Marvel Comics’ two premiere alien symbiotes, Venom and Carnage, have plenty in common. Hailing from the same alien species and both plaguing the life of Spider-Man as much as physically possible, the two villains are actually quite similar in countless important ways.
However, Venom and Carnage also differ from one another in almost as many ways. From moral compasses to simple design choices, Marvel’s two most popular symbiotes are actually quite distinct from each other.
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10 Venom And Carnage Take Different Forms
The first major difference that most comic readers will notice between Venom and Carnage is their two very different looks. Whereas the original Venom symbiote is primarily black, the white on his body forming a spider logo on his chest, the Carnage symbiote takes a similar shape but with an intimidating red hue.
The coloration of symbiotes is actually much more complex than mere appearance. In Marvel lore, red symbiotes are generally stronger than their black counterparts and are usually much more vicious as well. Furthermore, Venom’s unique spider symbol comes from his previous bond with Spider-Man, leading him to adopt a logo reminiscent of his old host.
Even in his earliest years as a nefarious supervillain, Venom never liked taking innocent lives. Venom will go out of his way to make sure that no civilians are harmed in his battles with Spider-Man, calling himself a protector of the innocent. Carnage, on the other hand, shares no such qualms about killing innocent people and even seems to relish it.
Venom’s desire to protect people mostly comes from his host, Eddie Brock, whose values shine through despite the symbiote’s influence over him. As Venom’s longest host, Brock’s philosophies have rubbed off on the symbiote to an extent, even if he still needs to keep its brain-eating tendencies in check. However, this major difference between the two symbiotes has made Venom and Carnage’s relationship precarious at best.
8 Venom Has Been Used For Good
Despite the fact that Venom was introduced as a supervillain, he has also been used for good on multiple occasions throughout his history in Marvel Comics. On some occasions, including in more recent comics, Venom is branded an antihero. Some iterations, particularly Flash Thompson’s Agent Venom, are even considered to be fully heroic in their endeavors.
Carnage, on the other hand, is almost exclusively a force for evil and chaos. Unlike Venom, whose hosts can often influence the symbiote in a more magnanimous direction, Carnage’s malicious intent overpowers the best impulses. In fact, the only time that Carnage could ever mildly be named a hero was during the Axis crossover, when outlying factors forced him to begrudgingly aid the heroes for a short period of time.
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7 Carnage Has Never Bonded With Peter Parker’s Spider-Man
Venom’s memorable origin story includes the symbiote bonding with Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man, during the original Secret Wars event in 1984. Spider-Man brought the symbiote back to Earth, where they fought crime together for a period of time before Peter ultimately rejected Venom for good.
Unlike his predecessor, the Carnage symbiote has never managed to bond with Peter Parker’s Spider-Man. Generally happy with his choice of host, Carnage usually sticks with Cletus Kasady as his main partner-in-crime. This has left Carnage without any sense of heroism whatsoever, which his forebear picked up from his time with Peter Parker.
6 Venom And Carnage Hate Spider-Man For Different Reasons
Although both Venom and Carnage want to destroy Spider-Man, their reasons differ quite a bit. Venom hates Spider-Man because he was rejected by the superhero after their first bonding. After spending some time trying to get him back, the symbiote eventually bonded with Eddie Brock, who hated Peter Parker just as much, in order to kill Spider-Man.
Carnage hates Spider-Man for the same reasons that most supervillains despise the wall-crawling superhero. Spider-Man has continually stepped in to spoil his fun and put him behind bars, making Carnage hate the hero more and more with each passing encounter.
5 Venom And Carnage’s Relationships With Their Hosts Differ Wildly
Venom and Carnage have very different relationships with their human hosts. Venom’s primary host, Eddie Brock, has been portrayed as both a victim and close friend of the symbiote over the years. Their relationship is tragically toxic; they each take advantage of the other despite sharing a deep and inexplicable love.
Carnage, on the other hand, is far more calculating with his main host, Cletus Kasady. Few humans could host the Carnage symbiote, and Kasady’s lust for blood makes him the perfect candidate for the red symbiote. Carnage uses Kasady’s violent tendencies to maximize his own killing sprees but he wouldn’t hesitate for a moment if he had to abandon his host in order to save his own life.
4 Venom And Carnage’s Interpersonal Relationships Differ Wildly
Venom and Carnage have both shown different qualities when it comes to interpersonal relationships. As misguided as he often is, Venom is able to form deep connections with human beings, especially Anne Weying, Eddie Brock’s ex-wife. Venom truly cares for people like Anne, proving that he does indeed feel emotion.
Carnage, on the other hand, forms relationships in order to fill specific needs. In the Maximum Carnage storyline, the supervillain gathers his own family of supervillains to help overrun the city but never harbors any real love for them. He consistently displays sociopathic tendencies and will manipulate anyone he has to in order to get what he wants, even if it means faking his love for them.
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3 Carnage Is Physically Stronger Than Venom
Both Venom and Carnage are two of Spider-Man’s strongest villains, but they do not possess equal physical power. Symbiotes typically get stronger with each passing generation, and Venom is not quite as strong as his offspring, Carnage.
As a result, Carnage is far more formidable than his father, less sensitive to sonic blasts, and capable of greater feats of strength. This has also led Venom to seek assistance in defeating Carnage, even going so far as to ally himself with Spider-Man.
2 Venom Is More Intelligent Than Carnage
While Carnage is typically much stronger than Venom, the elder symbiote possesses more intelligence than his offspring. In addition to being generally smarter than Carnage, Venom is has a better connection to the symbiote hive mind, allowing him to have better communication with other members of his species.
The difference between Venom and Carnage’s intelligence often manifests itself in how they approach each battle. Venom is generally more strategic, stalking his enemies and formulating a plan to destroy them, as he did in preparation for his first battle with Spider-Man. Carnage, on the other hand, is driven by his emotions and rarely formulates a plan, typically killing whoever is unlucky enough to get in his way.
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1 Venom Is The King In Black
While the battle between Venom and Carnage for superiority has been ongoing for several decades, the elder symbiote may have finally proven his dominance in Marvel Comics’ recent line-wide crossover, King in Black. After an ongoing war against Knull, Eddie Brock’s Venom finally killed the symbiote god. As a result of his actions, Venom took his place as the symbiotes’ King in Black.
King in Black sees Venom ascend to become the new Nexus of the Hive Mind and Knull’s successor, forever altering the balance of power among the Klyntar species. While this doesn’t keep Carnage from continuing to plot against his ascendant father, Venom has now earned a place in the symbiote hierarchy that his offspring likely never will.
Venom and Carnage may have a lot in common, but they’re also very different. These are the biggest differences between Marvel’s two best symbiotes. Read More