Does Marvel's Death Of Venomverse Deliver Enough Carnage To The Multiverse?

Contains spoilers for "Death of the Venomverse" #1

Carnage is on the warpath across the Multiverse with a singular mission: kill every Venom. And, in his first attack, the deadly symbiote just murdered several heroes and villains who have taken on the role in their respective universes — which is just the beginning of his slaughter in the new Marvel "Death of the Venomverse" storyline.

The Carnage symbiote has been busy wreaking havoc across the Marvel Universe, consuming the powers of other villains to make itself more potent than ever before. However, Carnage's ultimate goal is to take down Venom, Eddie Brock, the current King in Black, and ascend to his throne in his place. But before Carnage takes down Earth-616's Venom and takes on Knull, the God of Symbiotes, he is jumping across different realities to strike down any Venom who will stand in his way of becoming the last symbiote standing in the Multiverse.

In "Death of Venomverse" #1 from Marvel Comics, Carnage's attacks begin. Readers quickly discover the symbiote is leaving no Venom left alive and brutally murdering them. Carnage's actions capture the attention of other powerful symbiotes, who want to stop the villain before no Venoms are left standing.

In "Death of the Venomverse" #1 by Cullen Bunn, Gerardo Sandoval, Jim Campbell, VC's Clayton Cowles, and Bjorn Barends from Marvel Comics, the issue opens up with Agent Venom (Anne Weying) and Virus from Earth-1051 investigating a deadly scene. Realizing they're too late and missed the attack from Carnage, Agent Venom scans the crime scene. She discovers a Venomized Rocket Raccoon, who was left bloodied and dead following a fight with the universe-hopping symbiote. 

Despite the symbiote version of Rocket Raccoon (not from Earth-616) being attacked by Carnage, he puts up quite a fight using advanced technology from his world to try to stop the killer. Unfortunately, his attempts to slay the red symbiote during the ambush encounter didn't work. Venomized Rocket Raccoon was discarded like roadkill, with his lifeless body being left on a log and covered in blood. Weying notes to Virus that Venom's death is the 12th different one from the 12 realities that they've been to, realizing Carnage isn't stopping until there are no Venoms left. They deduce he's training for an even bigger target, honing his skills to prepare for a fight against someone much more powerful, hinting at Carnage's quest to take down the King in Black.

"The Death of the Venomverse" #1 immediately jumps into a fight between Carnage and a Venomized version of Wolverine. When the evil symbiote approaches the alternate version of Laura Kinney, she is stunned to see him, confessing she killed him with her own claws. He explains he's not her version of Carnage and doesn't belong to anyone. Wolverine immediately attacks Carnage and proves to be a viable opponent for Carnage. She slices his head while telling him she doesn't care who he actually is, that since she put him down once before, she can do it again.

Even with her confidence, the Venomized Wolverine's words ring hollow for Carnage. He informs Laura that she's never faced anything like him and that he's evolving into something even more dangerous. The comic flashes forward to Agent Venom and Virus discovering the bloodiest corpse of Wolverine. Virus notes that there are no signs of her symbiote DNA or connection to the Codex and that Carnage somehow erased every symbiote cell in her body. The defeat reveals the impressive power Carnage has and how he's making sure there are no signs of any Venom left after he kills them.

Carnage then heads to a world where Ant-Man has become Venom and rides on symbiote ants. Ant-Man quickly establishes he won't back down from a fight with the symbiote and isn't scared of him. Ant-Man takes on his Giant-Man form and attempts to crush Carnage by dropping his giant symbiote and teethed foot at him. Ant-Man fails in crushing Carnage and is hit with several blades through his foot, sending him toppling to the ground. 

The fight doesn't get much better for the Venomized Ant-Man. After he's knocked down, Carnage sends symbiote spikes through Ant-Man's head, killing the Multiversal version of the hero. While Agent and Venom are too late to save Ant-Man, they are able to follow Carnage due to the villain leaving multi-dimensional footprints wherever he goes. The pair have struggled to catch up to Carnage and stop him before he murders more Venoms but believes that with each horror, they are getting closer to finding and stopping Carnage. But what Agent Venom and Virus aren't fully aware of is that their next stop is one of his deadliest rampages yet.

Carnage hops to another world, immediately recognizing one of its Venoms, Mania, is one of the more powerful symbiotes he has encountered. He attacks Mania, claiming her powers belong to him. Even with her impressive abilities, Carnage proves too much for Mania, with the villain absorbing her symbiote. But before she's killed, Agent Venom and Virus arrive at the fight and distract him enough to save her for the time being. Carnage turns his attention to Agent Venom, dropping her off the side of a building while she detonates a grenade in his face. 

After introducing themselves to Mania, Agent Venom and Virus reveal they lured Carnage into a "kill box." Agent Deadpool, Agent Spider-Man, and Agent Hawkeye of Earth-1051 go after Carnage, learning he's not using a host inside his symbiote body. Carnage shows off his deadly nature by cutting Agent Spider-Man in half and beheading Agent Deadpool. When Mania tries to engage with Carnage against Agent Venom's wishes, she's killed with several spikes. Anne, Virus, and Agent Hawkeye manage to escape Carnage's wrath, returning to their home base where it's revealed they have assembled many Venoms from across the Multiverse to try to stop him.

While Agent Venom, Virus, and their symbiote teammates plan their next attack, Carnage doesn't slow down. He jumps to a new universe to purge its symbiotes of their powers. He encounters a version of Electro, who a symbiote has overtaken. He talks a big game to Carnage, telling him to "come and get it" before the villain brutally murders him. Carnage appears to absorb some of his powers before the Symbiote Six reveal themselves as the next challenge for the deadly creature.

The Symbiote Six, a man short after Electro's death, tells Carnage that since he struck down one of their members, he will need to take on the group by himself. Readers see horrifying versions of the Sinister Six with Venom upgrades, including new terrifying versions of the Rhino, the Vulture, Kraven the Hunter, The Lizard, and Doctor Octopus. The issue ends with the teased confrontation between the villains. If his previous actions in the issue are any indication, the superpowered Carnage will have little issue with going one-on-five against the Symbiote Six. Carnage's powers will jump to a terrifying new level if he can defeat them, which is terrible news for the Multiverse.

"The Death of the Venomverse" #1 certainly lives up to its name, with Carnage's destruction in the first chapter of the five-issue miniseries proving just how deadly the superpowered symbiote has become. He brutally murdered some powerful symbiotes from across the Multiverse and took their symbiotes to fuel his most dangerous form yet. The synopsis for "Death of the Venomverse" #2 teases the Symbiote Six's arrival while highlighting the introduction of a new character called Venom Boy from writer and artist, Taigami. Check out Bjorn Barends' cover for the issue featuring Virus and Agent Venom taking on the Symbiote Six.

Marvel Comics

ENTER: THE SYMBIOTE SIX! Plus: DAVID MICHELINIE brings you a classic tale in the vein of LETHAL PROTECTOR...or is there more than meets the eye? AND THAT'S NOT ALL! Prepare yourself as Taigami introduces the world to...VENOM BOY!

Carnage's destruction of Venoms across the Multiverse has just only begun. The uber-violent, action-packed debut issue of "Death of the Venomverse" sets the dark tone of what's coming next in the deadly story, as no Venoms are safe from Carnage's rage and quest for power.

Carnage's rampage comes to life in "Death of the Venomverse" #1 from Marvel Comics, which is now available in comic book stores and online retailers.