Time and destiny will do my will. As will you, Flexo. As will you. Do not resist. Simply think... and remember. Who forced you here? Who broke your destiny? What is his name? Eddie Brock. The so-called King in Black. When the time is right, you will be the hand of my vengeance against him... and his own son will be your weapon. 

—Doctor Doom

Appearing in "Listen: Flexo has Come Unstuck in Time"

Featured Characters:

• Flexo (Main story and flashback)
• Venom / Iron Man (Dylan Brock) (Impersonates Tony Stark)

Supporting Characters:

• Josh Williams (Only in flashback)
• Joel Williams (Only in flashback)
• Venom Symbiote

Antagonists:

• King in Black (Eddie Brock) (Only in flashback)
• Doctor Doom (Victor von Doom) (Only in flashback)

Other Characters:

• US Army (Only in flashback)
  • Unnamed general
  • Unnamed soldiers
• Nazis (Only in flashback)
  • Unnamed soldiers (Deceased)
• Flexo II (Mentioned) (Origin revealed)
• Gold Goblin (Norman Osborn) (Mentioned)
• King in Black (Meridius) (Mentioned)
• Knull (Mentioned)
• NYPD
• Life Foundation (Mentioned)
• Iron Man (Tony Stark) (Mentioned)
• Spider-Man (Peter Parker) (Referenced)
• Thunderbolts (Mentioned)
• All-Black the Chain-Breaker
• Alchemax (Mentioned)

Races and Species:

• Humans (Main story and flashback)
• Symbiotes (Main story and flashback)
• Birds (Only in flashback)

Locations:

• Earth
  • United States of America
    • New York
      • New York City
        • Manhattan
          • Midtown
            • 51st Street
              • Williams Bros. Laboratory
  • France (Only in flashback)
    • Nazi-Occupied Village (Destroyed)

Items:

• Iron Man Armor (Mentioned)
• Dylan Brock's Necrosword

Synopsis for "Listen: Flexo has Come Unstuck in Time"

In their lab, Josh Williams wonders if Flexo -- contained in a stasis tank filling up with liquid nitrogen -- can hear them, Joel Williams replying that he hopes not since it would make him mad at them. Josh says that's not what he meant, lamenting having to put Flexo on ice given they owe him their lives. Joel reprimands him, saying he saw the field reports and photos of the aftermath of Flexo's rampage. Josh scoffs that all Flexo did was kill a bunch of Nazis, but Joel snaps that he destroyed an occupied village and that it's a miracle that no innocents were killed. Flexo listens as Joel says that a gun that discharges prematurely is useless and they promised the army a working gun -- a functional, controllable robot soldier -- Josh reiterates that they owe Flexo their lives. Joel snaps that he knows that, saying that putting Flexo into stasis is the humane solution since they can take a cutting and grow a new and improved Flexo, keeping the original on ice until they can figure out what to do with him. As the liquid nitrogen freezes him solid, Flexo hears Josh lament that that could take decades. Decades later, in the aftermath of Venom's fight with the Gold Goblin, Flexo's stasis tank is damaged and he breaks free.

As Venom web-swings over the city, the Venom symbiote tells Dylan Brock to be honest with it and himself. Dylan snaps at it to shut up, but the symbiote says that Norman Osborn deserved to die but he stopped it from killing him because Norman wasn't the one Dylan wants to kill, telling Dylan to say the name. Dylan shouts that he wants to kill his father, Eddie Brock, smashing a water tower to vent his rage. As Dylan mockingly asks if it thought saying it out loud would make him feel better, the Venom symbiote replies that it's in its nature to want a healthy host -- especially given the task ahead of them. Dylan recaps their goal is to use his Codex powers to free the symbiotes from Eddie's -- or any other King in Black's -- control and assemble a hit-squad of freed symbiotes. Saying that Dylan isn't wrong to resent or be angry with his father and that it knows all-too-well where he's coming from, the Venom symbiote pointedly reminds him that the goal of the Symbiote Squad is not to kill Eddie, but to save him from whatever he's found himself embroiled in. As the symbiote asks if he understands this, Dylan pointedly refuses to answer; but their argument is interrupted by a scream of terror from behind them. As Venom investigates, the symbiote notifies Dylan that it senses another symbiote; Venom backtracking to find a red and gold robotic-looking symbiote emerging from a warehouse. As the Venom symbiote notes it doesn't recognize the mystery symbiote and suggests recruiting it, Dylan notes that it looks robotic and could be a trap set by the Life Foundation or Eddie, and that if just they go down there the cops will attack them too. The Venom symbiote scornfully asks where Dylan's newfound sense of caution is coming from, but Dylan grins and says he has a plan. Reading his thoughts, the Venom symbiote bluntly refuses, saying it's worse than being a dog. Leaping from the roof, Dylan tells the symbiote to just do it and it replies that it wants chocolate as payment for when his plan inevitably goes wrong. As the symbiote transforms to resemble a suit of Iron Man Armor, Dylan awkwardly pretends to be Tony Stark to diffuse the situation, asking Flexo who it is and telling the Venom symbiote to shut up when it adds it wants the good chocolate. Calling Venom "Metal Face", Flexo has a flashback to the ruins of the French village -- a voice from on high sneering that Eddie is a fool for thinking he can beat his own future into submission when time and destiny bow to one man only, and that Flexo will bow to him too. As Flexo attacks, the Venom symbiote tells Dylan it told him so and wants Belgian chocolate. "Iron Man" manifests a shield, the Venom symbiote alarmed that Flexo's punch is strong enough to cause it pain and telling Dylan to take the fight away from the civilians. Holding out one arm, "Iron Man" engages his "liquid repulsors" -- the symbiote confused for a moment before realizing what Dylan wants it to do: firing a torrent of webbing from the fake RT node on "Iron Man"'s palm and blasting Flexo back into the warehouse.

As "Iron Man" enters the warehouse, the symbiote notes that they're now out of web fluid and that if Dylan wants more it needs to eat something human-sized. Transforming back into Venom, the symbiote tells Flexo that what it attacked it with was symbiote waste-product converted into organic webbing, which it normally uses for locomotion. Mistaking Venom for Eddie Brock, Flexo -- enraged as it recalls what Eddie had forced it to do decades prior -- extends its fingers into claws and lunges. As Venom punches Flexo away, the Venom symbiote informs Dylan that they need to wrap things up before the police get suspicious, having heard them call for backup outside and being concerned that the Thunderbolts or the real Iron Man could show up. As Dylan notes that Flexo seems to think they're Eddie and they need to find a way to restrain it until they can figure things out, the Venom symbiote reminds him that they're out of web-fluid; interrupting Dylan to say that Flexo isn't as the robotic symbiote transforms one arm into a gatling gun and opens fire. Knocked to the ground and dazed, Dylan manifests All-Black as an arm-blade and impales Flexo through the chest -- severing him from the Symbiote Hive-Mind. Flexo comes to his senses and realizes Venom isn't Eddie, Dylan introducing himself and commiserating with Flexo's desire for freedom. The Venom symbiote tells Dylan they need to escape without the police seeing them, since that would just get them and Flexo a one-way ticket to Alchemax. Transforming All-Black into a drill, Dylan bores a hole into the sewers below, telling Flexo that it needs to lay low for the time being but that they can make proper introductions and work out what to do next. As Venom carries him, Flexo recalls the command issued to him by the man he called Metal Face -- Doctor Doom: to be the instrument of his vengeance against Eddie Brock, and to use Dylan Brock to do so.

Solicit Synopsis

See Also

• 8 image(s) from Venom Vol 5 22
• 1 reprint(s) of Venom Vol 5 22

Links and References

References