Mary Jane isn't here, little Spider. Only Knull. And as his willing disciple, we think we need a new name. The name of Our Lord's most favored child. You can call me Carnage!!! 
- —Carnage Symbiote[src]
History
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First form
When Ghost-Spider attempted to use her Ticket to the Multiverse to escape Knull's attack on Earth by returning to Earth-65, her friend Mary Jane Watson was accidentally teleported to Earth-616 instead - having been bonded to a sample of Gwen's artificial symbiote by the Jackal. Ghost-Spider caught MJ, but they accidentally landed in a pool of living abyss that promptly engulfed MJ and amalgamated with the artificial symbiote already bonded to her. Seeing through the symbiote's eyes, Knull - taking note of Ghost-Spider's artificial symbiote - ordered MJ to retrieve it for him to study.[1] MJ's repressed anger and resentment towards Gwen led to her embracing the King in Black's will for a shot at revenge,[2] and her symbiote was named "Carnage" in honor of the late Cletus Kasady, declaring its intent to kill Ghost-Spider and take her symbiote to Knull.[1]
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Second form
Mocking Gwen for not being willing to fight her friend, Carnage succeeded in connecting Gwen to Knull, who mockingly challenged her to find a way to free MJ from his influence. Gwen begged MJ to listen to her -- saying that if the Carnage symbiote was anything like hers it would eventually kill her -- and almost succeeded in getting through to MJ, but the symbiote increased its hold on her - assuming a form even more similar to the original Carnage symbiote - and she departed to cause mayhem before her time ran out.[2] Ghost-Spider was able to weaken the symbiote's bond to MJ with sound waves by challenging her to a battle of the bands, and asserted enough control over the corrupted gummy spiders to turn them against Knull's living abyss. As the destabilized symbiote sloughed off her, MJ collapsed from radiation sickness and Gwen carried her to safety, not noticing that some of the symbiote remained bonded to her.[3]
Bruce Banner was able to revive the dormant symbiote after having Pixie kidnap Em Jay, turning her back into Carnage.[4] The Carnage symbiote was seemingly destroyed by Bruce Banner's benevolent Hulk form, but revealed it had survived during the Mary Janes' trip home.[5] The Carnage symbiote began taking over Em Jay whenever she lost her temper and going on rampages--costing the Mary Janes several gigs. Orlando Octavius, Bruce Banner's benefactor, attacked Gwen and Em Jay claiming the Carnage symbiote as his property. Unleashed, the Carnage symbiote joined forces with Em Jay to escape, and--fed up with Gwen's oblviousness to Em Jay's feelings--agreed to Natasha Romanoff's offer to let them join her super-spy agency. Attempting to ditch Gwen, Carnage aggressively flirted with her when she demanded to know why they were being so standoffish, though their argument was interrupted by Mortis. Escaping with help from Gwen, Carnage defeated Mysterio and carried her to where Natasha was waiting for them; withdrawing into Em Jay so they could say goodbye.[6]Attributes
Powers
Symbiote Physiology: This iteration of the Carnage symbiote was created when the sample of Earth-65's artificial Venom symbiote bonded to Mary Jane Watson was amalgamated with Knull's living abyss, giving it properties of both. Like Earth-65's symbiote it's comprised of semi-amorphous "gummy spiders" that amalgamate to form a symbiotic costume; while like Earth-616's symbiotes it's capable of manifesting weapons from its constituent matter -- transforming an electric guitar into a battle-ax -- and is subservient to Knull's will.[2] After weakening the symbiote with rock music, Gwen was able to reassert control over the "gummy spiders" and separate them from Knull's living abyss, some of which remained bonded to MJ.[3] After Em Jay was kidnapped by Bruce Banner, the dormant symbiote was revived and fully bonded to her without the limitations its former gestalt state imposed.[4]
- Superhuman Strength
- Superhuman Stamina
- Superhuman Durability
- Superhuman Speed, Agility, and Reflexes
- Accelerated Healing Factor
- Camouflage Capabilities
- Constituent-Matter Manipulation
Weaknesses
- Heat and Sonics: Gwen was able to destabilize the symbiote by challenging Carnage to a battle of the bands, the sound of MJ's electric guitar weakening its bond to MJ and the merger of the symbiote's living abyss to her "gummy spiders".[3]
Paraphernalia
Weapons
Notes
- It is effectively the Carnage Symbiote of Earth-65, despite being created on Earth-616.
- It is the fourth symbiote to be given the alias Carnage on Earth-616, although it has no symbiotic relationship with Cletus Kasady.
- It is the only symbiote to be "ex-artificial", as when the "gummy spiders" were reclaimed by Gwen, only the living abyss was left.
Trivia
- In concept art, "MJarnage" is depicted looking more similarly to the classic Carnage symbiote,[1] and assumes this form in King in Black: Gwenom vs. Carnage #2.
See Also
- 6 appearance(s) of Carnage IV (Symbiote) (Earth-616)
- 27 image(s) of Carnage IV (Symbiote) (Earth-616)
- 2 quotation(s) by or about Carnage IV (Symbiote) (Earth-616)