The Evolution Of Carnage In Video Games
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VOICE OVER: Callum Janes
WRITTEN BY: Callum Janes
This ravenous red symbiote has popped in and out of Marvel video games over the years. In this video, we're looking at the evolution of Marvel's Carnage in video games, from his first appearance to the present day. Our video includes "Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage", "Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions", “Lego Marvel Super Heroes” and more!
Script written by Callum Janes
A vicious alien parasite who bonds itself to whoever they want and slaughters thoughtlessly, this ravenous red symbiote has popped in and out of Marvel video games over the years. He’s always remained a psychopathic and sadistic killer that you wouldn’t want to draw the attention of. But how has he transformed over the years on our favorite consoles?
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re diving into the Evolution of Marvel’s violent supervillain Carnage in Video Games!
Have you played any of these entries? Do you think Carnage deserves a bit more love? Are there any other Marvel characters you think deserve a video game outing? Let us know in the comments below!
Carnage is an alien parasite called a symbiote, also known as the “Klyntar” race, and is the offspring of another prominent Spider-Man villain: Venom! After a few cameo appearances, they made their full comic debut in Amazing Spider-Man #361 and were created by writers to be a darker version of Venom. They have had numerous hosts over the years, the most notable being serial killer Cletus Kasady! They’re incredibly powerful, sporting amplified abilities similar to his predecessors (Venom & Spider-Man), including super-strength, self-healing, increased senses, wall-crawling, and shape-shifting. And it’s this ability to morph its body that contributes to its hellish design, which features chaotic tentacles/appendages and razor-sharp teeth on their red and black suit. But its most notable feature is their deranged personality. They take almost artistic pleasure in the chaos they create, and every iteration is always wildly insane!
Given that the wall-crawling superhero is one of Marvel’s most popular characters, it makes sense that he has had a LOT of adaptations, stemming back to the Atari 2600. But by the time the 90s rolled around, our crazy parasite started making major appearances in his games. In July of 1992, his first came when he was an enemy in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” on the Game Boy. Unfortunately, due to the tech restrictions of the small device, his appearance was fleeting. But that was just the start of a slew of contributions in a third of the Spider-Man games released before the 2000s. They were primarily side-scrolling boss battles in the likes of “The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foes” and “Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade’s Revenge,” all of which featured the most well-known iteration of the character, Cletus Kasady. But the antagonist would prove popular enough to produce two games where he was the leading villain.
Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage was a side-scrolling beat-em-up based on the comic series of the same name. It saw Spider-Man and a league of his Marvel allies team up against a horde of Spider-Man villains, with Carnage at the helm. We get to see the birth of the villain as the symbiote fuses with Cletus Kasady. One of the first Marvel video games was a direct adaptation, rather than just inspired by the characters. The alien bred for disorder sported his classic red and black design, with nearly no changes from his comic book outing. It was also one of the first to be teen-rated, as the comic did have several visceral scenes. As a result, it was regarded as one of the better Spider-Man games of the 16-bit era and an accurate rendition of the character. It resulted in a sequel called “Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety,” which mostly followed the same formula. However, the plot was more of a mixture of various comic storylines and released to poorer reception.
With the advancements in gaming technology in the early 2000s, Marvel characters could jump into 3D with “Spider-Man” on the PS1! This gave the demented red symbiote the chance to be a significant villain yet again! Alongside Doctor Octopus, he was helping orchestrate a symbiote invasion that Peter Parker and Eddie Brock worked together to stop. His design wasn’t that different from previous iterations, but this was the first video game that the character received voice-acting! We saw plenty of Spider-Man villains precede Cletus Kasady, but what we didn’t expect was an original fusion made just for this game! Monster-Ock was a Carnage-possessed Doc Ock who served as the game’s final boss, and boy was it terrifying. Screaming horrific noises while chasing you down claustrophobic hallways was enough to leave a lasting impression on any younger gamer.
After the PS1 generation, the biggest game to come out and feature Carnage was “Ultimate Spider-Man,” but it wasn’t like what we had seen before. Instead, this Carnage was based on the “Ultimate Marvel” iteration of the comics. Cletus didn’t make an appearance in the game, but the symbiote did! The symbiote featured a new design and origins, fusing itself to Spider-Man and eventually being eaten by Venom. Later games would see the character switch back and forth between an “Ultimate Marvel” inspired Carnage and one attached to Cletus Kasady. Carnage was a regular fixture in several Spider-Man games and even a playable character in “Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2”. But unfortunately, the psychotic killer was going to slide down the list of Marvel’s priorities.
After Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Carnage was relegated to primarily side titles. First, you have them making appearances in MMOs like Marvel Heroes and Marvel Super Hero Squad Online. Then you have the countless Marvel mobile games beginning from around 2013, where Carnage would pop up. Almost all of these iterations, including the MMOs, featured the Cletus Kasady iteration with minimal design changes from what we say way back in the retro era. He started to be used as a niche fan addition, almost an afterthought in most cases that companies could use to realize a couple more buyers. The only plot-significant appearance he made in games after 2010 was in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”. Released to capitalize off Sony’s film, you battle the villain throughout the game. This would be the most significant entry in Carnage’s video game career until some household name Danish building blocks would come knocking.
The Lego games were so notable because they reintroduced Carnage, albeit in a small way, to younger audiences again. After the 2000's Spider-Man, they were the only “Spider-Man” related games that weren't rated Teen and upwards, excluding “Spider-Man: Friend or Foe.” This game retained the same freakish design and demeanor of the crazy Cletus Kasady and adapted it for a game for everyone. Although their appearance in “Lego Marvel Super Heroes” 1 + 2 was fleeting, it would be the only chance for anyone under 12 to experience the villain, ignoring the short appearances in mobile games.
After Sony released “Venom” in 2018, it reignited interest in his various stories, which also included his offspring. Cletus Kasady made his live-action debut in the first film’s post-credits and upped the dark tones in its sequel: Let There Be Carnage! As a result of the film's release in 2021, the popular battle royale game “Fortnite” released a playable skin! The visual aesthetic of the film adaptation is pretty similar to what video games have been pulled from for years. And the character isn’t that different. As a result, the Fortnite cameo is in line with what we’ve seen for years.
Carnage has remained relatively consistent throughout his time in video games, with only a few instances where significant changes were made to him, mostly in line with the different versions of the character that already exist. Cletus Kasady has received the most love in the interactive genre, but the character has had highs and lows. But whenever he does appear and get the attention he deserves, you know it's going to be memorable.
The Evolution of Carnage In Video Games
A vicious alien parasite who bonds itself to whoever they want and slaughters thoughtlessly, this ravenous red symbiote has popped in and out of Marvel video games over the years. He’s always remained a psychopathic and sadistic killer that you wouldn’t want to draw the attention of. But how has he transformed over the years on our favorite consoles?
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re diving into the Evolution of Marvel’s violent supervillain Carnage in Video Games!
Have you played any of these entries? Do you think Carnage deserves a bit more love? Are there any other Marvel characters you think deserve a video game outing? Let us know in the comments below!
Who is Carnage?
Carnage is an alien parasite called a symbiote, also known as the “Klyntar” race, and is the offspring of another prominent Spider-Man villain: Venom! After a few cameo appearances, they made their full comic debut in Amazing Spider-Man #361 and were created by writers to be a darker version of Venom. They have had numerous hosts over the years, the most notable being serial killer Cletus Kasady! They’re incredibly powerful, sporting amplified abilities similar to his predecessors (Venom & Spider-Man), including super-strength, self-healing, increased senses, wall-crawling, and shape-shifting. And it’s this ability to morph its body that contributes to its hellish design, which features chaotic tentacles/appendages and razor-sharp teeth on their red and black suit. But its most notable feature is their deranged personality. They take almost artistic pleasure in the chaos they create, and every iteration is always wildly insane!
2D Retro Generation
Given that the wall-crawling superhero is one of Marvel’s most popular characters, it makes sense that he has had a LOT of adaptations, stemming back to the Atari 2600. But by the time the 90s rolled around, our crazy parasite started making major appearances in his games. In July of 1992, his first came when he was an enemy in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” on the Game Boy. Unfortunately, due to the tech restrictions of the small device, his appearance was fleeting. But that was just the start of a slew of contributions in a third of the Spider-Man games released before the 2000s. They were primarily side-scrolling boss battles in the likes of “The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foes” and “Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade’s Revenge,” all of which featured the most well-known iteration of the character, Cletus Kasady. But the antagonist would prove popular enough to produce two games where he was the leading villain.
Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage
Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage was a side-scrolling beat-em-up based on the comic series of the same name. It saw Spider-Man and a league of his Marvel allies team up against a horde of Spider-Man villains, with Carnage at the helm. We get to see the birth of the villain as the symbiote fuses with Cletus Kasady. One of the first Marvel video games was a direct adaptation, rather than just inspired by the characters. The alien bred for disorder sported his classic red and black design, with nearly no changes from his comic book outing. It was also one of the first to be teen-rated, as the comic did have several visceral scenes. As a result, it was regarded as one of the better Spider-Man games of the 16-bit era and an accurate rendition of the character. It resulted in a sequel called “Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety,” which mostly followed the same formula. However, the plot was more of a mixture of various comic storylines and released to poorer reception.
Jump Into 3D
With the advancements in gaming technology in the early 2000s, Marvel characters could jump into 3D with “Spider-Man” on the PS1! This gave the demented red symbiote the chance to be a significant villain yet again! Alongside Doctor Octopus, he was helping orchestrate a symbiote invasion that Peter Parker and Eddie Brock worked together to stop. His design wasn’t that different from previous iterations, but this was the first video game that the character received voice-acting! We saw plenty of Spider-Man villains precede Cletus Kasady, but what we didn’t expect was an original fusion made just for this game! Monster-Ock was a Carnage-possessed Doc Ock who served as the game’s final boss, and boy was it terrifying. Screaming horrific noises while chasing you down claustrophobic hallways was enough to leave a lasting impression on any younger gamer.
The Difference Between Ultimate Carnage & Cletus Kasady
After the PS1 generation, the biggest game to come out and feature Carnage was “Ultimate Spider-Man,” but it wasn’t like what we had seen before. Instead, this Carnage was based on the “Ultimate Marvel” iteration of the comics. Cletus didn’t make an appearance in the game, but the symbiote did! The symbiote featured a new design and origins, fusing itself to Spider-Man and eventually being eaten by Venom. Later games would see the character switch back and forth between an “Ultimate Marvel” inspired Carnage and one attached to Cletus Kasady. Carnage was a regular fixture in several Spider-Man games and even a playable character in “Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2”. But unfortunately, the psychotic killer was going to slide down the list of Marvel’s priorities.
Slipping Out of The Mainstream
After Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Carnage was relegated to primarily side titles. First, you have them making appearances in MMOs like Marvel Heroes and Marvel Super Hero Squad Online. Then you have the countless Marvel mobile games beginning from around 2013, where Carnage would pop up. Almost all of these iterations, including the MMOs, featured the Cletus Kasady iteration with minimal design changes from what we say way back in the retro era. He started to be used as a niche fan addition, almost an afterthought in most cases that companies could use to realize a couple more buyers. The only plot-significant appearance he made in games after 2010 was in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”. Released to capitalize off Sony’s film, you battle the villain throughout the game. This would be the most significant entry in Carnage’s video game career until some household name Danish building blocks would come knocking.
The Lego Games
The Lego games were so notable because they reintroduced Carnage, albeit in a small way, to younger audiences again. After the 2000's Spider-Man, they were the only “Spider-Man” related games that weren't rated Teen and upwards, excluding “Spider-Man: Friend or Foe.” This game retained the same freakish design and demeanor of the crazy Cletus Kasady and adapted it for a game for everyone. Although their appearance in “Lego Marvel Super Heroes” 1 + 2 was fleeting, it would be the only chance for anyone under 12 to experience the villain, ignoring the short appearances in mobile games.
Video Game Carnage Vs. Sony’s Carnage
After Sony released “Venom” in 2018, it reignited interest in his various stories, which also included his offspring. Cletus Kasady made his live-action debut in the first film’s post-credits and upped the dark tones in its sequel: Let There Be Carnage! As a result of the film's release in 2021, the popular battle royale game “Fortnite” released a playable skin! The visual aesthetic of the film adaptation is pretty similar to what video games have been pulled from for years. And the character isn’t that different. As a result, the Fortnite cameo is in line with what we’ve seen for years.
In Conclusion
Carnage has remained relatively consistent throughout his time in video games, with only a few instances where significant changes were made to him, mostly in line with the different versions of the character that already exist. Cletus Kasady has received the most love in the interactive genre, but the character has had highs and lows. But whenever he does appear and get the attention he deserves, you know it's going to be memorable.
