Maximum Carnage
[(Post-Lethal Protector)]
Shifting back to Carnage, he is being admitted to Ravencroft Institute but escapes using the symbiote now embedded in his blood
Meanwhile, Peter and MJ attend Harry Osborn’s funeral who recently died as the 2nd Green Goblin. Flash Thompson attends with Felicia Hardy (Black Cat) as well as Liz Allan (Peter’s highschool crush and Harry’s widow), and their son Normie Osborn
Carnage releases Shriek from her cell and together they hope to find Venom and Spiderman. They find Doppelganger and recruit him. Shriek reveals her sonic blast powers
While Dop and Shriek find and attack Spiderman with Dop breaking a few of Peter’s ribs with a double kick, Carnage finds Jonah and coerces him into finding Venom
As gangsters and thugs capitalize on Spidey’s beating, Cloak and Dagger save him. Shriek and Dop crash in on their sanctuary as a battle ensues with a rejuvenated Spiderman
Revealed that Cloak was involved in making Shriek who she currently is and insane when he engulfed her in the Darkforce Dimension for a time
Dagger is seemingly killed by Shriek and Carnage berates her for attempting to off Spiderman whom Carnage claims is his by ‘right’. The battle ends
Venom learns about Carnage’s carnage on the news and makes the decision to go back to NYC from L.A
Kasady sets the rules straight by emphasizing and establishing himself as the leader of his trio
The trio attack innocents as Spidey is attacked by Demogoblin while looking for Carnage
When Venom confronts Carnage, Carnage sets Shriek and Dop on him, sustaining injuries and going to Peter for help. MJ leaves in anger
Black Cat teams up with Spiderman and Venom while DG teams with Dop, Carnage, and Shriek
A brawl ensues between the villains and heroes including Cloak who found Shriek, seeking vengeance for Dagger
The villains give the heroes the slip when the warehouse they’re fighting in falls down and burns. Cloak teleports out but Spidey goes back to save Black Cat and Venom from the fire. They both reprimand him for saving them instead of going after Carnage. Spidey disjoins the group due to their immoral methods
DG’s and Carnage’s philosophies of order and chaos clash and Carnage desires to off him but Shriek stops him
When Peter seeks solace from Aunt May, his father talks to him about how everyone has a dark side and how fire must be met with fire- not something Peter needs to hear at the moment
As Venom and Black Cat are hot on Carnage’s trail, Cloak reappears and apologizes for his abandoning and explains he’s distraught from Dagger’s death
Carnage and Shriek continue their spree of murder as Spiderman follows their trail too and sees ordinary people beating each other. Spiderman decides enough is enough and decides he’ll do whatever is necessary to take the villains down
The heroic trio recruits Morbius the Living Vampire while Carrion follows the path of death that Carnage has lead
The villainous quartet attack the club where MJ is partying as Morbius locates them by sniffing the blood they’ve shed. It’s 4 v 4- Doppelganger, Shriek, Carnage, and DG vs Venom, Black Cat, Morbius, and Cloak
Venom saves MJ from Carnage and considers himself even with Spiderman for saving Anne
The villains give the slip again and continue terrorizing NY. Deathlok gets involved as their enemy
Venom, Black Cat, and Spiderman break into the Four Freedoms Plaza to nab a sonic gun
The heroes (with Spidey and Firestar now in their ranks minus Morbius due to compulsory hibernation), confront Jonah in order to fabricate a plan
The heroes attack the villains and it takes the combined fire powers of Firestar and the sonic gun to take and hold Carnage down. Spidey stops Venom from killing Kasady who immediately becomes Carnage again from a blood wound Shriek gives him
The heroes make a plan to have Firestar continuously burn Carnage which she does but relents when she and Spiderman see how insufferable and tormenting it is
Venom goes after Shriek and Carnage himself and is taken down by Shriek’s sonic blast. She and Carnage take the sonic gun and Eddie
Spiderman is found by Captain America who he goes back with to Avengers HQ with Firestar. The database is hacked by Iron Fist and Deathlok who were looking for any info regarding the villains
In that meantime Morbius, Black Cat, and Cloak were tracking the villains where they are diverted by Carrion, Dop, and DG to stop them from getting to the Statue of Liberty where Shriek and Carnage are torturing Eddie
After Black Cat is incapacitated and maimed, and Cloak helps her to her feet, she goes off to recuperate while Cloak goes to a church to reflect while Morbius is assisted by a newly involved hero- Nightwatch
Nightwatch and Morbius follow Dop and Demo to the Statue of Liberty where they do battle. In the meantime, Shriek is taken out by Cap, Spidey, Deathlok, Iron Fist, and Firestar and wonder where the rest of their allies are. After beating Dop and Demo, Nightwatch flees with Morbius due to sunlight exposure
Carnage orders Demo and Dop to find Shriek. The 5 heroes on the street break the people out of the hypersonic hyper-emotional trances they were put in by Shriek. Shriek regains consciousness and the 8 super-powered beings do battle
As Carnage is about to kill Venom using the sonic gun, it doesn’t work due to Venom putting a piece of itself in there. He gains some strength and then escapes vowing to return for Carnage later
The people of NYC have been re-induced into mania by Shriek and not even Iron Fist’s mystical concentration link to their souls is enough as there are too many people to snap out of their trances at once
Carnage regroups with Shriek while NYC citizens are snapped out of their trance in the distraction. Dagger returns
Revealed that Shriek caused Dagger’s powers to backfire and consume her, transforming her into pure light. She took refuge inside Cloak until she took a corporeal form again
After a power struggle in which Dagger almost won against Shriek, Dagger loses and Spiderman stays to stall Carnage and his gang while the rest of the heroes go to Rand Corp to create and use some sort of positive energy machine to negate Shriek’s abilities
Carnage’s resistance causes a mighty explosion which results in his apparent death. As Peter reflects on what happened, Venom appears and is angry, feeling that Spiderman took away what was rightfully his to commit
Carnage pops out of a nearby pond and the 3 do battle. Venom gains an upper hand due to Carnage still being mentally weakened by the machine
Nightwatch and Morbius part ways as Nightwatch acknowledges what a valuable ally Morbius has proven to be yet neither one knows whether they’ll meet as friend or foe in the future
Venom goes after Carnage alone while Peter goes home to heal. He talks to his dad about his pessimistic philosophy and tells him the world isn’t so bleak
Spiderman rejoins Venom in taking Carnage down and they are joined shortly after by Black Cat. Venom tackles Carnage into an electric generator just before he regains his mental sanity
Kasady is found unconscious as he’s taken into Avengers custody and Brock escapes
(End of Maximum Carnage)
In a post-story it shows Eddie’s dealings with a war veteran named Chuck Stone who trains Eddie and whose death catalyzes Eddie’s desire to kill Spiderman
[(End of Spiderman vs Venom Omnibus)]