Carnage #9

[Cable]

Carnage almost has enough XP to level up and gain the mightiest weapon that will allow him to win the game! And by win the game I mean kill everyone in the universe

Full Spoilers:

Spoiler: show

Carnage and his hound murder their way into a Nidavellir prison until they find a dwarf prisoner named Drorin Runehewer. This is the brother of former king and forgemaster Eitri locked up because Drorin, despite claiming to be a better craftsman than his sibling, advocated for closing the great forge in order to stop the gods from wielding dangerous weapons for their own ends. Ironically the forge is now destroyed precisely because it and Eitri were eventually destroyed by Mjolnir. Carnage wants Drorin to reopen the forge to make him a weapon but of course Drorin refuses. Neely notes Hela said Drorin might help in exchange for freedom, but the dwarf says they aren't the first ones she has sent here to try this. Carnage says those others may have been more warmongering gods wanting weapons for their petty squabbles but what Carnage wants is nothing less than the greatest blade ever made and for the purpose of slaying all those deities. Drorin agrees, though he needs materials and an assistant. In an interlude we see Jon Shayde back at the Great Well of Hrvelgemir. The voice of Cletus Kasady is mocking Shayde for not killing Malekith and suggesting that all blood spilled now is his fault. When the giant ferryman tells Shayde to halt, the detective unleashes his symbiote powers and murders him. He shouts at the voice in his head what he is to say, that he was naive or foolish and that right and wrong are juvenile notions in the face of what he has seen? Kasady says he doesn't need to say it now, as Shayde steps onto the boat holding the bloody oar. As he sails into the portal he could go back home, but he demands to know where Carnage is going next. Kasady is delighted and they teleport to Nidavellir. Meanwhile at the forge, Drorin is telling Neely that Carnage is a madman and they have to kill him. Neely is not sure Carnage can even be killed, but is open to the idea. He says Carnage isn't the same as before, there is no beauty in slaughtering whole worlds. Drorin says not to underestimate the power of the forge. There will be a moment of weakness when Carnage tries to meld his body to the blade and they should be able to provide enough energy through the forge to incinerate him. Neely questions why Drorin would risk his life and the dwarf replies that this is the conviction that drove him to spend all those years in prison: the forge cannot be allowed to produce a weapon that would destroy them all. He hands Neely a device that will allow escape from this world when tapped into the power of the forge. Drorin then goes to Carnage to ask about the details of what he is supposed to be making. Carnage hands over the symbiote codex and reveals he wants nothing less than Knull's Necrosword made anew!

So after a rather odd (even for this book) interlude last issue, we are now back to our regularly scheduled program. We finally learn Carnage's final goal which isn't particularly surprising but that's because it makes a lot of sense. This book now has maneuvered us into the strange position of actively rooting for a sadistic serial killer in Neely. Though we have always been rooting for the other guy (Shayde) who is apparently possessed by a sadistic serial killer himself. This book feels like it is heading toward a conclusion as Carnage's endgame is close, but I could also see the title continuing after his destruction with a focus on Shayde dealing with his own corruption. I know that's something I would want to read.