Absolute Carnage

• Core Identity: Absolute Carnage is a 2019 line-wide Marvel Comics crossover event that serves as a cosmic horror epic, detailing the resurrected Cletus Kasady's bloody, universe-spanning crusade to awaken the primordial god of symbiotes, Knull, by hunting down and extracting the genetic codex from every living being who has ever bonded with a symbiote.
• Key Takeaways:
• Role in the Universe: This event functions as the horrifying climax of the first major act in writer Donny Cates's critically acclaimed saga on the Venom mythos. It redefines the symbiotes not as a simple alien race, but as the living weapons of a cosmic, eldritch deity, knull, fundamentally altering decades of their established lore.
• Primary Impact: The most significant consequence of Absolute Carnage is its direct role in setting the stage for the even larger event, king_in_black. Carnage's mission, while ultimately a failure in its immediate goal, succeeds in weakening the barriers containing Knull, heralding his imminent arrival on Earth and placing the entire universe in existential peril.
• Key Incarnations: Absolute Carnage is, to date, an event exclusive to the Earth-616 (Prime Comic Universe). The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has not adapted this storyline, as its own symbiote lore is still in a nascent stage, primarily explored in Sony's Spider-Man Universe films. Any future MCU adaptation would require significant groundwork, including establishing Knull and the concept of the symbiote codex.

Absolute Carnage was first announced in March 2019 as Marvel's premier summer event for that year. The core miniseries, written by Donny Cates with art by Ryan Stegman, inks by JP Mayer, and colors by Frank Martin, ran for five issues from August to November 2019. This creative team had already achieved widespread critical and commercial success with their ongoing Venom series, and Absolute Carnage was positioned as the explosive culmination of plot threads they had been carefully seeding for over a year. Cates and Stegman envisioned the event as a fusion of superhero action and genuine horror. In interviews, they cited influences from classic horror films like John Carpenter's The Thing and the body horror genre, focusing on themes of paranoia, violation, and the loss of bodily autonomy. The central premise—that a piece of the symbiote remains embedded in every host forever—was designed to create a sense of inescapable dread. No hero who had ever touched a symbiote, from spider-man to captain_america, was safe. The event was a massive publishing initiative, anchored by the main five-issue series but supported by a vast network of one-shots and tie-in issues across numerous Marvel titles, including The Amazing Spider-Man, Venom, Deadpool, and dedicated miniseries like Absolute Carnage: Miles Morales and Absolute Carnage: Scream. This extensive crossover structure emphasized the scale of Carnage's threat, showing its impact on every corner of the Marvel Universe. Ryan Stegman's art was a key component of its success, delivering a dynamic, kinetic, and genuinely terrifying visual style that perfectly captured the nightmarish tone of Cates's script. The design for “Dark Carnage”—a skeletal, towering figure powered by the Grendel symbiote—became instantly iconic.

The seeds of Absolute Carnage were planted long before the event itself, woven through multiple storylines that redefined the nature of the symbiotes.

The in-universe genesis of the event began with the revelation of Knull, the King in Black. Eons ago, Knull was a primordial being of the void who forged the first symbiote, All-Black the Necrosword, to slay a Celestial. He then created a race of living weapons—the Klyntar, or symbiotes—and bound them to a collective consciousness known as the Hive-Mind. A dragon-like symbiote entity created by Knull, the Grendel, was eventually defeated on ancient Earth by thor and crash-landed, where it was later discovered and weaponized by shield. During the “Venom-Verse” storyline, a sample of the Grendel was acquired by the sociopathic industrialist Rex Strickland. In Donny Cates's Venom run, eddie_brock confronts and defeats the Grendel, but in doing so, he learns a terrifying truth from Strickland: every time a being bonds with a symbiote, a genetic trace or “codex” is left behind in their DNA, connecting them forever to the Hive-Mind. Meanwhile, Cletus Kasady, the original Carnage, was dead, having been torn in half in orbit by the Sentry. A cult dedicated to Knull, led by a Grendel-infected Strickland, retrieved Kasady's body. They successfully resurrected him by bonding the Grendel symbiote sample to his corpse. This new fusion was far more powerful than the original Carnage. No longer just Cletus Kasady bonded to a symbiote, he was a true avatar of Knull. His mission was simple and horrific: hunt down every single person on Earth who had ever worn a symbiote—heroes, villains, and civilians alike—and rip the codex from their spines. By collecting enough of these codices, he could fully reconnect the Grendel symbiote to the Hive-Mind, break Knull's prison on the symbiote homeworld of Klyntar, and unleash the King in Black upon the universe. Renaming himself Dark Carnage, he began his bloody harvest, kicking off the events of the crossover.

As of now, the Absolute Carnage event does not exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Earth-199999) or the adjacent Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU). The MCU's exploration of symbiotes is extremely limited and fundamentally different from the comic lore that underpins the event. The primary exposure to symbiotes for film audiences comes from the SSU's Venom (2018) and Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021). In these films, symbiotes are presented as a parasitic alien species from an unnamed planet, seeking a compatible host to survive on Earth. The concepts of Knull, the Hive-Mind, and the codex have not been introduced. Cletus Kasady's Carnage was created when he bit Eddie Brock and ingested a small part of the Venom symbiote, which then grew into a new entity inside him. This Carnage was defeated and seemingly destroyed at the end of the second film. A small piece of the Venom symbiote was briefly transported into the MCU proper during the post-credits scene of Venom: Let There Be Carnage and left behind in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). This establishes the potential for an MCU-native symbiote to appear, but its origins would be divorced from the rich, cosmic horror backstory established by Donny Cates. For an event like Absolute Carnage to occur in the MCU, the franchise would need to execute a massive retcon or introduction of new lore. This would involve:

• Introducing Knull: Establishing a primordial, god-like entity of darkness would be a significant tonal and narrative shift for the MCU.
• Establishing the Codex: The core premise of the story—that former hosts are “marked for life”—would need to be introduced. This could be retroactively applied to the MCU's spider-man, should he eventually get his black suit.
• A More Powerful Carnage: The MCU's version of Carnage was a formidable physical threat but lacked the divine, cult-leader-like purpose of his comic counterpart. A resurrected, god-powered Carnage would need to be established.

Therefore, while not impossible, a direct adaptation is highly unlikely. It is more probable that future MCU or SSU films will borrow thematic elements—such as a cult worshipping symbiotes or a more powerful version of Carnage—rather than adapting the specific plot of Absolute Carnage.

Absolute Carnage was a tightly paced horror-action story. The main narrative unfolds as a desperate struggle for survival against an overwhelmingly powerful and omnipresent threat.

1. The Hunt Begins: Cletus Kasady, now Dark Carnage, begins his massacre. He targets former hosts, starting with lesser-known ones and villains like Mac Gargan (a former Venom) and Norman Osborn, who was briefly the “Red Goblin” after bonding with the Carnage symbiote. He rips the codices from their bodies, adding their strength to his own connection to the Hive.
2. Eddie and Peter Unite: Eddie Brock, warned by a vision of Knull, realizes the gravity of the threat. He races to warn Peter Parker, who is famously one of the earliest and most significant symbiote hosts. Their reunion is tense, but they are forced to ally when Carnage's forces, including symbiote-controlled doppelgangers of his victims, attack them.
3. The Maker's Machine: Eddie seeks help from The Maker (the evil Reed Richards of the Ultimate Universe), who has been studying symbiotes. The Maker has developed a machine that can safely extract the codices from former hosts without killing them. This becomes the heroes' only hope. They gather as many former hosts as they can find, including Captain America, The Thing, and Wolverine, to protect them.
4. The Siege of Ravencroft: Carnage and his army of symbiote-infected minions lay siege to the Ravencroft Institute, where the heroes are holed up. The battle is brutal, with Carnage infecting numerous villains and turning them into his soldiers. Norman Osborn, now a grotesque Carnage doppelganger, becomes a key lieutenant.
5. Dylan Brock's Power Revealed: Throughout the siege, Eddie's son, Dylan Brock, exhibits strange new powers. He demonstrates an ability to sense and even control symbiotes, repelling them with a powerful energy blast. It becomes clear he is a key figure in the conflict, and Carnage begins to target him specifically.
6. Venom, God of Symbiotes: To fight back, Eddie is forced to do the unthinkable. He allows the Venom symbiote to merge with the collected codices and even bonds with the Hulk, turning himself into a monstrously powerful new form of Venom. In a climactic battle, he confronts Dark Carnage.
7. The Final Choice: Carnage reveals his true target was never Eddie, but the codex within Dylan. He reveals that Dylan is not Eddie's son, but the son of the Venom symbiote itself—a human-symbiote hybrid. Carnage attempts to absorb Dylan, but Eddie intervenes. To sever Cletus's connection to the Hive and kill him for good, Eddie uses his new power to absorb the Grendel symbiote and all the collected codices into himself, effectively becoming a living gateway to Knull. He then kills Cletus with a symbiote-forged sword.
8. The King is Coming: Though Cletus Kasady's physical body is destroyed, his codex, now absorbed by Eddie, completes the connection to the Hive. The event ends with the horrifying realization that their “victory” has only succeeded in awakening Knull from his cosmic prison. Eddie Brock, now marked as Knull's avatar, looks to the sky as the dark god begins his journey toward Earth.

The stakes of Absolute Carnage were higher than a typical supervillain plot; it was a battle to prevent the apocalypse.

• Cletus's Transformation into Dark Carnage: This was not the familiar homicidal maniac. By bonding with a piece of a symbiote god, Cletus gained immense power, the ability to control a vast army, and a divine purpose. He was no longer just a serial killer; he was a prophet of a dark god.
• The Codices as a ticking clock: The concept of the codex turned every hero's past with a symbiote into a liability. It created a tangible sense of a manhunt, where beloved characters were systematically targeted. This raised the personal stakes for heroes like Spider-Man, who felt responsible for the original symbiote's arrival on Earth.
• Eddie Brock's Desperation: The event pushed Eddie to his absolute limit. He was forced to trust villains like The Maker, risk his own sanity by bonding with other heroes, and ultimately make the choice to absorb the Carnage persona, a decision that would haunt him and directly lead to the next crisis.
• Dylan Brock as the MacGuffin: The revelation of Dylan's true nature as a human/symbiote hybrid shifted the entire conflict. He was not just a child to be protected but the key to everything, possessing a unique connection to the Hive that even he didn't understand.

Absolute Carnage was not an event with a clean resolution. Its ending was a cliffhanger that fundamentally changed the status quo for Venom and the entire Marvel Universe.

• The Coming of Knull: The single most important consequence was setting the stage for King in Black. Carnage's actions directly broke the seal on Knull's prison.
• Eddie Brock's New Burden: By absorbing the Carnage codex and the others, Eddie became the new focal point for the Symbiote Hive on Earth. This made him Knull's primary target and burdened him with immense power and responsibility.
• The Death of Cletus Kasady… and the Birth of a God: While Cletus's body was vaporized, his consciousness survived within the Hive. His “death” was merely a transformation, allowing him to become one with the mind of his dark god, making his return in King in Black inevitable.
• The Trauma of the Hosts: The event left deep psychological scars on its survivors. Characters who were forcibly bonded with Carnage's symbiotes, like Norman Osborn, were left traumatized. The superhero community was forced to confront the true, terrifying nature of the symbiotes they had once treated as mere costumes or weapons.

• Eddie Brock / Venom: The central protagonist. The event is the ultimate test of his transformation from villain to lethal protector. He is driven by a desperate need to protect his son, Dylan, and atone for the sins of his “progeny,” Carnage. His journey forces him to embrace greater power and make a universe-altering sacrifice.
• Peter Parker / Spider-Man: As the original human host of the Venom symbiote, Peter is a prime target for Carnage. He represents the “responsible” hero, constantly at odds with Eddie's more brutal methods but ultimately a steadfast ally. The event forces him to confront his own complicated history with the alien costume and the darkness it represents.
• The Avengers and other Heroes: While many heroes play a role, figures like captain_america, the_thing, and wolverine are key targets due to their past encounters with symbiotes. They form the backbone of the resistance, providing muscle and strategic support in the defense of the other targeted hosts.

• Cletus Kasady / Dark Carnage: The primary antagonist and a force of nature. Empowered by the Grendel symbiote and acting as the direct will of Knull, he is more powerful and focused than ever before. His goal is not random chaos but a sacred mission: to free his god. He is the fanatical high priest of a death cult, and his charisma draws other dark forces to his cause.
• Norman Osborn / The Carnage Goblin: After being forcibly bonded with a piece of Carnage's symbiote, the already deranged Norman Osborn becomes one of Carnage's most terrifying and effective generals. He retains his own intelligence and sadism, but it is now fully dedicated to serving Carnage's mission.
• Shriek and Doppelganger: Carnage's long-time “family” from the Maximum Carnage storyline. They are resurrected or empowered by Dark Carnage and serve as his loyal lieutenants, spreading terror and leading his armies of symbiote-infected minions.

• Dylan Brock: The heart of the story. Initially believed to be Eddie's human son, his true nature as a powerful symbiote-human hybrid is the story's biggest revelation. His unique abilities make him both the ultimate target for Carnage and the potential key to defeating Knull.
• The Maker (Reed Richards of Earth-1610): A cold, calculating, and amoral genius. He is not an ally in the traditional sense; he helps the heroes only because Carnage's plan interferes with his own research into the symbiotes. His super-science provides the only practical defense the heroes have against Carnage's hunt.
• Sleeper: The youngest of Venom's offspring, the Sleeper symbiote plays a crucial, if subtle, role. It bonds with Dylan at times for protection and acts as a guardian, showcasing its intelligence and loyalty to the Brock family.

The scale of Carnage's hunt was explored in numerous tie-ins that expanded the scope of the main event.

This three-issue miniseries by Saladin Ahmed and Federico Vicentini focuses on miles_morales. Carnage targets Miles not for his brief encounter with the Venom symbiote, but for his more traumatic bonding with the Carnage symbiote during a previous storyline. The series explores Miles's PTSD from that event as he is hunted by a Carnage-infected Scorpion. It's a deeply personal story about overcoming past trauma in the face of a renewed threat.

Written by Cullen Bunn with art by Gerardo Sandoval, this tie-in follows Andi Benton, the former host of the Mania symbiote, who is now bonded to the Scream symbiote. The story sees her targeted by the other Life Foundation symbiotes, who have been corrupted by Carnage. It's a brutal, action-packed story that delves into the lore of the other Klyntar offspring and ends with Scream's heroic sacrifice to save Andi, a pivotal moment for her character.

A four-issue series from Frank Tieri and Marcelo Ferreira that injects a dose of black humor into the grim proceedings. deadpool, having hosted four different symbiotes at various points, becomes a major target. The series follows Wade Wilson as he fights off Carnage's minions while trying to protect a bus full of Ravencroft inmates, including Spider-Man's “biggest fan,” the unsettling Kindred. It balances horror with Deadpool's signature fourth-wall-breaking comedy.

This tie-in by Frank Tieri and Flaviano Armentaro focuses on the street-level heroes of New York. Former host misty_knight teams up with Iron Fist, Cloak & Dagger, and the original John Jameson Man-Wolf to protect the city and other former hosts from Carnage's hordes. It effectively showcases how the crisis impacted characters beyond the main Spider-Man and Venom families, reinforcing the event's line-wide scope.

While a direct adaptation has not yet occurred, the influence and design of Absolute Carnage have left a significant mark.

The aesthetic of a more powerful, god-like symbiote has influenced recent game depictions. While not a direct adaptation, the main symbiote antagonist in the 2023 video game Marvel's Spider-Man 2 shares some conceptual DNA with the Knull/Dark Carnage saga. The game's depiction of a global symbiote network, a powerful primary symbiote with a distinct personality (Venom), and the idea of a “hive mind” that seeks to assimilate the world echo the themes Cates and Stegman established. The Dark Carnage design itself has appeared as a playable character or costume in various mobile games like Marvel Contest of Champions and Marvel Future Fight.

The visual design of Dark Carnage proved immensely popular with fans. His towering, skeletal form with Knull's spiral emblem became an instant hit. Multiple companies, including Hasbro's Marvel Legends line and Funko Pop!, have released highly sought-after action figures and statues based on his appearance in Absolute Carnage. This merchandise success demonstrates the character's lasting visual impact and the event's popularity within the comic fandom.

The legacy of Absolute Carnage is its dramatic expansion of the symbiote mythos. It provides a rich well of concepts for any future film or television adaptation to draw from, even if they don't adapt the event itself. Key concepts ripe for future use include:

• The Symbiote Cult: The idea of humans worshipping the symbiotes or a symbiote deity is a compelling plot device that could easily be incorporated into future SSU films.
• The Codex: The hook that “once you've been a host, you're a host for life” is a powerful narrative tool, creating permanent stakes and a source of perpetual conflict for any character who dons a symbiote.
• Knull as the “Big Bad”: Knull provides the symbiote corner of the Marvel universe with its own Thanos-level threat. He offers a clear path for escalating the stakes beyond street-level conflicts into cosmic, world-ending events for future Venom or Spider-Man films.

• knull
• venom_(eddie_brock)
• carnage_(cletus_kasady)
• king_in_black
• symbiote_(klyntar)

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