Venom: First Host #5 (2018)

M'lanz remarks in horror that four Nenora-Class Destroyers have arrived, Tel-Kar gloats that they're undoubtedly readying boarding parties; however, the Kree warships open fire on the facility instead, bombarding it with particle beams. Shocked and outraged, Tel-Kar hails the ships, telling them that he's captured the installation for the Kree Empire. The Sleeper symbiote bonds to M'lanz as she strips out of her biohazard suit, Venom volunteering to hold Tel-Kar off while she escapes. Both M'lanz and the Venom symbiote veto that suggestion; Sleeper and Venom escaping as the installation begins to fall apart and explode. Tel-Kar gets through to one of the ships, but the fleet commander sneers that he was branded a traitor and war-criminal when he was turned over to the Skrull Empire, mockingly asking if Tel-Kar thought that capturing a Skrull military installation would change that. Tel-Kar protests that he captured the Skrull bioweapon, but the fleet commander retorts that the Kree Empire lost its taste for doomsday devices upon the destruction of Hala, stating his intent to destroy the bioweapon so that it cannot be used against anyone. Tel-Kar protests that he's captured a Skrull Warbride and pair of Symbiotes, only to notice M'lanz's discarded biohazard suit. The fleet commander calls Tel-Kar a thief and a traitor, stating that the war is over and that Tel-Kar's tales of heroism died alongside it. Telling Tel-Kar to take comfort knowing that his vengeful crimes will live on in the same silence, the fleet commander terminates the feed and destroys the military installation; M'lanz's ship barely escaping the blast. Venom wonders if the Kree will attack them, but M'lanz assures him that her ship was built for stealth and that the Kree aren't looking for them. Venom complains that he wanted to kill Tel-Kar, grumbling that it's not very satisfying, though M'lanz relishes the irony of a genocidal zealot being executed by his own people. Arriving on Earth, M'lanz disparages Venom's living conditions as he disembarks with the Sleeper symbiote. Venom retorts that he doesn't fight for fame or money, but because he's compelled to do so; M'lanz noting they have that in common and that she respects him for his skill as a fighter... though she hopes to never see him again. Venom retorts that he has no intention of going into space again, and fully intends to stay home in New York. M'lanz's ship departs for space, leaving Venom looking over the cityscape - neither noticing that Tel-Kar managed to escape the facility and stow away with them. At Alchemax, Eddie angrily demands to know why he's not being permitted entrance after being blocked by Hugo Campbell. As Eddie becomes increasingly confrontational, Harry Osborn approaches and irately tells him that he's too big a risk to be associated with Alchemax and that Liz has cut ties with him. Eddie angrily states that he and the symbiote came to cut ties with her and revoke the custody of the Sleeper symbiote. Harry states that he never liked Eddie to begin with, and that while he admits that he's grateful for the Venom symbiote's help in fending off the Red Goblin, Eddie coming in and strutting around like a high school jock is pushing it. The two men glare at each other before Eddie relents and invites Harry to go get a drink. At a bar, Eddie tells Harry that he almost lost his whole family; and that while he's lost things before, he now has a kid. Eddie states he doesn't have a lot of people he can talk to about these things, admitting that he's got a lot of anger issues. Harry wryly states that he's noticed, to which Eddie says that Harry isn't any better than him given his own career as a psychotic supervillain obsessed with killing Spider-Man. Harry relents, saying both he and Eddie have done things they're not proud of, though Eddie boasts that Venom made a better arch-enemy for Spider-Man than the Green Goblin. Irritated, Harry states that he found something more important than hatred, which helped him refocus his life and become a better person: his family. Eddie agrees with that, and Harry offers him some advice on being a father and tells Eddie to focus on being a good mentor -- especially given that his child is an alien monster. Harry pays for the drinks and leaves, the Venom symbiote happily noting that they're already following Harry's advice. As Eddie returns to his apartment, the Venom symbiote states they'll need a bigger place if they want to raise Sleeper properly. Entering the apartment, Eddie sees Tel-Kar holding half of M'lanz's halberd. Tel-Kar threatens to kill the Sleeper symbiote if Eddie makes a wrong move, and when Eddie asks if he wants the Venom symbiote back Tel-Kar sneers that it's broken and disloyal. Stating that he managed to save one sample of the bioweapon, Tel-Kar tells Eddie that he's going to open it in front of him and watch him suffer as he takes from Eddie everything that Eddie took from him. Stating that he considered programming the plague to wipe out symbiotes, Tel-Kar states that he decided to program it to wipe out humans instead, using a few drops of Eddie's blood to do so. Sneering that with any luck the Venom symbiote will keep him alive so that he can watch everyone he knows and loves die around him, Tel-Kar tosses the vial to the ground. The Sleeper symbiote catches it in mid-air and flees to the ceiling, and as Tel-Kar prepares to blast it with the broken halberd the Venom symbiote detaches from Eddie and dives between them. Grabbing a dumbbell, Eddie smashes Tel-Kar in the face with it and then tackles him out the window to the street below. Picking himself up, Tel-Kar states that his Kree physiology and military training make him a superior combatant to Eddie without the symbiote, but Eddie retorts that he's a New Yorker. A cabbie rams Tel-Kar, buying time for Eddie to pick up a garbage can and smash Tel-Kar with it. Tel-Kar bashes Eddie aside and then prepares the snap his neck, saying that he'll kill the Venom and Sleeper symbiotes and then kill every single human with his bare hands if he has to. The Sleeper symbiote drops onto Tel-Kar's head and bonds to him, Tel-Kar initially mistaking it for the Venom symbiote. The Sleeper symbiote vengefully lobotomizes Tel-Kar before covering him, Eddie looking on in horror. Sleeper states that Tel-Kar made a mindless slave of its parent, so it's just returning the favor; considering this a better form of justice than killing Tel-Kar and eating his brain as Venom would have done. Eddie laments that he and the Venom symbiote wanted better for it; but Sleeper states that Tel-Kar's body is strong and that his mind contains knowledge and memories of countless worlds, expressing the desire to explore the cosmos. Bidding Eddie farewell and telling him to say goodbye to the Venom symbiote, Sleeper turns invisible and departs. Eddie sadly returns to his apartment, informing the Venom symbiote that Sleeper has left them. As it bonds to him, Eddie takes solace in the fact that they still have each other, saying no-one can take that away.