Carnage (Ultimate Marvel character)

Carnage
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Ultimate Spider-Man #61 (September 2004)
Created by	Brian Michael Bendis Mark Bagley
In-story information
Species	Symbiote (comics)
Notable aliases	Little Ben Gwen Stacy

Carnage is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually depicted as an enemy of Spider-Man. The creature is an alternative version of Carnage, originating in the Ultimate Marvel universe.

In this incarnation, Carnage is a self-regenerating vampiric organism created from DNA samples of both Spider-Man (Peter Parker) and the Lizard, and combined with samples from Richard Parker's symbiotic suit research.

Fictional character biography

Origin

When Doctor Curtis Conners discovered that Peter Parker was in fact Spider-Man, he offered to help him, feeling he owed the young hero - who had previously helped him after he turned himself into the Lizard. Following a fight with the madman Gladiator, Peter went to Conners's lab for medical treatment. Conners helped him, and after Spider-Man departed, he examined Peter's blood out of curiosity.

File:Gwendolyne Stacy (Earth-1610) and Carnage (Symbiote) (Earth-1610) from Ultimate Spider-Man Vol 1 62 0001.jpg

Gwen's Death at the hands of the Carnage Symbiote

Intrigued by what he had found, Conners wanted to try to use Peter's DNA to create something new. With the help of his lab assistant Ben Reilly, Connors used a leftover sample of Richard Parker's research - the Venom symbiote - to combine the sample of Peter's DNA with his own - which had been altered by the Lizard Serum. After a month of experimentation, Connors and Reilly succeeded in creating a red-and-black symbiote that they divided into several samples, placing all but one into storage. The symbiote rapidly gestated into a fetus-like creature nicknamed "Little Ben", which quickly escaped and began consuming others to sustain itself, metamorphosing into a red-and-black humanoid monster closely resembling Venom.

Possessing fragments of Peter's memories, the Carnage symbiote made its way to the Parker residence in Queens, where it found and fed on Gwen Stacy, killing her. In the resulting fight with Peter, the symbiote partially transformed into a replica of Richard Parker before degenerating back into a monster, causing Peter to theorize that it needed to absorb his DNA to become complete. The Carnage symbiote was seemingly destroyed when thrown into an industrial chimney. However, following Dr. Connors' arrest, Reilly snuck back into the lab and stole one of the additional samples.

The Stacy Project

At the behest of the CIA, Ben Reilly began working alongside Otto Octavius on creating super-soldier clones - mostly of Spider-Man. As part of an experiment called "The Stacy Project," Reilly and Octavius infused the sample of the Carnage Symbiote with Gwen Stacy's genetic material, gestating a molecular duplicate who possessed all of the original Gwen's memories up to and including her death. Afraid of the Carnage symbiote and unable to fully control it, the clone of Gwen panicked and escaped custody alongside the other clones.

Captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. while attempting to ask Peter for help, Gwen's clone was confined at the Triskelion. Gwen's clone was interviewed and studied by Tony Stark, who theorized that the original Carnage had survived and created Gwen's clone to serve as a host. When the Green Goblin instigated a jailbreak, Gwen escaped and used the Carnage symbiote to make her way to the mainland and travel to Peter's house, terrified of her monstrous abilities. When Eddie Brock arrived to threaten Peter into getting the Venom symbiote back from S.H.I.E.L.D., Peter - as Spider-Man - dragged him to a nearby rooftop. Gwen followed, and Spider-Man asked her to transform into Carnage to show Eddie how foolish he was for wanting to become a monster again. Gwen complied, but being in close proximity to Carnage caused the particles of the Venom Suit to reform inside Eddie. Noticing Eddie was about to attack Peter, Carnage attacked him - which resulted in Eddie absorbing some of the Carnage symbiote and transforming into Venom again. After a brief fight, Venom engulfed Carnage and absorbed the red symbiote. Gwen's clone was expelled and later analyzed by S.H.I.E.L.D., who confirmed her to be cleansed of it.

Powers and abilities

Carnage possessed various superhuman attributes as a result being a combination of Peter Parker's DNA, Curt Connors's DNA, and a sample of the Venom Suit. Most of its powers are similar to those that Spider-Man and Venom possess, though a few are more developed. Carnage is superhumanly strong, though it is unknown how much it can lift. It needs to feed on humans to survive, due to its damaged DNA. Much like Venom, it can create tentacles from its biomass, which it can use to web-swing in a manner similar to Spider-Man's webs. It can also use these as weapons, whipping them around or sharpening them to impale enemies like spears; even creating giant projections through the ground.

Shapeshifting: Because of its physical and mental instability, Carnage's appearance is subject to the creature's emotions. It gained the appearance of numerous individual beings, such a malformed human, the Lizard (when killing a couple in the alley), the Venom symbiote (the form it used most), Peter Parker (when killing Gwen Stacy), and Richard Parker (when confronting Peter Parker).

Molecular Reconstruction: The sample of the Carnage symbiote used in Project Stacy was able to create a complete molecular reconstruction of Gwen Stacy, possessing not only her appearance, but possessing her memories up to and including her death. While bonded to this replica of Gwen, the symbiote appeared to lack the need to consume other beings to survive.

Weaknesses

Carnage needs to feed on humans to survive, due to its damaged DNA. Peter theorized that this flaw would be erased if it absorbed his DNA. While bonded to Gwen Stacy's clone, it appeared to not possess this weakness.

In other media

• The Ultimate Marvel iteration of the Carnage symbiote appears as the penultimate boss in the Ultimate Spider-Man video game. Unlike his Ultimate Marvel counterpart however, this version requires a host to survive and was created by Trask Industries using a sample of the Venom symbiote. After Adrian Toomes injects Peter Parker with the makeshift symbiote sample, he transforms into Carnage and breaks free, going on a rampage throughout the Trask Building until he is defeated by Venom, who absorbs the symbiote from Peter's body.
• The Ultimate Marvel iteration of Carnage appears as a boss in the final Ultimate segment of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, voiced again by Fred Tatasciore. Carnage was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. and brought to the Triskelion along with a fragment of the Tablet of Order and Chaos for study. However, their scientists brought the two together, inadvertently increasing the symbiote's power. It escapes confinement and uses its powers to drain the life from numerous S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and reanimate them as his zombie-like minions. After receiving a distress call, Spider-Man arrives and pursues Carnage throughout the base's burning ruins. Cornering Carnage in his nest, Spider-Man fights him and his spawns with help from several Spider-Slayers and defeats the symbiote while he claims the tablet fragment.

Trivia

• The appearance of the life-form was loosely based on the original Carnage, except now sporting more of an orange color scheme and yellow eyes.
• Carnage's victims present pallor and dehydrated skin as well as totally black-colored eyes.
• Cletus Kasady also exists in this universe, but has nothing to do with Carnage.