Venom Vol 5 8

Appearing in "Time And The Conqueror"

Featured Characters:

• King in Black (Eddie Brock) (Remote-pilots the Warstar Symbiote)

Supporting Characters:

• Warstar-Class Type Two Battle-Symbiote (First appearance)

Antagonists:

• Absent Throne
  • King in Black (Bedlam) (Vision or hallucination)
  • King in Black (Meridius)
• Kang the Conqueror's Army
  • Numerous unnamed guards
  • Type Four Battle-Klyntar (First appearance)
  • Kang the Conquerer (Joins Absent Throne)

Other Characters:

• King in Black (Finnegan) (Mentioned)
• King in Black (Tyro) (Mentioned)
• King in Black (Wilde) (Mentioned)
• Venom (Dylan Brock) (Vision or hallucination)
• Scream Symbiote (Mentioned)
• Riot Symbiote (Mentioned)
• Phage Symbiote (Mentioned)
• Avengers (Mentioned)

Races and Species:

• Symbiotes
• Humans
• Unnamed Alien Species

Locations:

• Timestream (Mentioned)
  • Furthest End of All That Is
    • Garden of Time
  • 602nd Century
    • Deep Space
  • Earth-616
    • Earth (Main story and flashback)
      • United States of America (Main story and flashback)
        • New York (Main story and flashback)
          • New York City (Main story and flashback)
            • Our Lady of Saints Church (Main story and flashback)
        • California (Vision or hallucination)
          • Baywater (Vision or hallucination)
    • Hell (Invoked)
• Symbiote Hive-Mind

Items:

• Time Sword (First appearance)
• Kang Armor

Vehicles:

• The Nathaniel (Kang's flagship)

Synopsis for "Time And The Conqueror"

Meditating while floating over a pool of living abyss, Eddie Brock notes that the other Kings in Black are avoiding him and seem to be unsure of what to do without Meridius around to give them orders. Recognizing the Garden of Time as a prison, Eddie -- his symbiote avatar starting to revert to its monstrous appearance -- probes the dormant Symbiote Hive-Mind while wondering what Meridius did to silence their voices. Noting he hasn't felt so alone since before he bonded to the Venom symbiote, Eddie curses himself for having abandoned his former symbiote and teenaged son to play god and has a sudden vision of Dylan being attacked by Bedlam from the latter's perspective. Alarmed by his son's anguish, Eddie starts having a panic attack, fervently wishing Meridius was there to help him before coming to the abrupt realization that Meridius is both the warden and as much a prisoner as the others. As Eddie's panic intensifies, he instinctively projects his consciousness back in time.

Eddie abruptly finds himself remote-piloting a heavily-armored humanoid symbiote, which introduces itself as a War-Symbiote in service of the Conqueror. Noticing a space-battle being waged beyond a forcefield, Eddie wonders where and when he is, and is told he is on-board the Nathaniel -- flagship of the Conqueror's armada -- in the 602nd Century. As Eddie wonders what to do next, the symbiote asks him for mission parameters, but Eddie senses the Timestream trying to draw him back to the Garden of Time. As Eddie realizes he needs a distraction to keep him grounded, a voice shouts at him to halt. Turning, Eddie sees an army of alien soldiers, the commander of which orders Eddie to surrender the symbiote or face immediate discorporation. Transforming his arms into plasma cannons, Eddie opens fire on the soldiers despite the symbiote's protests that it's against protocol. Eddie asks if it has a problem with that, and after a moment of thought and calculating its odds of victory against three battalions of guards, the symbiote replies that it doesn't. When Eddie calls it "buddy boy", the symbiote inquires as to why, Eddie saying he has to call it something. Rejecting the cutesy nickname, the symbiote selects the codename "Warstar" -- being a Warstar-class type-two battle-symbiote. Apologizing, Eddie says that all the symbiotes he knows have picked violent names for themselves and he just wanted to spread a little peace and love. Defeating the last of the guards, Eddie makes his way down a corridor only for Warstar to inform him it senses a Type Four battle-symbiote up ahead. Peering around the corner, Eddie sees a massive armored symbiote with spikes all over its body and four bladed limbs jutting from its back. Noting to himself that he stands no chance of defeating it in combat, Eddie formulates a plan, Warstar firing a projectile at the forcefield near the Type Four that shorts it out for a second, just long enough to jettison the red symbiote into space.

Noting the Type Four was guarding an important-looking door, Eddie asks Warstar if it can pick the lock only for the door to open and reveal Kang the Conqueror -- whose presence he was already aware of through his mental link to Warstar. Noting to himelf that it's like Kang expected him, Eddie is unnerved by Kang's supreme confidence and recalls he's a time-travelling warlord and frequent enemy of the Avengers. Addressing Eddie by name, Kang comments that he's surprised the Warstar-class symbiote broke protocol and that Eddie shouldn't have been able to remote-pilot one without authorization. In response to Eddie's surprise, Kang says that he and Eddie are old friends from his point of view, saying that ten thousand years ago they stood on the bridge of his ship, Kang showing Eddie a hard-light hologram of the universe and proposing they conquer it together. Eddie bluntly refuses, Kang noting that he was in more of a listening mood back then and that this must be their first meeting from Eddie's perspective. As Eddie rejects Kang's assertion that they will become good friends, Kang pulls out an energy sword and attacks. Warstar refuses to fight Kang, which it says is extremely against protocol, and Eddie -- thinking fast -- tells it this is just an exercise to test Kang's personal defenses. Warstar buys this and forms arm-cannons, Kang freezing the bullets in midair and mocking him for using such primitive technology. Swapping the arm-cannons to flamethrowers, Eddie blasts Kang with 2000 degrees Kelvin flames, though Kang shields himself with a bubble of stopped time and mocks Eddie for fighting a battle he has no understanding of while waging a war he comprehends even less of. As Kang says all he wants to do is help Eddie, Eddie considers this before telling Warstar to assume the shape of his King in Black form and copy Kang's weapon. Kang complements Eddie's strategy, the two duelling briefly before Kang lops off Eddie's sword-arm. Saying Eddie could never have hurt him, Kang slashes him multiple times with the energy blade... which leaves no wounds.

Putting the energy sword away, Kang says it wasn't a weapon but a tool to stabilize Eddie's temporal form, if only temporarily. Eddie asks how Kang knew he was having time problems, Kang replying that Eddie told him... or will tell him in Eddie's future. Kang offers to help Eddie learn how to time-travel at-will, Eddie begrudgingly agreeing as he can see no other way to return to Dylan. Kang excuses himself to use the washroom, then makes his way to an office where his superior waits. Pouring himself a drink, Kang informs his boss that Eddie is suspicious and doesn't trust him yet, but doesn't suspect that Kang is baiting someone else's trap since Eddie doesn't know anyone else capable of such sophisticated temporal chicanery. Smirking, Meridius complements Kang on playing his part to perfection.

Solicit Synopsis

Trivia

See Also

• 8 image(s) from Venom Vol 5 8
• 1 reprint(s) of Venom Vol 5 8

Links and References

References