# Carnage (character)
**Carnage** is a fictional supervillain in [Marvel Comics](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-comics): an alien symbiote (alien organism that merges with a host body), the offspring of the [Venom](https://www.edgepedia.org/venom-character) symbiote, that bonds with the serial killer [Cletus Kasady](https://www.edgepedia.org/cletus-kasady) to form one of Spider-Man's most violent adversaries. The pairing first took shape in *Amazing Spider-Man* (1963) #345 by David Michelinie and Mark Bagley, in which Venom gave birth to a seed that became Carnage and bonded with Kasady, a convicted murderer.[1](https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/toxin-symbiote-official-marvel-guide?linkId=225665122)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First bond | The Venom symbiote spawned Carnage in *Amazing Spider-Man* #345 (David Michelinie and Mark Bagley), which then bonded with serial killer Cletus Kasady[1](https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/toxin-symbiote-official-marvel-guide?linkId=225665122) |
| Strength | The symbiote grants its host superhuman strength capable of lifting 50 tons, with speed superior to that of either Spider-Man or Venom[2](https://www.marvel.com/characters/carnage-cletus-kasady) |
| Appearance | Entirely blood-red streaked with black, with a liquid morphology that constantly reconfigures, unlike Venom's compact black silhouette and white spider logo[3](https://mycomicscollection.com/en/blog/carnage-comics-history/) |
| Bond with host | The symbiote entered Kasady's body through a cut and bonded to his blood, living and regenerating in it, so it cannot simply be removed[4](https://www.dexerto.com/comics/how-strong-is-carnage-powers-and-weaknesses-explained-in-marvel-comics-2356776/) |
| Weaknesses | Vulnerable to heat and, for much of its history, sonics; it became nearly immune to sonics after its near-death at Madison Square Garden and later gained a vulnerability to Chthonic magic[5](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Carnage_%28Symbiote%29_%28Earth-616%29) |
| Major event | *Absolute Carnage* #1 by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman was released on August 7, 2019[6](https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/how-we-arrived-at-absolute-carnage?linkId=71644461) |
| Film debut | *Venom: Let There Be Carnage* (2021), directed by Andy Serkis, with Woody Harrelson as Cletus Kasady; the film holds a 58% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/venom_let_there_be_carnage) |
## Origin and host
Carnage exists as a fusion of two destructive personalities. The symbiote is a child of Venom, spawned on Earth in the pages of *Amazing Spider-Man* #345, and it found its defining host in Cletus Kasady, a psychopathic serial killer.[1](https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/toxin-symbiote-official-marvel-guide?linkId=225665122) The match is unusually complete: because Kasady's worldview already centered on chaos and death, the bonded pair became a singularly bloodthirsty entity rather than a host and passenger in tension.[8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0wbMIPGdS8)
The physical bond is deeper than that of most symbiote pairings. The symbiote entered Kasady's body through a cut and merged with his blood, regenerating there constantly, which is why it cannot be peeled away the way Venom's can be separated from [Eddie Brock](https://www.edgepedia.org/eddie-brock).[4](https://www.dexerto.com/comics/how-strong-is-carnage-powers-and-weaknesses-explained-in-marvel-comics-2356776/)
## Powers and weaknesses
The original Carnage symbiote grants its host superhuman strength capable of lifting 50 tons and speed superior to that held by either [Spider-Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/spider-man) or Venom.[2](https://www.marvel.com/characters/carnage-cletus-kasady) It covers its host in red and black biomass and provides superhuman reflexes and agility, and it can form its mass into weapons, such as blades in place of hands.[5](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Carnage_%28Symbiote%29_%28Earth-616%29) The symbiote has also learned to use telepathy to attack its victims.[4](https://www.dexerto.com/comics/how-strong-is-carnage-powers-and-weaknesses-explained-in-marvel-comics-2356776/)
**Shifting vulnerabilities.** Symbiotes are classically weakened by sonics and heat, and Carnage is no exception on heat. Its sonic weakness, however, has changed over time: after its near-death at [Madison Square Garden](https://www.edgepedia.org/madison-square-garden) the symbiote became all but immune to sonics, later lost that immunity for unclear reasons, and regained it through exposure to the Darkhold. The same account adds a vulnerability to Chthonic magic, and notes that all of its accumulated immunities were lost, along with much of its strength, with the destruction of All-Blood, leaving it too weak to survive more than a few minutes without a host.[5](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Carnage_%28Symbiote%29_%28Earth-616%29)
## Comic book history
Carnage has headlined several solo series. A *Carnage* series ran from December 2010 to August 2011,[9](https://my.comics.org/series/52902/) and a new *Carnage* series began in 2024.[10](https://www.comics.org/series/211796/details/timeline/)
**Absolute Carnage.** In 2019, writer Donny Cates and artist Ryan Stegman launched *Absolute Carnage* #1 on August 7, pitting the character against the wider [Marvel Universe](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-universe). The story built on the symbiotes' revised origin through Knull, the godlike figure who created them, and on *Web of Venom: Carnage Born* #1, in which the Church of the New Darkness, a cult that worships Knull, resurrected Carnage using a sample of the Grendel symbiote, a massive symbiote that had once possessed a dragon.[6](https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/how-we-arrived-at-absolute-carnage?linkId=71644461)
**Symbiote family.** Carnage has spawned offspring of its own. Toxin, the subject of Marvel's official symbiote guide, was born as a seed from Carnage, and Toxin and another Carnage child, Raze, fought an ultimately losing battle against Carnage, who used magic to strengthen his own abilities and raise Chthon.[1](https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/toxin-symbiote-official-marvel-guide?linkId=225665122) Alternate-universe versions exist as well: on Earth-1610, the Carnage symbiote shares most of the powers of Spider-Man and Venom, can take the appearance of numerous individual beings, and, in the Project Stacy storyline, produced a complete molecular reconstruction of [Gwen Stacy](https://www.edgepedia.org/gwen-stacy) with her memories up to and including her death.[11](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Carnage_%28Symbiote%29_%28Earth-1610%29)
## Film adaptation
Carnage reached live-action film in *Venom: Let There Be Carnage* (2021), the sequel to 2018's *Venom*, directed by [Andy Serkis](https://www.edgepedia.org/andy-serkis) from a script by [Kelly Marcel](https://www.edgepedia.org/kelly-marcel) developed with star [Tom Hardy](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-hardy).[12](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/venom-2-review-let-there-be-carnage-b1938469.html) Woody Harrelson plays Cletus Kasady, a serial killer who, through a few drops of Eddie Brock's blood, ends up with a symbiote of his own.[13](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/venom-let-there-be-carnage-leans-hard-into-the-ridiculous/) The film's Kasady hunts for his long-lost love Frances Barrison, also known as Shriek and played by Naomie Harris, whose screams can shatter buildings and bones.[12](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/venom-2-review-let-there-be-carnage-b1938469.html)
The film runs about 90 minutes and holds a 58% Tomatometer from 282 reviews alongside an 83% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/venom_let_there_be_carnage) It opened with $90 million in the United States even as theaters were still recovering during the pandemic, up from the 2018 original's $80.2 million debut.[14](https://apnews.com/article/e1a5f65c08588512e4433a485f049601) Reviewers noted the adaptation's departures from the comics: the film treats Cletus and the Carnage symbiote as separable characters rather than the permanently fused single entity of the comics, and its climax stages a tentacled battle between Venom and Carnage in an abandoned cathedral.[15](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/venom-let-there-be-carnage-serves-strangely-affecting-superhero-sequel) The film's post-credits scene transports Eddie and Venom into a parallel universe, teasing a connection to Spider-Man.[16](https://time.com/5516692/marvel-post-credit-scenes-breakdown/)
## References
1. [The Official Marvel Guide to the Toxin Symbiote, Marvel.com](https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/toxin-symbiote-official-marvel-guide?linkId=225665122)
2. [Carnage (Cletus Kasady) Powers, History, & Abilities, Marvel.com](https://www.marvel.com/characters/carnage-cletus-kasady)
3. [Carnage Comics: 10 Key Issues and Where to Start, My Comics Collection](https://mycomicscollection.com/en/blog/carnage-comics-history/)
4. [How strong is Carnage? Powers and weaknesses explained in Marvel Comics, Dexerto](https://www.dexerto.com/comics/how-strong-is-carnage-powers-and-weaknesses-explained-in-marvel-comics-2356776/)
5. [Carnage (Symbiote) (Earth-616), Marvel Database](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Carnage_%28Symbiote%29_%28Earth-616%29)
6. [How We Arrived at 'Absolute Carnage', Marvel.com](https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/how-we-arrived-at-absolute-carnage?linkId=71644461)
7. [Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/venom_let_there_be_carnage)
8. [Who Is Carnage? The Dark Origin of Carnage from Venom 2 and Marvel Explained, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0wbMIPGdS8)
9. [Carnage (2010 series), Grand Comics Database](https://my.comics.org/series/52902/)
10. [Carnage (2024 series) timeline, Grand Comics Database](https://www.comics.org/series/211796/details/timeline/)
11. [Carnage (Symbiote) (Earth-1610), Marvel Database](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Carnage_%28Symbiote%29_%28Earth-1610%29)
12. [Venom: Let There Be Carnage review, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/venom-2-review-let-there-be-carnage-b1938469.html)
13. [Venom: Let There Be Carnage Leans Hard Into the Ridiculous, Rotten Tomatoes editorial](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/venom-let-there-be-carnage-leans-hard-into-the-ridiculous/)
14. ['Venom: The Last Dance' misses projections as superhero films' grip on theaters loosens, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/e1a5f65c08588512e4433a485f049601)
15. [Venom: Let There Be Carnage review, Sight and Sound, BFI](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/venom-let-there-be-carnage-serves-strangely-affecting-superhero-sequel)
16. [Breaking Down Every Single Marvel Post-Credits Scene, TIME](https://time.com/5516692/marvel-post-credit-scenes-breakdown/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Film characters and fictional worlds › Marvel Comics characters › Superheroes and heroic characters › Street-level and solo heroes › Titles A to G*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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