Marvel's Absolute Carnage May Be This Generation's Maximum Carnage

There's gonna be Carnage… Absolute Carnage! During C2E2 in Chicago, writer Donny Cates revealed that he and Venom cohorts Ryan Stegman and Frank Martin are unleashing Marvel's biggest event of the summer, and it stars none other than Cletus Kasady.

Kicking off in Spider-Man/Venom #1, which releases on May 5, the story is billed as the deadliest in the Marvel Universe and will feature every character who's bonded with a symbiote, along with appearances by every symbiote we've ever seen. It promises to cover everything from Maximum Carnage to Venomized, and then some.

It's the mention of the former, though, that should get the comic book community buzzing. In 1993, the 14-part crossover series known as Maximum Carnage debuted to immense fanfare and mouth-watering sales numbers. It brought together a healthy chunk of the Marvel Universe, as Spider-Man, Venom and other heroes (such as Captain America and Iron Fist) joined forces to put a stop to Carnage and his villainous team's murder spree.

While the narrative was simple enough, it spawned much more than a Spidey comic book event. It resulted in a successful toyline, critically acclaimed video game (with a soundtrack by Green Jellÿ) and even a theme park exhibit. Maximum Carnage was a pop culture phenomenon of its time, with even non-comic book fans sitting up and taking notice.

The thing is, no one foresaw it becoming the monster hit it was. "Contrary to popular thought, we had no plans other than to just do a comic book story," Spider-Man Unlimited writer and then-Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Tom DeFalco told The Hollywood Reporter. "The [Maximum Carnage] video game came later. The toys -- everything came later."

It truly was the Summer of Carnage, and you could argue that this was the storyline that established the villain as a major player in Marvel Comics. At that point, Kasady had been around in continuity for a year, but he'd yet to achieve the level of popularity that followed. Maximum Carnage proved to be the turning point for the character, catapulting him into the top tier of Marvel rogues, and there's been no looking back.

It wasn't just Carnage who benefited from the tale, as Venom's stock continued to rise. He was already a huge hit with Marvel fans, but his team-up with the Web-Head and other Marvel heroes cemented his place in the pantheon of antiheroes. Suddenly, Venom t-shirts were a lot more in fashion than those featuring other traditional heroes, and not much has changed since then.

The biggest key to Maximum Carnage's success, though, is how it defined the relationship between Venom and Carnage. Much like Batman and the Joker, there are similarities between the two that you cannot ignore, but they're doomed to engage in this dance of death until one of them is finally destroyed. It's this intense and hate-filled conflict that makes them the perfect foils for each other, with this story only emphasizing how there's no way that it'll ever end in a peaceful manner.

It's hard to believe it's been 26 years since Maximum Carnage. While Venom and Carnage have clashed numerous times since, there hasn't been an event that's felt as big as that one. With Cates drumming up excitement for Absolute Carnage, there's a strong indication that this will be the spiritual sequel fans have clamored for over the years.

There's been massive developments in the symbiote lore of Marvel Comics, as Cates and his collaborators have rewritten the history of the alien race. Consequently, there are several narrative loops begging to be closed, and this could be the ideal opportunity to do so. Whether Absolute Carnage ends up having the same impact and legacy of Maximum Carnage, though, only time will tell.

CBR

Absolute Carnage Should Be Maximum Carnage for a New Generation