In part one, the "relationships" between Peter Parker & Norman Osborn and Deadpool and Wolverine were discussed. Two rivalries that got more than bloody and brutal. They got down right dirty. This week, in part two, we discuss some real killers. Some guys who have no remorse when it comes time to put someone down.
Venom and Carnage:
When one murderous, psychotic symbiote hates another murderous psychotic symbiote with a conscience...no you don't get the Real Housewives of Atlanta. You get a couple of lunatics that love to hate each other and spill each others blood. Cletus Kasady is already crazy as a bag full of cats without the symbiote. Now that he has a crazy alien that enjoys killing people attached to him, he can do all of that as Carnage and now doesn't need to visit the local kitchen appliance store for knives. Now, Eddie Brock has a crazed symbiote attached to him as well, but Venom doesn't kill innocent people. Because Carnage comes from a part of the alien symbiote, at Venom feels responsible for the murders that Carnage. So Venom will go after Carnage to try and play hero and Carnage will go after Venom because he needs something to do on a Wednesday.
Classic Moment: "Maximum Carnage"
Carnage's psychotic tendancies infected everyone in New York and Venom (along with Spider-Man and some other heroes) decided to do his best to stop the people of New York from killing each other. Venom and Carnage's rivalry got really intense. It got really brutal when Carnage held Venom up in the Statue of Liberty and tortured him just for kicks. Venom eventually escaped, but not before Venom took one heck of a beating.
Punisher and the Mob:
Quick recap of what made Frank Castle the Punisher. The Castle family goes on a picnic and all of them die when they are caught in the middle of a mob hit. All of them die except Frank Castle. Frank Castle starts a war on crime and organized crime in particular. This is more of a one sided rivalry because the Punisher pretty much just mowes down his enemies with ease and the mob tends not really do much about it. No matter what they plan to do or who they hire to take out Frank Castle, Punisher just takes them out. It may take a little while, but Punisher always comes out on top. Why? Because unlike the mobsters in these comic books Frank Castle is patient, methodical, and brutal. He doesn't mind having to wait a few days or even months to take out his target. Castle realizes that it's always the patient ones that win in the end. Garth Ennis' run of Punisher Max is a great example of that.
Classic Moment: Punisher Born
Some people think that Punisher's war started when his family died in Central Park. Actually, it started in Vietnam. During the war, there was a voice that was talking to Frank. Telling him that he was kidding himself that he wasn't killer. This wasn't his inner voice. It was a mystical force trying to give Frank Caslte what he always wanted. A war that would never end. Punisher kept going on tour after tour even though he could have gone home to his family. But Frank would never admit it to himself, but this demon, devil, or god knew that Frank enjoyed the killing. One night, the Vietnamese were storming Castle's platoon and all of them were killed except Frank. That voice offered him one more chance to kill and keep his war going on forever. And Frank said yes. Frank was found dehydrated and standing around a seemingly endless pile of bodies with a broken AK 47 that looked like it was broken off someone's head. The Punisher was born.
Thanks for reading. Part three will be out next week.