Synopsis
Last issue the New Avengers went to warn the Mighty Avengers about an attack by the Hood's gang. But when they got near Avengers Tower they saw the other team fighting Venom and Carnage symbiotes. And then the NAv started turning into monsters too.
This issue technically begins with a flashback because Luke Cage is describing the events to his wife Jessica later.
Luke is the only 1 not affected - the rest of the team turn into Carnages or Venoms:- Echo, Iron Fist, Ronin, Spider-Man, Wolverine, even Dr Strange. Apparently something is turning the inhabitants of Manhattan into these monsters. A giant-size Wasp has already gone Carnage. So far the other MAv (Ares, Black Widow, Iron Man, Ms Marvel, Sentry and Wonder Man) seem immune.
Luke explains to Jessica that someone dropped a chemical bomb on the city. He wasn't affected because of his impenetrable skin.
After Cage teams up with MAv, Iron Man leaves to find a cure. The others try to control the situation without harming anybody. Wolverine starts to fight against his infection. Sentry brings Wasp down. Then Iron Man returns with the cure and everyone returns to normal.
In the Luke/Jessica conversation Luke wonders why she and their baby Danielle weren't affected. He swears it's not his paranoid idea that they're Skrulls again. Jess thinks maybe they were protected because they're living in Dr Strange's house - and by the way she wants to move out. Then she asks why the MAv didn't arrest the fugitive NAv after the crisis was over. Luke explains what happened.
The NAv stay to help the MAv help the confused Manhattanites. And then the MAv just let them go. And along the way they notice that Spider-Woman has switched sides and is now with IM's gang.
That's the end of the 'flashback'. Jessica Jones is still concerned about the Skrull situation they found out about in #31. Almost anybody could be a Skrull. In #34 DrS cast a spell to ensure that none of NAv were Skrulls. But they can envisage paranoid problems with that. 1 of them could have been replaced by a Skrull afterwards. Or Strange could be a Skrull and faked his magic.
Meanwhile in #32 Spider-Woman took the body of the Skrull version of Elektra that started all this. And they now figure that she's given it to Tony Stark. Luke says Wolverine has gone to question her.
In Avengers Tower Stark has discovered that the Venom Bomb came from a Latverian satellite. So the MAv are planning to go to Latveria to arrest Dr Doom.
In the meantime the other Jessica (Spider-Woman) takes a shower, until she's interrupted by Logan. She confirms that she's shown Stark the evidence about the Skrulls. But he didn't ask her anything about the NAv because he knew she wouldn't tell him. And besides the Skrulls are a bigger problem than the NAv, Tony suspects someone on his team may be a Skrull. (Wolvie still thinks it's Stark himself.) Jessica Drew claims to be here because she thinks Stark has a better chance of dealing with the problem than the NAv.
They threaten each other with claws and venom-blasts. Then Logan changes the subject and warns her about Hood's threatened attack with a Deathlok cyborg. But SW suggests he should check the TV news (Hood's gang used Deathlok to rob a bank instead last issue, and lost the cyborg in the process).
The casual chat is interrupted by Black Widow. Wolverine jumps out of a window of the Tower, and is caught by Spider-Man.
Later the NAv scan the site of the robbery and see Deathlok's body being taken away in pieces. Some of the team wonder why they're worrying about this instead of Skrulls. But Wolvie gets the scent and leads them to Hood's lair.
There a Strange spell allows them to see inside. Hood and some of his gang (John King, Wrecker and his Wrecking Crew, Chemistro, Madame Masque and Wizard) enact the scene from the end of last issue. They divvy up the money from the bank, see a TV report on the symbiote battle, and Hood declares this a great opportunity for them.
But then Cage breaks the door down. And behind him there appears to be a large assemblage of heroes and SHIELD agents.