Carnage (comics)
Encyclopedia
Carnage is a fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...

al character
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...

, a supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...

 in the . The character first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...

#344 (March 1991), and was created by writer David Michelinie
David Michelinie
-Biography:Some of his earliest work is for DC Comics's House of Secrets and a run on Swamp Thing , following Len Wein and preceding Gerry Conway, illustrated by Nestor Redondo. Michelinie did a run on Aquaman in Adventure Comics which led to the revival of the Sea King's own title in 1977...

 and artist Mark Bagley
Mark Bagley
Mark Bagley is an American comic book artist. He has worked for Marvel Comics and DC Comics on such titles as The Amazing Spider-Man, Thunderbolts, New Warriors, and Ultimate Spider-Man.- Early life and career :...

. The character is frequently depicted as an enemy of Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...

. In 2009, Carnage was ranked as IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...

's 90th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.

Publication history

Writer David Michelinie
David Michelinie
-Biography:Some of his earliest work is for DC Comics's House of Secrets and a run on Swamp Thing , following Len Wein and preceding Gerry Conway, illustrated by Nestor Redondo. Michelinie did a run on Aquaman in Adventure Comics which led to the revival of the Sea King's own title in 1977...

 created Carnage to be a darker version of Venom
Venom (comics)
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...

 intending to have Venom's human alter ego, Eddie Brock
Eddie Brock
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...

, be killed off in Amazing Spider-Man #400 and have the symbiote continue to bond with a series of hosts. However, as Brock and Venom's popularity increased, Marvel would not allow him to be killed. Michelinie decided to create a new character; a total psychopath who unlike Venom had no sense of honor. The character was originally meant to be named "Chaos" and then "Ravage" before being settled on "Carnage." Carnage's human component, Cletus Kasady was designed by artist Erik Larsen
Erik Larsen
Erik J. Larsen is an American comic book writer, artist and publisher. He is best known for his work on Savage Dragon, as one of the founders of Image Comics, and for his work on Spider-Man for Marvel Comics.-Early life:...

 who modeled the character after the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...

 supervillain the Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...

. Mark Bagley
Mark Bagley
Mark Bagley is an American comic book artist. He has worked for Marvel Comics and DC Comics on such titles as The Amazing Spider-Man, Thunderbolts, New Warriors, and Ultimate Spider-Man.- Early life and career :...

 designed the Carnage symbiote.

Cletus Kasady was introduced in Amazing Spider-Man #344 and first appears as Carnage in issue #361. He is the main villain in the 1993 "Maximum Carnage
Maximum Carnage
"Maximum Carnage" is a fourteen-part comic book crossover published in Marvel Comics's Spider-Man family of titles in 1993. It featured Spider-Man and Venom teaming up to face Venom's murderous offspring Carnage.-Plot:...

" crossover, a 14-part storyline crossover that spanned through all the Spider-Man titles. In 1996, two one-shot comics centered entirely around Carnage were released, entitled Carnage: Mind Bomb and Carnage: It's A Wonderful Life, both of which expand on his character.

After an appearance early in New Avengers the character was presumed killed and was absent from comics for nearly six years. A 2010-2011 limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....

 titled Carnage featured the return of the symbiote, where it temporarily found a new female host before reuniting with Kasady. The comic was released as a tie-in to the "Big Time
Spider-Man: Big Time
"Big Time" is the title of a run of comic book storylines in The Amazing Spider-Man, published by Marvel Comics starting in 2010 and ending in 2011. It follows the 101 consecutive issues of the "Brand New Day" publishing scheme and is the first shift in publishing for The Amazing Spider-Man since...

" storyline in The Amazing Spider-Man,

Fictional character biography

Cletus Kasady had a troubled childhood: he killed his grandmother by pushing her down a flight of stairs and tortured
Cruelty to animals
Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse or animal neglect, is the infliction of suffering or harm upon non-human animals, for purposes other than self-defense. More narrowly, it can be harm for specific gain, such as killing animals for food or for their fur, although opinions differ with...

 his mother's dog. His mother then tried to kill Cletus, and was apparently beaten to the brink of death by Kasady's father, who received no defense from Kasady during his trial. As an orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...

, Kasady was sent to the St. Estes Home for Boys, where his antisocial
Antisocial personality disorder
Antisocial personality disorder is described by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth edition , as an Axis II personality disorder characterized by "...a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood...

 behavior made him the target of abuse from both the other orphans and the staff. Kasady gained revenge by murdering the disciplinarian administrator, pushing a girl who refused to date him in front of a moving bus, and burning down the orphanage. It was during his brutal years at St. Estes that Kasady acquired his philosophy that life was essentially meaningless and futile, that "laws are only words", and came to see the spreading of chaos through random, unpatterned bloodshed as "the ultimate freedom."

Finding the symbiote

Kasady becomes a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...

. He is captured and sent to Ryker's Island prison (for 11 murders, though he brags of a dozen more) where he shares a cell
Prison cell
A prison cell or holding cell or lock-up is a small room in a prison, or police station where a prisoner is held.Prison cells are usually about 6 by 8 feet in size with steel or brick walls and one solid or barred door that locks from the outside. Many modern prison cells are pre-cast. Solid doors...

 with Eddie Brock
Eddie Brock
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...

, who had lost the alien symbiote
Symbiote (comics)
In the Marvel Comics universe, The Symbiote is a specific parasitic species of extraterrestrial organism...

 that transformed him into the supervillain Venom
Venom (comics)
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...

. Brock's symbiote soon returns and bonds with him again, and unwittingly leaves behind the symbiote's offspring; the symbiotes reproduce asexually and the children are then of no consequence to the parent, hence Brock's symbiote felt no need to inform Brock of the existence of its offspring. The new symbiote enters Kasady's bloodstream through a cut and bonds with his blood, transforming him into Carnage. He escapes prison, and begins a series of murders, and at the scene of each crime, writes "Carnage" on the walls with his own blood. He is found by Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...

, though the hero proves to be no match for Carnage's powers. In desperation, Spider-Man makes a truce with Venom to fight Carnage. Carnage is defeated with sonic weaponry, but the symbiote lives on because it is merged with Kasady's blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....

stream.

Maximum Carnage

Kasady is taken to The Vault, a prison for super-villains—then Ravencroft Institute, a facility for the super-human criminally insane. A doctor at the facility, hoping to find a "cure" for his madness, draws blood from him—unwittingly enabling Kasady to morph into Carnage—who goes on to recruit an army of psychopathic
Psychopathy
Psychopathy is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime...

 supervillains including Shriek
Shriek (comics)
Shriek is a fictional character, a supervillainess in the Marvel Comics universe. She is an enemy of Spider-Man. She was created by Tom DeFalco, Mike W...

, Demogoblin
Demogoblin
Demogoblin is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared as Demogoblin in Web of Spider-Man #86 , and had previously appeared as an unnamed demon in Spectacular Spider-Man #147....

, Carrion
Carrion (comics)
Carrion is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe, in which he is an enemy of Spider-Man. He first appeared in The Spectacular Spider-Man #25....

, and Doppelganger
Doppelganger (comics)
The Doppelganger, also called the Spider-Doppelganger, is a fictional character and supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. It first appeared in The Infinity War #1.-Fictional character biography:...

 to take over New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. Using Shriek's "psychic channel" powers, he also drives ordinary New Yorkers to attack one another. Carnage and his "family" are ultimately driven back by Spider-Man, Venom, and a number of other superheroes and vigilantes, with Carnage and Shriek being remanded to Ravencroft.

Web of Carnage

During a subsequent jailbreak, he made it his mission to kill his only childhood friend, Billy Bentime—hoping to refute the notion that friendship should be paid in kind. Carnage nearly defeated Spider-Man until Bentime tricked Carnage into reverting to human form, enabling Spider-Man to knock out Kasady with a simple punch.

The Carnage symbiote was supposedly destroyed in a subsequent conflict, and Kasady was sent back to Ryker's Island, where he unexpectedly transformed during transfer and rampaged through the prison. Shriek, who was still in league with Carnage, aided Carnage in taking over the island and recruiting villains like the Abomination
Abomination (comics)
The Abomination is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics...

, Mysterio
Mysterio
Mysterio is the name of three fictional characters, all of which are supervillains and enemies of Spider-Man in the . The original Mysterio was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appears in Amazing Spider-Man #13, although it was later retconned that the aliens seen in Amazing...

, Screaming Mimi
Songbird (comics)
Songbird , formerly known as Screaming Mimi, is a fictional character, a superheroine and former supervillainess in the Marvel Comics Universe.-Publication history:...

, and the Lizard
Lizard (comics)
The Lizard is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and enemy of Spider-Man. The Lizard first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #6 , and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...

. In the end, Carnage was thwarted once again by Spider-Man.

Though bonded to Cletus Kasady's bloodstream, the symbiote found a way to ditch its host and overwhelm Ravencroft's chief, John Jameson; subsequently it transferred itself to Spider-Man--Ben Reilly
Ben Reilly
Benjamin "Ben" Reilly is a fictional character in the . He is a clone of Peter Parker , and is prominent in the "Clone Saga" story arc...

 (Peter Parker's clone) at the time—creating Spider-Carnage
Ben Reilly
Benjamin "Ben" Reilly is a fictional character in the . He is a clone of Peter Parker , and is prominent in the "Clone Saga" story arc...

. Ben's willpower held out against the symbiote's murderous desires long enough for him to return it to Kasady at Ravencroft.

Cosmic Carnage

During a subsequent rampage, the Carnage symbiote briefly attempted to take control of the Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....

, but the Surfer and Spider-Man were able to return the symbiote to Kasady, the Surfer subsequently sealing Kasady in an unbreakable prison in an attempt to force him to reflect on his sins for eternity.

Death and Resurrection

Having tracked Kasady to a prison specially designed to hold him, Venom eventually reabsorbs the Carnage symbiote into his own body "for good." Without the symbiote, Kasady retains the Carnage persona by costuming himself in red paint and continuing his killing sprees, claiming that he still possesses at least some of Carnage's strength and convinced that he only needs to kill Spider-Man and Venom to regain his symbiote, but Spider-Man nevertheless easily defeats him in a fight. Kasady, however, eventually finds another symbiote who had been kept sealed in the Negative Zone
Negative Zone
The Negative Zone is a fictional setting, an antimatter universe depicted in publications from Marvel Comics, most frequently in Fantastic Four and Captain Marvel. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, it first appeared in Fantastic Four #51 .-Fictional description:The Negative Zone in the Marvel...

, and bonded with it to form the second Carnage.

Toxin

In Venom vs. Carnage #1-4, the Carnage symbiote reproduces, with Kasady implanting of spawn of it into Patrick "Paddy" Mulligan, an Irish-American police officer who was recently married and expecting a child. Mulligan became Toxin
Toxin (comics)
Toxin is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He is the third major symbiote of the Spider-Man series, the ninth known to have appeared in the comics outside of the Planet of the Symbiotes storyline, and the first symbiote that Spider-Man considers an ally, despite...

—who single-handedly overpowered both Venom and Carnage. Nevertheless, Mulligan remained determined to use his new-found powers for good—learning as much as he can from Spider-Man—while leaving behind his wife and newborn son in order to protect them from danger.

Breakout

In New Avengers #2, Carnage is one of several supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...

s trying to escape from The Raft
The Raft (comics)
The Raft is a fictional island prison facility in New York City for psychopathic superhuman criminals appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics...

. Sentry
Sentry (Robert Reynolds)
The Sentry is a fictional character in the . The character first appears in The Sentry #1 and was created by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee, with uncredited conceptual contributions by Rick Veitch.-Creation:...

 flies Carnage outside the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...

's atmosphere
Atmosphere
An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...

 and rips him in two. According to Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...

's computer, Kasady may not have been inside the symbiote when the Sentry ripped it apart.

Return

It is later discovered that, although Kasady was presumably killed, the symbiote survived by becoming dormant and returned to Earth. The Doppelganger
Doppelganger (comics)
The Doppelganger, also called the Spider-Doppelganger, is a fictional character and supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. It first appeared in The Infinity War #1.-Fictional character biography:...

 and Shriek
Shriek (comics)
Shriek is a fictional character, a supervillainess in the Marvel Comics universe. She is an enemy of Spider-Man. She was created by Tom DeFalco, Mike W...

 return, hoping to repair the symbiote. Using the properties of the symbiote, Michael Hall, a competitor of Tony Stark, creates prosthetic limbs and exo-suits which respond in the same ways as a symbiote. One such person, Dr. Tanis Nieves, is outfitted with one of these prosthetic arms after she is caught in an attack by the Doppelganger. When near the symbiote, her arm goes wild and forces her to kill several scientists before the symbiote forcefully bonds to her, becoming the new Carnage. After the symbiote uses Tanis to break into a Hall Corporation facility, it is revealed that Cletus Kasady is alive, his body having been preserved by the symbiote and repaired by Hall's prosthetics. Kasady reclaims the symbiote and becomes Carnage once more, attempting to avenge his captivity while Spider-Man and Iron Man struggle to stop him. It is then revealed that Carnage is once again pregnant, and the suit's spawn briefly bonds to Shriek before being torn from her. It then bonds to Tanis, creating a new hero, Scorn, who defeats Shriek. Carnage, however, escapes with the Doppleganger and swears to make a bloody comeback.

Carnage USA

In the aftermath of his return, Carnage sets off west to Doverton, Colorado, forcing S.H.I.E.L.D to launch an offensive against him.

Powers and abilities

As Eddie Brock explained, due to the fact that Carnage's symbiote gestated in an alien environment to it, Earth, it was born with abilities even more singular than those of its progenitor. The alien symbiote endows Cletus Kasady with enhanced physical strength greater than that of Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...

 and Venom
Venom (comics)
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...

 combined and shapeshifting abilities, allows him to project a web-like substance from any part of his body including the formation of weapons, and enables him to plant thoughts into a person's head using a symbiote tendril
Tendril
In botany, a tendril is a specialized stem, leaf or petiole with a threadlike shape that is used by climbing plants for support, attachment and cellular invasion by parasitic plants, generally by twining around suitable hosts. They do not have a lamina or blade, but they can photosynthesize...

. Much like Spider-Man, Kasady has the ability to cling to virtually any surface, and has a version of Spider-Man's spider-sense, as the symbiote can relay information to him from any angle and grants Kasady the ability to "see" in any direction, warning him of incoming threats. He can rapidly crawl, walk, or run across even slick surfaces. The Carnage symbiote has similar abilities of that of Spider-Man's as a direct result of the Venom symbiote's first host, Peter Parker, who transferred some of Spider-Man's power into the symbiote.

He is able to rapidly regenerate damaged body tissues much faster and more extensively than an ordinary human. It isn't known, however, if he can fully regenerate severed limbs or missing internal organs. Kasady is also immune to the effects of all Earthly diseases and infections as long as he remains bonded with the symbiote. Like Venom, the symbiote is vulnerable to sound (to a much smaller degree than Venom) and heat (to a much larger degree than Venom), and is undetectable to Spider-Man's spider-sense. Unlike Venom, Carnage can launch parts of his symbiote at enemies in the form of solid weapons such as darts, spears, knives, axes, etc., although they disintegrate into dust within ten seconds of leaving Carnage's body.

Kasady has full control over the size, shape, color (usually red and black), texture, and hardness of his symbiote (and any part thereof). Like Venom, he can make his symbiote look like normal clothing (which he has done on rare occasion), or act as "camoflauge", blending him into the surrounding environment (which he has never done). With the symbiote bonded to his bloodstream, he can "regenerate" his costume from scratch simply by bleeding. His symbiote has the peculiar ability to block its parent's (Venom
Venom (comics)
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...

's) ability to sense and track it.

In some interpretations, the Carnage symbiote is vampiric
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...

, feeding on and thus endangering his victims by mere touch. The symbiote was augmented by prosthetics and is now able to grow wings at will, giving it the ability of flight. The symbiote has also shown the ability to call back parts of itself back to the main symbiote, adding it to the parts that already make up the symbiote. It can also send commands that cannot be resisted to parts of itself that are in technology, used to break the bones of the Iron Rangers when they challenged Carnage while wearing symbiote-enhanced technological exo-suits. Using these last two abilities, Carnage absorbed the five Iron Rangers and grew to an enormous size and colored blue.

Finally, Carnage's powers have always been abnormally enhanced from the maniacal will and insane worldview that Cletus Kasady has had from the age of 8 years old onward. Kasady sees "chaos" and random, undirected violence as reality, and considers "order" and virtue to be illusions. He takes an almost artistic pride in his mayhem, likes to leave a trail for others to follow (usually leaving the phrase "Carnage Rules" written in his own blood), and is recklessly willing to take on the most dangerous and powerful of opponents and victims. (On rare occasions, however, he has deliberately spared individuals in order to serve as witnesses for others—for instance, Joe Robertson's wife Martha during Savage Rebirth.) Kasady is essentially taking revenge on the whole world for the torment—both real and imagined—of his childhood.

Other hosts

Aside from Cletus Kasady, the Carnage symbiote bonds with Ben Reilly
Ben Reilly
Benjamin "Ben" Reilly is a fictional character in the . He is a clone of Peter Parker , and is prominent in the "Clone Saga" story arc...

, creating Spider-Carnage, and later with the Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....

 to become Cosmic Carnage. Later the suit forcefully bonds itself to Dr. Tanis Nieves after the apparent death of Cletus, in the process becoming the third Carnage. In every case, however, the symbiote eventually returns to Cletus Kasady.

Exiles

The Earth-15 psychotic Peter Parker and Carnage combine to become the "Spider", and becomes a member of Weapon X in Exiles
Exiles (Marvel Comics)
The Exiles are a group of fictional characters that feature in three Marvel Comics series, Exiles, New Exiles, and Exiles vol. 2. The Exiles consists of characters from different dimensions, or realities, which have been removed from time and space in order to correct problems in various alternate...

.

MC2

In the MC2 future timeline, Carnage bonds with Spider-Girl
Spider-Girl
Spider-Girl is a superheroine in Marvel Comics' MC2 universe. The character was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz as the teenage daughter of Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson, and first appeared in What If #105...

's friend, Moose Mansfied. He also infects Spider-Girl's little brother, Ben
Benjamin Richard Parker
Benjamin Richard Parker is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics alternate future MC2 universe. He is the younger brother of May Parker/Spider-Girl, and the son of Mary Jane and Peter Parker/Spider-Man....

, turning him into a miniature version of himself. Spider-Girl uses the sonic blasters of the villain Reverb
Reverb (comics)
Reverb is a fictional comic book supervillain in Marvel Comics' MC2 shared universe, who uses a battlesuit with ultrasonic weaponry. He first appeared in Amazing Spider-Girl #2. -Fictional character biography:...

 to destroy all traces of the symbiote.

In a later timeline, samples of the symbiote are used to create "Biopreds", living weapons that the government use to try and stop Mayhem, Spider-Girl's part-symbiote clone, who, after killing the real Spider-Girl, became a murderous vigilante, eventually killing the hero American Dream
American Dream (comics)
American Dream is a fictional character featured in Marvel Comics MC2 series A-Next. Her costume is very similar to that of Captain America and like him she has an indestructible metal shield...

. The Biopreds run wild, however, decimating the world and its defenders. Mayhem, seeing the error of her ways, goes back in time and sacrifices herself to stop her past self from killing Spider-Girl, ensuring the events that led to the Biopreds' creation never occurred.

Ultimate Carnage

In the Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel is an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and updated versions of the company's superhero characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. The imprint was launched in 2000 with the publication of the series...

 series, Carnage is a self-regenerating vampiric organism based on the symbiotic suit research of Richard Parker, created by Curt Conners and consists of his own DNA and that of Peter Parker, which at the time contained samples of the Venom symbiote. When Carnage was first introduced, he was a monster of instinct, with no intelligence or self awareness, with his only aim to feed on the DNA of others to stabilize himself. After killing Gwen Stacy, this incarnation of Carnage has gone on to mimic her "essence" and now believes itself to be Gwen Stacy. Ultimate Carnage's appearance is based on Venom, Peter Parker, Curt Conners, and Gwen Stacy. In its monster form, Carnage resembles his original incarnation, such as its large eyes and fangs, as well as the Lizard's claws. In addition, the center of its body glows yellow, although after assuming the form of Gwen Stacy, Carnage loses this glow in its monster form. In its 'human form', Carnage resembles Peter's father Richard Parker in its first appearance, and Gwen in its second. The Carnage symbiote was absorbed by Eddie Brock, leaving Gwen and returning her to a healthy duplicate of the original. In one Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man was a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...

comic book, Cletus Kasady is seen on a list of known cat burglars.

Intercompany crossover

  • Carnage teams up with and later turns against the Joker
    Joker (comics)
    The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...

     during Spider-Man And Batman #1, the two men meeting when behavioral psychiatrist Cassandra Briar attempts to use the two men—regarded as humanity's most twisted minds—as tests for a chip she has developed that will allegedly 'lobotomise' their homicidal instincts. However, the Carnage symbiote neutralizes Kasady's chip after it is implanted, with Kasady simply pretending that the chip had worked so that he could meet the Joker. After Carnage removes Joker's chip, the two psychotics briefly enter into an alliance before their differing methods of murder cause a clash—Carnage favoring numbers and actually seeing the death of his victims close-up in his murder sprees while the Joker prefers the artistry of his usual traps and tricks. Carnage dismisses the Joker's methods as slow, while Joker sees Carnage as an amateur—as anyone can just go out and kill people. Carnage responds by ambushing and threatening to kill Batman
    Batman
    Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...

     in order to be "theatrical". Carnage is defeated by Batman in the subsequent fight when he loses control of his symbiote while panicking after the Joker threatens to set off a bomb to destroy Gotham
    Gotham City
    Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...

    —himself and Carnage included—rather than see Carnage kill Batman. Batman reflects that many serial killers kill so many to try and escape death themselves by "appeasing" the Grim Reaper with their own sacrifices, and that Carnage—far from being a monster or even a "common street punk"—is little more than an overgrown "little boy", albeit with lethal powers.

Television

  • Carnage appears in Spider-Man: The Animated Series
    Spider-Man (1994 TV series)
    Spider-Man, also known as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated series starring the Marvel Comics superhero, Spider-Man. The show ran on Fox Kids from November 19, 1994, to January 31, 1998. The producer/story editor was John Semper, Jr. and production company was Marvel Films...

    voiced by Scott Cleverdon
    Scott Cleverdon
    Scott Cleverdon is a Scottish actor best known as the angel Pyriel in the movie The Prophecy 3: The Ascent. He has also done significant voice acting....

    . Due to being a Saturday morning cartoon
    Saturday morning cartoon
    A Saturday morning cartoon is the colloquial term for the animated television programming that has typically been scheduled on Saturday mornings on the major American television networks from the 1960s to the present; the genre's peak in popularity mostly ended in the 1990s while the popularity of...

    , Carnage is depicted as a madman rather than a serial killer, and is never shown actually killing anyone. Cletus Kasady first appeared in the third season episode "Venom Returns" where he is captured by the police in his home after planning to explode a bomb over New York. In prison he shared a cell with Eddie Brock (who had recently lost the symbiote) who finds Cletus very frustrating. In the episode "Venom Returns" the symbiote finds Eddie in prison and rebonds with him and escapes; Cletus then becomes jealous of Eddie's powers as he sees Venom flee the prison, saying he wants the power for himself. Baron Mordo
    Baron Mordo
    Baron Karl Amadeus Mordo is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by Marvel Comics and appearing as an enemy of Doctor Strange...

    , servant of the demon Dormammu
    Dormammu
    Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a...

    , appears in front of Cletus with the Carnage symbiote and explains that it has the same power as Venom. He makes a deal with Cletus to have the symbiote power in exchange for serving Dormammu; Cletus accepts the offer and bonds with the symbiote, turning into Carnage, and then escapes the prison. Carnage and Venom team up with each other and steal the portal device so Dormammu can travel to earth and consume souls. In the next episode, "Carnage", after Venom betrays Dormammu, Carnage is offered the ability to absorb the life force out of people so Dormammu can have enough energy to escape his dimension. Carnage accepts, eager to witness the destruction Dormammu would wreck on the world. Carnage also kidnaps Eddie's girlfriend Ashley. Spider-Man calls for Iron Man's help in order to stop Carnage and send Dormammu back to his own reality. Venom also joins forces with Spider-Man to help save Ashley. A final showdown results in a fight between Spider-Man, Carnage, Dormammu, Iron Man and Venom in an underground cave where Carnage has released Dormammu. Iron Man discovers Carnage must be sent into the portal as well in order for it to close. As Carnage is sucked into the portal, he grabs Ashley saying that he will not leave unless someone goes with him. Venom then pounces on Carnage, releasing Ashley as Carnage and Venom are sucked into the portal as it closes. In the series finale he is the main antagonist, the Carnage symbiote is seen arriving on an alternate Earth through a portal, merging with that reality's Spider-Man who possesses Cletus Kasady's psychopathic personality- although evidence suggested that the Spider-Man it merged with may have been a clone- and driving him insane. The resulting 'Spider-Carnage' begins developing a weapon that can destroy all reality out of his anger at the torment he has suffered since acquiring his powers, his plans only being thwarted by a team of alternate Spider-Men assembled by the Beyonder
    Beyonder
    The Beyonder is a fictional character in . Created by Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck, the immensely powerful Beyonder first appeared in Secret Wars vol. 1 #1 as an unseen force. He reappears in Secret Wars II #1 , which was created by Jim Shooter and Al Milgrom.-Publication history:The Beyonder was a...

     and Madame Web
    Madame Web
    Madame Web is a fictional supporting character in the Spider-Man comic book series.-Fictional character biography:Cassandra Webb was born in Salem, Oregon. She is a paralyzed, blind, telepathic, clairvoyant, and precognitive mutant, allowing her to work as a professional medium...

    . The "original" Spider-Man follows Spider-Carnage to yet another alternate dimension, but being no match for the symbiote in a fight, instead locates Uncle Ben, who in this reality is still alive. Ben convinces the alternate Peter Parker to try and separate from the Carnage symbiote, but the bond is too strong, and he sacrifices himself by leaping into a blank dimension, thus saving all of reality.

  • Carnage appears semi-regularly in Spider-Man Unlimited
    Spider-Man Unlimited
    Spider-Man Unlimited was a short-lived animated series featuring the Marvel comic book superhero Spider-Man. The series was released in 1999, but, although it had fair ratings, was overshadowed by Pokémon, and was canceled after airing only a few episodes. Fox later resumed airing the show, airing...

    voiced by Michael Donovan
    Michael Donovan
    Michael David Donovan is a voice actor for many TV shows and anime. He is most known for his voice on the series ReBoot for his voices of Phong, Mike the TV, Cecil, and Al. He has also provided the voice of Sabretooth for X-Men: Evolution and Carnage for Spider-Man Unlimited. He played the lead...

    .

  • Cletus Kasady makes a non-speaking cameo appearance
    Cameo appearance
    A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...

     in The Spectacular Spider-Man episode "Reinforcement." He is shown as a patient wearing a Santa Claus
    Santa Claus
    Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...

     hat in Ravencroft, during a group therapy
    Group psychotherapy
    Group psychotherapy or group therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which one or more therapists treat a small group of clients together as a group...

     session with Doctor Octopus
    Doctor Octopus
    Doctor Octopus is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics since 1963. A highly intelligent mad scientist, Doctor Octopus is one of Spider-Man's greatest foes...

     and Electro when Kraven the Hunter
    Kraven the Hunter
    Kraven the Hunter is a fictional character, a supervillain and enemy of Spider-Man appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Kraven's name is Sergei Kravinoff. He also appears as Xraven, with white-grey skin and red eyes, possessing the powers of X-Men. He is the half-brother of Dmitri...

     attacks to break out the two villains.

Film

  • Carnage's first appearance in a motion picture
    Film
    A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

     was originally planned for a film written by David S. Goyer
    David S. Goyer
    David Samuel Goyer is an American screenwriter, film director and comic book writer.-Early life:Goyer was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He attended Hebrew school and has described himself as "half Jewish"...

     and produced by New Line Cinema
    New Line Cinema
    New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...

    , in which Venom
    Venom (comics)
    Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...

     would have been portrayed as an antihero and Carnage as the antagonist
    Antagonist
    An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...

    . Goyer said in an interview the film rights to Venom ultimately reverted to Sony
    Sony
    , commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....

    .

Video games

  • Carnage is a boss character
    Boss (video games)
    A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...

     in The Amazing Spider-Man 2
    The Amazing Spider-Man 2
    - Summary and storyline :While the game was a sequel to the 1990 video game titled The Amazing Spider-Man, it played much differently from the first game and was widely panned by video game critics...

    , Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge, The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foes
    The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foes
    The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foes is an action video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System that was released only in Japan. Aside from Spider-Man, characters featured included Beetle, Lizard, Mysterio, Alistair Smythe, Green Goblin, Scorpion, Venom, Doctor Octopus, and...

    , and Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage
    Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage
    Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage is a scrolling fighting game for the Super NES and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, developed by Software Creations and published by LJN in 1994...

    and its sequel Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety.
  • Carnage is a boss in the 2000 Spider-Man
    Spider-Man (2000 video game)
    Spider-Man is an action video game based upon the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It is loosely based on the 1990s Spider-Man: The Animated Series. The game was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. Released originally for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 in 2000, the game...

    video game, voiced by Dee Bradley Baker
    Dee Bradley Baker
    Dee Bradley Baker is an American voice actor. He is noted as his long-running-role as Klaus Heissler in American Dad! and other various characters including Squilliam Fancyson in the hit TV series SpongeBob SquarePants, Nightcrawler in X-Men: Legends and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance...

    . He assists Doctor Octopus
    Doctor Octopus
    Doctor Octopus is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics since 1963. A highly intelligent mad scientist, Doctor Octopus is one of Spider-Man's greatest foes...

     in a plot to establish a symbiote invasion. After Spider-Man defeats Carnage, the symbiote attaches itself to Doctor Octopus, turning him into the Monster-Ock. It destroys much of the underwater base when chasing Spider-Man. When the base explodes, the symbiote protects Doctor Octopus from harm before detaching itself from him and heading back into the underwater base, presumably to rebond with Cletus Kasady.
  • Carnage appears in the Ultimate Spider-Man
    Ultimate Spider-Man (video game)
    Ultimate Spider-Man is a video game based on the comic book of the same name by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley. The game was released for most sixth generation consoles, including PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, and Microsoft Windows, as well as a mobile phone...

    video game. This version is Peter Parker who was injected with micro-symbiotes by Adrian Toomes
    Vulture (comics)
    The Vulture is the name of six comic book supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. The best known Vulture in the Marvel Universe is Adrian Toomes, an elderly enemy of Spider-Man created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in The Amazing Spider-Man #2 .-Golden Age Vulture:In Young Men #26, a scientist...

    . It breaks free and fights Venom. After being defeated, Venom absorbs the Carnage symbiote into himself, giving him complete control over the suit.
  • Carnage is a playable character in the PSP version of Spider-Man: Friend or Foe
    Spider-Man: Friend or Foe
    Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is a Spider-Man computer and video game based on the comic book series and Spider-Man movies. The game was released on October 2, 2007....

    , voiced by Fred Tatasciore
    Fred Tatasciore
    Frederick "Fred" Tatasciore is an American voice actor who portrays secondary characters as well as monstrous-looking types...

    . At the end of the game, Nick Fury
    Nick Fury
    Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...

     dubs the research of the meteor shards "Project: Carnage."
  • Carnage is a playable character in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, voiced again by Fred Tatasciore. He is only available for download, and is the first downloadable content character outside of the six characters to be featured in an updated version for the PS3 and Xbox. The DLC pack was at first removed but recently became available once more until December 2010. The DLC also includes an extra mission where the player fights Carnage after fighting several other bosses from the game.
  • Spider-Carnage appears as an alternate costume in the Nintendo Wii version of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
    Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
    Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is a video game title encompassing three versions: a full-3D action game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360; a 2.5D sidescrolling beat em up action game for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2 , and a 2.5D side-scrolling brawler/platformer for...

    .
  • Ultimate Carnage appears as a villain in the final Ultimate segment in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
    Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
    Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is a video game featuring Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions blends together four universes from the Marvel Comics multiverse, allowing the player to play as four different Spider-Men...

    . Fred Tatasciore reprises the voice role. Carnage (or Prisoner 900M) has been captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. and brought to the Triskelion as well as a fragment from the Tablet of Order and Chaos. S.H.I.E.L.D. was doing experiments on both and foolishly put Carnage and the fragment together to study the resulting combination. With the power of the fragment, Carnage gains the power to reanimate those he drained the life from as mindless zombies, which eventually mutate into creatures like himself. Spider-Man pursues Carnage throughout the burning ruins of the Triskelion and eventually defeats him with the help of a small amount of reprogrammed Spider-Slayer
    Spider-Slayer
    The Spider-Slayers are a series of fictional robots in the Marvel Comics universe that were specifically designed to hunt down, capture, and/or kill Spider-Man.-Fictional character biography:...

    s armed with flamethrowers and retrieves the final fragment, leaving the creature pinned under rubble.

Attractions

The Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando Resort is a theme park resort in Orlando, Florida. It is wholly owned by NBCUniversal and its affiliates. The resort consists of two theme parks , Universal CityWalk , and three Loews Hotels...

's 2002 Halloween Horror Nights featured a haunted maze entitled "Maximum Carnage". The maze was designed to be a trip through Carnage's hideout and contained all his henchmen and the remains of various superheroes. The house was located in "Island under Siege", formerly Marvel's superhero island. Carnage also was the icon chosen to represent that specific island for the event. The event's main icon, "The Caretaker," chose him based on his disregard for life and desire to see total chaos.

Music

The song "Carnage Rules" by Green Jellÿ
Green Jellÿ
Green Jellÿ is a Grammy-nominated American comedy rock band formed in 1981. Originally named Green Jellö, the band changed its name due to legal pressure from the owners of the Jell-O trademark, Kraft Foods, who claimed that it was an infringement of their trademark...

, which is featured as the first song on their album 333, is written about the character and is used as the theme song for the Maximum Carnage
Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage
Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage is a scrolling fighting game for the Super NES and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, developed by Software Creations and published by LJN in 1994...

video game.

Theater

Carnage appears in the Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is a rock musical with music and lyrics by U2's Bono and The Edge and a book by Julie Taymor, Glen Berger, and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. The musical is based on the Spider-Man comics created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, published by Marvel Comics, as well as the 2002...

musical as a member of the Sinister Six
Sinister Six
The Sinister Six are a group of supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe, drawn from Spider-Man's rogues gallery. The original incarnation of the group was organized by Doctor Octopus, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 ....

and is played by Collin Baja.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK