Getting Carnage into the MCU isn’t as simple as casting someone to shout and swing around CGI tentacles. Cletus Kasady is Marvel’s largest wild card, a psychopathic killer whose symbiote connection makes him a human horror. To play him right, you need an actor who can exude menace, enjoy mayhem, and still be charismatic enough so you’re drawn in despite yourself. Carnage is more than just another Marvel bad guy; he’s the one making Venom look like the default option. So who could take on those gore-soaked boots? These are 15 actors who could absolutely play Carnage in the MCU.
15. Steven Ogg
If you’ve ever met Trevor Philips from Grand Theft Auto V, you already get why Ogg’s on this list. He thrives on manic, unhinged energy, and his wiry build inescapably screams volatility. Ogg could bring a mix of humor, unpredictability, and flat-out terror that feels particularly well-suited for Carnage.
14. Matthew Lillard
From Scream’s Stu to his improv-driven performances, Lillard has always excelled at toeing the line between goofy and terrifying. He can flip a scene on its head in seconds, exactly the unpredictability you’d want in Kasady.
13. Caleb Landry Jones
Few actors do “deeply unsettling” as naturally as Caleb Landry Jones. His frantic, brittle intensity in Get Out disturbed audiences with no trouble. With his long-limbed physique and quirky demeanor, he’d be a crazed-eyed, disturbing Carnage.
12. Boyd Holbrook
Holbrook is charming and sinister, and he’s able to balance it out like no one else, like Justified: City Primeval and Logan. He’d bring the con man’s disarming charm to Cletus before unleashing raw brutality once the symbiote enters.
11. Jackie Earle Haley
Haley’s Rorschach in Watchmen proved that he is capable of portraying broken and terrifying characters. His compact body only adds to the shock effect when he suddenly erupts into violence, something that would make Carnage even more terrifying.
10. Cameron Monaghan
Anyone who saw Gotham is well aware that Monaghan is capable of playing unhinged villains with complex layers of charm and sadism. He’s already proved he can channel unhinged energy and yet keep fans captive with every step he takes.
9. Joseph Gilgun
Gilgun’s performance as Cassidy in Preacher was manic genius, part hilarious and part appalling. He’s got raw, unbridled unpredictability and wiry physicality to make Cletus Kasady a villain you can’t help but watch.
8. Pablo Schreiber
From American Gods to Halo, Schreiber has shown he can deliver intensity and menace. His imposing figure would make Carnage feel like a raging storm of violence.
7. Bill Skarsgård
If Pennywise has taught us anything, it’s that Skarsgård knows how to use unsettling mannerisms as weapons. He can go from placid to terrifying in a moment, and that is just what Carnage needs.
6. Rory McCann
More familiar to fans of Game of Thrones as the Hound, McCann embodies raw, threatening energy. His physical presence alone would make Carnage a frightening figure, and every outburst of violence would be sickening.
5. Jamie Bell
Bell has already demonstrated that he is capable of immersing himself in dark, troubled characters (see Filth, for example) and still managing to inject raw physicality into the role. His background could bring an edge to Carnage that’s both savage and horribly human.
4. Taron Egerton
Egerton’s combination of charm and athleticism in Kingsman shows he could play Cletus as a sneaky, charming one, before the madness gets the better of him. He’d be deliciously nasty without losing the menace.
3. Robert Knepper
As Theodore “T-Bag” Bagwell on Prison Break, Knepper brought to life one of television’s most iconic villains. He could turn Kasady into a calculating, threatening psychopath, someone who appears to be on the edge of insanity at any given moment.
2. Michael C. Hall
After all these years as Dexter Morgan, Hall is equally good at mixing charm and murderous savagery with the best of them. His interpretation of Carnage could be predisposed towards the psychological horror aspect, making Kasady frightening and bittersweetly sympathetic.
1. Sam Rockwell
Rockwell is the dream casting for the fans, and rightly so. He plays manic, charismatic characters better than anyone else, moving effortlessly between manic humor and life-and-death intensity. His physical expressiveness and scene-stealing charisma would make Carnage unforgettable.
Casting Carnage doesn’t necessarily involve bringing a scary individual; it involves bringing an actor who can capture the madness, unpredictability, and dark sense of humor of the character. Whether it is Rockwell’s manic merriment, Skarsgård’s disturbing creepiness, or Ogg’s wild-eyed volatility, any of these actors can breathe life into the MCU’s Carnage as a villain that fanboys will never forget.