Carnage #1 (2016)

Sitting at a diner, Cletus Kasady complains to the waitress that everyone assumes he is stupid because of his accent. Seeing himself on the television, he demands she turn the volume up and is irritated when they call him "Cleavon." He is surprised to see that Manuela Calderon, one of the victims at St. Este's Home for Boys, not only survived his killing spree, but is a twice-decorated veteran of the Afghan War and a well-regarded private security expert overseeing a mining operation at Grey Ridge, West Virginia. Outraged, Cletus transforms into Carnage and kills the waitress, revealing that he had already killed everyone else in the diner. At the Grey Ridge Mine, Colonel John Jameson and FBI agent Claire Dixon discuss the broadcast, revealing it is the set-up for a trap intended to capture Carnage using portable sonic cannons. Meeting with Manuela, Jameson asks why she would serve three tours in Afghanistan, and she counters by asking why he would rejoin the military and fly rescue missions in Iraq. Barry Gleason, the managing director of Grey Ridge Investments, reveals using Manuela as bait was his idea, as was the plan to capture Carnage using the now played-out mine. Jameson asks what happens if the plan fails, and Agent Dixon introduces him to Eddie Brock. Jameson expresses shock that the FBI recruited Venom, but Dixon explains that he is now Toxin. When Jameson asks what Toxin is, Eddie explains that the Venom symbiote is now bonded to another guy working for the government, and that the Toxin symbiote is the offspring of the Carnage symbiote, which is itself the offspring of the Venom symbiote. Dixon states the FBI detained Eddie with the sonic cannons after he wiped out a Philadelphian drug cartel. Eddie remarks that he is aware that the FBI was tracking him for a week beforehand, and Agent Dixon responds that he was doing something useful and has the opportunity to keep doing so. Manuela asks what she means, and Agent Dixon states they used the symbiote suppressant technology on Toxin, and that if Eddie follows orders he is on permanent parole. Eddie remarks that not everyone hopes that the operation will go smoothly, and as he walks away Jameson remarks that if they have to rely on him then things could go even worse than anticipated. Agent Dixon remarks that it should not come to that, and Manuela states it is good to know they're thinking ahead. At dusk, Manuela and a team of agents set out into the mining site, while Jameson remarks that the setup reminds him of the goat scene in Jurassic Park. Jameson asks why they really brought him in, and Agent Dixon responds that the bureau has its reasons. Dixon calls in Manuela, who responds that the perimeter sensors show no activity. Eddie, standing nearby, dryly remarks that they wouldn't. Outside, Carnage stealthily picks off the patrolling guards, leaving one member of each team alive to report no activity. When one of the agents asks why a girl was attending a boy's school, Manuela replies that her mother was the live-in help. Agent Dixon catches sight of Carnage's tendrils on one of the cameras at the West Grid access point, and Eddie replies that things are getting fun. Carnage ambushes Manuela and kills the guard accompanying her. Manuela calls for the teams to converge on her, dodging Carnage's tentacles. Jameson remarks that Carnage is moving too quickly for the cannons to track, and Eddie asks Agent Dixon to send him in, but is told to shut up. Agent Dixon tells Manuela to get Carnage into the target grid, and Manuela hits Carnage with a pipe before making a break for the target zone. Carnage pursues her, remarking that he is not going to let her escape again, but is blasted by the sonic emitters, which force the symbiote away from Cletus. The sonic vibrations shake loose a backfill in an old drift tunnel, causing a massive cave-in directly beneath Cletus, swallowing him along with several agents. As Agent Dixon angrily confronts Barry Gleason, who says he thought the site was clear, Eddie cheerfully states it is time for Plan B. At daybreak, Colonel Jameson remarks that if it weren't for the fact the agents were trapped, they could leave Carnage to be sealed in the mine. Eddie asks Jameson if he is afraid, and Jameson states that Carnage killed nine people in under thirty seconds, making their rescue op reckless. Agent Dixon states that the operation is volunteer only, and Jameson states that since he has been to the Moon he may as well go down a hole. As they prepare to descend in the mine's elevator, Manuela states that she should be doing this, and Agent Dixon replies that they need her help to understand what went wrong, telling Eddie to shut up when he volunteers his reason for coming.