Venom Unleashed #19: The Paul fallout discussed as it sends shockwaves through Death Spiral

Death Spiral isn’t slowing down, and if anything, part six proves just how brutal this story is willing to get. With Venom #256 out today, the spotlight turns to Dylan Brock, directly in Torment’s path as the killer continues carving through family lines with terrifying precision. The stakes have never felt more personal, and the question hanging over it all is a simple one with no easy answer: Can Carnage/Venom/Spider-Man save him, or is Dylan about to lose everything?

That tension bleeds directly into this edition of Venom Unleashed, where the creators pull back the curtain on some of the event’s biggest swings so far. In this edition, the Spidey/Venom offices talk about Paul, Torment’s power to track familial connections, and hints that this chaos is forcing something else to happen.

Relationships are shifting, walls are coming down, and this fractured group is being pulled back into each other’s orbit, even if they are no longer the same people they once were. It is messy, painful, and dangerous, but it might also be the only way forward.

With Dylan at the center of the storm and Carnage looming as both a threat and a possible savior, part six feels like a turning point. And if the answers below are any indication, the worst may still be ahead.

Warning. Spoilers ahead for Venom #256!

Death Spiral Questions:

AIPT: Paul’s apparent death feels like a major turning point. Was the goal from the start to remove him from the board, or to use him to raise the stakes for MJ and Peter? Is this one of those moments that will ripple in unexpected ways as Death Spiral unfolds?

Nick Lowe: When you are dealing with fan favorite characters, you have to be very careful. We knew going into “Death Spiral” that we had to bring it with a body count and an emotional wallop. Paul was a character we knew could provide both and give some real catharsis along the way.

Joe Kelly: There were some heavy conversations about this. I mean, it’s not an overstatement to say this is the most meaningful death in comics since Gwen Stacy. Fans are going to be devastated. Childhoods may be ruined. But it serves the story and puts MJ in a new place, so RIP Paul.

Charles Soule: I’m just glad I got to write a few lines of dialogue for him during the crossover before he headed off to his final reward. A true milestone in my career!

Al Ewing: It was Nick’s suggestion to punch Paul’s ticket in this crossover, as I recall – not that I argued very hard when Nick pulled on the black cap to pass sentence of death. Anyway, the fallout from this – and from the rest of Death Spiral – is going to lead to some changes for MJ and Venom, at least one of which you might have already seen on a cover or two. And, y’know, characters are going to feel bad that someone they knew got horribly murdered by a serial killer, because I’m not in the business of writing absolute psychopaths. Mea culpa!

PeggyParker: How does Torment track down all his victims?

NL: It’s his super power! He can sense familial connections. We talk about it subtly throughout the story, but you can get the full download in our epilogue ASM/VENOM DEATH SPIRAL BODY COUNT, where Torment takes center stage, and we dig into his origin.

JK: He was bit by a radioactive 23 and Me test kit. It’s hard to imagine that a simple genealogy website would ultimately lead to the death of the most beloved character in comics history.

CS: There’s always power in mystery, but the quick version is that he can choose a person and see spiraling lines of energy leading off in the air that connect to their family members. Some people have a lot, some just a few – and when Torment’s done with them, they tend to have none.

LRN: Torment seems to have re-established personal ties between Peter, MJ, and Eddie. I’m curious to know: do you all think this could help rebuild or deepen some of their individual relationships going forward?

NL: The interpersonal is the bread and butter of Marvel comics, and especially the Spider-Books! So there is definitely a lot of this at play.

JK: I certainly hope so! Tragedy and shared trauma can bring people together on the other side. What I love about this story is that everyone has been brought back into one another’s orbit in a meaningful way…but they are not the same people they were when last together. That sets up some great fireworks.

CS: The idea that these people (all five of them) are a sort of messed-up family was one of the main drivers for the story from the start. I think they’re realizing that too, and it will influence how they all interact down the road.

AE: Torment’s threat has forced our cast to break through some of the self-imposed walls they’d put up. While it’s not ideal to have these chats while a rampaging serial killer is murdering his way across their family trees… hey, at least the gang are talking again! We take the wins where we can.

Symbiobro: Agent Anti-Venom is shown rescuing a symbiote in ASM 25. Is this a named symbiote we’ve seen before, or a random one from one of the many symbiote invasions that earth has had?

NL: We had so much story in “Death Spiral” that we had to get very economical along the way. I’m not sure that we will get around to filling in this specific answer in story but you never know!

JK: I don’t know its name, but probably after this, it’ll be named Paul to honor a fallen hero.

CS: There really are a lot of symbiotes out there, huh? Heck, there could be one behind you… RIGHT NOW!

AE: I’m more interested in who those black-suited goons with their facility are. Who’s farming symbiotes in secret, and how long have they been doing it? A tale for a future Venom storyline, maybe.

JoLo: With Rick Jones being Toxin AKA Captain Spider, will we get a glimpse of them, since Toxin is the spawn of Carnage?

JK: The kid with the guitar? I feel like I’d know if that kid was bonded with a symbiote…

CS: I could have sworn he was some kind of Hulk.

AE: We’re definitely going to be catching up on how Rick and Toxin are getting along in the fullness of time – as we’ve seen, they’re not meshing quite as well as symbiotes and hosts have in the past. Maybe this is the one arena where Rick Jones is out of his depth?

Marvel Rivals questions:

JoLo: Since we now know that Dylan plays Marvel Rivals, what is his username? Or does that account only belong to Paul?

NL: I assume he does both. Uses Paul’s account as fodder and his own to rack up rewards.

JK: I imagine that Dylan’s user name is something wholesome like KillcountBrockula and Paul’s is TopKnotTierBuyer.

CS: KillinDillin.

AE: Paul’s was GG_Everyone, because he just wanted everyone playing to have a good time.

Stuck in Spidey Webs: What’s Dylan rank in Marvel Rivals? And why was he playing with Spider-Man and not Venom?

JK: He’s Celestial at least. Depends on how much school he’s blowing off. When we saw him he was still mad about Eddie showing up out of the blue, so he played as Spidey as a quiet form of rebellion.

CS: I think he’s just really hyped for Brand New Day.

Dylan Brock questions:

Dunedai: ​When Dylan was under Carl’s care, Carnage came after him. When he was with Eddie, Meridius, and a vampire priest attacked him. And now, with MJ and Paul, Tormento has come knocking on his door. How does this affect Dylan’s trust in the adults around him?

NL: Al and Carlos deal with this so well in VENOM 258.

JK: I’m gonna guess that he thinks adults pretty much suck.

CS: I think it has to be pretty tough to be a kid in the Marvel Universe in any case – constant PTSD from alien invasions and supervillain attacks – and it’s probably even harder for kids in the direct orbit of the superpowered life. Poor Dylan.

AE: Dylan pushes people away a lot, as we’ve seen, but it might be time for him to move past that and start accepting that there are people in his life who care about him.

Kaiju: Yay, the Dylan issue! :D I wanna ask, are there gonna be any smaller consequences/bonuses to Dylan being half Symbiote? Such as, does he also have a love for chocolate? Or some more than a regular human average weakness to certain sounds?

NL: Not in Death Spiral, but I assume that songs that drive all of us crazy drive him extra crazy. His attitude is probably all thanks to 1877 KARS FOR KIDZ

JK: How dare you invoke that forbidden earworm, Nick Lowe! EVIL!

CS: This feels like the kind of story point that could go absolutely anywhere, depending on the writer… which is great!

AE: I can reveal that if Dylan was entirely consumed by fire, he would die, so he shares that weakness for sure.

Hair care questions:

Roboticon: So I’ve been wondering about this for a bit: what’s with Eddie’s beard? He lost it after Venom War, and I’d like to know if that was just on a whim, or if there is a deeper/more thematic meaning behind it.

JK: He wanted to look good for Paul’s funeral. That’s how long ago this plan was in the works.

CS: Sometimes people change up their look. I don’t think there’s anything more to it. Honestly, Eddie probably has a weird relationship with his appearance anyway, since his symbiote pals can change his outfit instantly, any time he wants.

Kaiju: I’ve noticed that Dylan seems to have gotten a bit of a hair trim in between Venom War and All-New, so I gotta ask: will we see more styles from him? Perhaps grow it out to match Codex, or experiment with a color? Go real rebellious teenager about it?

JK: I agree, and I have a feeling we all know what’s coming next… a topknot in honor of comics’ most beloved caregiver. RIP Paul

CS: Goth phase, maybe? Just dye everything black.

AE: I honestly can’t think of a haircut that would be as distinctive as his ratty long hair and not look terrible. Are mullets still back?

Cortland Kasady questions:

Infamousjeb: Will Cortland Kasady returns now that Knull is back! He was Knull’s favourite??

And also from Vovina: I’m curious about what happened to Plague (Cortland Kasady). He hasn’t been seen since he was resurrected by Knull and swore to avenge Cletus, so what’s he been up to in the in-universe months/years since the events of King in Black?

CS: Stay tuned, dear readers! (The truth is, I have no idea what Cortland Kasady’s up to, but that’s what Nick always says at convention panels when people ask questions about characters who are currently off-screen.)

That’s a wrap on Venom Unleashed #19! Stay tuned for the next call for questions, launching on April 8th!