A new player has entered the Marvel arena, carrying an old name: Toxin - and he'll get his first solo spotlight in September's Extreme Carnage: Toxin #1.
Teenager Bren Walker was pressganged into a new life as a hero when the injured symbiote Toxin claimed him as his new host during the 'King in Black' crossover event. But like the best symbiote/host pairings, they are working together - and the sometimes-homicidal Toxin symbiote is showing a little restraint, and a more opinionated, wry personality now that he's connected to Bren.
Originally created in 2004's Venom/Carnage #1 by Peter Milligan and Clayton Crain, The Klyntar symbiote Toxin is a bit more restrained than his father Carnage but, well... symbiotes are symbiotes. Originally hosted by former NYPD cop Patrick Mulligan, he later jumped to possess Eddie Brock. That match-up didn't last long, and after nearly dying in 'King of Black' he's looking for a fresh start.
Bren's creators, writer Steve Orlando and Gerardo Sandoval, are reuniting once again for Extreme Carnage: Toxin #1 (after already being slated for July's Extreme Carnage: Phage #1).
"Toxin is back, and with Carnage on the loose, the secrets that threatened him in Planet of the Symbiotes go nuclear — and you best believe I'm excited Gerardo and I are back to show you how!" Orlando tells Newsarama. "Toxin almost died last time he faced Carnage, and trust us, the paybacks going to be killer!"
Orlando is referring to his story in the recent King in Black: Planet of the Symbiotes #3 anthology. In Orlando and Sandoval's short there, it was established that the weakened Toxin symbiote was considered too injured to continue but found a host of its own in a teenage boy named Bren Waters. In their first adventure, Toxin/Bren Waters fought a Broode/human hybrid created by Alchemax and it turned into a three-way dance with one of the US government's Guardsmen. Toxin and Bren survived, only to later discover the Guardamsn was actually Bren's own father.
Extreme Carnage: Toxin #1 is the sixth part of the larger 'Extreme Carnage' event, which begins in July with Extreme Carnage: Alpha #1, Extreme Carnage: Scream #1, and Extreme Carnage: Phage #1, and then into August with Extreme Carnage: Lasher #1 and Extreme Carnage: Riot #1.
Extreme Carnage: Toxin #1 goes on sale this September. Check back here at Newsarama for Marvel Comics' full September 2021 schedule later this month.
The symbiote/host relationship is a complex thing - check out our list of the greatest Venom hosts of all time.
