After a battle with Styx where the Venom Symbiote was presumed dead, its former host Eddie Brock was incarcerated in a prison for "normal" humans. His cell mate was Cletus Kasady, a psychotic murderer serving eleven life sentences, with whom he developed an antagonistic relationship. However, the Venom symbiote was not dead, merely incapacitated for a time, and after it recovered, it sought Eddie out and re-bonded with him, Venom departing to resume his quest for revenge against Spider-Man. However, the Venom symbiote had been about to spawn as a response to Thanos seeking the Infinity Gems, and left its offspring - the 999th of its lineage - behind. The newborn symbiote sought out the nearest available host, latching onto Kasady and entering into his body through a cut on his hand, where it amalgamated with his blood.[6] Transformed into a black-and-red monster, Kasady dubbed himself "Carnage" and went on a months-long killing spree, leaving the message "Carnage Rules" written in blood at the scene of each murder he committed.
