History ComicBook / AbsoluteCarnage

* CreatorCameo: ''Absolute Carnage'' #1 features a Ravencroft psychiatric consultation with Cletus Kasady and ''Absolute Carnage'' #2 one with Norman Osborn, both transcribed in-universe by Clay [=McLeod=] Chapman, who wrote the ''Separation Anxiety'' one-shot and most of the ''Everyone Is a Target'' tie-ins.

* ReverseMole: As of Miles Morales' third tie-in, his plan is [[spoiler:to stay bonded with the symbiote so he can listen in on the symbiote hive mind and get critical information to the other heroes.]]

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: In ''Absolute Carnage: Separation Anxiety'', a young girl named Sadie tearfully tells a stray German Shepherd that she wishes her broken family could stay together and be happy. The German Shepherd happens to be the host of the Hybrid symbiote and promptly disgorges its constituent symbiotes. Agony, Riot, and Phage proceed to terrorize Sadie by taking over her family and enacting a grotesque parody of idyllic suburban life while pointing out that this is what told them she wanted.

Spinning out of the event is two series: ''ComicBook/ScreamCurseOfCarnage'' and ''Ruins of Ravencroft''. The former is an ongoing series which follows Scream in the event's aftermath, the latter is a three-issue miniseries of one-shots starring Carnage, Sabertooth, and Dracula. The aftermath of this event leads into the December 2020 event ''ComicBook/KingInBlack''.

* ''Absolute Carnage vs. SelfDemonstrating/{{Deadpool}}'' #1-3

Spinning out of the event is two series: ''ComicBook/ScreamCurseOfCarnage'' and ''Ruins of Ravencroft''. The former is an ongoing series which follows Scream in the event's aftermath, the latter is a three-issue miniseries of one-shots starring Carnage, Sabertooth, and Dracula. The aftermath of this event leads into the December 2020 event ''King in Black''.

** In ''Absolute Carnage'' #4, Miles tells Eddie to get to the [[spoiler:Venomized Hulk ASAP because [[spoiler:Carnage could tear the Venom symbiote and its codex out of the Hulk if he defeats him]], becoming powerful enough to free Knull. [[spoiler:Cue the duo's look of horror when they arrive just in time to witness Carnage assimilate the symbiote and discard an unconscious Bruce Banner.]]

** In the ''Absolute Carnage vs. Deadpool'' tie-in, Carnage states that ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} is a metaphorical unicorn because he's the "only human alive" who's bonded to four different symbiotes. Unless the emphasis there is on "alive", that statement disregards Scott Washington, who bonded to the ''same four symbiotes at once'' as Hybrid years before. There's also Eddie,[[labelnote:*]] who's bonded to Venom, Mania, Toxin, and Sleeper (plus Anti-Venom) [[/labelnote]] but it could be argued that Carnage is saving him for later. It's also worth noting that Deadpool was actually bonded to ''five'' Symbiotes if one counts ''Secret Secret Wars'' and ''Deadpool: Back In Black'' , but the second issue addresses this by revealing the editors don't [[CanonDiscontinuity count those]].

* ThanatosGambit: Cletus Kasady stages one in [[spoiler:the final issue of ''Absolute Carnage'' by manipulating Eddie into bonding to the codices extracted by the S.C.I.T.H.E. and putting him in a HeadsIwinTailsYouLose situation where he has to choose between letting Dark Carnage kill his son or killing Dark Carnage to save Dylan, with either choice resulting in Knull awakening]].

Spinning out of the event is two series: ''ComicBook/ScreamCurseOfCarnage'' and ''Ruins of Ravencroft''. The former is an ongoing series which follows Scream in the event's aftermath, the latter is a three-issue miniseries of one-shots starring Carnage, Sabertooth, and Dracula. The aftermath of this event leads into the December 2020 event ''King in Black'', where Knull arrives on Earth.

Spinning out of the event is two series: ''ComicBook/ScreamCurseOfCarnage'' and ''Ruins of Ravencroft''. The former is an ongoing series which follows Scream in the event's aftermath, the latter is a three-issue miniseries of one-shots starring Carnage, Sabertooth, and Dracula.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/absolute_carnage.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Everyone is a Target]]

* BigBadassWolf: [[spoiler:Dylan morphs Sleeper into the shape of one to take on the Maker, taking inspiration from Eddie turning Venom into an AngryAttackDog in the past. He later confesses he's not a dog person, though, so Sleeper shifts into an alien-looking cat instead.]]

** In ''Absolute Carnage'' #3, [[spoiler:the Venom symbiote calls the symbiote that Norman is bonded to "[its] spawn" despite Norman being bonded to the Grendel symbiote, not the Carnage symbiote]].

** Cletus Kasady's portion of the Carnage symbiote -- not seen since 2015's ''Carnage'' Vol. 2, was confirmed to have sacrificed itself saving him in ''Web of Venom: Carnage Born''.

** Lee Price -- not seen since 2017's ''Venom Inc.'' -- was killed off by Carnage in ''Free Comic Book Day Vol 2019 (Spider-Man/Venom)''.

** In ''Absolute Carnage vs. Deadpool'' #2, C-list villains Will O' the Wisp, Conundrum, and Freak are Carnagized and sent after Deadpool, [[spoiler:who proceeds to kill -- or at least incapacitate -- them]].

* BadassBoast: Carnage gets a bone-chilling one in Issue #3.
-->'''Carnage:''' Did you know that my mother went through electroshock treatments when she was pregnant with me? [[WorstAid This was before they would sedate you for that kind of thing.]] And then, you know... [[TragicStillbirth I died minutes after I was born]]... [[AntiChrist went to Hell... came back]]... [[ItsALongStory That's a whole thing.]] I've had therapists try to tell me these "early traumas" [[FreudianExcuse led to me being the way I am.]] I've heard it all, you know... I'm this way because of abuse, [[NewMediaAreEvil because of video games, or sex and violence on TV]], [[SocietyIsToBlame because of guns and knives and the wickedness of this mean old world]]. [[CriticalPsychoanalysisFailure But what none of them get]]... [[ForTheEvulz is those things didn't]] ''[[OmnicidalManiac make me what I am.]]'' I am made... ''of them''. [[IAmTheNoun I am abuse. I am sex and violence. I am the guns and the knives and the wickedness of this whole sick @#$%#&% world]]... You ''know'' my ''name''. ''Now'' '''''SCREAM''''' ''it.''

** The crossover itself ends with a big one, as [[spoiler: Knull has been released and is coming to Earth]].

** ''Absolute Carnage'' #5 ends with [[spoiler:Cletus Kasady being killed again, and Eddie both reclaiming the Venom symbiote and assimilating the Grendel symbiote into himself to become more powerful than ever. However, in doing so Knull is awakened, and he promptly destroys Klyntar, turns it into a massive fleet of symbiote-dragons, and sets out to destroy the cosmos once again. Oh, and Dylan finds out that Eddie is actually his father]].

* DumbassNoMore: While never portrayed as downright ''stupid'', Cletus Kasady was always something of an impatient BookDumb crazed killer, whereas this story shows him organizing an operation that is massive in its scope and goals in real TheChessmaster fashion. Lampshaded when he shares a scene with Norman Osborn-as-Cletus Kasady, and is clearly exasperated at his former self's short-sightedness.

* HumanoidAbomination: [[spoiler: Whatever Dylan actually ''is'', Sleeper's attempt to bond with him results in the symbiote's tendrils suddenly turning to dust. He later [[MindControl bends Sleeper to his will]] to fight the Maker.]]

* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind:
** Or rather, bickering in the center of the mind, with Bruce Banner, Joe Fixit, Savage Hulk and Devil Hulk all discussing what to do when bonded to the Venom symbiote. After a vote, Bruce decides to side with it.

** Or bicker in the center of the mind, with Bruce Banner, Joe Fixit, Savage Hulk and Devil Hulk all discussing what to do when bonded to a symbiote. After a vote, Bruce decides to side with it.

* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: Or bicker in the center of the mind, with Bruce Banner, Joe Fixit, Savage Hulk and Devil Hulk all discussing what to do when bonded to a symbiote. After a vote, Bruce decides to side with it.

** ''Absolute Carnage: Scream'' ends with one. Instead of going to confront Carnage, the Scream symbiote [[spoiler: and its new host, Andi Benton, decide to call it quits when they fail to do anything to Norman Osborn's Carnage form, never mind Cletus' more powerful Dark Carnage, and bail]].

* TookALevelInBadass: According to Donny Cates, Carnage -- already one of the strongest street-level supervillains, and more than capable of fighting some of Marvel's stronger heroes -- has clawed his way further up the ranks to become a viable threat to some of Marvel's heaviest hitters thanks to bonding to the Grendel symbiote. Issue #4 cements this by having him [[spoiler:overpower even the Venomized Hulk, and the combined efforts of Captain America, Wolverine, and the Thing.]]

* AntiHero: The series reaffirms Venom as one; Despite his hard efforts to save the world, Eddie isn't above [[PragmaticHero taking advantage of Spidey's sense of guilt]] to trick him into protecting Dylan, and during the climax of the story [[spoiler: willingly kills Carnage and awakens Knull to save Dylan. It is worth noting that at that point Carnage had basically made it so that [[HeadsIwinTailsYouLose Knull would be awakened either way]], so Eddie merely decided to take the option that saved his son's life -- even if that means, be it on a technicality, that he himself released a HumanoidAomination.]]

* SequelHook: ''Absolute Carnage: Scream'' ends with one. Instead of going to confront Carnage, the Scream symbiote [[spoiler: and its new host, Andi Benton, decide to call it quits when they fail to do anything to Norman Osborn's Carnage form, never mind Cletus' more powerful Dark Carnage, and bail]].

* ANtiHero: THe series reaffirms Venom as one; Despite his hard efforts to save the world, Eddie isn't above [[PragmaticHero taking advantage of Spidey's sense of guilt]] to trick him into protecting Dylan, and during the climax of the story [[spoiler: willingly kills Carnage and awakens Knull to save Dylan. It is worth noting that at that point Carnage had basically made it so that [[HeadsIwinTailsYouLose Knull would be awakened either way,]] so Eddie merely decided to take the option that saved his son's life-even if that means, be it on a technicality, that he himself will release an EdritchABomination.]]

* ApocalypseCult: ''Web of Venom: Cult of Carnage'' finally puts a name to the symbiote-worshipping doomsdays cult: the Church of the New Darkness. [[spoiler:Shriek seems to take her role as spokesperson very seriously, managing to procure a cathedral in the shape of Knull's dragon emblem, as well as artwork and decorations depicting Knull's spiral emblem. [[OffscreenVillainDarkMatter No explanation is given as to how she obtained these in a matter of weeks]], but given that the cult existed long before to Carnage's takeover it's possible they were pre-existing.]]

* DumbassNoMore: While never portrayed as downright ''stupid'', Cletus Kasady was always something of an impatient BookDumb crazed killer, whereas this story shows him organizing an operation that is massive in its' scope and goals in real TheChessmaster fashion. Lampshaded when he shares a scene with Norman Osborn-as-Cletus Kasady, and is clearly exasperated at his former selfs' short-sightedness.

* ApocalypseCult: ''Web of Venom: Cult of Carnage'' finally puts a name to the symbiote-worshipping doomsday cult: the Church of the New Darkness. [[spoiler:Shriek seems to take her role as spokesperson very seriously, managing to procure a cathedral in the shape of Knull's dragon emblem, as well as artwork and decorations depicting Knull's spiral emblem. [[OffscreenVillainDarkMatter No explanation is given as to how she obtained these in a matter of weeks]], but given that the cult existed long before to Carnage's takeover it's possible they were pre-existing.]]