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Comic Book Character

Carnage

Carnage is a fictional supervillain appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as an enemy of Spider-Man. The character first appeared as Cletus Kasady in The Amazing Spider-Man #344 and as Carnage in The Amazing Spider-Man #360. He was created by writer David Michelinie and artists Erik Larsen and Mark Bagley, based on elements of the precursor character Venom. In 2009, Carnage was ranked as IGN's 90th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.

Some guys just want to watch the world burn.

Villains and Bad Guys

Ranking comic book characters by their powers, strength, physical traits, affiliations, and other features, like how just goshdarn super they are.

Heroes and Villains

Villains

Who are the best comic book villains of all time? This list of top supervillains in comics includes some of the most notorious evil-doers in comic book history. Some of them are among the <a href="/crowdranked-list/best-marvel-villains" target="_blank">best Marvel villains</a> like Doctor Doom, Magneto and Galactus. Others are classic <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-comic-book-villains">DC Comics villains</a>&nbsp;like The Joker and Bane. Are they the best (or worst, depending on how you view supervillains)? Vote them up! Feel free to add any great comic book villains who are missing from the list, and you can also re-rank this list your way, in any order you like. Any and all great comic book villains have one thing in common: They are the absolute arch rivals of some of the greatest and <a href="www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-superheroes-all-time" target="_blank">best superheroes</a> in comics' history. Every great protagonist needs a worthy antagonist to balance things out, after all. Several of the top supervillains listed here began their evil careers in comic books, but they quickly took their evil deeds to the big screen, starring in some of the <a href="/crowdranked-list/the-best-superhero-movies-ever-made" target="_blank">best superhero movies ever made</a>.Who do you think are the top comic book villains? Vote now!

Galactus

The Best Comic Book Villains

The Best Comic Book Villains of all Time

Ranker Community

The Best Comic Book Superheroes of All Time

Originally known as Timely Publications and then as Atlas Comics, the comic book publishing company known as Marvel began in 1961 when it launched The Fantastic Four.

The Universe of Marvel Comics

poll

The best Marvel villains are the men and women (not to mention any aliens, robots, and even <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/evil-superhero-siblings/stephanroget" target="_blank">siblings of heroes</a>) at the root of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-superheroes-all-time">best superheroes&#39;</a> existences. These spectacular bad guys in Marvel Comics are the best of the worst supervillains and they&#39;re all listed here. The top Marvel villains on this list of baddies may not have been around too long as we&#39;ve added new Marvel evildoers for you to vote on.

Marvel Comics has been around for over 75 years, and their Marvel rogues gallery is growing more and more with each comic book issue. What is it about the Marvel Universe that attracts all these comic book villains? Maybe it&rsquo;s their jealousy of their comic book counterparts, or maybe something deeper.&nbsp;

There are several elements that make a great Marvel villain: they have to be relentless in their pursuit of evil, unstoppable by normal crime fighters, and have an excellent backstory that makes you root for them almost as much as you root against them. These are characters that were introduced in the greatest comic books of all time and came to shape in some of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-superhero-movies-ever-made">best superhero movies ever</a>. Whether you like the bad guys with a relatable origin that lead to their destructive bent (Magneto), or a super villain that&#39;s super bad (Loki), there are some ultimate baddies on this Marvel <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-movie-villains-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">villains list</a>.

Who is the best comic book villain? Who is the best superhero nemesis? Who are the top Marvel supervillains? Vote on this list of the greatest Marvel villains and find out! If you think one of these super villains isn&#39;t worth a match-up with Squirrel Girl, vote them down. If your favorite Marvel bad guy isn&#39;t on the list, add them so they can compete for the title of the greatest Marvel villain.

The Greatest Marvel Villains &amp; Enemies Ever

Fictional Character

The Best Marvel Villains & Enemies, Ranked

The Greatest Marvel Avengers Characters of All Time

Does the Scarecrow bring the fear out of you? Does the thought of Venom being around you make you cringe? Does Batman&#39;s Victor Zsasz make you feel lightheaded? There are many comic book super villains that you should be afraid of meeting in an empty alley.

We&#39;ve got goblins, alien symbiotes, evil clowns, the undead, and all manner of spooky! Make sure to vote up all the villains that you wish weren&#39;t flooding your nightmares, and vote down the ones you could handle in your face, no problem.&nbsp;

The Most Terrifying & Scariest Villains In Comics

The Most Terrifying & Scariest Villains in Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel is known for putting its heroes through the wringer - but what are the worst things the Marvel villains have ever done? Marvel has always taken a more realistic approach to the world of heroes than its distinguished competition, meaning its protagonists&nbsp;have had to face their fair share of serious trials and tribulations. Spider-Man&#39;s had so many troubles in his life that he&#39;s coined the term&nbsp;&quot;Parker luck&quot; to describe all his hardship and pain.&nbsp;

Whether your nemesis is out to slay your girlfriend, half of all the galaxy&#39;s&nbsp;population is being wiped out, or <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/villains-killing-marvel-superheroes/stephanroget" target="_blank">you yourself are getting taken out</a>, being a hero isn&#39;t easy. Heroes may always win in the end, but that leaves a lot of room for the middle to get pretty bleak.

Check out this list of the most heinous acts ever committed in the universe of Marvel Comics, and vote up the worst.

The Most Evil Things Marvel Villains Have Ever Done

General

Jake Brian Williams

Who needs the likes of Michael Myers, Freddie Krueger, and Jason when we have villains in comics that are just as scary, if not scarier, to keep you up at night?&nbsp;You know, those villains that you definitely wouldn&#39;t want to run into in a dark alley. Which are <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/scary-things-seen-heard/amandasedlakhevener?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the most terrifying</a> villains in comic books?

Does the Scarecrow bring the fear out in you? Does the thought of Venom being around you make you cringe? Does Batman&#39;s Victor Zsasz make you feel lightheaded?

We&#39;ve got goblins, alien symbiotes, evil clowns, the undead, and all manner of spooky characters! Some of these characters even come from the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-horror-comic-books-graphic-novels/ranker-comics" target="_blank">best horror comics</a>. Make sure to vote up all the villains that you wish weren&#39;t flooding your nightmares, and vote down the ones you could handle in your face, no problem.&nbsp;

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The Spookiest Villains in Comics

The Scariest Comic Book Characters Ever, Ranked

Ranker Comics

The best and worst characters, scenes, lines, moments, costumes, etc. in all your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man properties.

Spider-Man, Spider-Man

When you&rsquo;ve been in the superheroing game as long as Peter Parker has been, you tend to build up an impressive array of arch-enemies, but that can also make it hard to pin down any one singular rival from the whole of the rogues&rsquo; gallery. Who, at the end of the day, is Spider-Man&rsquo;s true nemesis? That there are at least a dozen strong candidates for the &ldquo;honor&rdquo; should be all the indication one needs of what a rough few decades it has been for the wallcrawler.

There may be no better way to determine <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/spider-man-villain-doc-ock/stephanroget" target="_blank">which supervillain is truly Spider-Man&rsquo;s worst enemy</a> than by measuring which one has dealt him the most damage, in both the physical and emotional sense. But even that isn&rsquo;t so simple a prospect as one might hope - because if there&rsquo;s one trait that defines Spidey&rsquo;s costumed career, it&rsquo;s his remarkable ability to take a beating and keep coming back for more!

Which Villain Has Ruined Spider-Man’s Life The Most?

Stephan Roget

Lists that rank the best, worst, smartest, richest, fastest, most powerful, etc., etc., characters in comic book history.

The People on the Page

Entertainment

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Certain <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/superheroes-ranked-by-most-comic-book-appearances/ranker-comics?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">comic book characters</a> definitely lend themselves to film better than others.

Sometimes it&#39;s their costume, or their power-set being cinematically dynamic (how Hydroman made this list), or how necessary they are to the universe, or even to a specific storyline. Many <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/biggest-superheroes-villains-not-in-live-action-movies-tv/stephanroget" target="_blank">heroes and villains</a> out there deserve their turn in the limelight. With Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel showed no character is too obscure to delight fans, and with Captain America: <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/winter-soldier-trivia/jacob-shelton?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">The Winter Soldier</a>&nbsp;and The Dark Knight they proved that you really can have multiple villains work in a single film... unlike the disasters that are&nbsp;Spider-Man 3 and Batman &amp; Robin.

From fan favorites (Carnage!) to how-do-they-not-have-a-movie-yet?! (Ms. Marvel, and yes we know it&#39;s eventually coming but it&#39;s not here yet), these are the comic characters we should see in movies. We also added characters that need to be redone in the comic book film industry (Green Lantern... among others).

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38 Comic Book Characters We Want to See on Film

Comic Book Characters We Want to See on Film

Comic Book Characters Without Movies | Comic Book Movies We Want

Comic Book Characters

You almost have to be insane to be a comic book villain. They concoct grandiose schemes despite numerous failures, only to fail and be thrown back into prison by the seat of their spandex pants. It's hard to tell the difference between listing Batman's Rogues Gallery and flipping through the pages of the DSM-IV.Heroes aren't exempt from having mental problems. Nothing drives drama like a hero losing his or heror her marbles and turning against his allies. The power that makes them great often comes with a precarious fragility and it's that imbalance that draws us to their struggle.Even without the superhero dynamic, the crazy cream often rises to the top to create some of the most lasting impressions.&nbsp;This list contains the most unstable, insane, and downright crazy characters to ever grace the pages of comic books.

Stanley Ipkiss

The Craziest Comic Book Characters, Ranked

Rhune Kincaid

Lists about Marvel's foulmouthed antihero and his very own movies.

Deadpool: Merc With a Mouth

The Merc with a Mouth, or Deadpool, was created in 1991 by writer Fabian Nicieza and comic illustrator Rob Liefeld. Though Deadpool walks the line of being a villain himself, he's also fought some of the nastiest evil guys around to help save the planet and humankind... when the price is right, anyway. This anti-hero may not always feel the urge to save the day, he still displays an impressive rogue gallery, and we're here to show it to you. &nbsp; We've listed all of Deadpool's greatest enemies on here. Who do you think is the best villain this comic book hero's ever encountered? Do you enjoy the rivalry between Deadpool and Madcap, or do you hold Death in a special place in your heart?&nbsp;Make sure to vote up all your favorite Deadpool villains, and vote down the ones you&nbsp;despise. Don't see the villain you love to hate on this list? Be sure to add them!

Black Mamba

The Best Villains Deadpool Has Ever Faced

The Greatest Deadpool Villains & Foes of All Time

What were you doing in the '90s? Whether you were rocking flannel, Docs, and brown lipstick or just happily gumming down strained peas, these lists are for you.

'90s Nostalgia

Comic Books

<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-superheroes-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Comic book characters</a> in the &#39;90s weren&#39;t just extreme, they were exxxtreme. Pouches, ponytails, pads, and plasma pistols covered these heroes and villains from head to toe, and their origins were just as intense as their wardrobe choices. After writers like Frank Miller and Alan Moore pushed comic book writing into darker territory in the &#39;80s and artists like Dave McKean moved things in a more cerebral direction, the &#39;90s saw a huge rise in gritty stories and over-the-top characters.&nbsp;

New companies like Image Comics practically used these extreme concepts as their foundation, but even Marvel and DC got in on the action. From reboots of old characters to brand new heroes to names that came and went with the Y2K scare, &#39;90s comic book characters are likely some of the most visually recognizable in the history of the medium. But which was the most extreme?&nbsp;

The Most X-TREME ‘90s Comic Book Characters

X-TREME ‘90s Comic Book Characters

Math Erao

Fictional Characters

We&rsquo;re ranking the best red characters of all time. From Daredevil&nbsp;to Deadpool, Mario and even Optimus Prime, this list includes everything from classic TV and movie icons to&nbsp;cute characters like that giant lovable dog Clifford.

Red is often referred to as the color of passion, provocation, and courage. It&#39;s an easy color to spot and it definitely&nbsp;makes a strong impression&mdash;it&rsquo;s no wonder so many superheroes wear red. Which classic character do&nbsp;you think wears red the best?

Vote up the best red characters, and vote down the ones you don&rsquo;t like.

The Best Red Characters

The 30+ Best Red Characters in Movies & TV, Ranked By Users

Ranker Entertainment

Spider-Man

Carnage is arguably one the best villains in all of Spider-Man rogue's gallery, and&nbsp;that is saying quite a bit considering how impressive that roster is. There are&nbsp;many different variations of the character and dozens of formats the character has been used in. Be it video games, films, animated series, or alternate versions in comic books, the Carnage symbiote is in virtually every form of pop culture in one way or another. But which version of Carnage is the best?We've decided to compile some of our favorite interpretations, renditions, and versions of Carnage here. Do you like playing against him in Maximum Carnage?&nbsp;Or do you prefer him in The Ultimate Spider-Man Game? Do you enjoy seeing him in animated form on Spider-Man Unlimited,&nbsp;or prefer him in the '90s&nbsp;animated series? Is Cletus Kasady the only true Carnage, or do you like Ben Reilly in the suit? Here's the chance to see where it all lines up. What are the greatest interpretations of Carnage ever? Make sure to vote up all your favorites and vote down the versions of chaos incarnate that weren't interpreted well.(And yes, we've included two of his spawn here that are basically Marvel's new interpretation of the character, but&nbsp;beyond two felt silly as there are so many&nbsp;symbiotes now.)

The Best Carnage Versions Of All Time

The 50+ Best Versions of Carnage in Comics, Games, TV and Movies

Superheroes

For over 50 years, Spider-Man has served as an amazing example of heroism for comic book readers and moviegoers all over the world. The classic superhero tales of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko highlighted the constant struggle in Peter Parker&rsquo;s life, as he tried to live up to his late Uncle Ben&rsquo;s words: &ldquo;With great power comes great responsibility.&rdquo; Today, Spider-Man is so much more than an everyday web-head living in Queens. He&rsquo;s a movie star, a video game hero, and a delicious popsicle.&nbsp;

Spider-Man is also more than just Peter Parker. Miles Morales, Gwen Stacey, Eddie Brock, and a cartoon pig are just a sample of awesome characters in the ever-growing Spider-Man family tree. With a legacy as rich and celebrated as Spider-Man&rsquo;s, it&rsquo;s no wonder why so many fans want to honor their favorite web-slinging hero with an incredible tattoo.

21 Of The Best Spider-Man Tattoos

Leo Reyna

Geeky

A complete list of the notable secret video game characters worth going after. This is a list of famous secret characters in video games. To see or play these secret video game characters you usually have to complete some sort of task or challenge. Unlockable secret characters have been popular for years, from reptile in the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/all-mortal-kombat-characters-list-of-mk-characters/video-game-info?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">original Mortal Kombat</a> to Mega Man in Dead Rising. Feel free to use this list as a basis for making your own <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/evolution-of-favorite-video-game-characters/collin-flatt?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">favorite video game characters</a> list. Is that secret character in whatever game you are playing worth trying to unlock? This list will let you know.

Notable Secret Video Game Characters

Notable Secret Video Game Characters, Unlockable, and Hidden Characters

Video Game Info

Best Characters

Here is the list of the greatest Spider-Man villains and enemies Peter Parker has ever had. This Spider-Man villain list includes the names of Spider-Man&#39;s bad guys and of the Spider-Man&nbsp;rogues gallery. Use this complete list to start a list of your favorite Spidey enemies. Being as sweet and cool as Spider-Man, there are obviously going to be some haters who are jealous of his awesomeness. From the unpredictable Green Goblin, to the electrifying Electro, to Doc Ock in his <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/what-happened-doc-ok-spider-man/stephanroget" target="_blank">Superior Spider-Man</a> guise - everyone has their favorite Spidey villain to hate.&nbsp;

Who are the most menacing Spider-Man villains? These may not be all the Spider-Man enemies ever, but they are the best. Vote for your favorite Spider-Man enemy to have them reach the top.

So who are the best Spider-Man villains? Cast your vote!

Vulture

The Best Spider-Man Villains

The Best Spider-Man Villains & Enemies, Ranked

All Enemies And Supervillains

When a character choses the&nbsp;career of&nbsp;a costumed crimefighter, the occasional heroic sacrifice is always part of the job description, and every quality superhero has given up their own life (usually temporarily) for the greater good at least once. The <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-movie-villains-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">list of villains</a> who sacrificed themselves for something other than their own selfish goals and aims, on the other hand, is significantly shorter.

Most superheroes understand from the get-go that laying their lives on the line is a daily requirement, which makes the step-up to a full-on sacrifice far less dramatic. When a supervillain decides to put their life on the line for&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/comic-villains-turned-superheroes/coy-jandreau" target="_blank">some higher purpose</a>, that really demonstrates a powerful shift in character - the sort of heel-face turn that legends are made of.

15 Supposed Supervillains Who Sacrificed Themselves For The Greater Good

Supervillains Who Sacrificed Themselves For The Greater Good

Marvel Comics has a celebrated 75+ year history in the comic book industry, having brought readers characters that have survived decades of stories. Over the course of those many decades, your favorite Marvel characters have gone through countless changes and survived many dramatic storylines. So where are the top <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/top-marvel-comics-superheroes?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Marvel Comics characters</a> today? Take a look back on these characters' long history and how they got to where they are in the Marvel Universe today.Every single character in comics goes through rapid changes, with each comics writer who's&nbsp;brought on to a title bringing with him or her a whole new vision as to where these heroes and villains are going. Especially with the big, landmark, multi-title event books, the idea of a status quo or any kind of consistency is laughable.Since the start of their <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-real-comic-book-origin-of-venom/stephanroget?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">comic book origins</a>, you probably didn't know that Spider-Man died, and then came back, or that that Wolverine just kicked the bucket himself. The goody-two-shoes Cyclops has now become full fledged mutant terrorist. Hulk has become even meaner as Kluh. Thor is now a woman. Steve Rogers even lost his Super-Solider Serum, having him age rapidly, and having him to recruit a new Captain America.&nbsp;All this and more Marvel characters updates are below. So catch up with all of your favorite <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-female-comic-book-characters/ranker-characters?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">comic book characters</a> by taking a look back at where they began, what madness they went through in the middle, and a check in on where they are now.&nbsp;Where are your favorite Marvel characters in their current stories? Click through to find out!&nbsp;

Your Favorite Marvel Characters: Where Are They Now?

Your Favorite Marvel Heroes Then and Now

For this poll we've created a list of the greatest symbiotes of all time, featuring symbiotes you know from movies, television, video games and more. Of course your favorite Spiderman symbiotes like Venom are included, but this list doesn't only feature animated characters that can talk. If your favorite fictional symbiote is missing, don't be salty- just add it to the list so that other people can vote for for it too!The list you're viewing is made up of different characters like Eddie Brock and Carnage. Who is the number one symbiote that people just can't get enough of? Scroll down and find out who the masses voted for.

Jadzia Dax

The Greatest Symbiote Characters of All Time

The Greatest Symbiote Characters | List of Fictional Symbiotes

Reference

One of Spider-Man&rsquo;s most infamous villains, Venom, now has a franchise of his own, thanks to Tom Hardy taking on the role and turning his eponymous 2018 feature into a global hit. It wasn&#39;t the symbiote&#39;s first appearance on the silver screen, but it is the one that seems to have firmly established him as a top-tier character. But what&#39;s the full story with the black-goo-covered anti-hero?&nbsp;

Venom&#39;s origin is bizarre and convoluted, stretching&nbsp;from a real-life Marvel contest to the comic company&#39;s legendary <a href="/review/secret-wars/1997355" target="_blank">Secret Wars</a> crossover, before becoming&nbsp;a story&nbsp;involving aliens and a serial killer.&nbsp;It&#39;s a wild storyline, even by comic book standards, but&nbsp;worth investigating before seeing the new movie.

Venom spent years terrorizing&nbsp;<a href="/tags/spider-man" target="_blank">Spider-Man</a>, but how did he eventually&nbsp;become&nbsp;an ally and hero?

Carnage

Carnage is listed on