Cletus Kasady, a/k/a Carnage made his debut appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #344 in 1991. This supervillain, created by writer David Michelinie and artists Erik Larsen and Mark Bagley, was largely based on the elements of the precursor character Venom. Both characters belong to a race of amorphous extraterrestrial parasites known as the Symbiotes.
Before becoming Carnage, Kasady was a psychopath and a homicidal sadist. As a child, Kasady murdered his grandmother, attempted to murder his mother and killed his mother’s dog. When his mother then attempted to kill him, she was beaten to death by the father – who was later arrested. Talk about your rough childhood. At an orphanage, Kasady continued his twisted antics. He murdered a disciplinarian administrator, pushed a girl in front of a moving bus, and burned down the orphanage. Eventually, Kasady became a full-time serial killer. After being imprisoned on Ryker’s Island, Kasady shared a cell with Eddie Brock – current host to the Symbiote, Venom. When Brock/Venom escaped the prison, the symbiote unwittingly left its offspring in the cell.
This new symbiote then bonded with Kasady, transforming him into Carnage. Following his escape from prison, Carnage went on a series of murders, leaving his calling card on each site – “Carnage” written in blood. Spider-Man eventually caught up to Carnage, but he was no match for the symbiotes power. Spider-Man was forced to make a truce with Venom in order to take down Carnage. Using sonic weaponry the symbiote was defeated and apparently destroyed. However, unbeknownst to them all, the symbiote had established a deeper equilibrium with its host.
The comic world certainly hasn’t seen the last of Carnage, but did you know the symbiote will be making the leap to the big screen? It was recently revealed that Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock will be facing off against Carnage in the upcoming Venom film. As for who is portraying the powerhouse symbiote, it is yet to be announced. Venom is scheduled to premiere on October 5, 2018, with Zombieland's Ruben Fleischer set to direct.
