Venom is the symbionts' best-known in the Marvel universe, but another viral character among these species is
Carnage, the editor's greatest villain, renowned for his brutality.
He's the result of a fusion between a symbiote and serial killer
Cletus Kasady. He is one of the most evil creatures in his universe, often seeking destruction and death for his own pleasure.
The differences between Carnage and Venom are striking in every respect. If morally they are different because the latter is sometimes characterized as an anti-hero, physically, they are equally distinct. This singularity is especially noticeable through their colors - while one is black, the other is red, making their look unique.
Contrary to what many people believe, however, Venom's completely black coloring does not necessarily occur in all of their kind. Still, there is a particular reason why Carnage is entirely red, which you can find out here!
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Absolute Carnage comic cover[/caption]
Carnage's Origin in The Comics
Cletus Kasady was a serial killer who became the host of a symbiote. He and
Eddie Brock met in prison, where they were cellmates. Given his murderous tendencies, he planned to kill Venom's host, who was detached from his symbiote at the time.
Before this could happen, the creature returned, reuniting with its former host allowing his escape. But, what none of the humans knew was that
Venom left behind a "cub."
Being generated by asexual reproduction, the new symbiote was similar to the original, though it evolved differently. Abandoned during Brock and his symbiote's break out, Venom's offspring bonded with Kasady, entering the killer's body through a cut in his hand.
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Carnage's origin in the comics[/caption]
Thus,
Carnage, which name was chosen by Kasady himself, emerged from the union of this symbiote with the serial killer's bloodstream.
Kasady took advantage of his new powers to escape from prison, determined to use his new abilities to continue the killing for which he was already known. Leaving a trail of death all over the city, Carnage was confronted by
Spider-Man. Still, the symbiote proved to be much stronger than the hero.
To help him in this task, Spidey established a truce with Venom, despite the latter being one of his worst enemies. Although he didn't want to work with the Friendly Neighborhood hero, Venom agreed to help because he hated Kasady even more than he hated Spidey.
Together, they were able to arrest him and take him back to the Ravencroft Institute, from where he had escaped.
Why is Carnage Red?
There is a wide variety of colors among Marvel's symbionts. For example, while Venom is entirely black, Scream has a predominantly yellow coloring, Lasher is red and green, and Agony relies on shades of purple.
Thus, it is essential to note that while he is the most well-known, the color of Eddie Brock's symbiote is not the standard, being only one among several expressions of his race.
The reason for Carnage's red color lies in his origin. The symbiote bonded with Cletus Kasady through the assassin's bloodstream, coming to live in this part of his body by fusing with it.
Thus, the fusion with the blood of his host causes Carnage to have the same color as this substance.
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Carnage in Venom 2 Let There Be Carnage[/caption]
