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“ | When I get out of here, and I will... there's gonna be carnage. | „ |
~ Cletus Kasady to Eddie Brock. |
“ | You are a cancer to anyone who ever loved you, Eddie. Deceived your trusting fiancé, and no wonder daddy could never look at you the same way after you killed his wife, your mother, just by being born! | „ |
~ Kasady provoking Eddie with details about himself but unintentionally provoking Venom. |
“ | Soon come chaos. Chaos soon come. | „ |
~ Cletus Kasady’s most famous quote. |
Cletus Kasady is a major antagonist in Sony's Spider-Man Universe, serving as a minor antagonist in Venom and one of the two main antagonists (alongside Carnage) of Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
He is a notorious and deranged serial killer who was locked away in San Quentin Prison, where reporter Eddie Brock interviewed him. However, Kasady eventually managed to break out of prison so he can unleash carnage upon San Francisco.
He was portrayed by Woody Harrelson, who also played Carnage in the same film, Mickey Knox in Natural Born Killers, Charles Costello in Seven Psychopaths, Harlan DeGroat in Out of the Furnace, Colonel McCullough in War for the Planet of the Apes and Tobias Beckett in Solo: A Star Wars Story. As a child, he was portrayed by Jack Bandeira.
Biography
Early Life
Much of Cletus Kasady's past remains in mystery, but what is given suggests a dark, twisted and traumatic past. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, where his heart stopped on the day of his birth but he was revived. According to his claims, he was frequently abused by his parents and grandmother. Although he claims he killed his grandmother and mother out of retribution, he also killed his mother’s dog afterwards for seemingly no reason, implying he had sociopathic tendencies from the start. He also had a father who beat him, which is presumed to be another reason why Cletus grew up to become a sociopath.
Cletus tried to kill his father to fight back against his abuse but failed and was then sent to a children's home named St. Estes, due to his sociopathic tendencies. While there, other kids mercilessly beat him up. The only one who took pity on him was a girl named Francis Barrison, who bursts the kids eardrums with her sonic scream powers. The two would then bond as they grew up in the children's home, and they would form a romantic chemistry. Cletus then burned down the orphanage, killing the headmistress and everyone else inside. Eddie Brock speculates in his notes that Cletus did this out of revenge.
Cletus then began murdering, cannibalizing and torturing countless people before he and Francis got caught. During their young adult years, Francis was hauled off to the Ravencroft Institute due to her powers, much to Cletus' furious dismay. She was presumed to be shot dead after trying to escape by causing a car crash, although Cletus knew very well that she was alive.
Venom
Following the deaths of Riot and Carlton Drake, Eddie Brock was on a motorcycle trip to San Quentin Prison to do an interview with a mystery convict to see if he will help the FBI identify more potential bodies. After receiving an ominous warning from one of the prison guards, the mystery convict is revealed to be Cletus Kasady. When Eddie enters his cell, Cletus writes "Welcome Eddie" with his own blood. During the interview, Cletus asks Eddie if he can "forgo the whole creepy serial killer thing", claiming he can turn the serial-killer act on and off whenever he wants. Cletus also mentions eating the eyeballs out of victims' heads. Afterward, Cletus tells Eddie to get closer to him, despite the guards warning Eddie not to. Eddie remained cautious, but Cletus told him he wouldn't tell Eddie the locations of his other victims. Finally, Cletus claimed to Eddie that he planned to break out of prison and unleash "carnage" upon society (foreshadowing him becoming Carnage).
Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Two decades after having been separated from his girlfriend, Cletus had Eddie Brock run a coded message in the paper in exchange for his life story; to let Shriek know he intended to keep his promise to marry her. However, Venom quickly figured out the location of Cletus' victims from his cell drawings and the police exhumed them. With no reason to be kept alive, a dejected Cletus invited Eddie to meet him one last time to guilt trip him. However, this angered Venom, who assaulted him. Cletus took the opportunity to bite Eddie, only to be surprised when he accidentally ate a piece of the symbiote.
Come execution by lethal injection, Cletus' sample awoke as a sentient new symbiote whom he named Carnage. The two escaped and killed/ate numerous people on the way out. Carnage agreed to help Cletus free Shriek, in exchange for killing its parent, Venom. After killing many people, including Dr. Pezzo, the two freed Shriek from her prison and killed the authorities who tried to stop their escape. Shriek used her power during the escape, Carnage threatened her not to do so again, since symbiotes were vulnerable to high sounds to which Cletus warned her about for her safety. The three decide to make a “red wedding” for Cletus and Shriek. After kidnapping "witnesses" for the wedding, they planned on killing Venom, Eddie and Patrick Mulligan, the cop who arrested Shriek.
Venom attacked, resulting in Carnage and Cletus fighting them. During the fight Carnage knocked Shriek around, much to Cletus protests and killed the church priest to get more power. Eventually, Carnage grew tired of Shriek's presence and tried to strangle her to death, which caused Cletus to panic and try to prevent Carnage from doing so. Carnage tried to force Venom and Eddie to watch Anne die but she was successfully rescued by the heroes. As the fight with Venom reached the bell tower, a still-alive Shriek fell to her death below as her scream dislodged the bell and symbiotes, causing Eddie and Cletus to fall. While Venom saves Eddie, Cletus hits the ground and is seriously injured. Before Carnage could merge with Cletus again, Venom ate the offspring. A dying Cletus told Eddie that what he really desired was his friendship; Eddie apologizes to Cletus but an annoyed Venom comes out and declares "F--k this guy!" biting his head off, ending Cletus' reign of terror.
Relationships
Family
- Nana † - Grandmother, Abuser, and Victim
- Father - Abuser
- Louise Kasady † - Mother, Abuser, and Victim
Allies
- Carnage † - Symbiote
- Frances Barrison/Shriek † - Girlfriend and fiancé
Enemies
- Eddie Brock - Interviewer, Attempted Victim, and Killer
- Venom - Attempted Victim and Killer
- G. Murphy † - Victim
- Camille Pazzo † - Indirect Victim
- Anne Weying - Former Hostage
- Dan Lewis - attempted victim
Quotes
“ | Hi Eddie.. | „ |
~ Kasady meeting Eddie when he comes to visit him. |
“ | Cletus Kasady: Do you mind if we forgo the whole creepy serial killer thing? Eddie Brock: Sure, it's good with me. Cletus Kasady: I mean, I can turn it on if you want. Talk about the Dadaist patterns of arterial spray. Talk about sucking out their eyeballs- (mimics eating an eyeball) Mmm! Crunchy on the outside, gooey on the inside. |
„ |
~ Cletus Kasady to Eddie Brock. |
“ | Eyes in the sky, ears all around. You wanna be the first to get the scoop, right? If you're too chicken, the deal's off. No bodies, no closure for those poor families, no interview of a lifetime for you. | „ |
~ Cletus to Eddie Brock (extended edition only). |
“ | Dearest pally pal, I hereby invite you to witness my demise, my final moments on this spinning shit wheel that we call earth. You are responsible for bringing about the end of Cletus Kasady. It’s only right that you hold the door for me on my way out. They’ll stop my heart, just like it stopped at my birth. What if Cletus Kasady had never been revived? He would never have pushed Grandma down a flight of stairs. Bye-bye, Grandma, you puckered old sphincter. He would never have thrown a hair dryer into Mother’s bathtub. Yes, Mama, I’m a bad bad boy. He would never have been beaten to the brink of death by Daddy-o and sent to St. Estes Home For Unwanted Children. That circus of hell with one bright light. Oh Eddie, we are all born into this world through blood and pain. Every hero has an origin story. Your friend, Cletus Kasady. | „ |
~ Cletus’ invitation to Eddie, while also talking about his backstory. |
“ | Cletus: Welcome back Eddie Brock. I’ve been thinking about you. Eddie: What do you want, Cletus? I mean, why am I here? Cletus: Do a man who’s buried alive a kindness, won’t you? Get a message out to all my fans. And in return, I’ll give you my life. Eddie': What? Cletus: Story. I heard the written word hasn’t been working out so well. Piece like this, an exclusive would put you back on top. Eddie: Go on. Cletus: People love serial killers. All my secrets laid bare, Eddie. So much carnage. Eddie: But why me? Cletus: I like you. Eddie: All right, it’s a deal. What’s your message? Cletus: “That distant cathedral is all I see, fractured angel. The other part of me.” Print that in your column. Eddie: Is that it? This, um, who’s gonna read that, some random haiku? Cletus: Print it, and what’s mine is yours. |
„ |
~ Cletus meeting with Eddie again. |
“ | Cletus: Oh, happy day for you, Eddie Brock. What a scoop. The end of the Magical Misery Tour. I worry for your soul. How will you live with the weight of snuffing out a man’s life? Eddie: I was, uh, I was hoping maybe you could give me a couple pointers. Cletus: Funny little guy, aren’t you? Consequences. Every decision you ever make. Who do we leave behind, and how do we leave them? A connubial bed, empty, waiting in the darkness for the rescuer who never comes, because of you. You and I are the same. Eddie: No. No, we’re not. Cletus: Twisted insides, mean daddies. You feel like home to me, Eddie, like family. And really, truly, that is all I ever wanted in this world: family. |
„ |
~ Kasady talking with Eddie. |
“ | Yes. I have wishes to bestow upon you. I want to wish you this heartbreak. I wish for you to see out your days alone as you always have been. | „ |
~ Kasady wishing for Eddie to have what he has. |
“ | Eddie? I have tasted blood before, my friend, and that is not it. Eddie Brock has a big secret! | „ |
~ Kasady realizing Eddie’s secret |
“ | Enjoy the show! | „ |
~ Kasady before his execution. |
“ | Something.... Wicked.... This way... COMES! | „ |
~ Cletus, right before Carnage first manifests. |
“ | Any last words, Warden? | „ |
~ Cletus, right before he kills the warden. |
“ | Mano y Mano, Brock. You know how I spent my endless days?!... I spent them thinking about how you only told ONE side of the story... You didn’t write about the part where Cletus was abused by MOMMY, DADDY, AND GRANNY!!!... You didn’t tell the world how he was a scared little boy that no one cared about and NO ONE CAME TO SAVE! You never asked yourself why, THAT’S BAD JOURNALISM!... I'm not a crazy man, but I am a vengeful one. | „ |
~ Kasady’s villainous breakdown during the final fight |
“ | Cletus: I’m a killer with or without the monster, Eddie. You know what I really wanted? Eddie: No. what was it Cletus? Cletus: I told you, but you weren’t listening. Eddie: Well, I’m listening now. Cletus: I wanted your friendship... Eddie: I’m sorry, Cletus. Venom: F**K THIS GUY! |
„ |
~ Cletus' last words before his head gets bitten off by Venom. |
Trivia
- Despite only appearing in the mid-credits scene of Venom, Woody Harrelson was not permitted to read script for the film's sequel until after agreeing to appear in the first film. He confirmed that Cletus Kasady will be having a major role in the film's sequel.
- In the extended mid-credit scene for Venom, Kasady talked about eating his victims eyeballs saying it's "crunchy on the outside, gooey on the inside", which implies he may be a cannibal. This is confirmed in the second film, where after biting Eddie, he exclaims, “I have tasted blood before and that is not it.”
- He is one of the very few incarnations of Cletus to have redeeming qualities and is more sympathetic than most versions.
- Likely stemming from his loneliness in prison, Cletus desired Eddie's friendship to make his separation from Shriek (his lover) bearable.
- Cletus likes making nursery rhymes of random words.
's Spider-Man Universe Villains | ||
Venom Venom: Let There Be Carnage Morbius Madame Web Venom: The Last Dance Kraven the Hunter |