Venom 3 Theory: Carnage & Cletus Kasady Are Alive And Coming To The MCU

Carnage might have violently reached his end in "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," but just because the deadly villain has died doesn't mean he can't come back, as a recent comic book storyline hints at how the symbiote and his host could return in future movies.

In the second installment of the "Venom" franchise (directed by Andy Serkis), Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) encounters the serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson), a prisoner infected with an offspring of the Venom symbiote to become Carnage. Kasady breaks free and goes on a killing spree that is blamed on Brock and Venom. In a final battle to clear their name, the antihero takes on Carnage and his partner, Shriek (Naomie Harris), and when Cletus is separated from his symbiote, Venom swallows it before eating Cletus' head.

While "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" appears to be a definitive ending for Carnage, a modern arc starring the villain in the comics shows he could come back stronger than ever and ultimately lead the current iterations of Venom and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) to finally team up in live action in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to stop him.

Cletus Kasady and Carnage have been killed several times in the pages of Marvel Comics. In "Web of Venom: Carnage Born" (by Donny Cates, Danilo S. Beyruth, Cris Peter, and VC's Clayton Cowles), readers are taken to the birth of Cletus, when his mother delivers him while being a patient at the Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane. Cletus dies soon after he is born due to being strangled by his umbilical cord, but he is later reborn, with the story strongly suggesting Knull, the God of Symbiotes, returns him to life knowing his important symbiote future.

Carnage continues to face a cycle of death and being reborn. Most infamously, he is ripped in half in space by one of the most powerful heroes in existence, the Sentry, in "New Avengers" #2 (by Brian Michael Bendis, David Finch, Danny Miki, Mark Morales, Frank D'Armata, Richard Starkings, and Albert Deschesne). However, the symbiote manages to keep Casady alive, using its alien powers to put him in a sort of stasis before he is retrieved from outer space. 

Carnage dies and is reborn a handful of times more before making a play for the throne of the King in Black, recently transferred from Knull to Venom after the defeat of the God of Symbiotes in the King in Black event. Eventually, Carnage and Cletus split from each other, sending the symbiote down its darkest path ever.

Carnage and Cletus Kasady's falling out leads the deadly symbiote on a rampage across the multiverse as the villain attempts to kill every other symbiote across space and time to become the new God of Symbiotes in the "Death of the Venomverse" miniseries. The mission leads Carnage to form one of his deadliest weapons — a version of All-Black the Necrosword, originally sported by Knull — and go on a brutal murdering spree throughout different timelines. In this month's "Carnage" #1, Carnage will return to Kasady following his recent attempt at becoming a god.

Carnage's comic book arc could hint at the live-action version being equally unkillable; even in the face of certain death, like their demise in "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," Cletus and Carnage always seem to return. If Marvel wanted to unite Spider-Man and Venom on the big screen, Carnage being reborn and threatening the multiverse could be a fascinating reason to pair up the heroes. Venom has been introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," so a crossover doesn't appear to be out of the question. If Marvel doesn't want to continue Cletus' arc, Carnage has had several other recent hosts who could take his place — most notably the deranged serial killer Kenneth Neely. 

So, while Carnage's time in the Sony Spider-Man Universe and beyond may appear at first glance to be over, the comics show Carnage can never fully be killed, setting the stage for a potential return with the symbiote being stronger than ever.