Carnage

**Cletus Kasady** AKA **Carnage** is an enemy of Spider-Man from Marvel Comics.

## History

### Background

Cletus Kasady was a prolific serial-killer who became fused to the Carnage symbiote, a suit-like alien organism which best bonds with a host depending on how murderous and chaotic said host is. Due to Cletus' personality, the two organisms merged to such an extent that they regard themselves as a single entity as opposed to other symbiote/host characters who see themselves as multiple.

With his amplified powers, Carnage became a super-powered serial-killer who terrorized New York City and became an enemy of Spider-Man.

### Development history

Carnage is a Marvel Comics enemy of Spider-Man who was created in 1991 by writer David Michelinie and artist Mark Bagley as a symbiote/human super-villain similar to Venom albeit with a chaotic and murderous personality inspired by the Joker from DC Comics

In 2002, Carnage was the central character of the *Marvel Superhero Island* area of *Halloween Horror Nights: Islands of Fear*, loosely inspired by the comic-book storyline *Maximum Carnage* (1993). In the original backstory for the event, he would have been summoned/manifested by the supernatural child Cindy however this was abandoned when the Caretaker became the new icon for the event.

The event is believed to have caused trouble between Universal and Marvel Comics, as the event presented various super-villains as killing and corrupting Marvel super-heroes. This was the last time that Halloween Horror Nights directly tied into Marvel Comics as a property, and is believed to be why Universal focused more on original haunted houses and haunted houses based off of Horror properties rather than tying them into IPs.

## Appearances

### Halloween Horror Nights

#### Halloween Horror Nights: Islands of Fear

##### Island Under Siege

2002's *Halloween Horror Nights: Islands of Fear* event involved Superhero Island in a way, presumably non-canonical to the story of Marvel Super Hero Island and of dubious to Halloween Horror Nights lore. Here, the Caretaker used his powers to aid Carnage in defeating all the island's superheroes and seizing control of Superhero Island, assisted by the villains: Mephisto, Electro, Kraven the Hunter, and Crossbones.

##### Maximum Carnage

The haunted house *Maximum Carnage* (named for the 1993 Spider-Man storyline of the same name) surrounded Carnage's hideout where Carnage has infected and controlled some heroes such as the Punisher, while having murdered others while assisted by villains such as: Scream, Xorn, Toad, Vermin and soldiers of HYDRA.

## Trivia

* The statue heads of two symbiote villains appear outside of *Osborn Industries* on Yancy Street in *Marvel Super Hero Island*, sometimes identified as depicting Carnage.
* An alternate continuity version of Carnage is referenced by Universal's primary rivals, the Disney Parks. In WEB Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure, there are allusions to the Gwen Stacy Spider-Woman's band-mate Mary Jane Watson, who is Spider-Gwen's version of Carnage.
* Carnage's *Legion of Horror* is unknown.
* The sibling of the Carnage symbiote, Scream, is a member of the Sinister Syndicate in *the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man* ride.
* The "Carnage Warehouse" space used for Halloween Horror Nights takes its name from Carnage as Maximum Carnage was the first haunted house housed in said space.
* The events of Island Under Siege and the Maximum Carnage haunted house were loosely inspired by the comic-book storyline *Maximum Carnage* (1993).