Archer Lyle (Earth-616)
Archer Lyle was an investigative journalist based out of Sacramento, California. Early into her career, she became a war correspondent and met rookie reporter Eddie Brock, who was investigating a scandal involving stolen gold. Archer and Eddie became friends, establishing a dead drop location at a diner in Sacramento, but ultimately parted ways once Eddie's investigation concluded.
Over a decade later, Archer recieved a phone call from Eddie warning her that he was going to die and that the people responsible were members of an organization called the Absent Throne. While she initially assumed Eddie had gone insane, Archer began investigating and discovered that the Absent Throne was a shadowy cabal pulling the strings of corporations like Alchemax, the Life Foundation, and the Beyond Corporation; lobbiest groups like the Friends of Humanity; and politicians like Peter Krane and his son Arthur Krane -- with the common thread being an interest in symbiotes. Archer's investigation was discovered and she was blackmailed into agreeing to help capture the Venom symbiote and Eddie's son Dylan Brock in exchange for her life.[1]
Seeing news of Eddie's death, Archer went to the diner that had been their dead-drop location and observed Dylan, the Venom symbiote in the form of a dog, and the Sleeper symbiote in the form of a cat. Retrieving Dylan's smartphone after he threw it away, Archer followed the trio and intervened to save them from mercenaries sent by the Life Foundation. Scolding Dylan for being so careless, Archer learned that Eddie had sent Dylan a message just before his death instructing his son to find her.[2] Taking the trio to an old abandoned factory on the outskirts of Sacramento, Archer showed Dylan some photos of her and Eddie during their younger years and explained how they'd come to be friends. Showing Dylan her research into the Absent Throne, Archer manipulated him into asking to help her investigation and requested that he leave the Venom symbiote behind; though Dylan insisted on bringing the Sleeper symbiote along.[1] Taking Dylan to a research facility in Plymouth, Archer arranged a trap with Alchemax CEO Liz Allan and betrayed Dylan by assisting Alchemax security forces in subduing him and Sleeper. While Archer expressed regret, Liz coldly informed her that she'd done the right thing and that Dylan and Sleeper's capture would save countless lives in the coming symbiote arms race.[1]
Archer Lyle possesses no known superhuman powers.
Archer Lyle is a skilled investigative journalist with over a decade of experience working in dangerous situations like war zones. She is also a skilled-enough martial artist to incapacitate trained mercenaries.