Venom Unleashed #17: Death Spiral fallout, Maximum Carnage memories, and Peter’s MJ shock

If you’ve been following AIPT’s Venom Unleashed column, you already know the drill. If you’re new and just jumped into the chaos of Amazing Spider-Man/Venom: Death Spiral, welcome to the deep end.

For Venom Unleashed #17, we opened the floor to readers and asked for your questions after the launch of Death Spiral Part 1. The response was huge, with fans digging into everything from Peter Parker’s shocking discovery about Mary Jane’s new symbiote status to the lingering legacy of Maximum Carnage and even the practical mysteries of symbiote life, like how Carnage learned to use a smartphone.

The answers come straight from the architects behind the crossover, including editor Nick Lowe, Joe Kelly, Al Ewing, Charles Soule, and Venom Unleashed answerer and editor Jordan D. White. All together they dig into Peter and MJ’s complicated reunion, Eddie Brock’s increasingly desperate situation, the twisted mechanics of symbiote relationships, and the darker road ahead as the event spirals toward even bigger revelations.

It’s not just about teasing what’s coming next. It’s about celebrating the messy, violent, sometimes hilarious history of symbiotes while setting the stage for what Death Spiral is about to unleash next.

That’s not all, scroll down for exclusive art for upcoming Death Spiral chapters, and stay tuned for a new survey to get your questions in for Venom Unleashed #18 (coming March 11th)!

Let’s get into your questions.

AIPT: With the “Carnage Rules” ending ASM #23, would it be possible to have Joe, Al, Charles, Jordan, and Nick give a sentence or two on what they loved about Maximum Carnage?

Nick Lowe: First, THAT COVER by Bill Sienkiewicz! Carnage looming over the city. That is so burned into my brain. Bill is a legend and can do anything! Then, how scary the story was and how much of the violence is implied! Not a lot of blood on the pages!

Jordan D. White: I let Nick into my column, and he immediately grabs the microphone. This is just like Karaoke nights at Marvel. LOL, kidding, Nick–obviously you don’t have Nick Lowe come to an interview unless you want some immediate showmanship, as anyone who’s attended a Marvel convention panel he’s hosted can attest. And I already talked about Maximum Carnage last time, so everyone else–jump in here!

Joe Kelly: Funny story – there was a video game for Maximum Carnage way back in the day, and I was a Production Assistant on the commercial for it. My job was to drive the truck full of camera equipment from Long Island to Manhattan, pick up my producer, get breakfast and bring it all to set… but I didn’t realize that I left the key to the lock on the truck at home until we got the breakfast. My producer sat on giant coffee urns and held bagels in his lap as I drove to set – but I was so frazzled that I drove the wrong way down the West Side Highway and was pulled over by a cop!!! Fun times… fun times.

What was the question?

Charles Soule: I think Joe’s story needs to be dramatized in an upcoming issue. Not sure what series, exactly – maybe Punisher? Anyway, Maximum Carnage! I have to say, it’s been a minute, and I was a Clone Saga do-or-die back around when it landed – but I remember a whole pile of villains infighting and yelling at each other and hating each other as much as (or more than) they hated the comics. Can’t beat that!

Al Ewing: During the 90s, I was off reading Proper Comics like Hate, Eightball, and Love & Rockets, so Maximum Carnage passed me by a little bit – I hear Carnage is pretty Maximum in it, but that’s about all I know. I do know that it spawned MAXIMUM CLONEAGE during the Clone Saga, though, and that Saga made for some great behind-the-scenes gossip on the early-ish internet, so for that reason I give it five stars!

H asks: What is Peter’s current feeling towards Mary Jane and their whole dynamic since they last met? Will he be more paranoid about all the changes that’s gone on without him knowing?

NL: First, as you’ll see in ASM #23, HE IS SHOCKED! He had no clue MJ was Venom, as he was in space when it happened, and Ben Reilly was pretending to be Peter when MJ made her big reveal. But the relationship and friendship that Peter and MJ have will be tested BIG TIME through this story.

JK: That was so much fun to write. Both times! Folks were furious when they saw Ben Reilly’s reaction to the Venom reveal (without realizing it was not Peter), and I think that Peter hyperventilating into his mask balances the scales.

CS: I got to play with this a little bit in my ASM issue for the crossover, and just thinking about how Peter would feel… It’s not so different from finding out your ex is dating your other ex. I mean, that symbiote bond is SERIOUS. Pretty delicious stuff to kick around!

AE: It’s great news for me, because now MJ and Peter can finally have a serious conversation about what’s been going on – if they survive – and I know that’s a talk a lot of people have been waiting for them to have. Again, if they survive! Torment’s not playing around, folks, ask Herman!

JoLo asks: In the last panel of the comic (Amazing Spider-Man/Venom: Death Spiral), where there’s a spiral board, is the photo next to Eddie Brock’s a picture of Bren Waters?

NL: No, that’s not Bren Waters. That is an unnamed Reilly relative who, I hate to break it to his family, is now dead!

JDW: Good news (?) is that most of the family who would be upset is also dead.

JK: Who is Bren Waters?

CS: I believe he’s a person of unknown parentage hailing from the Crownlands region of Westeros. (I will be amazed if they keep this in the interview.)

AE: Bren Waters was Toxin’s most recent host before Rick Jones. He was also a kid Dylan’s age, and the child of rich parents who would absolutely not want their son participating in a Venom War or an Avengers Academy, so right now he’s stuck at home watching all the action happen without him. Will he be back? He’s actually pretty good villain material for Dylan, so I guess it depends if Dylan gets back into heroing.

I’m stuck in Spidey Webs asks: How did Carnage know how to use a phone?

CS: You’re going to see a bunch of witty responses below, all of which I endorse. You’ll get a few good chortles out of them, just you wait. But only I can give you the real answer, because I made up the scenes in question: if you’re a symbiote, watching through the eyes of your host, feeling what they feel, doing what they do, then you’re staring at them use a phone for (on average) FOUR AND A HALF HOURS A DAY*. It’s the thing you’d see them do more than anything else, except sleeping. You’d pick up the basics.

*Cell Phone Statistics 2026 | ConsumerAffairs®

NL: They make them so intuitive to use! He went through the tutorial at bootup! Or watched a YouTube video that taught him all kinds of lifehacks!

JDW: He stole god-like powers from a number of supervillains over the years and you don’t think he held onto simple things like phone usage? ALSO–one time travelled through phone lines electronically, and I am still thinking about how the heck that worked. What issue was that in again? I cannot recall.

JK: Carnage actually has a channel on Mojo TV called: Killer Tech Talk with Charge-nage.

AE: I mean, of course Carnage would be a tech bro. Of COURSE.

Jon asks: Is Cardiac in this event?

NL: Sadly, no. Though many beating hearts will cease their beatings.

JDW: God, I love that guy. And with the state of healthcare, he is still super relevant! Let’s find a way to bring him back!!!

Kevin asks: How did Eddie know Dylan was staying with Paul?

NL: AL OR CHARLES OR JORDAN FEEL FREE TO STOP IN IF I AM WRONG… Dylan and Paul are bothstaying with MJ (awkwardly on Paul’s part). MJ has reached out to Eddie more than once and Eddie hasn’t gotten back to her.

AE: Eddie was a journalist with some pretty good skills before he got fired. It’s semi-public knowledge that Dylan’s living with MJ, and she’s probably in the phone book. Eddie finding out early on what’s happened to Dylan and where he lives now (but still not getting in contact/going to therapy/stopping murdering serial killers) feels reasonably in character. It’s also possible that Dylan told him in one of many unanswered emails – hence Dylan being so abrasive when Eddie finally did show up.

CS: I think everyone always knows where Paul is at all times. They can sense his presence, which direction he’s in, etc. Everyone in the Marvel Universe has a Paul Compass in their head… and as you saw with Eddie, it comes in handy!

Symbiobro asks: Eddie seems to know who Paul is, but I don’t recall them ever meeting. How does he know him?

NL: Paul is obviously the most popular character in the Marvel U, Symbiobro! MJ told Eddie that she and Paul were caring for Dylan. I don’t know that they ever met before but I’d imagine that neither was all that keen on meeting the other. And Eddie’s vibe was a pretty raw one on the approach.

JDW: Yeah–since the Marvel Universe is the world outside your window, I think it’s safe to assume Paul is talked about on their internet exactly as much as he is on ours, right?

JK: Who is Paul?

AE: I’m going to put my money on a Dylan email to charles.allen@burneraccount or somesuch. I’m sure Dylan painted a rosy picture.

Kevin wants to know: Why did Felicia never tell MJ about Ben Reilly posing as Peter?

NL: As you’re seeing in BLACK CAT right now, Kevin, they are only just now getting updated on each other’s life. That info isn’t something you want to text about and they are VERY BUSY! Probably like when I mean to call my wife to tell her that my college roommate is coming to town and staying with us but it’s not until the day of that I ACTUALLY tell her.

JK: I think that it’s also fair to say that Felicia assumed that if she knew, so did others. She’s not really someone who sits around and wonders how others are doing, IMHO.

Bizarnage asks: When these Spider-Man and Venom crossovers happen, Eddie always comes off as the underdog nobody roots for, will he have someone in his corner for Death Spiral?

NL: He’s got a red serial killer to be in his corner!

CS: Eddie’s being rooted for! I think you’ll see that Peter in particular doesn’t want to let him fall any farther than he already has. That said, we’re definitely working with addiction metaphors here, and there’s truth to the idea that some people have to hit rock bottom before they can climb back up into the light. Stay tuned!

Sebina asks: Is there any hints that Torment actually is Cletus Kasady? Since Red (Carnage) is seen communicating with Torment.

NL: KEEP READING, TRUE BELIEVER!

JK: Cletus who? Are you guys just making up names now?

DoomSupreme asks: Will we get any exploration in the relationship between Peter and Carnage symbiote? I think they are a pair among the characters involved in the story we haven’t seen much of together, specially in recent years.

NL: KEEP READING, TRUE BELIEVER!!!!!!!

JK: What Nick said!!

DoomSupreme asks: Will we see interactions between Peter and Dylan? They had a few nice moments back in King in Black, curious if we might see the two interacting, and if Dylan’s opinion of Spider-Man has improved.

NL: You’ll see a little of it, but not a ton. I do like their vibe (and love Dylan), but there’s not a ton of time before the killing reaches them both.

General questions:

Alexander asks: Could Jordan and Ewing each make a small ranking of your favorite hosts?

AE: I’m going to put MJ at the top, because I’ve been enjoying the “World’s Strangest Roommates” of it all. So she’s S-tier. Angelo Fortunato goes right at the bottom. Terrible host, the only one Venom’s abandoned in mid-air. Mac Gargan comes next – just Osborn’s lapdog for most of his career, ate an arm, big deal, not impressed. Then it’s Lee Price – he was an interesting idea, you can tell interesting stories with him, he’s got a lot of what I’d call good heat, but he wasn’t really a long-term proposition. After that… I’m going to say Dylan. Big jump in quality – great host – but mostly on the defensive while he was Venom. Then we get Flash – he did something completely new with the symbiote, and more than once. A really great, innovative host. But the defining host, and the guide for most of Venom’s evolution, is Eddie. So he beats out the rest.

JDW: I agree with Al’s list, with the exception that I would put Gargan over Price. OH, and I guess I would shift the whole thing down to put Deadpool right under MJ, as seen in DEADPOOL’S SECRET SECRET WARS and DEADPOOL: BACK IN BLACK which I maintain are 100% real 616 continuity.

Thepreciousthing asks: If Dylan were to die, would he meet with the Eventuality again, or would he meet Hela this time around?

AE: Hela has some ideas about that… but I will say that we’ll see the Eventuality in the pages of Venom again.

Venom specific:

Lasher guy asks: Is that it for the SCAR-as-villains plot, or should we expect them to make a comeback before Queen in Black gets going?

AE: S.C.A.R. have been defanged for now, but the organization still exists and has resources. It’s entirely possible that Flash will get ousted from his current leadership role and replaced by someone with a little more animus towards symbiotes in the future.

StarryUniverse: Honestly, I’m a bit confused—why does the Venom symbiote miss Flash? From what I remember, Flash had a purely exploitative relationship with the symbiote. He used it to fulfill his hero persona, didn’t care at all about the symbiote’s feelings, and only saw it as a tool and a poison that lured it into corruption. For instance, Flash used drugs to chemically castrate the symbiote. Could this be a case of Stockholm syndrome for the Venom symbiote?

NL: Jordan may have a better answer, but as I recall, they ended up having a VERY GOOD relationship during the VENOM: SPACE KNIGHT period of the Flash/Venom epic!

AE: Yeah, I think Venom: Space Knight was a really, really high point for the symbiote – becoming a galactic hero and part of an order of galactic heroes – and that was pretty much immediately followed by being enslaved by Lee Price, who instantly turned Venom back into a murderer. So Venom probably sees the latter part of the Flash relationship as a great time in comparison – on the other hand, I’ve always written it as a buddy relationship rather than Venom feeling the kind of love he does for Eddie or Peter, so maybe it’s all been forgiven rather than forgotten.

JK: Flash? The fast guy from the Distinguished Competition? I don’t think that they ever met… <Nick Lowe whispers something menacing to Joe>

I withdraw my statement and will endeavor to be better in the future with the names and stuff. MAKE MINE MARVEL!

CS: MAKE MINE ALSO MARVEL!

That’s it for Venom Unleashed #17! Enjoy the exclusive art below, and look for the next call for questions on March 11th!