Venom: Carnage & Cletus Kasady Can Resurrect In The MCU – Theory Explained

Although Carnage and Cletus Kasady met a grim fate in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, there’s a chance both of them will return in a future MCU movie. Marvel’s symbiotes are closely tied to Spider-Man, but since Sony and Disney created different universes to set their Marvel franchises in, some changes needed to be made. So far, the centerpiece of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has been Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock, who has already met three of the most dangerous symbiotes ever and has befriended one of them, all without Spider-Man’s influence. Still, an eventual confrontation between Spider-Man and the symbiotes has not been set aside.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage made the bold decision to kill off Carnage and Cletus Kasady, whose eventual battle against Spider-Man was still technically on the table. As one of the most vicious villains in Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery, Carnage promised to be an exciting threat for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man should they ever cross paths. However, Venom made sure the audience knew that the scarlet symbiote was completely neutralized by eating Carnage and chomping down on Cletus Kasady’s head.

There’s no doubt Cletus Kasady and Carnage’s gruesome deaths in Venom: Let There Be Carnage were real. However, the very nature of the symbiotes leaves the door open for a potential return. As unlikely as it sounds, Carnage and Cletus Kasady not only can still return but also join Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in the MCU. Here’s how.

How Carnage Can Return After Venom 2

Venom defeated Carnage by ingesting him, but this doesn’t mean Carnage has been completely destroyed. Given that Carnage was born from a single drop of Eddie Brock’s blood, it can be deduced that it only takes the tiniest speck of symbiote to bring the villain back. In fact, Carnage may be alive inside Venom’s system, and he could be waiting for the right moment to strike once again. A sequel to Venom: Let There Be Carnage could reveal that this process made Carnage even stronger, which would justify his lackluster killing spree in the first Venom sequel: the symbiote may have been getting to know the extent of his own power before truly becoming the bloodthirsty villain he’s known as in the comics. By drawing power from Venom, reading Eddie Brock’s every thought, and feeding off both of their life forces, Carnage could eventually become strong enough to exit their body and be independent once again. Had Venom burnt Carnage to death instead, the story would be very different.

What No Way Home’s Post-Credits Scene Means for MCU Symbiotes

While Carnage’s return in a sequel to Venom: Let There Be Carnage would be a shocking twist in and of itself, the Spider-Man: No Way Home post-credits scene could add another layer of surprise to the symbiote’s comeback. Eddie Brock and Venom were transported to the MCU due to Venom’s connection to the multiversal Hive Mind, which establishes an ethereal link between every universe’s symbiote organisms. Eddie and Venom returned to their home universe as soon as Doctor Strange’s final spell sent every multiversal variant back home, but a small part of Venom stayed in the MCU. Why this entity wasn’t sent back with Venom has yet to be explained, but there are a few possible reasons: this could be a brand-new symbiote — possibly one of Venom’s offspring the likes of Toxin, Scream, Agony, Phage, or Lasher. It’s also possible that this is a new version of Venom, who will bond with Spider-Man in a future MCU movie while his SSU counterpart continues to inhabit his home universe. Further, this new symbiote could also contain the surviving remnants of Carnage, making it possible for him to fully regenerate and join the MCU for future stories alongside Venom and Spider-Man.

Carnage’s Deaths And Resurrections In The Comics

There’s plenty of comic book history that supports Carnage’s return. First, Venom devoured Cletus Kasady’s beloved symbiote just like he did in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, but Carnage survived inside of Venom and not only recovered, but also took control of Eddie Brock’s mind for a while. Later on, Carnage had the misfortune of bumping into the Sentry, who took him to outer space and ripped him in half while he tried to break out of the Raft. Against all odds, both Carnage and Cletus Kasady survived after months adrift in outer space, and Carnage was able to reproduce while Cletus adapted to his prosthetic legs. Cletus lost his legs once again after meeting Carnage’s offspring, Scorn, but he quickly got them back with the aid of Carnage’s healing abilities. Cletus then paid back the favor by regenerating Carnage from his own blood when the symbiote was almost completely destroyed.

Ever since then, Cletus Kasady and Carnage have been burned, suffocated to death, decapitated, exploded, cut in half yet again, dropped to Earth from outer space, torn apart, and cursed by the Darkhold — and yet, they’ve always found a way to heal each other regardless of how brutal their wounds have been. Death itself hasn’t been an obstacle for Carnage and Cletus Kasady, as Carnage has regenerated Cletus’s body from the tiniest particles well after he has taken his last breath. Even when Cletus is found damaged beyond repair, he has been uploaded to the Symbiote Hive Mind, where he has been able to control other symbiotes with his consciousness alone.

How Cletus Kasady’s Body Can Be Regenerated

Considering the various deaths and resurrections of Carnage and Cletus Kasady in the comics, their supposed death in Venom: Let There Be Carnage is quite difficult to accept. If there’s one Marvel character who can defy death with ease, it’s Carnage. Granted, comic books have made resurrections a common occurrence, as dozens of seemingly irreversible deaths have been retconned to allow famous Marvel characters to live indefinitely. What makes Carnage and Cletus Kasady such a terrifying couple is that their deaths have been nothing short of confirmed, and yet they still find a way to come back even stronger than before. Fortunately, Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage established that symbiotes in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe have impressing healing abilities, as they can restore their hosts to perfect shape in a matter of seconds.

If Carnage does return, the symbiote could regenerate Cletus’ body from the smallest piece of organic tissue he could find inside of Venom (or however his MCU offspring is called). Such a moment would be jarring if put to screen, but it would fall perfectly in line with what Carnage has achieved in the comics. The symbiote that joined the MCU in the Spider-Man: No Way Home post-credits scene could eventually spit out Carnage, who in turn could regenerate Cletus Kasady from within. Therefore, Cletus would be a son to Carnage in the MCU as much as Carnage was a son to him in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. After both Carnage and Cletus Kasady have regained their bodies, it’s open season for them in the MCU.

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