Marvel's symbiotic serial killer Cletus Kasady AKA Carnage is about to have a really big year, as the character prepares to make his live-action debut in the upcoming Venom sequel. However, that isn't the only thing happening with Carnage right now, as Marvel has recently announced the upcoming Absolute Carnage event, which promises to make Carnage a threat to the entire Marvel Universe.
We don't know much about the upcoming event besides Carnage's new mission to extract leftover traces of symbiote from anyone who has ever bonded with a symbiote, which is actually quite a lot of people. So today we are going to take a look at five characters we hope to see in Absolute Carnage and five who can probably sit this event out.
10 WANT: SHRIEK
It's hard to imagine a Carnage event that doesn't include the dangerously insane Shriek, who first appeared in 1993's Spider-Man Unlimited #1 at the dawn of the "Maximum Carnage" event. Shriek was the first person to join Carnage's twisted family of villains, and she has featured heavily in various Carnage-related events over the years.
She was also the first host of a new symbiote spawn of Carnage during Zeb Wells and Clayton Crain's Carnage mini-series that brought Cletus Kasady back from the dead. Shriek is still immensely powerful without a symbiote, given her sonic manipulation and psionic ability to affect the emotional state of others.
9 DON'T: DEADPOOL
Don't take this the wrong way, we have nothing against Deadpool. And with Carnage hunting down former symbiotes, the Merc-With-A-Mouth will definitely be on his list, following his bond with the Life Foundation symbiotes in Deadpool vs. Carnage and his retconned bond with the Venom symbiote before Peter Parker in Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars.
The reason Deadpool could sit this one out is whenever Deadpool and Carnage meet up it turns into a big event on its own and may overpower Carnage's attack on the rest of the Marvel Universe. A rematch between two of Marvel's most deadly and unbeatable characters might distract from the rest of the Absolute Carnage event.
8 WANT: SLEEPER
There have been a number of symbiote spawn over the years beginning with Carnage, but the most recent spawn of Venom received a unique new form in the pages of Venom: First Host, by Mike Costa, Mark Bagley, and Paco Diaz. The symbiote was raised in the protective labs of Alchemax and nurtured by his parent symbiote, something no other Earthbound symbiote had received.
Along with new abilities like camouflage and pheromonal manipulation, came the ability to override the genetic enhancements of the Kree warrior known as Tel-Kar, the first host of the Venom symbiote. Sleeper lobotomized the villainous Tel-Kar and took him as his host, making Sleeper his own solo entity and a unique unknown for Carnage if he appears in the upcoming event.
7 DON'T: SENTRY
One of Marvel's overpowered Superman-types known as The Sentry first appeared in the debut pages of New Avengers from Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch and quickly demonstrated his abilities by taking on the biggest bully in the schoolyard, Carnage. Sentry quickly shot into space with Carnage and ripped him in half, which became Sentry's signature move.
Absolute Carnage might not get too far if Sentry decides to make an appearance, even with Carnage's enhanced abilities after his bonding with the Grendel symbiote and its god, Knull. Unfortunately, Sentry recently received his own upgrade in the recent The Sentry mini-series and fans await his ominous return... and should keep waiting.
6 WANT: MANIA
There have been a number of people who have served as hosts to the VEnom symbiote over the years, but only one person has served as a similarly-powered sidekick to a Venom, and that was Mania. During the Agent Venom era, Andrea "Andi" Benton bonded with a portion of the Venom symbiote and fought against the criminal underworld who had murdered her father.
Andi also bonded with a demonic hell-mark that had cursed the symbiote, which gave her the ability to summon hellfire in her human form. This power was discovered after the Mania symbiote was forcibly removed by former Venom host Lee Childs, who became Maniac. Hopefully, any appearance by Price/Maniac in Absolute Carnage results in the return of the Mania symbiote to Andi.
5 DON'T: DR. KARL MALUS
Carnage's drive to hunt down every host of a symbiote ever and the creator's promise to feature every symbiote ever seen in the Marvel Universe may lead ol' Cletus to a very peculiar character. Dr. Karl Malus was usually a Captain America villain who sold his mad scientist skills to the highest evil bidder.
While experimenting with the Carnage symbiote, the Wizard's attempts to make the Superior Carnage backfired and brief host Karl Malus was devoured by Carnage. However, it was later revealed that Malus didn't die, but was instead digested by the symbiote. The process genetically altered Malus into the first human/symbiote hybrid, but let's face it, he's kind of just symbiote crap.
4 WANT: SCORN
We've discussed a few of Venom's spawn so far, but he isn't the only father figure in the symbiote world, as Carnage has also produced a few new symbiotes over the years. The aforementioned Dr. Malus could be considered a spawn of sorts, and his firstborn was known as Toxin, though it was sacrificed by Eddie Brock during a battle with Carnage and the Elder God Chthon.
Dr. Tanis Nieves bonded with a spawn of Carnage that had been used to create advanced prosthetics, creating the technopathic and generally heroic Scorn. Scorn reappeared recently as the leader of the Cult of Carnage and brought about his powerful resurrection. While Tanis was the first victim in Carnage's hunt for leftover symbiotes, the Scorn symbiote's fate remains unknown.
3 DON'T: RAZE
Following another resurrection of Cletus Kasady, Carnage was being hunted by FBI agent Claire Dixon, along with a team of operatives that included John Jameson and Eddie Brock with the Toxin symbiote. Carnage found himself caught up in a mystical with the ancient book known as the Darkhold, which created a new spawn of Carnage.
This symbiote bonded with Claire Dixon, and due to the Darkhold's influence, she became Raze, who served under the control of Carnage. During that storylines climactic battle with the Elder God Chthon, the Raze symbiote was sacrificed alongside another Darkhold-enhanced symbiote controlled by Jubulile van Scooter, and both thankfully haven't been seen again.
2 WANT: FLASH THOMPSON
While Eddie Brock was the first and continues to be the best host to the Venom symbiote, there was another Spidey character who used the symbiote for good. Flash Thompson was a former war hero who lost his legs, yet kept the will to fight for his country. He was paired with the Venom symbiote to become Agent Venom, who worked for the government and solo as a heroic vigilante.
Unfortunately, Flash Thompson lost his life during a battle with the Red Goblin, a Carnage-bonded Norman Osborn. Flash used the last of his Anti-Venom powers to save the various heroes left in the wake of the Red Goblin and was the last casualty of Dan Slott's epic run on Amazing Spider-Man. Flash's rebirth in Absolute Carnage would be a wonderful surprise for Flash fans.
1 DON'T: POISONS
The most recent Venom-centric event introduced a deadly new threat to the Marvel universe, the parasitic beings known as Poisons. During the Venomverse event, the Poisons infected various heroes on Earth with symbiotes, so they could then infect the host and symbiote, creating powerful Poison version of the "Venomized" heroes that were under the control of the Poison Queen.
While the Poison-infected symbiotic heroes looked great and were incredibly powerful, it's hard to look at the pre-symbiote versions of the Poisons and not see the ridiculously weird synthesis of a Mouser from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Shriekers from the Tremors franchise, which Absolute Carnage can do without, especially so soon after Venomverse.
Absolute Carnage kicks off in Spider-Man/Venom #1, which hits stores on May 5.