Appearing in 1st story
Featured Characters:
- Tel-Kar (First appearance) (Main story and flashback)
- Venom (Eddie Brock)
Supporting Characters:
- Venom Symbiote (Main story and flashback)
- Alchemax
Antagonists:
- Skrull Empire (Main story and flashback)
- Unnamed robbers (First appearance) (Apparent death of one and death of the other)
Other Characters:
- Serpent (Lucifer) (Referenced)
- Numerous unnamed Kree Empire refugees (Only in flashback)
- Numerous unnamed New Yorkers
- Sleeper Symbiote (Unnamed)
- Kendrick Lamar (Topical Reference)
- Fact Sheet (Mentioned)
- Galactus (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
- Symbiotes (Main story and flashback)
- Kree (Main story and flashback)
- Skrulls (Main story and flashback)
- Humans
- Pigeons
- Vampires (Mentioned)
Locations:
- Uncharted region of space (Only in flashback)
- Klyntar (Only in flashback)
- Throne World, Tarnax System (Mentioned)
- Hala, Pama System, Large Magellanic Cloud (Mentioned)
- Milky Way Galaxy
- Solar System
- Earth
- Garden of Eden (Referenced)
- United States of America
- New York
- New York City
- Manhattan
- Midtown
- Bowery, Lower East Side (Mentioned)
- Bowery Ballroom, Yancy Street (Mentioned)
- Manhattan
- New York City
- New York
- Earth
- Solar System
- Hell (Invoked)
Items:
- Kree Militia Uniform (Only in flashback)
Vehicles:
- Skrull Battleship (Only in flashback)
Events:
- Kree/Skrull War (Only in flashback)
Synopsis for 1st story
A pair of Kree explore a strange planet where all the organisms are bonded to amorphous symbiotic creatures. Coming across a symbiote that has been ostracized by its brethren, they collect it with the intent of weaponizing it. Years later, during the Kree-Skrull War, a Skrull battleship attacks a Kree refugee transport. One of the soldiers asks the commanding officer, D'lutz, why they are wasting their time and not reporting to the Throne World, but D'Lutz remarks that the crew deserves a little R&R in the form of slaughtering defenseless Kree citizens. Before D'Lutz can attack, the Skrull warrior who had protested shoots him before gunning down the other Skrull soldiers. As the Kree refugees watch in confusion, the Skrull transforms into a warrior clad in a black and white armored suit. Retracting his helmet to reveal himself a Kree, the warrior orders the refugees to get to the escape vessels and contact Hala. The leader of the refugees - an officer - recognizes him as Tel-Kar, a coward who deserted when the war broke out, but Tel-Kar explains that was his cover story and that he's been working deep undercover. One of the refugees asks why he threw that all away to save them, and Tel-Kar retorts that he will not kill his fellow Kree. Remarking that his mission is over and that he discovered something he needs to report, Tel-Kar is interrupted as a squadron of Skrull soldiers attack. Tel'Kar lays down covering fire, saying that he'll keep the Skrull distracted. The leader of the refugees reacts with confusion as Tel'Kar tells his armor that it needs to go with the refugees and that they'll be reunited on Hala. Tel'Kar's armor oozes off of his body into a ball, which he passes to the leader of the refugees with the order to give it to an admiral. Naked save for his energy guns, Tel-Kar takes off to buy them time.
The Kree refugees hurry towards the escape vessels, but the amorphous entity abruptly oozes out of the refugee leader's arms and escapes. As he calls for it to come back, a middle-aged woman tells him there are still others in need of rescue - her family among them - and they need him to pilot the escape vessel. As the escape vessel and Skrull battleship depart, the Kree woman tells the officer that it's good Tel-Kar's living armor escaped, speculating that it's some horrible weapon. The officer replies that he doesn't think that it's a weapon, but a living organism that wanted to do good; but regardless it's about to be marooned on a nameless world.
In the present, Venom clings to the ceiling and watches a pair of men hold a convenience store clerk at gunpoint, rivulets of drool running down his face. A drop of saliva lands on one of the thugs' faces, and Venom laughs menacingly as he drops down to confront them. Knocking out one thug with a single blow, Venom sneers that the would-be robbers are nothing but parasites feeding off the fear of their victims. The other thug ineffectually opens fire, but Venom snares his gun-arm with tendrils and snarls that this is a nightmare - and in a nightmare you can't stop the monster. A mother and her young son watch in horror as Venom kills the thug, apologizing for having to do so. Stating that the woman is a good mother, Venom cheerfully remarks he's a parent himself before web-swinging off into the cityscape.
At Alchemax, Venom happily greets the symbiote's latest offspring and retracts the Venom symbiote from his body - leaving only his head covered. Liz wryly remarks on his underwear, but Venom replies that he wants to stay in touch with the symbiote as it interacts with its offspring, and to see it through Eddie's and the symbiote's eyes. Liz tells him to meet her in her office once his parenting session is over - dressed properly. In Liz's office, Eddie looks over a file folder containing a thick legal contract. Liz tells him it's for the pharmaceutical applications of the baby symbiote; and Dr. Steve remarks they've discovered it produces psychoactive compounds through its metabolism - having observed euphoria, sedation, disinhibition, and empathogenesis in human trials. Eddie angrily demands to know if Dr. Steve has been getting high off what's essentially the baby symbiote's sweat, but Dr. Steve retorts that he doesn't answer to Eddie. Liz tells them to break it off and tells Eddie she's not running a charity, but she's fair so this deal cuts Eddie in and will give him enough money to buy a decent house - preferably one with a shower. The symbiote is shocked, Eddie snapping that this isn't a cut-in but a payoff so that he doesn't reveal where Alchemax's new wonder drugs come from, and to stop Venom from forcibly stopping the experiments. Eddie protests that he gave Alchemax positive press in his publications; but Liz retorts that he worked for a tabloid that writes nonsensical articles and the press he generates doesn't translate into profitable business deals for her; stating that that this is her job. The symbiote protests to Eddie that it's offspring is too young, and Eddie snaps that her job is to protect the baby and study it for both her benefit and Venom's. Snapping that while he knew Liz had teeth he didn't take her for a vampire, Eddie storms out of the office saying that if he finds out they're doing anything other than take measurements and sing lullabies, she'll see Venom's teeth.
As Eddie walks down the street, the symbiote warns him of oncoming danger. Eddie remarks that he let his emotions get the best of him but that he still thinks they can trust Liz. The symbiote states the danger is to them, Eddie realizing he's being followed. Walking into an alley, Eddie grabs the man following him and demands to know why. The man protests that he just needs to pee, the symbiote warning Eddie as he turns to see an identical man holding a halberd-like weapon. Before Eddie can react, the man shoots him with a bolt of energy. Eddie transforms into Venom and attacks the halberd-wielding man, who is revealed to be a female Skrull warrior. Apologizing that it's come to this, the Skrull tries to fry the symbiote from Venom, but is struck from behind by a manhole cover. Turning, the Skrull reacts in horror as Tel-Kar - dressed in tattered clothes - snaps at her to get away from his symbiote.
Solicit Synopsis
MIKE COSTA AND MARK BAGLEY REUNITE FOR A VENOM STORY UNLIKE ANY OTHER!
Before the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN… before VENOM… There was the FIRST HOST. And that First Host has returned in need of Venom’s help – only by reuniting can the two avert cosmic ruin! Can Eddie and the symbiote trust one another long enough to save the galaxy, or will the FIRST HOST prove to be Venom’s undoing?!