Carnage was popular from the word go. The character has gone through several deaths, resurrections, and host changes but he always comes back ready to spread more death and chaos. The character has been the focus of several event comics and made his big-screen debut played by Woody Harrelson in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. He's iconic.
The Carnage symbiote represents a powerful upgrade for almost any hero or villain, and there are some DC Comics characters that would appeal to the alien's twisted sensibilities, just like Cletus Kasady did. Carnage would love to have these DC characters as hosts, whether they liked it or not.
10 Bizarro
Bizarro is synonymous with the Silver Age. While multiple creators have tried to modernize the character, most readers think of the villain's weird and wild adventures in Superman's less serious days. However, the modern iterations of Bizarro have all been pretty interesting and the Carnage symbiote would definitely make Bizarro cooler.
Bizarro's nature can often feel a lot like the hyper personality the Carnage symbiote seems to be drawn to. It wouldn't really give him much in terms of power, but Symbiotes grant other benefits. A union of Bizarro and the Carnage symbiote would help ground Superman's imperfect duplicate, giving him the edge he's been missing.
9 Desaad
There are few beings in the DC Multiverse who love inflicting suffering more than Desaad. As Darkseid's chief interrogator, the God Of Torture is known for his proclivity for pain, using it to modify the poor souls who are relegated to his tender ministrations. If there's anyone who would love the Carnage symbiote, it's Desaad.
The Carnage symbiote would give Desaad terrible new ways to torment victims, from razor-thin tendrils to shocking brute strength. Where he's always been relegated to a support role in the past, the symbiote would also make him dangerous on the battlefield. Desaad does pretty well in a fight when he has power, as evidenced by the time he took over Mary Marvel's body, so bonding him with the Carnage symbiote would make him a genuine terror.
8 Psimon
Psimon's psionic prowess makes him the most dangerous member of the Fearsome Five. He has no qualms with doing whatever needs to be done and demonstrated a brutal side that's disturbed his teammates. Psimon loves confrontation as much as he likes manipulation, making him the perfect candidate for the Carnage symbiote.
The symbiote would make Psimon stronger, faster, and much tougher. He'd finally have the physical power to go head-to-head with his enemies. Add his telepathic skills into the mix and Psimon would become a team-beating villain on his own. The Carnage symbiote would make him an A-list enemy.
7 General Zod
Even when General Zod loses, he always finds a way to keep going and his tenacity has even procured a home for the Kryptonians who follow him. Zod seems like he has it together, but there's a savage side to him that comes from years as a soldier and refugee in the Phantom Zone.
Zod is already unstoppably powerful, but adding the Carnage symbiote to his Kryptonian physiology makes him downright deadly. As a soldier, he'd figure out some devastating ways to use Carnage's tendrils, claws, and teeth. Zod has always wanted to destroy humanity along with anyone who threatens his people, and the Carnage symbiote would make that a cinch.
6 Two-Face
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Two-Face and Batman's rivalry has tested both men. He's challenged a hero who molded himself into the perfect weapon. The scarred side of Harvey's psyche is a brutal monster, and the Carnage symbiote would allow it to finally take control, wiping out Handsome Harvey Dent forever.
Two-Face wants power so he'd want the symbiote. However, it wouldn't be long before the Carnage symbiote and Two-Face's ruined half joined forces to take control. With nothing holding him back, Two-Face would become the perfect killing machine.
5 Reverse Flash
Reverse-Flash is a ruthless killer. Eobard Thawne has traveled through time, murdering his way across the eons. He's used his temporal murder sprees to shape DC's timeline. He's a perfect fit for the Carnage symbiote and in seconds, he would rack up a body count unlike anything anyone has seen.
The only thing that could make Carnage scarier is the Speed Force. Reverse-Flash is basically the Carnage of the DC Universe anyway. Giving him the symbiote would make him into even more of a monster, perfecting him as a terrifying villain.
4 Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is DC's greatest villain. A big part of Lex's character is his belief that there's nothing out there he can't control. That's where the Carnage symbiote comes in. Luthor would definitely want its power and he would also believe he'd master it. Of course, it would bring out Luthor's arrogance and selfishness and use them to take control.
Lex would find himself imprisoned inside the symbiote in short order, which is what makes Luthor-Carnage so interesting. Luthor would hate being the symbiote's host almost instantly. Luthor's mind is unstoppable, and knowing that he's trying to break that bond would give readers a great story.
3 The Batman Who Laughs
Few villains are as threatening as the Batman Who Laughs. Hailing from DC's Dark Multiverse, the Batman Who Laughs was infected with a Joker virus that destroyed his soul. He proceeded to go on an unstoppable killing spree, first destroying the superhero community from within like a cancer, and then moving on to the rest of his Earth.
That's exactly the kind of horror Carnage would love, which is why the Batman Who Laughs would definitely bond with the Carnage symbiote. The Batman Who Laughs was all about gaining weapons and abilities that made him more dangerous. The Carnage symbiote would be the perfect addition to his arsenal.
2 Harley Quinn
Serving as Joker's paramour for years, Harley Quinn committed more than her share of murderous mayhem but she put all of that behind her when she got away from the Joker's toxic clutches. Since then, Harley's become a great hero, but there's still a part of her that is ready for some of the old ultraviolence.
The interesting thing about Harley and the Carnage symbiote is that after some back and forth, Harley would almost certainly take charge of the symbiote. She was able to overcome the Joker's monstrous influence, and she'd handle the symbiote, too. She'd use its power to become an even more powerful, and much stranger, hero.
1 The Joker
The Joker is an inhuman monster. He kills like other people breathe and has no other goals beyond chaos. He commits crimes but only so he can fund his war on order. The Joker needs weapons and explosives; but if he had the Carnage symbiote, he'd be self-sufficient. The Joker is already a deadly fighter and killer but having Carnage's teeth and talons at his disposal would make him so much worse.
The Joker would love the Carnage symbiote. He'd take to symbiote life like a fish takes to water. Cletus Kasady and the Joker have a lot in common, and the Carnage symbiote would find itself knee-deep in comfortable slaughter again if the Joker was its host, just on another Earth.