Dark Ages Transforms a Marvel Hero Into a Lethal Venom/Carnage Hybrid

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Dark Ages #5. Venom and Carnage are two of Spider-Man’s most terrifying villains. The alien symbiotes have unleashed different reigns of terror on the Marvel Universe, and have even battled each other after Venom’s heroic turns with Eddie Brock and Flash Thompson. The Marvel Universe currently finds itself experiencing another dark era in Dark Ages, a miniseries from Tom Taylor, Iban Coello, Brian Reber, and VC’s Joe Sabino. The story takes place on an alternate Earth with no electricity after Marvel’s heroes fought a powerful being called the Unmaker. 

Society was able to regroup in this new world order, but the X-Men villain Apocalypse threatens everything they’ve built. Apocalypse has captured geniuses such as Tony Stark in order to revive the Unmaker, using the Purple Man to control them. Earth’s remaining heroes are trying to rescue their friends, but on their journey to France, they’re confronted by a terrifying hybrid of Venom and Carnage. What the good guys discover is the host of Venom/Carnage is none other than Spider-Man Miles Morales.

After traveling all day on Deadpool’s Deadmobile, the group of heroes camp out for the remainder of the night. While everyone is sitting around a campfire, Gabby Kinney picks up a scent in the woods. She describes it as a mixture of different scents that are bitter and rotten. Determining something is hunting them, Gabby, X-23, and Blade head out to track their pursuer down. The Venom/Carnage hybrid emerges at the campsite with Gabby and begins to attack. Luckily, there are enough heroes to fight back, and Peter Parker’s familiarity with the symbiotes enables them to attack at their weaknesses: fire and loud noises. A heat blast from Pepper Potts’ Iron Man furnace and bolts of lightning from Storm is enough to force Venom and Carnage to separate from Miles.

Luckily, it doesn’t appear that Miles was working with the symbiotes. He was another captive held hostage against his will. Once he’s freed, Miles tells Peter that he knows how Apocalypse is going to end the world. Readers got a glimpse of this earlier in the issue when Apocalypse took his mind-controlled geniuses inside the Earth to see the Unmaker. His evil plan involves reawakening the cosmic entity, but who knows what would happen if it were ever brought back to life.

What do you think about seeing Miles Morales as the host of Dark Ages‘ Venom/Carnage hybrid? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!