cost of their own brief time as heroes. Post-AXIS Kasady is revealed to have cheated death again, though he lost the lower half of his body in the process, and went to Carefree, Arizona, to pay a visit to a new friend he made during the time he was inverted, a friend he was willing to "help", Sam Alexander aka Nova. Kasady left a message signaling his return in the form of murdering a random bystander who he had asked where to find the boy as proof that he was reverted to his more natural moral axis. After learning that Sam's mother works at a local diner, Kasady took her hostage there in order to get his attention, but, tired of waiting, Kasady decided to kill her. Nova arrived before he could do so and took him away from the diner to an empty area in order not to hurt anyone. While fighting, Nova tried to convince him that he was not Sam Alexander, but the maniac did not believe him. After being wounded by the Nova Force, Kasady fled in order to let his symbiote heal him as the police arrived. In the next day, already healed from his burns, Kasady attacked Sam again, this time at his school. While attacking Sam at school, Carnage saw Nova flying around the area, thus making it impossible for the boy to be Nova (unbeknownst to him, that was Sam's mother wearing his helmet). Enraged, Carnage followed the false Nova, but lost sight of her. He then started to attack innocent people to try to get Nova's attention, which he got. A new battle ensued between them both. Carnage was taken by Nova to the sky and then punched him into the parking lot below, the impact setting off the cars' alarms, dizzying Kasady, and his symbiote. Kasady was then thrown by Nova, who had already realized Carnage's weakness to high sounds, into an Anthrax (a heavy metal band which Kasady was a fan of) show nearby. As the symbiote screamed in pain, Kasady fled from there to the road but was attacked by Nova again. He threw a car at Nova, who caught it midair, and took advantage of it to punch him. Ready to finish off his opponent, Carnage was hit by a truck. He was then tied in metal plates by Nova and left by his symbiote as he