Avengers: The Symbiote War

Avengers: The Symbiote War is a Direct-to-Video animated film series based on Marvel Comics and inspired by the events of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It serves as a sequel to Avengers: Chronicles of the Infinity with elements of the 2018 Venom film. The film follows the Avengers (now officially joined by Kamala Khan as Ms. Marvel) and the Guardians of the Galaxy resuming their crime-fighting activities while they deal with the new threat of Symbiotes, which had been salvaged and experimented on by Dr. Carlton Drake and his crew from Life Foundation following Thanos' defeat. At the same time, Peter Parker and Kamala are entrusted by their mentors to look after journalist Eddie Brock, who was infected and bonded with a fugitive Symbiote which grants him superpowers as long as they share the same body.

Plot
Shortly after the Avengers' previous victory, a group of Damage Control salvagers working for Life Foundation explored and salvaged a series of items within one of Thanos' destroyed Q-Ships. From the ships, they had also encountered Symbiotes, liquid-like alien parasites which can possess and control host bodies of other organic lifeforms. Following orders from their director Dr. Carlton Drake, the Life Foundation scientists begun to perform unlawful experiments on homeless citizens and prison convicts. Among those humans, journalist Eddie Brock, who was interviewing some scientists, was possessed by a Symbiote which had escaped the facility and, after a brief havoc, forcibly went in hiding.

In Present Day, the Avengers (consisting of Tony Stark / Iron Man, Steve Rogers / Captain America, Thor, Bruce Banner / Hulk, Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel, Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow and Clint Barton / Hawkeye) and the Guardians of the Galaxy (Peter Quill / Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Mantis, Drax and Groot) raid a Hydra facility in Edinburgh commanded by Ophelia Sarkissian / Madame Hydra, who has been experimenting on inmates of New York's Central Prison (including Adrian Toomes) using new weapons made of Thanos' technology. After the Hydra agents are defeated, Sarkissian ends up possessed by a symbiote (which one of the Hydra agents stole from a Life Foundation sector) and battles the heroes, who (with help from Toomes) destroy the organism and apprehend Sarkissian and Toomes is pardoned his accusations, though Rogers, Quill and Gamora express a new concern of a new threat which comes by.

Three days later, Peter Parker and Kamala Khan participate a Homecoming party at Midtown High and meet new student Miles Morales and Toomes' daughter Liz (who had moved back to New York with her mother after hearing news that her father was pardoned) until the school is attacked by Rieg Davan, a paranoid alien gladiator who had escaped the Sanctuary II and is obsessively bent to destroy anything about music on Earth. On their guises of Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel respectively, Parker and Kamala defeat Davan before the Avengers and the Guardians arrive to apprehend him and Parker senses something dangerous at the moment he spots a silent and timid Brock close by and Nick Fury suggests Parker to keep Brock in check.

Stark, Danvers, Quill and Gamora search for and explore Thanos' now abandoned but still active ship the Sanctuary II and encounter Taneleer Tivan the Collector, who has been left stranded in the ship after Thanos' death. The group also find more footage of Tivan having sent the Terrigen Meteor with the Aether concealed in it (the activity which was responsible for Kamala's Inhuman transformation and her bond with Parker, which resulted in the destruction of the Infinity Gauntlet). To their displeasure, it is revealed that the Aether was not the only thing which was concealed in the meteor; they soon discover that a Symbiote (just like the one which bonded to Sarkissian) had also been concealed and accidentally sent to Earth. Assuming that Parker and Kamala are in grave danger, Stark and Danvers search for them.

Following their suspicions about Brock, Parker and Kamala follow him to a warehouse, where Brock pleads for theirs and the Avengers' assistance with his condition, but just as the young couple agree to help, the Symbiote suddenly takes control of Brock, transforming him into the monstrous "Venom" and forces him to fight back. Stark, Danvers and Quill arrive to help fight Venom and defeat him. Brock consequently gains some control over the Symbiote when his girlfriend Anne Weying arrives. Brock is held at the Avengers' custody so that Scott Lang and Banner can find the resources to help him gain control over the Symbiote.

Reluctantly deducing that the Soul Stone could be what they need, Gamora, Kamala and Danvers travel to Volmir, where Peggy Carter, keeper of the Soul Stone, informs them that the stone can only be retrieved by sacrificing a mortal of a irredeemable soul. Kamala consequently elects the burglar who killed Parker's uncle Ben and, after bringing him in, they sacrifice him by throwing him off the mountain to his death, earning the stone. Meanwhile, Parker encounters Morales and discovers that he was bitten by a prototype lab spider which was experimented on by Dr. Drake's executives in Midtown High and given with his own spider powers. After training him, Parker guides Morales to the Avengers Facility, where Stark provides Morales his own Spider-Man suit.

Still bent to apprehend Brock, Drake demands to unleash the Symbiote-possessed subjects to find him and retrieve his Symbiote, ignoring the others' warnings that they are still not fully under control. One of the subjects, Cletus Kasady (who was possessed by a red-shaped offspring of the original Symbiote and dubbed himself "Carnage") subsequently escapes and begins to wreak havoc in the Life Foundation facility, releasing the other possessed convicts, who go for a rampage.

As the Avengers and the Guardians battle the Symbiote mutants, Parker and Morales manage to get the evidences of Drake's crimes, but not before Drake fuses himself with one of the Symbiotes, the tyrannical Alpha known as "Riot" and uncontrollably becomes part of the rampage. Fused with the Soul Stone, Brock gains full control of the Symbiote (which then agrees to help protect the Earth from its own kind) and uses it help the Avengers battle the Symbiotes. All possessed convicts are stripped off their Symbiotes thanks to a nano-tech antidote Lang and Banner developed using Vibranium particles provided by T'Challa. However, only Drake remains and he and Brock engage into a vicious fight in their respective symbiote forms which takes place in a nearby rocket. Brock distracts Drake long enough for Parker and Stark to activate the rocket, which takes off with Venom and Riot in it. Drake is stripped off his symbiote by the rocket's afterburners and rendered unconscious, but Brock is apparently killed when the rocket explodes.

In the aftermath of the battle, Life Foundation is discontinued and disbanded as Drake, exposed for his crimes by Parker, is arrested in the Raft, where the inmates proceed to get their revenge on him. Weying mourns for Brock's apparent demise as she is comforted by Kamala and Danvers as Morales is welcomed to the Avengers as Kid Arachnid while under Parker's supervision. Meanwhile, Brock (who had survived the explosion thanks to a Space Stone prototype he collected in the Avengers Facility) watches a sunrise on another planet, as the Venom Symbiote is still alive in him.
 * In a Mid-Credit Scene, Cindy Moon is staring at a hatched Terrigen Coccoon before she starts crawling a nearby building. A close-up in her eyes reveals energy light igniting.
 * In a Post-Credit Scene, a bruised Drake is residing in the Raft while reluctantly sharing a cell with Davan, who proceeds to beat him (off-screen) when Drake accidentally plays a song in the cell's radio.

Characters
As in its prequel, the animation of the film is the same as in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, but the appearances of the characters are yet based on their appearances in Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.

Peter Parker / Spider-Man

 * Voice Actor: Haley Joel Osment
 * Biography: A teenage Avenger who received spider-like abilities after being bitten by a genetically-modified spider.
 * Appearance: Based on Tom Holland's performance, but with green eyes. His costumes are the same as in Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War respectively.

Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Auli'i Cravalho
 * Biography: An Avenger and Parker's love interest, she is a teenage Superhero fangirl who manifested her size/shape shifting abilities due to exposure to the Terrigen Mist and her status as a Inhuman descendant.
 * Appearance: Visually based in her voice actress, but with blue eyes. Her costume is a full red bodysuit under a blue ballet leotard with a skirt, a hood (which her mask is attached to) and a golden lightning bolt in her chest, a pair of blue boots and her golden bracelet in her left arm.

Eddie Brock / Venom

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Jerry O'Connell (as Eddie Brock) and Tony Todd (as the Venom Symbiote)
 * Biography: An investigative journalist who becomes the host of an alien symbiote which imbues him with super-human abilities and a horrific alter-ego: "Venom".
 * Appearance: Based on Tom Hardy's character in Venom.

Anne Weying

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Jodi Benson
 * Biography: A district attorney and Eddie's girlfriend.
 * Appearance: Based on Michelle Williams' character in Venom.

Miles Morales / Kid Arachnid

 * Voice Actor:
 * Biography: Parker and Kamala's newest classmate who develops his own arachnid powers from a prototype lab spider experimented on by Carlton Drake (who planned to create a living weapon against Brock to retrieve the symbiote). Miles effectively joins Parker's side and becomes a second Spider-Man after after being given a second version of the Spider-Man suit by Stark.
 * Appearance: Based on his looks in the 2017 Spider-Man animated series.

Tony Stark / Iron Man

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Eric Loomis
 * Biography: A leader and benefactor of a faction of the Avengers, who is a self-described genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist with electromechanical suits of armor of his own making. He is also Parker's mentor and ally.
 * Appearance: The same as in Avengers: Infinity War.

Steve Rogers / Captain America

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Roger Craig Smith
 * Biography: A leader of the Avengers. A World War II veteran, he was enhanced to the peak of human physicality by an experimental serum and frozen in suspended animation before waking up in the modern world.
 * Appearance: The same as in Captain America: Civil War.

Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Laura Bailey
 * Biography: An Avenger, a highly trained spy, and a former agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Appearance: The same as in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Thor

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Travis Willingham
 * Biography: An Avenger and the king of Asgard, based on the Norse mythological deity of the same name.
 * Appearance: The same as in Avengers: Infinity War.

Bruce Banner / Hulk

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Jesse Burch (as Bruce Banner) and Fred Tatasciore (as Hulk)
 * Biography: An Avenger and a genius scientist who, because of exposure to gamma radiation, transforms into a monster when enraged or agitated.
 * Appearance: The same as in Avengers: Infinity War. He also wears his Sakaarian gladiator attire and arsenal from Thor: Ragnarok.

Clint Barton / Hawkeye

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Troy Baker
 * Biography: An Avenger and master archer who previously worked as an agent for S.H.I.E.L.D..
 * Appearance: The same as in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Scott Lang / Ant-Man

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Crispin Freeman
 * Biography: An Avenger and former petty criminal who acquired a suit which allows him to shrink or grow in scale while also increasing in strength.
 * Appearance: The same as in Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Hope Van Dyne / Wasp

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Tara Strong
 * Biography: An Avenger and the daughter of Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, who is handed down a similar suit and the Wasp mantle from her mother.
 * Appearance: The same as in Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Doctor Stephen Strange

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Liam O'Brien
 * Biography: An Avenger and a former neurosurgeon who, after a car accident which led to a journey of healing, discovered the hidden world of magic and alternate dimensions and became a Master of the Mystic Arts.
 * Appearance: The same as in Avengers: Infinity War.

T'Challa / Black Panther

 * Voice Actor/Actress: James C. Mathis III
 * Biography: An Avenger and the king of the African nation of Wakanda, who gained his enhanced strength by ingesting the Heart-Shaped Herb.
 * Appearance: The same as in Avengers: Infinity War.

Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Kari Wahlgren
 * Biography: An Avenger and U.S. Air Force pilot whose DNA is fused with that of an alien during an accident, which imbues her with the powers of superhuman strength, energy projection and flight. She is also Kamala's superhero idol and inspiration and has a close relationship with Rogers.
 * Appearance: Based on Brie Larson's character in the upcoming solo film of the same name and the untitled sequel of Avengers: Infinity War.

Vision

 * Voice Actor/Actress: David Kaye
 * Biography: An android and Avenger created using the artificial intelligence J.A.R.V.I.S., Ultron, and the Mind Stone.
 * Appearance: The same as in Avengers: Infinity War.

Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Lacey Chabert
 * Biography: An Avenger who can harness magic and engage in hypnosis and telekinesis.
 * Appearance: The same as in Avengers: Infinity War.

Sam Wilson / Falcon

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Khary Payton
 * Biography: An Avenger and former pararescueman trained by the military in aerial combat, using a specially designed wing pack.
 * Appearance: The same as in Avengers: Infinity War.

Peter Quill / Star-Lord

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Josh Keaton
 * Biography: The half-human, half-Celestial leader of the Guardians who was abducted from Earth as a child, and raised by a group of alien thieves and smugglers called the Ravagers. He is armed with his Quad Blasters as well as a pair of Element-bending Gauntlets and Belt composed of Chitauri technology and designed by Jane Foster in Stark Industries.
 * Appearance: The same as in Avengers: Infinity War.

Gamora

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Jennifer Hale
 * Biography: A member of the Guardians, who is an orphan from an alien world and raised by Thanos, seeking redemption for her past crimes.
 * Appearance: The same as in Avengers: Infinity War, but with blue eyes.

Rocket

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Trevor Devall
 * Biography: A member of the Guardians who is a genetically-engineered raccoon-based bounty hunter and mercenary, and is a master of weapons and battle tactics.
 * Appearance: The same as in Avengers: Infinity War.

Groot

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Eric Bauza
 * Biography: A member of the Guardians who is a tree-like humanoid. While he is still a teenager since one of the mid-credit scenes of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, he is somewhat more easy going and cheerful than he was in his original appearance in Infinity War.
 * Appearance: The same as in Avengers: Infinity War.

Mantis

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Hynden Walch
 * Biography: A naive but innocent member of the Guardians of the Galaxy with emphatic powers.
 * Appearance: The same as in Avengers: Infinity War, but with green alien eyes (similarly to Starfire in the DC Animated Movie Universe).

Drax the Destroyer

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Kevin Michael Richardson
 * Biography: A member of the Guardians and warrior whose family was killed by Thanos' forces.
 * Appearance: The same as in Avengers: Infinity War.

Adrian Toomes

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Diedrich Bader
 * Biography: An incarcerated salvager-turned-arms trafficker formerly known as the winged-armored villain the Vulture, he returns as an ally to Parker and the Avengers after he is pardoned from his crimes by Stark.
 * Appearance: Based on Michael Keaton's performance in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Dr. Carlton Drake / Riot

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Neil Patrick Harris (as Carlton Drake) and Kevin Michael Richardson (as Riot)
 * Biography: The corrupt head of the Life Foundation who is experimenting on the symbiotes. In order to retrieve the one bonded by Brock, he eventually bonds to another symbiote known as Riot.
 * Appearance: Based on Riz Ahmed's character in Venom.

Cletus Kasady / Carnage

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Robert Englund (as both Kasady and Carnage)
 * Biography: A sadistic convict in Ravencroft Institute who becomes one of Drake's subjects for his experiments with the symbiotes. Kasady is bonded with a red clone of Brock's symbiote which imbues him with Venom's abilities and a horrific alter-ego: "Carnage".
 * Appearance: Cletus Kasady is based on his voice actor's looks. Carnage is designed after its appearance in Ultimate Spider-Man vs. the Sinister 6.

Nick Fury

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Keith David
 * Biography: The former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. who originally recruited the Avengers and continues to be a mentor and benefactor for the team.
 * Appearance: Based on Samuel L. Jackson's performance in Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Aunt May

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Jennifer Hale
 * Biography: Parker's aunt who supports his role as Spider-Man and his relationship with Kamala.
 * Appearance: The same as in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Dr. Jane Foster

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Catherine Taber
 * Biography: An astrophysicist allied with the Avengers, she is Thor's married queen in Asgard.
 * Appearance: Based on Natalie Portman's character in the MCU. She wears her Asgardian dress from Thor: The Dark World.

Maria Hill

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Sumalee Montano
 * Biography: A former high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who now works alongside the Avengers.
 * Appearance: The same as in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Dr. Dora Skirth

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Jessica DiCicco
 * Biography: A Life Foundation scientist who disagrees with Drake's methods and secretly works for the Avengers.
 * Appearance: Based on Jenny Slate's character in Venom.

Peggy Carter

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Kari Wahlgren
 * Biography: A deceased officer with the Strategic Scientific Reserve and a co-founder of S.H.I.E.L.D., who is a former love interest of Steve Rogers. She was revived as the keeper of the Soul Stone in Vormir as a result of the destruction of the last Infinity Gauntlet.
 * Appearance: Based on 's character. She wears a long white dress with a hood.

Liz Toomes

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Jessica DiCicco
 * Biography: Toomes' daughter and Parker's classmate and former crush.
 * Appearance: The same as in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Michelle "MJ" Jones

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Tara Strong
 * Biography: One of Parker's classmates.
 * Appearance: The same as in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Ned

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Yuri Lowenthal
 * Biography: Parker's best friend and classmate.
 * Appearance: The same as in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Betty Brant

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Tara Strong
 * Biography: One of Parker's classmates and Liz's best friend.
 * Appearance: The same as in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Eugene "Flash" Thompson

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Jason Spisak
 * Biography: Parker's rival and classmate. He is shown attending to a Homecoming party at Midtown High while still teasing Parker (much to Liz and Kamala's displeasure) until the school is attacked by Rieg Davan. He is shown panicking when Davan sees him at the DJ table and attempts to attack him until Parker (as Spider-Man) and Kamala Khan (as Ms. Marvel) save his life.
 * Appearance: The same as in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Cindy Moon

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Kari Wahlgren
 * Biography: One of Parker's classmates. She is also shown in a Mid-Credit scene staring at a hatched Terrigen Coccoon before she starts crawling a nearby building. A close-up in her eyes reveals energy light igniting, which leads up to her transformation into the Spider-powered heroine Silk.
 * Appearance: The same as in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Aaron Davis

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Khary Payton
 * Biography: Miles' uncle and a close ally to Spider-Man.
 * Appearance: The same as in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

F.R.I.D.A.Y.

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Jennifer Hale
 * Biography: Stark's A.I. system.
 * Appearance: N/A.

Cassie Lang

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Jessica DiCicco
 * Biography: Lang's daughter who has a good relationship with the Avengers (even seeing Kamala as a sister figure).
 * Appearance: Based on Abby Ryder Fortson's character in Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp, but with green eyes.

Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Jim Meskimen
 * Biography: A former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, entomologist, and physicist who became the original Ant-Man after discovering the subatomic particles which make the transformation possible. He is a benefactor of the Avengers and helps them research details about the Symbiotes.
 * Appearance: Based on his looks in Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Ophelia Sarkissian / Madame Hydra

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Erica Luttrell
 * Biography: A high-ranking Hydra agent and scientist who is experimenting on Thanos' technology.
 * Appearance: The same as in Avengers: EMH!.

Taneleer Tivan the Collector

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Jeff Bennett
 * Biography: One of the Elders of the Universe, who is an obsessive keeper of the largest collection of interstellar fauna, relics, and species of all manner in the galaxy, and is the former keeper of the Aether (the Dark Elf Weapon which contained the Reality Stone) who has been held a prisoner in the Sanctuary II (even after Thanos' downfall).
 * Appearance: The same as in Avengers: Infinity War.

Rieg Davan

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Daran Norris
 * Biography: A muscular alien who was once one of Thanos' prisoners alongside the Collector before the Mad Titan died. He also carries a irrational hatred for music from Earth (which was caused by his constant hearing from the Walkman the Collector owned). And his hatred causes him to go irreversibly berserk and viciously attack anything which plays music (or anyone holding anything like a Walkman or a loudspeaker).
 * Appearance: A Grey-skinned hulking alien with Warthog tusks and red eyes. He also wears a black variant of Thanos' full costume.

Mac Gargan / Scorpion

 * Voice Actor/Actress: Jason Spisak
 * Biography: A sadistic convict from New York's Central Prison who had cybernetic components fused in his damaged body-parts due to an experiment on him by Madame Hydra. He is now equipped with a green bionic arm with Venomous and acid claws.
 * Appearance: The same as in the mid-credit scene of Spider-Man: Homecoming. He also has a cyborg-face piece in his scarred eye and a cybernetic whip resembling a Scorpion tail replacing his right arm.

Cultural References
Much like in the previous film and the original Marvel Cinematic Universe films, there are also several pop culture references and "Easter Eggs" (most of them being from Walt Disney productions and franchises).
 * While speaking about previous events and helping organize the Homecoming party at Midtown High, Kamala and Betty Brant are shown checking a box full of items based on popular films and video game franchises.
 * Two balls resemble the Pixar ball (first seen in the short film Luxo Jr.) and a Bob-omb from the Super Mario Bros. franchise.

Songs
Still like in the prequel, the film includes a small track of licensed songs which are heard in the background.
 * "Free Ride" by The Edgar Winter Group: Played at the moment Aaron Davis uses a remote-controlled truck to help Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel defeat Rieg Davan. The song starts when Davan is hit by the truck, which is used as a bait for Davan to destroy it when he listens to the song, but only to be tricked into being blasted by the Chitauri grenades implanted inside it.
 * "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" by Culture Club: Played on Taneleer Tivan's walkman at the moment Tony Stark, Carol Danvers, Peter Quill and Gamora find him in the Sanctuary II.
 * "" by Rick Astley: Played at the moment Peter Quill and Miles Morales manage to defeat Cletus Kasady / Carnage by sticking two loudspeakers in Kasady's Symbiote body and playing the song, to which a berserk Rieg Davan (who is present in the same room Quill and Morales are) ends up believing Kasady was playing any songs with him and proceeds to viciously attack him. It is played again in the Post-Credit scene, when Carlton Drake accidentally plays a song in the cell's radio, causing Davan to beat him up (off-screen).

Sequel
The film is also followed by a sequel entitled Inhumans Unleashed. In the film, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy work to solve more secrets surrounding the origins of the Inhumans while they help the Royal Family of Attilan in saving their kingdom from a war started by Ronan the Accuser's Kree successor Hala, who longs to bring about universal order by obtaining an cosmic artifact which only the Inhumans can wield.
 * See also: Avengers: Inhumans Unleashed