#cthon

Doctor Strange No. 62 - Deliver Us from Evil!

Cletus: ...Because you want to?

Eddie: Nope.

Carnage: Because we're related?

Venom: Don't remind us.

Cletus: Because... you're my best friend?

Eddie: That's just sad.

Frances: Because we mighta kinda sorta accidentally released an elder God and now if you let them die the ritual will be complete and we won't be able to get rid of it and it will destroy all of existence?

Eddie [sighs]: ...Fine.

Venom: [grudgingly breaking them out, cutting them free of the ritual circle]

Eddie: How the hell did you even manage to fuck up so completely?

Cletus: Read a book.

Eddie: [Disbelieving look.]

Cletus: What? I love reading and... You're seriously judging me based on my name, aren't you?

Frances: Shame on you.

Eddie: So what's this about the end of the world?

Carnage: Unfortunately the book was lacking additional context.

(Not that I think he is Mephisto or C’thon —just some nice symbolism for Billy.)

Love Unlimited #29: Hulkling & Wiccan Part 5 (Dec. 22, 2022)

Edit: SERVING LOOKS!!

Just the fluff I needed this week 🥰

The new Carnage run seems to be working to rectify this but honestly this description alone exemplifies part of the problem.

There are too many Carnages right now. So here's a quick rundown of the Carnage situation and how I would fix it. Keep in mind these are just my takes.

So, to clarify, I will be considering it a separate incarnation or Carnage only if they've demonstrated an independent will (otherwise they're an offshoot like the Carnage doppelgangers in Absolute Carnage) and have not used a new identity (Scorn isn't Carnage because she's used a different name and clearly sees herself as a different entity)

So, caveats out of the way, the list:

> Carnage IV (Grendel): this is the Carnage that's been focused on for the duration of the current run. It has inherited the memories of the original Carnage from its time with Cletus, along with the abilities granted to Carnage II by the Darkhold, so you could make a strong argument that this is Carnage Prime now, though it's also the same Grendel symbiote that appeared on Earth in ancient times, battled Thor and later became the foundation of the Sym-Soldier program.

> Extrembiote/Carnage V (Cletus Kasady): after fusing with Carnage IV during the events of Extreme Carnage, Tony Stark's 'Extrembiote' became the primary host for Cletus Kasady's codex. While official material suggests that the Extrembiote is NOT operating under the Carnage identity, it's definitely operating as Cletus. Given that Carnage II, III and IV all existed as different symbiotes before bonding to Cletus, it's fairly safe to call the Extrembiote 'Carnage V.' This version considers itself the original Cletus and operates out of the ruins of St Estes, the orphanage Cletus grew up in. Also a strong contender for Carnage Prime.

> Carnage... IV and a half... ("Cletus"): while technically an offshoot of Grendel/Carnage IV, this symbiote is bonded to detective Jon Shayde, protagonist of the ongoing Carnage series. It's evident from its behavior that it's an independent offshoot, and has adopted the persona and mannerisms of Cletus Kasady.

> Hybrid Carnage (Renesmee): the newest iteration, but one I don't see sticking around. This Carnage was created by recently introduced villain The Harrower at the beginning of the current Deadpool run. It was created through her biofusion/biofission abilities from the remains of a Carnage doppelganger, making it a Grendel offshoot. Renesmee was then forcibly bonded with Deadpool, as his regenerative powers gave it the best chance of maturing before killing its host. Hybrid Carnage is definitely the most parasitic incarnation so far, entirely consuming its host. Due to its recent introduction, there's not much else to say about this iteration.

So, how do we fix this fucking MESS? Well, the first thing I'd do is have Carnage IV drop the name and return to the Grendel identity, or a new name entirely. It's clearly working towards some kind of transcendental goal, a rebranding could work for that.

Carnage V/The Extrembiote should fully take over the Carnage identity again. Cletus IS Carnage, I think that's what makes him the logical Carnage Prime.

Shayde's offshoot should just die or get forcibly reabsorbed by Grendel, or The Extrembiote since it seems to consider itself to be Cletus.

There's actually some serious potential for Renesmee/The Hybrid Carnage. I would have it take on a new name and become a side character in Deadpool's series. It just doesn't make sense for it to use the Carnage name.

So, I read 'The Darkhold' event on Hoopla. It's... mid, to be honest. It's one of those undercard events Marvel does every now n then that will ultimately not matter but could be a fun time. This does have some good parts - the Alpha & Omega issues werent really for me and I skipped the Blade issue a few panels deep. Here's the deal: someone digs up The Darkhold, a book of evil magic that also keeps an evil magician at bay. SPOILER: it's Dr. Doom. The Scarlet Witch often has to deal with The Darkhold and said evil magician (Cthon), so she gets wrangled into this mess. Wanda figures out that she needs five warriors to defeat Chthon and she assembles her crew of five. She tells them to read a little bit of a story in The Darkhold, and things predictably go off the rails. Also, this plan is bad. Whatever though, the event is off and running. So that was all in the beginner Alpha issue. Things close out in the Omega issue. In between, each of the five get their own issue of "things have gone to SHIIIIIIIIT!" They are surprisingly solid on their own (though I skipped the Blade one). They don't quite come together though. The Iron Man one does setup Darkhold Tony and it is BALLS CRAZY. The others dont really do tie back in though? Wasp's maybe does, as her changes are largely just "different outfit". Spider-Man seems to change a lot and his issue doesnt address *any* of it (even though it's good). The Black Bolt issue is really good and if you dig like ‘The Twilight Zone’, you’ll probably really enjoy it. But then we close out with the Omega issue for the boss fight. It's fine, if a bit generic in the Alpha and Omega issues. The one-shots in the middle will largely determine if you'd rank this positively or negatively, but the event does lack cohesion as a whole. It can be found now on Hoopla.

This is one of my favourite recents, Cthonian Annyami under the moon - towards a blood moon, before denying the two humans (bottom left corner) whatever they have come to beg her for. Around them her children wait for permission to devour them, like mankind devoured them. A real favourite. Can talk for hours about it and the story behind it ^^

The Cthon were a species of mutated humans living deep in the depths of Coruscant. Descended from those trapped in the lowest level of the underworld, Cthon were primitive but intelligent, a source of much fear for those living in the lower parts of the city.

Source: Star Wars: Purge: Seconds to Die (Art: Jim Hall; 2009)

First Appearance: The Illustrated Star Wars Universe (1995)