Venom is the quintessential anti-hero. The alien symbiote that first made Peter Parker aka Spiderman its host then latched on to Eddie Brock to become a comic book legend. Venom has always been associated with a Machiavellian approach to justice. His demonic looks and awesome superpowers have made him one of the most popular as well as the strongest characters of the Marvel universe. Who could tackle the pure savagery of Venom? Why Carnage of course!!! Carnage is the official enemy of Venom.
If you think Spider-Man gave Venom competition, you have no idea how Carnage has given Venom a run for his money. Cletus Kasady is a psychopath and when coupled with the insanely crazy Carnage symbiote, he trumps all levels of insane power levels. What happens when Carnage and Venom decide to exchange fists for a one and final time?? Presenting – Venom vs. Carnage – Which symbiote will win in a battle to death?
The symbiotes hail from a planet known by the name of Klyntar and from a race of species also of the same name. The Klyntar were a peaceful species until something terribly evil happened to them. It mutilated them and turned them into the life-sucking parasites that latch onto hosts and make them live a life of rage, agony and pain. Carnage and Venom are living examples of such genetic mutilation. The only difference is that Venom came first while Carnage, believe it or not, came from Venom.
This is where it gets interesting – the symbiotes are asexual, meaning they do not require the usual process of a male banging a female to make children. Symbiotes, after they mature, have within them six eggs that are biologically embedded until a point of time called the ‘rapture.’ When Venom got his first rapture, the Carnage symbiote was born. Eddie Brock was serving prison time in a Shield facility along with a serial killer known as Cletus. The Venom symbiote helped Eddie escape and the egg that raptured from it gave birth to the Carnage symbiote. The Carnage symbiote would then became host to Cletus Kasady. Cletus would later rain down destruction and chaos on the Marvel Universe as a super-powered being.
If these two guys decide to trade fists, there is no way it would go unnoticed. Carnage and Venom have been at each other’s throats since forever. Every symbiote born of another symbiote becomes enemies. It is ingrained genetically. The offspring and the parent try to hunt down each other and take their place in their stead. It is a vicious, twisted cycle and the symbiotes are masters at it.
So, enough with the pleasantries!! Let us all cut to the chase. If Venom and Carnage really go mano-e-mano, how will the match go down? Will the parent survive or the offspring take his place? Let us give us a brief introduction to the characters first.
Venom:
Venom is Eddie Brock. Eddie Brock is Venom. Venom has all the powers of Spiderman and some of those powers are a notch above Peter Parker’s. Venom also has his own set of abilities. He has super strength, superhuman healing, dexterity and agility to make even an Olympic level athlete feel ashamed and the senses of a seasoned monk. Venom also has immunity to all forms of psychic powers and telepathy. Venom also has immunity against Spider-sense. Eddie Brock’s symbiote suit has the power to make its own versions of spider webbing which is stronger and sturdier than the regular webbing Peter Parker uses.
In one issue, it is shown that the symbiote also has the power to retain memories of its previous hosts. Up until now, it was unbeknownst to anyone that a reservoir of knowledge exists within anyone who hosts the Venom Symbiote. Venom also has its own form of Spider-Sense where the Symbiote acts as a sensor and radar for Eddie Brock and warns him against upcoming threats. Venom also has a limited amount of telepathy in some issues.
Carnage:
Carnage also has the all the abilities of Venom and Spiderman. He has super strength, insane levels of stamina and his dexterity is said to be greater than both Spiderman and Venom’s combined. Carnage has considerably less strength than Venom but he more than makes up for it in sheer craziness. Carnage is pretty much the same as the Joker getting Spider powers. Cletus Kasady also has deep-rooted connections to the underworld and is himself a great close quarter combatant.
The symbiote that is Carnage was born out of the Rapture, which is a form of evolutionary reproduction. This means that every offspring the symbiotes produce are significantly more advanced and different than the previous one. Carnage has his own unique ability. He can literally make sharp-edged weapons like swords and maces out of his hands. The Carnage symbiote can also use its body parts as projectile weapons. Cletus is known to use this ability in combat, using spears and knives as throwing weapons against opponents.
Venom vs Carnage – who will win and why?
Venom and Carnage have been at odds since ages in the comic books. The first time Venom realized that there was a ‘child’ of his roaming around the streets; he decided to eliminate him as soon as possible. There even is a comic book arc by the name of Venom vs. Carnage within the Marvel Comics Universe. So there needs to be no reason to be explained as to why the two symbiotes super humans decide to have a death match.
So? Who will win? Any guesses??
It is Carnage!! Venom is powerful but Carnage is not just powerful, he is crazy powerful. Carnage’s greatest asset is not his strength or speed or his cool looking suit. It is his host. Carnage has a host that has been a serial psychopath since he was 8. Cletus Kasady has always viewed the world with a twisted lens. For him, peace and tranquillity are illusions and the only thing that is real is chaos and pain. Kasady was a physically abused child and he has carried that part of his childhood into his serial killer ways. The Carnage symbiote empowers Cletus but it is Cletus’ insanity that makes Carnage truly unstoppable. Venom can be evil too but how will he even dare to defeat someone whose sole purpose is to kill or get killed in the process?!?!
Venom first appeared in a live-action movie in Spider-Man 3. Topher Grace played Venom as the villain of the movie. The official synopsis of the movie reads:
Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) and M.J. (Kirsten Dunst) seem to finally be on the right track in their complicated relationship, but trouble looms for the superhero and his lover. Peter’s Spider-Man suit turns black and takes control of him, not only giving Peter enhanced power but also bringing out the dark side of his personality. Peter must overcome the suit’s influence as two supervillains, Sandman and Venom, rise up to destroy him and all those he holds dear.
Venom aka Eddie Brock will appear in his first official feature film this year. Sony Pictures Entertainment will release Venom on the 4th of October this year. The official summary of the movie as released by the studio itself reads:
One of Marvel’s most enigmatic, complex and badass characters comes to the big screen, starring Academy Award® nominated actor Tom Hardy as the lethal protector Venom.
Carnage is most probably going to be a part of the future Venom-Verse as Sony is calling its own superhero shared universe revolving around the symbiote superheroes. Woody Harrelson is the most favored candidate to play the supervillain in the live action adaptation. Regarding the future of the ever-expanding Venom verse, the Director of Colombia Pictures – Sanford Panitch, who is supervising the resource allocation and usage of Sony’s Marvel Universe Characters or the SUMB department, has this to say:
“We’re focused on being faithful to the comics,”
“We believe Black Cat is enough of her own character with a great backstory and a canon of material to draw from to justify her own film,” said Panitch.
“Spider-Man connects to a lot of the characters,” said Panitch. “There are villains, heroes, and antiheroes, and a lot are female characters, many of whom are bona fide, fully dimensionalized, and utterly unique.”
“We feel there’s no reason the Marvel characters shouldn’t be able to embrace diversity,” he added.
