storehouse by the then-powerless Norman Osborn. Red Goblin (Norman Osborn) įollowing the events of Secret Empire, the Carnage symbiote was stolen from an old S.H.I.E.L.D. Klaw tries to get the Wizard to control Carnage again, but is killed by Carnage and the explosion separates the Symbiote from its host, only to bond with the injured Wizard. Carnage fights the Superior Spider-Man and admits that although he liked using weapons, for him ripping and slashing the bodies is better. Both Carnage and Klaw make their way outside. Klaw tries to stop him, but due to his weapon being damaged he fails and realizes that the only way is for the Wizard to take back control. Carnage, now free, goes on a rampage and starts to kill anyone in front of him. The trio are confronted by the Superior Spider-Man and during their battle the Wizard loses his control over Carnage and he is fatally injured once Spider-Man accidentally drops him due to the shock of finding out Wizard read his mind and knows about Otto Octavius. Malus was enraged and under the influences of the Symbiote tried to kill his teammates, but he was subdued by Klaw and controlled by Wizard, who renames him "Superior Carnage" and equips him with weapons. After a failed attempt to control Kasady, Wizard transfers the Symbiote to Dr. The character was originally meant to be named "Chaos", and then "Ravage", before being settled as "Carnage".Īfter Kasady was lobotomized, he was broken out of prison by the Wizard and Klaw, who intend to recruit him into the Frightful Four and turn him into their own version of Venom. Carnage was in part created due to Venom's immense popularity with fans. The symbiote was perceived to be a darker version of Venom, and was created due to the writers not wanting a replacement for Eddie Brock as Venom. The Carnage symbiote was derived by writer David Michelinie while Mark Bagley designed the character. 4.9.1 Spider-Man and Batman: Disordered Minds.In 2009, the Cletus Kasady version of Carnage was ranked as IGN's 90th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time. Woody Harrelson portrayed Carnage in their first live-action appearance in the film Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), set in Sony's Spider-Man Universe.
Since their original introduction in comics, the character has been adapted into several other forms of media, such as television series and video games. Other notable hosts include Ben Reilly, Karl Malus, and Norman Osborn, as well as Gwen Stacy in the alternate Ultimate Marvel continuity.
Like Venom, Carnage has had multiple hosts over the years, but their most infamous one remains their first, serial killer Cletus Kasady, whose sadistic personality perfectly matches that of the symbiote. Originating as an offspring of Venom, Carnage is much more powerful than their parent symbiote because of the symbiotes' biology, and is in many ways a darker version of him. The character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #361 (Apr 1992), and was created by writer David Michelinie and artist Mark Bagley, although the first published artwork of Carnage was penciled by Chris Marrinan.Ĭarnage belongs to a race of amorphous extraterrestrial parasites known as Symbiotes, which form a symbiotic bond with their hosts and give them super-human abilities.
Spider-Carnage, Carnage Cosmic, Superior Carnage, Red Goblin, The Red Slayer, Goblin Childe, The Crimson Leviathan The Amazing Spider-Man #359 (February 1992) 362 (May 1992) depicting Cletus Kasady as Carnage. Interior art from The Amazing Spider-Man No.