Venom and Carnage are both powerful symbiotes in Marvel Comics, but surely one is stronger than the other! Both pose significant threats to Spider-Man, although Venom has attempted to take a more heroic, or anti-heroic path than the serial killer Carnage.
Their personalities, skills, and narrative arcs all give clues as to who might be the strongest. They have fought many times and traded victories. Therefore, the answer of who is best is forever shifting. Perhaps readers will finally learn who's stronger in the Summer of Symbiotes event. Until then, fans can speculate based on Venom and Carnage's abilities and past encounters.
Carnage Can Create Weapons
Carnage has the incredible ability to utilize his symbiote powers to create weapons. While they are still attached to his body, the goo can morph itself into axes, swords, and other such offensive equipment. It means that Carnage can attack at a much longer range with a heavy-hitting arsenal on his side. He has had this ability for a significant length of time.
Venom only recently learned to control his symbiote similarly. Marvel has departed from its continuity and demonstrated inconsistency with Venom's abilities, but historically, Venom hasn't demonstrated the sheer range of weapons that Carnage has. This gives the latter a significant advantage, no longer needing to rely on hand-to-hand combat.
Venom Has Learned From Many Hosts
Venom has bonded with plenty of hosts across his career, more than Carnage has. Eddie Brock, Flash Thompson, and Mac Gargan are just a few examples. The symbiote actually learns something from each of them too, evolving and getting better with each bond.
Of course, his relationship with Peter Parker set him up for greatness. Thompson's iteration of Agent Venom or Gargan's time in the Dark Avengers have given Venom opportunities to learn in new environments. Carnage hasn't had this same exposure to a variation of talented hosts and is often too violently distracted to learn from those he does bond with.
Carnage Is Bonded To A Serial Killer
Venom might have bonded with plenty of significant characters, but Carnage will forever be associated with one main host. Cletus Kasady is one of Marvel's most notorious serial killers. He is absolutely merciless and there is certainly no redeeming his harrowing actions.
This corruption has only fueled Carnage, who has become unstoppable due to Kasady's deviant soul. No other host can hold a candle to the killer's violence and sadistic personality. That makes Carnage more dangerous than Venom ever could be because there is no one to hold him back.
Venom Utilizes Spider-Man's Powers
Venom's first run-in with Spider-Man has actually left him with the web-slinger's powers. It's pretty rare that a host already has abilities and since Venom was bonded with Peter Parker for so long, he has managed to pick up his web-shooting, swinging, and agility.
While his abilities are not completely carbon copied, they are adapted to suit Venom. This gives him a significant edge. Not only has Spider-Man proven himself to be a capable adversary against Carnage in his own right, but the unpredictability of those skills means that Venom can use them to be one step ahead. Venom can pull off moves that Carnage never could.
Carnage Has Superior Abilities
Carnage was forged on Earth and has therefore developed slightly more potent abilities than Venom. The character is actually a lot stronger than Venom, despite having been born from him. In fact, Carnage's strength is more forceful than both Venom and Spider-Man's.
Carnage can lift more, punch harder and jump higher than his competition. That's why Carnage has always been one of the most powerful symbiotes. What's more, he is far less affected by loud sounds, even if fire does still damage him a little more than Venom.
Venom Can Track All Of Its Offspring
Venom has produced a lot of offspring over the years, with other symbiotes forming that are equally powerful. But Venom also has a very strong grasp of the hive mind, making it a lot easier to track both his offspring and the other symbiotes out there on Earth.
Venom will always have an ally nearby, or alternatively, can always sense if an enemy is about to attack. Although Carnage is invisible to that tracking, he doesn't have a grasp on the hive mind quite like Venom does. This makes Carnage a little weaker when it comes to strategic planning.
Carnage Has Vampiric Properties
Carnage has demonstrated vampiric abilities in the past, infecting others into becoming mindless servants of his symbiotic force. Occasionally he has taken the life of a victim simply by touching them, feeding on their life force to continue to boost his own strength.
It's a set of symbiotic abilities that Venom hasn't come close to understanding and one of the less popular and seen superpowers in Marvel. Venom's lack of understanding makes Carnage significantly stronger since there's little knowledge on how to defend against such an attack.
Venom Is The King In Black
Venom manages to defeat Knull, the King in Black, and take his position under the guidance of Eddie Brock. It's an impressive feat, especially since Knull is a cosmic god within Marvel continuity, responsible for the very birth of the symbiote species.
Carnage wasn't able to topple Knull in the same way and with the King in Black title now in hand, Venom has deity-like gifts of his own. With a control over the hive mind, the ability to travel through time thanks to that connection, and even more strength, Carnage shouldn't be a match for the new King in Black.
Carnage Survived Hell
Carnage survived Hell itself, looking for Malekith the Accursed. He has walked through the afterlife and has lived to tell the tale. Carnage is perhaps more well-versed in the affairs of godly pantheons than Venom due to his time in their devilish and dangerous realms.
So while Venom might now have taken on the powers of a god, Carnage has demonstrated the skill and strength to walk among them in the underworld and defeat them. It's an impressive display that indicates Carnage can shift the order of things. Throughout the best Spider-Man comics, Carnage has shown that the universe's hierarchy means nothing.
Venom Is Endlessly Evolving
Venom's recent comic run has showcased that the character is capable of immense evolution, demonstrated through the likes of Agent Venom and Spider-Man. As the timeline changes. he has the ability to morph into figures like Bedlam and Meridius.
The characters indicate that Venom's strength continues to grow in a way that Carnage could only dream of. It also shows a range that Carnage simply doesn't have, with the Venom symbiote evolving based on the situation and time period to be the most effective. That adaptability is what sets Venom apart.