Fans have been clamoring for Carnage to be included as part of the ‘Venom’ movie ever since the movie was first announced by Sony, and it seems that Sony may just be allowing the chaotic villain into the film after all. A while back the rumor had been that Riz Ahmed was cast in the role of Carnage, but since then we have learned that he is more likely playing Carlton Drake in the film, who in the comics is the CEO of the life foundation, a man who experiments on the venom symbiote to create the “five symbiotes” found in the ‘Lethal Protector’ venom comic book arc that many are claiming the movie is going to be based on. So with Ahmed out, many had given up hope of seeing Carnage in the film, but Tom Hardy himself has rekindled that hope, with a recent post to Instagram (spotted by the good folks over at Comicbook.com) that put the spotlight on some Venom/ Carnage fan art, which he deleted not long after posting it.
Fans are saying that Hardy’s post, combined with the knowledge about the “five symbiotes” and the ‘Lethal Protector’ arc are all hinting at more symbiotes being in the ‘Venom’ movie, and Hardy teasing fans with a picture of Carnage in particular, is a direct message from Hardy saying that the fan favorite villain will also be in the film.
Now rumors are starting that perhaps Ahmed IS still playing Carnage, but just a different version of the character. Instead of the comic-book Carnage whose host is the homicidal maniac Cletus Kasady, they are wondering if perhaps in the movie Carnage will be formed by the merging of Carlton Drake at one of his symbiote experiments. Even if it is just something that occurs at the end of the film or during the end credits, just the tease of Carnage for the future might be enough to sate the fans who desperately want to see him up on the big screen. Although if he is not Cletus Kasady, I do not know if I would enjoy it as he might not be exactly the same character. A lot of the fun, unhinged insanity of Carnage comes from Kasady and his psychopathic tendencies, not necessarily from the symbiote (though it does adapt to him eventually), and it might be weird to see a normal person suddenly become crazy enough to be Carnage just by merging with a symbiote. But who knows?
Do you have any theories for the film? Are you dying to see Carnage up on the big screen, or will seeing a well-done version of Venom himself be enough? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
