An extended preview for Sony Pictures’ Marvel spinoff film Venom: Let There Be Carnage — which will be in theaters by week’s end — reveals serial killer Cletus Kasady’s (Woody Harrelson) violent rebirth as the symbiote villain Carnage in its entirety.
The clip — which was shared to the official PlayStation YouTube channel today, Sept. 29, and runs at just under four minutes long — opens as Kasady is about to be executed at California’s Ravencroft Institute for his various murders.
Unfortunately for all those present, the lethal injection is no match for the Carnage symbiote in Kasady’s blood. “Something wicked this way comes,” Kasady declares just before red tentacles begin to protrude from his body.
Once his transformation into Carnage is complete, Kasady goes on a rampage throughout the prison, killing the guards and freeing the inmates.
Picking up after the events of 2018’s Venom, Let There Be Carnage rejoins Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), who is still struggling to adjust to his new life as the Venom symbiote’s host.
In an attempt to breathe new life into his investigative journalism career, Eddie begins interviewing the aforementioned Kasady ahead of his execution. Things, of course, take a violent turn when Kasady bonds to the Carnage symbiote, Venom’s offspring.
Created by writer David Michelinie (who had previously co-created Venom alongside Todd McFarlane) and artist Erik Larsen, the character of Cletus Kasady first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #344, published by Marvel Comics in March 1991.
Kasady’s alter ego, Carnage, was created by the duo of Michelinie and Mark Bagley, making his first full appearance in 1992’s Amazing Spider-Man #361.
Carnage’s origin story in the live-action Venom sequel differs slightly from his comic book origin. In the comics, Cletus Kasady and Eddie Brock (the latter of whom was separated from the Venom symbiote at the time) were actually cellmates at Ryker’s Island in New York.
Eddie despised Kasady for his murderous, nihilistic worldview and would regularly beat him. Before Kasady could murder his cellmate in retaliation, however, the Venom symbiote returned to break Eddie out of prison.
What Eddie did not realize at the time was that the Venom symbiote had asexually reproduced, leaving the newborn Carnage symbiote in the cell with Kasady. The rest, as they say, is history.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage hits theaters nationwide on Oct. 1.
