Out of all of the symbiotes running rampant in the Marvel Universe, one has stood out among the others as the most deadly: Carnage.
Even though the attention of the Marvel Universe is collectively centered on the symbiote god Knull right know in Marvel’s King in Black crossover, the Carnage symbiote is still one of the most dangerous symbiotes who has ever menaced the Marvel Universe. One of the most noteworthy aspects of the Carnage symbiote is the fact that it is stronger than its predecessor, the already powerful Venom. That’s why both Spider-Man and Venom have ha trouble dealing with it on their own. While it is logical for the new generation to be an improvement over the last, there is a reason why the Carnage symbiote, in particular, is so strong when compared to Marvel’s other prominent symbiotes.
The Carnage symbiote first appeared in David Michelinie and Chris Marrinan’s Amazing Spider-Man #360 and is the offspring of the Venom symbiote. When the Venom symbiote broke Eddie Brock out of prison, it left behind its offspring. Due to the nature of the Venom symbiote, it cared nothing for this infant symbiote and left it to whatever fate it would find on its own. This decision would haunt the heroes of the Marvel Universe for years to come.
Requiring a host, the new symbiote latched itself onto the nearest person it could find: the serial killer Cletus Kasady. But how it bonded to Cletus is partially what makes it so different from its parent. The symbiote did not simply engulf Cletus in itself, it entered through a bleeding cut on his hand, permanently bonding with Cletus’ bloodstream. This created an intrinsic bond between the two, with Cletus being capable of regenerating the entire symbiote from a single drop of blood.
But this was not the end of Carnage’s unique abilities. Like Venom, it possessed many of Spider-Man’s abilities, as well as a built-in immunity to his spider-sense due to its biological ties to Venom. But more than this, Carnage also possesses immunity to Venom being able to sense him.
However, Carnage wouldn’t have made such a name for himself if those were the limits of his abilities. He also has powers that Venom simply does not possess. Carnage has shapeshifting capabilities which he uses to mimic Spider-Man’s web-slinging, but being able to produce tendrils that effective serve as his “organic webbing” from other parts of his body. On multiple occasions, Carnage has shown that this is not the limit of his body’s ability to morph. He has grown wings, extra limbs, and even altered the density of the symbiote itself. But the most well-known extension of this power is his ability to craft weapons out of his symbiote, such as swords, knives, or even axes. Of course, these only last for ten seconds outside of his body, but for a psychotic killer like Cletus Kasady this is plenty of time.
As to the question of why the abilities of the Carnage symbiote are so different from those of Venom, Eddie Brock theorized that it was not a factor of internal evolution, but external forces. The Venom symbiote came from space, an environment it was used to. But the Carnage symbiote was born on Earth, an alien environment. As a result, the symbiote developed new survival mechanisms to better adapt to life in a new world.
Brock’s assessment is an unfortunate but ultimately correct assessment about why Carnage is so much more deadly than its parent. Had it been attached to anyone else with a sound mind, it may not have been a threat. But in the hands of Cletus Kasady, the Carnage symbiote is a weapon of mass destruction. Cletus’ insanity has always amplified the abilities of the symbiote which naturally feeds on the hate and anger of its host, something Cletus Kasady has in infinite supply. With this in mind, there is little question as to how the Carnage symbiote has evolved into the deadliest of all known symbiotes.
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