Every installment of Abandoned Love we will be examining comic book stories, plots and ideas that were abandoned by a later writer without explaining that the previous story was retconned away. Click here for an archive of all the previous editions of Abandoned Love. Feel free to e-mail me at bcronin@comicbookresources.com if you have any suggestions for future editions of this feature.

Based on a suggestion from reader John C., we look at how Black Cat had a bizarrely short memory when it came to Venom and Carnage...

Black Cat first encountered Venom in Amazing Spider-Man #316 (by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane). It did not go well for her...







You have to love the extra bit where she finds out Spider-Man's married for the first time at that moment. Ouch.

So anyhow, a few years later, during Maximum Carnage (specifically Spider-Man #35, by Howard Mackie, Tom Lyle and Scott Hanna), Venom offers to team-up with Spider-Man to take down Carnage and his crew. Black Cat tries to convince Spider-Man that he has to do it...



He initially wavers, but she ends up joining up with Venom herself...



(Spider-Man eventually joined in)

Black Cat fights alongside Spider-Man and Venom against Carnage for the rest of the storyline.

And yet...in 2004's Venom vs. Carnage...well, go to the next page and see what's what...

Venom vs. Carnage was by Peter Milligan and Clayton Crain, and it involved the introduction of a NEW symbiote, the grandson of Venom, who attaches to a cop whose wife is just giving birth. Carnage tries to kill the cop, Venom tries to stop him (only to debate whether HE wants to kill him, as well) and Black Cat, who was stealing some stuff, gets involved in Venom vs. Carnage #2 (Spider-Man is busy taking care of the cop's wife, who is giving birth)...











As you can see, Black Cat doesn't recognize either Carnage or Venom.

She confirms as much later in the issue, when the cop brings her to the station to help him figure out what is going on...



Later in the series, she also shows her unfamiliarity with Venom and Carnage one last time...



So yeah, weird decision here to ignore Black Cat's history with both symbiotes.

Thanks for the suggestion, John! If anyone else can think of other interesting abandoned stories, drop me a line at bcronin@comicbookresources.com