Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Giant-Size Spider-Gwen #1!Carnage is an infamously sinister villain in Spider-Man continuity who’s consistently been the twisted amalgamation of Cletus Kasady and his Venom-offspring symbiote. But now, Marvel Comics has just introduced an all-new Carnage, one with a similar look and a familiar host, but with a heartbreaking added power the original Carnage didn’t possess.
In a preview for Giant-Size Spider-Gwen #1 by Melissa Flores and Alba Glez, Earth-65’s Gwen Stacy and her band, the Mary Janes, are prepping for a show when one of the band’s members absolutely loses it. Mary Jane gets angry at Gwen for supposedly messing up on the drums, and in her rage, MJ inadvertently unleashes her newly-acquired other half: Carnage.
As Carnage, Mary Jane lashes out at Spider-Gwen as the superhero swings from the rafters of the concert venue, trying to dodge and counter Carnage’s deadly attacks without harming Mary Jane. Finally (with the help of the other band members), Ghost-Spider and the gang succeed in delivering an electric shock to Carnage, which forces her to revert to Mary Jane. As a regular person again, MJ apologizes profusely, saying she didn’t mean to get angry and lose control as Carnage.
Venom Chooses an MCU Hero as His New Host, Claiming They’ll Make Him Stronger Than Ever
Venom’s new host is a powerful MCU hero, one who the symbiote thinks is an even better host than Eddie Brock (& perhaps better than even Spider-Man).
Mary Jane’s Carnage Doesn’t Have Control Over Her Symbiote Like the Original
While it’s exciting that Mary Jane has gotten this undeniably epic upgrade, it is unfortunate that she doesn’t get the same perks as everyone else who’s ever worn a symbiote, as symbiotes and their hosts usually work together upon achieving symbiosis. Carnage, specifically, is the poster-child for total symbiosis, which is made clear by the fact that Carnage refers to himself as ‘I’, not ‘we’ like Venom/Eddie Brock does. But even though Venom and Eddie Brock refer to themselves as ‘we’, the personality ‘Venom’ only exists because of the symbiosis achieved by both Eddie Brock and his symbiote.
Basically, symbiotes and their hosts usually work together, and the host can call upon their symbiote (or revert to normal) at will. However, Mary Jane does not possess that level of control over her Carnage symbiote. Instead, she gets a unique ‘power’ associated with her symbiote: it only comes out when she gets angry, and totally takes over when it does.
The ‘Power’ Mary Jane’s Carnage Has Makes Sense, Given Her ‘Creator’
Spider-Gwen: Smash #3 by Melissa Flores and Enid Balám
Giant-Size Spider-Gwen #1 picks up where the ongoing series Spider-Gwen: Smash leaves off following the comic’s third issue. In that issue, Bruce Banner (an alternate version, who is an evil scientist) abducts Mary Jane and infects her with this Carnage symbiote. Mary Jane’s Carnage isn’t the first monster created by Earth-65’s Bruce Banner, either, as he also turned Rick Jones into Marvel Comics’ new Hulk in this universe. And, interestingly enough, Mary Jane’s Carnage acts a lot like the Hulk, as she can’t control when her alter ego is unleashed, and it only takes over when she gets angry.
Mary Jane may be Marvel Comics’ new Carnage, but her unique power makes her more akin to a Hulk than a classic symbiote host. Mary Jane can’t even feel frustrated during a stressful band warm-up without ‘Hulking-out’ into Carnage, and truthfully – especially after seeing it in action in this preview – that’s absolutely heartbreaking.
Giant-Size Spider-Gwen #1 by Marvel Comics is available March 6, 2024.
Giant-Size Spider-Gwen #1 (2024) | |
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