Warning: spoilers ahead for Carnage #2!
While no longer bonded to serial killer Cletus Kasady, the Carnage symbiote's new killing spree may make it more powerful than the King in Black himself. Having been with Kasady for so long in the Marvel Universe, it's been revealed that Carnage no longer needs a host to survive. Not only has this given Carnage access to abilities it never knew it was capable of, but Carnage is looking to evolve even further, putting several supervillains in grave danger.
In the new Marvel series, the Carnage symbiote has murdered Hydro-Man by pulling him apart molecule by molecule. As he killed the supercriminal, the symbiote bonded with a piece of Hydro-Man, becoming transformed as it took his power. It wasn't long before Carnage was able to test out its new power, corrupting the blood of Detective Jon Shayde, and giving him the urge to kill and slaughter just like the serial killer Carnage had formerly been bonded to. Shayde now has to constantly resist these dark tendencies as he continues the track down Carnage and the serial killer seeking to learn from the symbiote known as the Artist.
However, the new Carnage #2 from Ram V and Francesco Manna reveals that Carnage has only just begun. Having a piece of Carnage directly in his bloodstream, Shayde is now faster and stronger than ever before while also having all of Kasady's twisted memories. As such, he now knows what the serial-killing symbiote is after. Looking to become something far darker and stronger than ever before, Shayde reveals that Carnage is looking to take an all-new form, intending to kill more supervillains and take their powers, with its next target being Dr. Jonathan Ohnn, aka the Spot.
Having the ability to teleport himself using his connection to the Darkforce Dimension, the Spot's powers would amp Carnage up to extremely lethal levels. The Kingpin recently amplified the Spot's powers, potentially creating new applications for Ohnn's spots that haven't even been seen yet. Combined with his new power from Hydro-Man and any others he may collect in future issues, Carnage could very well become the most powerful symbiote of all time (if he isn't already.)
As it stands, there's no telling how powerful Carnage could become in the Marvel Universe. Gaining access to the Darkforce Dimension would open whole new avenues where Carnage's chaos could become omnipresent, giving the symbiote a god-like status when combined with the corruptive power it now has thanks to Hydro-Man. With just these two powers, Carnage could potentially rival the power of Marvel's King in Black, who controlled the entire symbiote species.
With the new King in Black, Venom, caught up in a cross-time war against other symbiote rulers, Carnage is uniquely placed to take the throne as Marvel's most powerful symbiote. As such, it's going to be morbidly exciting to see what other powers Carnage might obtain as his series continues.
Carnage #2 is available now from Marvel Comics.