Carnage, Demogoblin, Shriek, and Spider-Doppelganger arrive at the club and begin slaughtering the patrons. Seeing this, Mary Jane tries to get out but is knocked down by the panicking crowd. Seeing their mindless slaughter, she wonders why Peter would want to face such horrors, and then wonders where her husband is. At that moment, Spider-Man is helping rescue crews rescue those who were caught in Carnage's rampage. That's when some police officers tell the wall-crawler how Carnage and his minions stole a limo, Spider-Man heads off to follow them. Nearby, Venom and his allies continue to search for Carnage and his crew. That's when Morbius detects a lot of spilled blood and begins leading them to the nightclub.

Cloak and Black Cat arrive there first, thanks to Cloak's ability to teleport. With the killers distracted, Mary Jane tries to find a way out, but she is trapped. That's when Venom and the others come crashing through a nearby wall. A chunk of debris ends up hitting Mary Jane on the back of the head, dazing her. When Carnage spots Mary Jane he is about to attack her when Venom lashes back. He tells Mary Jane to tell her husband that they are even now.[4] Recovering from Venom's attack, Carnage notices a camera crew broadcasting the whole thing on live television. He decides to give New York City something to look at and grins at the camera. This appears on one of the giant television screens on display in Times Square. Seeing this, Spider-Man learns where Carnage is and begins heading to the Deep. As the battle rages, Cloak tries to get at Shriek so he can avenge the apparent death of his partner Dagger.[5] That's when Spider-Man arrives and turns the tide of the battle. Realizing they will lose if they stay, Carnage and his minions flee.

In the aftermath of the battle, Spider-Man spots Mary Jane and checks to make sure she is okay. Venom wants to continue after Carnage, but the wall-crawler points out that there are still people trapped in the nightclub. Since they owe Spider-Man for the last-minute save, they take the time to rescue the others. After everyone is safe, Spider-Man decides to side with Venom. Although Venom accepts Spider-Man's invitation, it is met with suspicion.[6] Having wasted enough time, Venom says they need to get going. Spider-Man is the last to leave because he is can't believe what it has had to do in order to stop Carnage. However, he decides that now that he is on Venom's side he is going to start acting like it.

... Maximum Carnage continues in Amazing Spider-Man #379.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Venom, Morbius the Living Vampire, Black Cat, Mary Jane Watson, Carnage, Shriek, Demogoblin, Spider-Doppelganger, Carrion

Continuity Notes

1. Spider-Man's ribs were injured battling Carnage and his allies in Spider-Man Unlimited #1.

2. Peter and Mary Jane are referred to as husband and wife here. However, years later, their marriage is erased from existence by Mephisto in Amazing Spider-Man #545. As such they should be considered a common-law couple here.

3. This argument happened in Spider-Man #35. She is angry because Peter went back on his promise to take a break from being Spider-Man in Spider-Man Unlimited #1.

4. Venom owed Spider-Man after the wall-crawler helped him save his ex-wife in Amazing Spider-Man #375.

5. Dagger was seemingly killed by Shriek last issue. She will turn up alive and well in Spider-Man #37.

6. Venom is still annoyed at Spider-Man went after him in Venom Lethal Protector #1-6.