Cletus Kasady, the maniacal host of the Carnage symbiote, has made a name for himself as Marvel’s most ruthless killer. Where Venom has rules and Spider-Man has morals, Carnage is a walking massacre with no remorse and no mercy. Every time he appears, it’s a bloodbath. Cities tremble, heroes panic, and readers prepare for carnage—literally.
But even a force of nature can be stopped. And when it happens, it’s never predictable. Carnage doesn’t lose cleanly. He doesn’t get arrested like a bank robber or outpunched like a typical villain. No, when Carnage is defeated, it usually takes something shocking—whether it’s a surprising hero, a self-inflicted failure, or the universe itself stepping in to say “enough.”
These are the defeats no one saw coming. Whether by trickery, divine intervention, or ironic reversal.
#10: Outwitted by Toxin – Venom vs. Carnage #4 (2005)
In Venom vs. Carnage, a new symbiote is born Toxin, the “grandchild” of Venom and “child” of Carnage. Naturally, Carnage sees this offspring as a threat to his supremacy and immediately sets out to destroy it before it fully matures. But Carnage underestimates just how quickly Toxin can grow—and how well its host, NYPD officer Patrick Mulligan, can adapt.
In the final issue, Carnage gets the upper hand several times, nearly killing Mulligan in a fit of frenzy. But instead of overpowering him, Toxin outsmarts Carnage by exploiting his rage and luring him into traps. What makes this defeat so unexpected is that Carnage—usually the predator—becomes prey to his own offspring. For a character who thrives on dominance, being bested by something he created is a poetic downfall.
This wasn’t a victory of brute strength. It was about using Carnage’s ego against him. And that made it sting far worse than any punch ever could.
#9: Defeated by Silver Surfer’s Song – Carnage: Black, White & Blood #3 (2021)
In a surreal and stunning story titled “You Get What You Need,” part of Carnage: Black, White & Blood, Carnage finds himself on an alien world hunting a peaceful group of villagers. The twist? His opponent is none other than the Silver Surfer. But instead of blasting him into atoms, the Surfer chooses a far more unexpected weapon—music.
Using his board as a cosmic instrument, the Surfer plays a song so pure and harmonious that it disrupts the symbiote’s hold over Kasady. The raw, cosmic melody breaks through the madness, briefly bringing Cletus back to lucidity—long enough for him to be rendered helpless and stripped of the symbiote.
It’s not just a victory. It’s a spiritual exorcism. For a being fueled by chaos, being defeated by peace, art, and sound is as unexpected—and ironic—as it gets.
#8: Incinerated by Deadpool – Deadpool vs. Carnage #4 (2014)
Carnage is chaos incarnate—but what happens when he runs into someone equally unpredictable? That’s the premise behind Deadpool vs. Carnage, a blood-soaked, hilarious, and surprisingly strategic showdown. After multiple brutal clashes, it seems Carnage has the upper hand… until Deadpool uses symbiote-absorbing nanites, explosives, and raw luck to fry Carnage once and for all.
The final blow? Deadpool blows up an entire building with Carnage inside, burning the symbiote and its host to a crisp. It’s not elegant, but it works. What makes this so unexpected is that Deadpool wins by being smarter—not just crazier. He studies Carnage’s patterns, adjusts tactics, and plays long enough to wear him down.
It’s rare to see Carnage out-crazied. But it’s even rarer to see him outplayed. Deadpool’s win was brutal, hilarious, and totally unpredictable—just like both characters.
#7: Ripped Apart by Sentry – New Avengers #2 (2005)
During the early issues of New Avengers, a massive prison break at the Raft unleashes dozens of supervillains—including Carnage. But just when it looks like another killing spree is about to begin, a mysterious hero steps in: The Sentry.
Sentry doesn’t trade blows with Carnage. He flies into space holding him—and tears him in half above the Earth’s atmosphere. The act is quick, violent, and horrifying. Readers barely have time to process what’s happening before it’s over. For a villain as durable and dangerous as Carnage to be eliminated in mere seconds was one of the most jaw-dropping moments in Marvel history.
This wasn’t just a defeat. It was a statement. Sentry’s debut was defined by the fact that he casually did what entire teams of heroes failed to do—he annihilated Carnage without effort. And no one saw it coming.
#6: Killed by the Darkhold – Carnage Forever #1 (2022)
In Carnage Forever, an unexpected mystical twist brings the Darkhold—a powerful magical artifact—into play. When Carnage seeks to use it to elevate his power, he finds himself at odds with forces far beyond symbiote biology. The eldritch magic corrupts and consumes, and Carnage’s thirst for power leads him straight into a magical trap he can’t slither out of.
The sorcerers defending the Darkhold summon its full power and unravel the symbiote from within. Carnage doesn’t get a climactic fight—he’s unmade on a metaphysical level. To see such a physical, brutal villain taken out by a spellbook was jarringly unexpected—and it worked precisely because it came from a corner of the Marvel Universe Carnage never respected.
It was a reminder that no matter how monstrous you are, there’s always something bigger—and stranger—lurking out there.
#5: Stopped by a Son’s Love – Venom Vol. 4 #29–30 (2021)
One of the most unexpected defeats Carnage has suffered didn’t come through fists or fire—it came through family. In the aftermath of Absolute Carnage, fragments of the Carnage symbiote survive within Dylan Brock, the young son of Eddie Brock. As Carnage attempts to reassert control over Dylan and reemerge from within him, the battle becomes less physical and more emotional fought on a psychic and symbolic level.
Dylan, empowered by his connection to the symbiote hive, is able to resist Carnage’s influence not with violence, but with resolve. He refuses to let Carnage dominate his mind, his identity, or his legacy. With help from his father and the Venom symbiote, Dylan purges the remnants of Carnage from within, literally burning the monster out of his bloodstream.
This victory is surprising not just because of who won, but how they won. Carnage is a creature of hatred, manipulation, and control. To be defeated by the unyielding love and strength of a young boy—someone born into this chaos—was both deeply emotional and totally unexpected. It wasn’t a punch that saved the day. It was a child’s refusal to become a monster.
#4: Eaten by a Bigger Symbiote – Venom Vol. 1 #35 (1997)
In an arc that took place during a particularly unhinged era of Venom’s publication history, Eddie Brock faces off against Carnage in yet another lethal showdown. But this time, a new variable is introduced: the Hybrid symbiote. This amalgamation of four different symbiotes—Riot, Lasher, Agony, and Phage—emerges to restore order, and they’ve got a score to settle with Carnage.
As the chaos unfolds, the Hybrid symbiote envelops Carnage mid-battle and devours his symbiote from the outside in, forcibly ripping it from Cletus Kasady and absorbing its mass into itself. The artwork is gnarly, showing tendrils wrestling, bodies flailing, and a look of actual fear on Kasady’s face—something rarely seen.
Carnage, the devourer, becomes the devoured. It’s a twist that subverts everything fans expect from the predator-prey dynamic in symbiote lore. And it proves that there’s always a bigger fish—or in this case, a bigger symbiote—ready to take down the apex predator when his arrogance gets the best of him.
#3: Defeated by His Own Religion – Carnage Vol. 2 #16 (2017)
In Gerry Conway’s intense horror-laced Carnage run, Cletus seeks to become a vessel for the symbiote God Knull. He amasses a cult following, manipulates ancient prophecies, and attempts to open an interdimensional gateway to merge with divine power. But in the end, Carnage’s defeat doesn’t come from an outsider—it comes from the very god he worshipped.
Knull, unimpressed by Cletus’ obsession, rejects him as a vessel. In a moment of cosmic disdain, Knull lashes out, severing Cletus’ connection and leaving him powerless, flailing in the void. He’s not destroyed by a hero or a weapon, but by irrelevance. His faith, his obsession, his entire arc—dismissed with a flick of cosmic indifference.
This defeat is particularly haunting because it turns Carnage’s entire identity into a joke. He believes he’s the chosen one, the prophet of blood. And in the end? He’s not even worth Knull’s attention. That kind of spiritual rejection is more crushing than any physical defeat—and it was completely out of left field.
#2: Betrayed by His Own Symbiote – Carnage Reigns Omega (2023)
In a recent shocking development, the Carnage symbiote and Cletus Kasady split apart—and not on good terms. Over time, the Carnage symbiote evolves, becoming more independent and developing goals of its own. When it realizes that Cletus is no longer a worthy host—too volatile, too obsessed—it abandons him mid-battle, leaving Kasady to fend for himself.
This moment plays out like a toxic breakup. Cletus begs the symbiote to return, rages at it, and finally lashes out. But it’s too late. Without the symbiote’s protection, Cletus is easily overpowered by heroes who couldn’t have touched him otherwise. For years, they were inseparable—a bonded force of terror. Now? Cletus is just a deranged man in a red jumpsuit.
What makes this so unexpected is the reversal. We always see heroes rejecting symbiotes—not the other way around. This moment proved that the symbiote had outgrown its host. And in doing so, it delivered one of Carnage’s most humiliating—and unexpected—defeats to date.
#1: Killed by Eddie Brock with the Power of a God – King in Black #5 (2021)
At the climax of King in Black, the symbiote God Knull has nearly consumed the universe. Carnage’s influence has grown, his legacy spread. But when Eddie Brock inherits the power of the Enigma Force and becomes the new Captain Universe, everything changes. Empowered by cosmic light, Eddie finally becomes something Carnage can’t comprehend—hope.
With the energy of creation flowing through him, Eddie faces off against Carnage one last time. But this isn’t a fight. It’s a cleansing. Eddie lifts Carnage—now a vessel of Knull’s darkness—and erases him. Not with hate, not with rage, but with cosmic purpose. He hurls what’s left of Carnage into the sun, purifying the universe of its most savage cancer.
This wasn’t just unexpected—it was poetic. Eddie, once the unstable brute, has become the universe’s final light. And Cletus Kasady, once the apex predator, is snuffed out not by violence—but by transcendence. In that moment, Carnage didn’t just lose. He ceased to matter. And for a monster who thrived on infamy, that’s the cruelest defeat of all.
Carnage has carved a legacy in blood, fear, and chaos—but even the most relentless monsters eventually fall. These shocking defeats remind us that no villain is invincible, not even one as savage and unpredictable as Cletus Kasady. Whether it was cosmic power, poetic justice, betrayal, or sheer dumb luck, each of these moments blindsided readers and proved that Carnage’s reign of terror can—and has—been shattered in the most ironic ways imaginable.
What makes these defeats so unforgettable isn’t just that Carnage lost—it’s how he lost. Sometimes, it’s the underdog who outsmarts him. Other times, it’s his own ego, his own symbiote, or the very darkness he worships that turns on him. And that’s what keeps Carnage terrifying—even when he loses, the horror he leaves behind never fades.
