“All I've ever wanted in this world is carnage.”
Marvel Legends from Sony’s Spider-Verse movies have not been as extensive as some fans would have liked over the past few years and since Sony and Disney agreed on their deal to bring Spider-Man to the MCU. While the Spider-Verse animated movies have seen a steady stream of releases, the only live-action release to date has been a 2020 release of Venom from the 2018 movie. Since then Morbius has come and gone with no figures, as had - or so we thought - the Venom sequel, Let There Be Carnage.
However, it was announced in 2024 that Hasbro was dipping its toe back into the live-action Sony movies and were releasing a Deluxe Legends of Carnage from the second Venom movie. Carnage is a single Deluxe release and not part of any wider series of figures, and it is not exclusive to any particular retailer. It is part of the changeover to the standard Hasbro Collector boxes with a square design - losing the scooped sides we have seen for the last 10 years or so. The box is predominantly black with the Venom: Let There Be Carnage logo on the front, just under the large window that wraps around the left-hand side. The right-hand side features character artwork, and the back of the box is almost entirely turned over to a second image of Carnage facing off against Venom. We no longer have any background text or movie synopsis. The box has been enlarged to accommodate Carnage as a deluxe figure, with the box an inch taller than usual, two inches wider, and about half an inch deeper.
In the comic book releases, Carnage has always been a standard-size figur. However, this movie version follows the design of the movie, in which Carnage is depicted as being considerably taller than the Venom symbiote. This new Legends release stands about 8.5 inches tall from foot to toe and that is a good inch - or a head - taller than the corresponding Venom. Carnage proportionally remains thinner and quite wiry compared to the muscular Venom, with the figure height added in the elongated legs.
The figure is cast in red plastic as a base, sculpted to incorporate all the horrific exposed sinew and tendons we see on Carnage when he is on screen. The red is overlaid with black to bring out the detail, and to darken the tone overall. This paintwork is impressive front on, but the rear of the figure and side aspects are more exposed as they are left in base red.
Carnage comes with two heads, both using the same red plastic with white-painted reflective eyes that are then lined in black. One version is grinning with a closed mouth, the teeth painted in a bone white. The second head has the mouth open with Carnage’s pink tongue extended. The detail again is as we see on screen, converted into a 6-inch figure format and the paint work is neat enough although our figure has a couple of spots of red visible at the edges of the eyes where the white paint hasn’t reached far enough.
While Venom only got a couple of standard hands, Carnage’s alternative handpieces make the most of replicating his use of his symbiote abilities to create weapons from his own body. The first of these is a hand that is partly changed into a bladed implement that extends out of the middle finger. We have the same base red plastic and black overlay and this hand is a replacement for Carnage’s standard right hand. The other piece is the more extensive scythe weapon that replaces the hand shape entirely. This can fit on either wrist and again uses the same red plastic and black paint to carry through the look of the figure into and across the weapon.
Carnage’s look overall is complete with the inclusion of three plug-in tentacles that create five additional appendages for Carnage - two featuring two tentacles, and the final one just a single piece. These measure around 10 inches in length and add significant bulk to Carnage once plugged into place. Each of the five tentacle arms is a softer plastic cast over a metal armature, similar in design to the recent Doc Ock release. This means that they are articulated down their entire length and can be bent and molded to most positions.
This sounds great on paper, but the reality is a little trickier particularly as the plastic itself puts up some resistance to the armature inside. With work, some impressive poses are achievable with each of the five arms ending in either a spiked weapon or a splayed hand of sorts. With a metal armature feature, you do have to accept with it some holes in the piece to allow the feature to work - and the arms will deteriorate over time - particularly if overworked.
Carnage is a fully pinless body and has 19 points of traditional articulation if you exclude the additional wired pieces. The joints are tight and wide-ranging in their movement, with the only significant issue being with the ankle rockers which aren’t quite cut enough to lean Carnage forward to offset the weight plugged into his back. That can be worked around by using the symbiote tentacles as a point of balance, posing two of the five arms on the floor to hold Carnage in his posed position.
When Venom was released in 2020 he was a standard Marvel Legends release equivalent to what would be today’s £24.99 price point. Carnage is coming in at least a tenner above that at £35 through most retailers with the additional value coming in the height, and the accessories, and he certainly doesn’t feel as though he is lacking any value for money. There are no significant flaws with the figure, and the only miss that I can think of is the lack of a Cletus Kasady partially absorbed face - but I appreciate how much cost that likeness would have added to the overall value.
Carnage is no doubt an impressive centre piece for a Sony Spider-Verse collection, with our collections not having to stick to the crossover rules imposed by Sony allowing Carnage to sit proudly alongside the MCU Vulture and Mysterio, and side by side with the recent Doc Ock and Green Goblin figures. Carnage does have a considerable footprint when displayed with his tentacles, so does command quite a bit of shelf real estate for display. Thankfully he does display perfectly well with the tendrils removed which may benefit those with limited room.
Keep Track of all the Marvel Legends figures from Hasbro at our comprehensive
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
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