In the early ’90s, fans were introduced to arguably Spider-Man‘s most sadistic villain: Cletus Kasady, aka Carnage. The character is no cookie-cutter villain; he’s immediately presented as a remorseless murderer and homicidal psychopath.
Kasady’s transformation from a “normal” killer to a destructive supervillain occurs when he is infected with an offspring of Venom’s symbiote while in prison. Kasady becomes Carnage, and it takes the combined efforts of Venom and Spider-Man to bring him down. However, when Carnage makes his terrifying return, Spider-Man and Venom are hopelessly outmatched, and require help from several other Marvel heroes.
Spider-Man: Maximum Carnage was a bloody battle royal and featured many popular Marvel characters
In his most famous run — Spider-Man: Maximum Carnage — Carnage wreaked havoc across New York City with his own band of sadistic misfits after escaping the Ravencroft Asylum. This bloody and ruthless rampage ran for 14 issues. It featured an exhausted and battered Peter Parker trying his best to defend the innocent people of New York City while maintaining his moral compass.
Spider-Man: Maximum Carnage‘s story is a simple but brutal affair. The main premise revolves around Carnage, grouped up with the likes of Shriek (a remorseless mutant with sound-based abilities), Demogoblin (a demonic version of Hobgoblin), Carrion (a creature with a vendetta against Spider-Man), Doppelganger (a six-armed monstrous version of the wall crawler), tearing up New York City and killing countless innocent civilians. That’s literally the story, but it’s (forgive the pun) executed so well.
Carnage’s goal in the series is to kill, kill, kill across the Big Apple; his lack of planning and the sporadic nature of his sadistic sprees cause widespread panic across the city. (Even Captain America, the man who literally fought Nazis, is baffled and confused by Carnage’s attacks.)
On top of having to deal with Carnage and his goons, Peter Parker has to worry about mass hysteria engulfing the city, as Shriek also uses her powers to turn the people of New York into a wild and callous mob. Not only does he have to battle a murdering psychopath empowered with an alien symbiote, but Spider-Man also has to make sure the everyday people he swears to protect don’t burn everything down.
Luckily, Spidey is joined by countless other iconic Marvel heroes and anti-heroes. Not only does the wall crawler make an uneasy alliance with Venom, but Black Cat joins them early on too. Others like Cloak, Dagger, Firestar, Deathlok, Morbius, Iron Fist, Captain America, and Nightwatch (I’ll be honest, I never knew about him before this comic, and I haven’t seen him since) fight alongside Spider-Man and Venom in an attempt to thwart Carnage’s madness. However, this alliance is tenuous at best, with Spidey not wanting to resort to fatal tactics and Venom wanting … well, to be Venom.
The panels featuring all of these characters duking it out are incredible. Seeing these two groups clash in NYC settings like nightclubs and the Statue of Liberty is the equivalent of kids smashing their favorite Marvel toys together — and it’s awesome.
Overall, Spider-Man: Maximum Carnage sees our titular protagonist pushed beyond his physical and mental limits. It’s not the most nuanced story, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s a tale that forces Spider-Man and his closest allies to fight with every ounce of heart they have against one of the most savage threats they have ever encountered. And we can’t praise this comic series without acknowledging the amazing video game adaptation!
Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage was a spectacular video game
While the world is still reeling from the freaking amazing-ness that is Spider-Man 2 — the video game, not the movie, you Raimi fanatics — let’s take time to shower an older and much more straightforward Spidey installment with some nostalgic praise.
In 1994, Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage was released on the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo. It was a side-scrolling beat ’em where you played as either Spidey or Venom. The game was filled with hilarious enemy combatants. Seriously, when you weren’t fighting Shriek or Doppelganger, you were fighting men with umbrellas or women who lashed at you with their ponytails. It was great.
You could call in for support from various characters like Dagger, Firestar, and Morbius. Though, some were better than others; for example, I love Captain America, but his shield throw in this game sucked.
As far as video games from the 16-bit era go, Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage was a gem. Plus, the game is filled with some absolute bangers by Green Jellÿ. Seriously, Venom: Let There Be Carnage couldn’t have thrown “Carnage Rules” somewhere in the film?
