The supervillain Carnage debuted in the Modern Age of Comic Books in April of 1992. Carnage has served as Venom's archenemy since his conception, a role he relishes deeply. Indeed, Carnage lives up to his name, wreaking havoc everywhere he goes, cementing him as one of the most fearsome villains in Marvel.
Carnage will make his live-action debut in the upcoming Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and fans can't wait to learn more about him. Because despite the character's infamy and name recognition, there might be multiple details about his rich and intricate comic book storyline that mainstream audiences don't know about yet.
Carnage Had Multiple Hosts
Like other Symbiotes in the Marvel universe, Carnage has had multiple hosts throughout the years. The first and best-known is Cletus Kasady, a deranged and sadistic serial killer whose own aggressive traits become exacerbated by the Symbiote's violence.
Although Kasady is Carnage's best-known host, the Symbiote has bonded with numerous other characters, including Eddie Brock. Other hosts include geneticist Karl Malus, psychiatrist Tanis Nieves, and even J. Jonah Jameson's son, John Jameson. At one point, Carnage even bonds with a great white shark after being abandoned on a deserted island.
Cletus Kasady's Childhood Remains Unclear
Much of Cletus Kasady's backstory is dubious at best. Per his own vague recollections, he was born at the Ravencroft Institute to a mother with paranoid-schizophrenia, who died shortly after giving birth. After killing an abusive woman who may have been his grandmother, Cletus went to live with a man who may have been his biological father and his equally abusive wife.
After entering the foster system, Cletus eventually burned down the orphanage where he grew up, St. Estes Home for Boys. His entire childhood was a sequence of aggression and torture that only got worse as he grew up, leading to his violent and murderous tendencies.
Kasady Was Eddie Brock's Cellmate
Becoming a notorious and cannibalistic serial killer, Kasady eventually found himself imprisoned at Ryker's Island and sharing a cell with Eddie Brock. The disgraced journalist previously bonded with the Venom symbiote but got separated from it during a fight against his eternal rival, Spider-Man.
Brock became appalled by Kasady and beat him constantly. Eventually, Kasady got tired and tried to kill Brock, but Venom arrived before he could do it. Venom's offspring ended up bonding with Kasady, thus creating the first iteration of Carnage.
The Maximum Carnage Event
After his first defeat against Spider-Man, Kasady got sent to Ravencroft again. He became Carnage once more after a doctor drew blood from him, enabling the transformation. Rampaging once more, Kasady recruited several supervillains to take over New York.
The event, known as Maximum Carnage, is among the character's best-known storylines. Spanning fourteen issues, Maximum Carnage was one of the storylines that cemented Carnage's place as one of Marvel comics leading threats, joining the ranks of Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus.
Venom Once Ate Carnage
Following his second defeat, Kasady got sent to a specialized cell inside the Manhattan Correctional Facility. While in there, Kasady received a visit from Venom, who ripped out the Symbiote from his body and proceeded to devour it.
Both Venom and Carnage starred in some memorable fights throughout the years. However, few are as unforgettable or shocking as the sight of one Symbiote eating another one. The act immortalized Venom and Carnage's rivalry, cementing it as one of the most enduring conflicts in Marvel comics.
There Was A Spider-Carnage
The supervillain known as the Jackal is one of Spider-Man's most infamous foes. He is behind the creation of numerous clones, including Ben Riley, a genetic duplicate of Peter Parker. Riley believed himself to be the "real" Peter Parker for a while and even took on the Spider-Man mantle.
During this time, Riley encountered Carnage, bonding with it to stop it from hurting others. Riley's willpower proved strong enough to succeed, returning the Symbiote to Ravencroft. Riley also attempted to destroy Carnage with a blast of microwaves but failed, and the Symbiote eventually found its way back to Kasady.
Several Duplicates Of Carnage Exist
Carnage and Cletus Kasady have been separated numerous times throughout their convoluted history, but they always reunite in the end. Usually, they find each other again, but Kasady can also reconstruct the Symbiote out of remnants in his bloodstream.
As a result, there are multiple Carnage variations in the Marvel universe. The US military and corporations like Alchemax control some of these duplicates, while Kasady himself holds others.
The Osborn Connection
During one of its many separations from Cletus, Carnage fell under Norman Osborn's possession. Osborn wanted to recover his Green Goblin persona at the time and thought the Symbiote would help him. The two struck a bargain, and Osborn became the dreaded Red Goblin.
In one of his cruelest acts ever, Osborn allowed Carnage to infect his grandchild, Normie, turning him into the Goblin Childe. Spider-Man eventually separated Carnage from Osborn, but the process resulted in the man's psyche rupturing. As for Normie, Alchemax extracted the Symbiote from him, although a part of Carnage remained hidden inside the child's bloodstream.
Carnage Once Tried To Build Its Own Sovereign State
During the Carnage USA storyline, Carnage convinced Kasady to travel to Doverton, Colorado. Arriving, Carnage infected the population, planning to declare Doverton a sovereign Symbiote state.
The Avengers went to the town's aid, but Carnage successfully infected Captain America, Hawkeye, the Thing, and Wolverine, with Spider-Man remaining the sole uninfected hero. The climax to the storyline was wild and included Carnage taking over an entire zoo of escaped animals to defend itself against a rogue Venom. In the end, Carnage lost the battle, and Scorn captured its remaining mass.
It Received A Magical Boost From The Darkhold
Casual fans will recognize the Darkhold as the book currently in Scarlet Witch's possession in the MCU. In the comics, the book plays a crucial role in many storylines. Once, it even altered the Carnage Symbiote with eldritch magic after Cletus Kasady's blood spilled over its pages.
The Darkhold eradicated Carnage's weakness to sound but left it vulnerable to Chthonic magic. The magic also modified its bonding ability, allowing him to infect others with offshoots of itself and considerably increasing its reach. Carnage would use this new power during the Carnage USA storyline and during its time as the Red Goblin.