Venom: Let There Be Carnage Trailer Reveals First Look at Carnage

Columbia Pictures debuted the first trailer for Venom: Let There Be Carnage today. The trailer offers the first official look at the villain Carnage in the film. Woody Harrelson plays the serial killer Cletus Kasady, Carnage’s human host. He debuted in the role in the post-credits scene of the first Venom movie. Now he’s got his own symbiote and is ready to take on Venom. Carnage won’t be alone as he’ll have his twisted love interest, Shriek, at his side. Director Andy Serkis previously spoke about his excitement for the movie to finally premiere in movie theaters after multiple delays.

“I’m super excited about it. Again, it’s not something I can particularly talk about right now because we’re saving it for when everybody can go and enjoy it in the cinema,” Serkis said during an interview with ComicBookMovie.com. “I don’t want to blow it or talk about it too much before then, but I’ve had a ball working on that film. It’s been great. [It’s] another bunch of brilliant actors, and it’s headed up by another keen SAS man, Tom Hardy [Laughs]. I hope you won’t feel disappointed. It was a real pleasure working on it.”

In the comics, Carnage is the symbiote persona bonded to Marvel Universe serial killer Cletus Kasady. Created by David Michelinie, Erik Larsen and Mark Bagley, Kasady first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #344 and became Carnage in The Amazing Spider-Man #360.

Carnage is Venom’s archnemesis. In the comics, Kasady and Brock shared a prison cell for a time, which led to Kasady bonding with the offspring of the Venom symbiote. That new symbiote came to be known as Carnage. Venom has no love for its “child.” Where Venom has gone on to become less a villain and more an antihero, Carnage remains a homicidal, unrepentant killer.

Carnage was the centerpiece of one of the biggest Spider-Man and Venom crossover events of the ’90s, “Maximum Carnage.” The event saw Spider-Man and Venom become begrudging allies. Together they battled Carnage and an entire family of other symbiotes that the villain had spawned. Marvel published a spiritual sequel titled Absolute Carnage in 2019. That series saw Carnage become connected to Knull, the god of the symbiotes, making him more dangerous than ever.

Andy Serkis is directing Venom: Let There Be Carnage from a screenplay by Kelly Marcel. The film stars Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams, Reid Scott, and Naomie Harris.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage premieres in theaters on September 24th.