Writer David Michelinie created Carnage to be a darker version of Venom,[REF] intending to have Venom's human alter ego, Eddie Brock, be killed off in The Amazing Spider-Man #400 and have the symbiote continue to bond with a series of hosts.
Cletus Kasady was introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #344 and first appears as Carnage in issue #361 [REF].