The symbiote serial killer Carnage is one of Marvel’s deadliest characters, but few would guess he’s a match for the Hulk in terms of raw strength. However, when Carnage fused with the Grendel symbiote, he became so absurdly strong that he beat Hulk with ease.
The terrifying confrontation between Carnage and the Hulk was first seen in Absolute Carnage #4 by Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, Jay Leisten, Frank Martin, and Clayton Cowles. This issue saw Carnage trying to gather together parts of a symbiote codex, so he could awaken Knull aka the King in Black.
This leads him to attack a base where the Avengers are hiding, trying to remove the codices from their bodies. Since Eddie Brock is more concerned about saving his son Dylan than fighting Carnage, the Venom symbiote bonds with Hulk, hoping to use his strength to beat Carnage. Surprisingly, Carnage easily takes the jade giant down.
Carnage Overpowers The Hulk
Symbiotes’ Full Power Still Isn’t Totally Understood
The Hulk is one of the most physically powerful characters in Marvel, with his physical strength potentially being limitless. He has earned titles such as World-Breaker, signifying his ability to destroy planets at his maximum potential. Cletus Kasady, on the other hand, tends to use blades to kill his victims – first as a vicious serial killer, then an outright supervillain – and isn’t known for his muscles. This is why it was so surprising that when the two finally fought, even with Hulk powered up by the Venom symbiote, Hulk lost, badly. One of the main reasons for this was because Carnage had just fused with the Grendel symbiote, allowing him partial access to Knull and the larger symbiote hive. The other thing that secured Carnage’s victory was his clever use of his powers.
The Hulk is a dangerous fighter, but his regular green giant form isn’t typically known for its cleverness or battle planning. Carnage is an extremely clever killer, and he’s more familiar with a symbiote and what symbiotes can do than almost anyone else on the planet. Because of this, even though Hulk should’ve had the physical advantage, Carnage was able to exploit his mastery over symbiote skills to literally shut Hulk down. Carnage used his tendrils to pierce Hulk’s brain, turning off the part required for Hulk to activate. However, while this is how he scored the win, he was gleefully able to match the Venom-Hulk blow-for-blow until thinking up a way to shut him down.
Carnage Easily Shuts Hulk Down
Symbiotes Are Connected to the Primordial Void
Hulk usually demolishes anyone he goes up against in a straight physical fight, but Absolute Carnage saw Cletus tap into a force that goes back to the birth of the Marvel multiverse. While no one would think Carnage was capable of physically standing up to the Hulk, his full potential allowed him to draw on godhood. With that upgrade, Carnage was able to give Hulk one of the worst beatings he’s ever had without much effort on his part, which just goes to show how absurdly dangerous Carnage truly is.
