Marvel Reveals Surprising New Version of Carnage

Marvel has a new version of Carnage – and the latest host to wear the symbiote is about as far away from Cletus Kasady as you could get! 

The current Spider-Gwen: Smash series has been taking Marvel fans back to Earth-65, where Gwen Stacy (aka Spider-Gwen) is on a four-city tour with her band The Mary Janes – but the band has been targeted by the Hulk of Earth-65, who snatched the band's bassist, Lila Cheney. 

In Spider-Gwen: Smash #3, Hulk strikes again – this time with Pixie helping as his accomplice. The two manage to distract Spider-Gwen long enough to snatch both Dazzler and Mary Jane, leaving Gwen and the rest of her bandmates with few leads. Gwen, Natasha Romanoff, and Glory Grant manage to track down "Hulk" when he's transformed back into his alter-ego, Rick Jones. The ladies capture Rick and confirm that his Hulk was just an overpowered errand boy: there's someone else pulling the strings. Rick confirms that he has no memory of his Hulk-outs and any missions he's been sent on – before revealing that he was recently approached by a scientist for an experimental program (he thought was rehab), and that scientist betrayed him. As Spider-Gwen: Smash reveals, the mad scientist in question is Bruce Banner of Earth-65. 

The opening and closing scenes of Spider-Gwen: Smash #3 show Em Jay in the clutches of Bruce Banner after being abducted by Pixie. Bruce does his best American Psycho impression by singing and dancing to Dazzler's songs, admitting his obsession with her and her mutant gene. Bruce explains that he's been unlocking the potential power of Dazzler and her friends – including Em Jay. 

When Bruce brings Em Jay into the operating theater where he's holding Dazzler, it's revealed that Em Jay has been bonded with the Carnage symbiote! 

Mary Jane Carnage of Earth-65

There's plenty of basis in Marvel lore for symbiotes to be scientific creations rather than aliens. The Ultimate Spider-Man series of the 2000s rooted its Venom origin story in that concept – as did the recent Marvel's Spider-Man 2 video game. 

The real tragic drama of Em Jay becoming Carnage is that Gwen Stacy and Em Jay have some bubbling romantic tension that Gwen was on the verge of finally confronting when Em Jay got snatched. Now Gwen and Em Jay's tensions will be a full-blown battle – one that could end with Em Jay lost for good, dead, or in a place emotionally where she and Gwen getting together suddenly becomes impossible.

Spider-Gwen: Smash is on sale at Marvel Comics.