Batman's Arkham Asylum may be the most iconic madhouse full of dangerous supervillains, but Marvel's Ravencroft might be a far more dangerous hive of madness. While Ravencroft is best known as the place where Cletus Kasady merged with the terrifying Carnage symbiote, there are many more reasons why the institute is the most deadly facility of its kind in any universe.
Since its origins, Ravencroft has been a den of danger and malice, where supervillains and cults take root and rule. Here are several reasons why the facility is one of the most dangerous locations in the Marvel universe.
Ravencroft Has an Ancient Connection to Knull, the King in Black
Ravencroft Institute is an asylum for the criminally insane. It started as an asylum in Westchester County, New York for those who simply could not be cured of their emotional maladies and proved dangerous for everyone around them. However, even from its inception, Ravencroft was cursed. For centuries prior to the asylum's founding, a cult that worshipped Knull had established themselves on the territory where Ravencroft would be built. Giovanni da Verrazzano, an Italian explorer, found the area, only for the Knull cult to skin his companions and leave the flayed flesh in a spiral. This grotesque sacrifice to Knull scared Verrazzano away from America.
The land was first used as a holding cell in 1664. Cortland Kasady had been driven mad by the Knull Cult and was contained within a cell there. Cortland broke free and murdered his wife, Molly Ravencroft. However, this did not break his family line, since, centuries later, it would produce Cletus Kasady, the man who would become Carnage. Cortland would later be revived by Knull for his loyalty, becoming the symbiote Plague.
Ravencroft would continue to be a cursed site. Another cult worshiped Shuma-Gorath on the site, proving that Ravencroft's soil drew evil to it. The Spirit of Vengeance, Skrulls, and many others would visit the region before a descendent of Molly Ravencroft and a distant relative to Carnage, ironically enough, founded Ravencroft as an asylum for the criminally insane.
Ravencroft and the Vampires
Dr. Jonas Ravencroft began documenting the land's dark history in Frank Tieri, Angel Unzueta, and Guiu Vilanova's Ruins of Ravencroft: Carnage. The Asylum has employed a number of questionable doctors, including Nathaniel Essex -- more famously known as Mister Sinister -- and Claudia Russell who was a werewolf. Victor Creed, aka the murderous Sabretooth, was an orderly at the facility.
The institute had a number of notable detainees, including the likes of Wolverine. However, Dr. Ravencroft's fate was sealed in World War II, when the Weapon Plus program and Baron Blood used Ravencroft as part of vampiric experimentations involving Dracula. Captain America and Bucky stormed the asylum, and out of shame Dr. Ravencroft killed himself.
Carnage and Ravencroft
Cletus Kasady was born in Ravencroft when his mother was given electro-shock therapy while pregnant. Cletus would return to be a patient at Ravencroft years later under the far more humane guidance of Dr. Ashley Kafka. Dr. Kafka was given Ravencroft after successfully treating the supervillain Vermin. Kassidy broke out of Ravencroft at the beginning of "Maximum Carnage," before embarking on a violent trek across the country.
Carnage was brought back to Ravencroft several times, joining others such as Judas Traveler, an enigmatic hypnotist. The asylum became the center of Carnage's Knull Cult when he attacked the facility with symbiote spawns and resurrected the Demogoblin on its foundation, returning Ravencroft to its roots as a center of evil.
Deadpool unintentionally interrupted the Knull Cult, setting off a series of events that culminated in Ravencroft burning down. The asylum was rebuilt by Wilson Fisk, who planned to use the facility for his own nefarious purposes. He hired Norman Osborn as part of the staff, which drew the attention of the Sin-Eater, who attacked Ravencroft in search of Osborn. This attack resulted in the facility being destroyed once again, and with any luck this terrible place will finally stay laid to rest.