King in Black: Gwenom vs. Carnage #2 (2021)

Confronted by Mary Jane Watson, who has been taken over by a symbiote and turned into Carnage, Ghost-Spider thinks to herself that this is bad and tries to process how MJ got to Earth-616 when she was supposed to be safe back on Earth-65. As Carnage mockingly asks if Knull has her tongue, Ghost-Spider internally wonders what a Knull is and leaps out of the way as Carnage pounces - admonishing herself for getting distracted. As Ghost-Spider promises to find a way to help MJ, Carnage mockingly asks if Ghost-Spider feels so threatened by her newfound strength that all she can think of doing is taking it away. Ghost-Spider protests that MJ's symbiote is going to kill her and that she's not strong enough to sustain it, but Carnage snarls that Ghost-Spider has no idea how strong she is. Berating Gwen for abandoning her, Carnage smashes one of her arms through the window of a nearby music store and grabs an electric guitar, coating it in her symbiote to transform it into a battle-ax. Evading Carnage's attempt to bisect her, Ghost-Spider says that she doesn't want to fight MJ and knows that deep down MJ doesn't want to fight her either - reminding her they've been friends since the sixth grade. Carnage snarls that she remembers Peter Parker died in Gwen's arms, that Gwen let her so-called friends get kidnapped by a madman, and that she made the world an overall worse place before abandoning it and everyone in it to clean up after her. Slashing at Ghost-Spider with her ax, Carnage shouts that she's the front-woman and should have been the one to get super-powers, and that Gwen isn't the only special person anymore. Wondering if MJ was really bottling up all this hurt and resentment towards her or if it's the Carnage symbiote talking, Ghost-Spider restrains Carnage with webbing and disarms her. Noting that MJ's symbiote is partially comprised of her own and thus needs to be removed ASAP, Ghost-Spider hefts Carnage's battle-ax and briefly expresses jealousy over not being able to make objects out of her suit. As Ghost-Spider tries to absorb the symbiote off Carnage's battle-ax the now-red "gummy spiders" disperse and instead return to Carnage, who mockingly says that the spiders don't belong to Gwen anymore but to Knull. Ripping free of the webbing, Carnage grabs Ghost-Spider by the ankle and slams her into the wall. Quipping that Knull wants to "meat" her, Carnage pins Ghost-Spider in a pool of living abyss - which engulfs her. Opening her eyes, Ghost-Spider finds herself falling through a void and surrounded by nightmarish monstrosities, which slice apart her attempts to web-swing. Forming wing-flaps from her symbiote, Ghost-Spider looks for a place to glide to safety before a serrated tendril rips through her wings and sends her plummeting again. Landing, Ghost-Spider sits up and calls out for MJ only for a sinister voice to inform her that her friend is safe. Turning, Ghost Spider finds herself contronted by a tall gaunt male humanoid entity with pale skin, white hair, red eyes, and fangs; clad in black armor with red dragon emblems. When Ghost-Spider asks who he is, the entity retorts that going by her colours he should be her god - Gwen realizing that the entity is Knull. Knull wonders why he can't control her, Ghost-Spider retorting that where she's from they figured out a long time ago that owning people is evil. Knull mockingly retorts that he owns her friend, adding that most people try to put up a fight against his symbiotes but that MJ embraced it. Observing that MJ has a lot of pent-up rage towards Gwen, Knull wryly asks if she has any idea why before conjuring a bubble of living abyss and offering to show her. Inside the bubble, one of MJ's memories plays - showing a fifteen-year-old MJ planning to put together a band with Gwen and become famous together, only to become annoyed at Gwen not paying attention to her. The memory skips ahead a few years, showing the now-seventeen MJ getting ready to play at their high-school's prom only to notice Gwen isn't there. As MJ wonders where Gwen is, she hears the sounds of battle and wonders what's going on only for the Lizard and Spider-Woman to crash into the gymnasium in the middle of a fight to the death. Overcoming her shock, MJ pulls out her smartphone and tries to call Gwen; angrily complaining that Gwen is never on time and lamenting that it's like she doesn't care about their chance to be special together. Knull mockingly lauds Ghost-Spider for kindling so much rage in her purported best friend, adding that he would be even more impressed if it had been deliberate on Gwen's part. Ghost-Spider protests that she never meant for this to happen and that MJ is her friend, Knull agreeing that she was but that now she belongs to him. Crushing the bubble, Knull states that MJ is now a conduit between himself and whatever Gwen is, commanding her to join MJ and embrace his power. Refusing, Ghost-Spider tries to kick Knull in the face only for him to catch her foot, angered by her attempt to assail him in his own domain. Kicking him in the chin with her other foot, Gwen snaps that she'll never bow to him and find a way to free MJ from his control. Tossing her aside, Knull challenges her to prove it. Reawakening in the real world, Ghost-Spider rips free of the living abyss trying to bond to her and begs MJ to give her a sign she's still present within Carnage. Reclaiming the guitar and turning it back into an ax, Carnage snarls at Ghost-Spider not to call her by her human name anymore; Gwen begging MJ to talk things out with her. Snarling that she's sick of Gwen's excuses and lies, Carnage demands Ghost-Spider fight back and calls her a coward for not doing so. Enraged, Ghost-Spider snaps that she's not a coward and delivers a two-handed blow to Carnage's head. Retaliating with an uppercut, Carnage snarls that Gwen isn't the only special one anymore. Slamming into a wall hard enough to crater it, Ghost-Spider slumps to the ground and says she never claimed to be special, Carnage furiously asking why everything always has to be about her. Retorting that's only the case because MJ wants it to be that way, Gwen tackles Carnage and snaps that she never wanted any of this to happen and that they have to remove MJ's symbiote. As Carnage snarls that she's perfect the way she is, Ghost-Spider retorting that MJ's symbiote is partially comprised of Gwen's own and thus toxic to its host - with Gwen only being able to withstand it due to its connection to her powers. Begging MJ not to let the Carnage symbiote eat her alive, Gwen briefly manages to get through to her before the Carnage symbiote reasserts control and assumes a form even more similar to the original. Roaring that Ghost-Spider is lying to her, Carnage redoubles her attack despite Gwen insisting that she's telling the truth and that her symbiote - unlike those of Earth-616 - is an artificial parasite that isn't even truly alive. Carnage disengages their fight - saying that of Gwen is right then she doesn't have much time left and that Gwen isn't worth it. Web-swinging away, Carnage declares that she has houses to rock and people to kill, and that Knull is going to make her an even bigger deal than she could've been back home. Calling out to MJ to stop, Ghost-Spider pursues her and vows to rescue her friend.