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Carnage has had plenty of wicked hosts over the years, but Venom villain has managed to influence more than a few of Marvel’s greatest heroes too.
Long before Venom: Let There Be Carnage, the Carnage symbiote distinguished itself as one of the most terrifying villains in the Marvel Universe. Forever linked with and influenced by its host Cletus Kasady, the symbiote carries on the serial killer’s particularly wicked penchant for violence, even when he’s not around.
Of course, Cletus hasn’t been Carnage’s only host over the years, and in fact, there have been plenty of others who have carried that mantle. While many of them have never been villains in their own right, though that hasn’t stopped Carnage from reshaping them in his own image along the way.
Ben Reilly
While he might be most famous as the Scarlet Spider, Ben Reilly, Peter Parker’s clone, is poised to take up the role of Spider-Man for the second time. And in the same way Parker bonded with Venom, Ben’s first stint as Spider-Man came saw him bonded to the Carnage symbiote. Following the symbiote’s escape from the Ravencroft Institute, it sought out the strongest host it could find and eventually settled for Ben Reilly in 1996’s Amazing Spider-Man #410 by Tom DeFalco and Mark Bagley. Surprisingly, Ben proved able to keep the symbiote in check for much of their time together, almost convincing John Jameson to lock them both up in order to prevent it from harming anyone else. With weaponized microwaves, Carnage was ultimately separated from Ben Reilly.
Eddie Brock
Following the events of Absolute Carnage, all but a small piece of the Carnage symbiote had been destroyed, and Eddie Brock was fully intent on finishing the job. Unfortunately, he fell victim to Carnage who stripped the hero of the Venom symbiote before forcefully bonding to him in 2020’s Venom #24 by Donny Cates and Mark Bagley. While Eddie himself wasn’t in any position to put up a fight against Carnage on Isla de Huesos, his son Dylan was able to find his father through the power of the symbiote Hive. With Venom’s help, Dylan managed to free Eddie from Carnage’s influence. Thanks to that, Eddie and Venom’s biggest problem was figuring out how to get back to the mainland.
John Jameson
John Jonah Jameson III, son of the Daily Bugle’s own J. Jonah Jameson has had one of the most eclectic careers in Marvel history. From decorated astronaut to Man-Wolf, John Jameson has practically done it all, and that includes falling prey to Carnage. In 1996’s Sensational Spider-Man #3, by Dan Jurgens, Jameson’s position as the head of security at the Ravencroft Institute made him the first person who Carnage bonded with after escaping the facility before, he jumped onto a stronger host in the form of Ben Reilly. Years later in 2019’s Web of Venom: Cult of Carnage #1 by Frank Tieri and Danilo Beyruth, Jameson would be revealed once more as an agent of Carnage, having been infected in silence and forced to act as a symbiote sleeper agent for a short time.
Silver Surfer
In 1998, Amazing Spider-Man #430 by Tom DeFalco and Joe Bennett gave Carnage one of the deadliest transformations of his career with the Silver Surfer. While Carnage was fighting Spider-Man, the Silver Surfer himself swooped in to lend a hand. Unfortunately for Cletus Kasady, his symbiote chose to leave him for the Silver Surfer almost as soon as it made contact with the powerful cosmic hero, becoming the Cosmic Carnage in the process. Like Ben Reilly, the Silver Surfer’s willpower was enough to keep Carnage from causing too much damage while acting as its host, though he was compelled to return it to Cletus Kasady in order to be free of its influence and save the serial killer’s life out of an overly righteous moral code.
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