Warning! Spoilers ahead for Extreme Carnage Alpha #1
In the' new Extreme Carnage series, both Agent Venom and Carnage have returned to the Marvel Comics universe, and it looks like they'll be going to war with one another. With King in Black's conclusion, the world has been trying to recover from the fallout of the global symbiote invasion, and anti-alien sentiments have never been higher. Carnage sees this turmoil as the perfect opportunity to cause some mayhem, and Agent Venom has been recruited by Iron Man to makes sure his threat is contained, seemingly taking the place of Eddie Brock's Venom as Carnage's new rival and nemesis.
In Extreme Carnage Alpha#1 from writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson and artist Manuel Garcia, The Friends of Humanity political campaign has made a pivot from an anti-mutant platform to anti-alien, capitalizing on the fear and anxieties that are plaguing the country. Meanwhile, it looks as though Cletus Kasady's Carnage has returned after King in Black, and he's looking to stoke that fear even more, no doubt thriving on the chaos and mayhem it will bring. However, the recently resurrected Agent Venom returned during the battle with Knull the Symbiote God, and he's discovered that his symbiote suit holds a connection to Carnage.
While Flash Thompson may feel some sort of a bond with Carnage, it looks like he's determined to resist and take down the sinister symbiote as the series continues. Furthermore, it seems as though Agent Venom is being set up to be Carnage's new primary rival over the original Venom, seeing as how Eddie Brock is now the new King in Black and way above Carnage's paygrade and power levels. In any case, seeing Agent Venom and Carnage battling should prove to be quite epic, and it seems as though Carnage will be looking to unite the other offspring of Venom as well (the Life Foundation symbiotes).
Whatever happens, it doesn't look like Agent Venom's war with Carnage will be some simple affair. The end of the issue saw Kasady posing as Senator Krane, the leader of the Friends of Humanity movement, which does not bode well. If Kasady (as Krane) gets more support in the face of more symbiotes attacks and fear, Carnage could become president of the United States.
It's not hard to assume that that's exactly Kasady's plan: instigating and motivating a greater number of attacks and threats thanks to his symbiote siblings in order to make Krane look even more attractive for the presidency. While Iron Man was initially worried about the real Krane's safety, it seems as though it's already too late and he's been replaced by Carnage. Now, Agent Venom is going to have to be really smart about how he goes to war with the evilest symbiote in existence as the series continues, especially now they've been set up as new rivals for one another.