Warning! Spoilers ahead for Carnage #1
In Marvel Comics’ new Carnage series, Cletus Kasady and his symbiote have parted ways, seeing the deadly Carnage symbiote evolving to become a whole new kind of villain in the Marvel Universe. No longer needing a host to sustain him, Carnage is eager to explore what he’s fully capable of. It’s also teased in this new issue that whatever he has planned, it’s going to be far worse than the simple serial killing favored by Kasady.
In Marvel’s previous Extreme Carnage miniseries, Cletus Kasady left Carnage behind. Having been nothing more than a codex of memories without a body for quite some time, Kasady bonded with the Extrembiote, a symbiote dragon that was once under the control of Knull the Symbiote God combined with Iron Man’s nano-technology. Now on his own, Carnage decided to go his own way, beginning with his capture of none other than Hydro-Man in Carnage Forever #1, seeing some sort of unique value in the often-overlooked Spider-Man villain and his powerset.
Carnage #1 from Ram V and Francesco Manna sees Carnage reveal that the constant serial killing he committed while bonded to Kasady is a thing of the past. Now, Carnage is looking to go bigger and become a far more dangerous villain, now that he’s no longer burdened by the desires and needs of a host. And whatever he has planned looks to be much worse than manslaughter, as Carnage tortures and kills Hydro-Man by absorbing his powers for his own ends. A mission which has yet to be fully revealed after this first issue.
It certainly seems as though Carnage never wants to bond with another host again, now that he’s finally able to achieve his own wants and desires. Ironically, Cletus Kasady might have been doing the Marvel Universe a favor by holding Carnage back, keeping him limited to just serial killing, as opposed to… whatever Carnage now has planned for the Marvel Universe on his own. Whatever it is, Carnage’s work will apparently make killing a “meager ambition” (which doesn’t bode well for anyone).
While readers will likely learn more about Carnage’s new status quo and his plans as the series continues, the possibility exists that the symbiote might be more powerful without Cletus Kasady as its host. That being said, one has to wonder if Cletus Kasady’s new Extrembiote will arrive as a major threat, pitting the world’s most dangerous symbiotes against each other. Fans will just have to find out as Carnage continues from Marvel Comics.
