Marvel Snap: Every Carnage Variant, Ranked

Since being introduced as a Spider-Man villain in 1992, Carnage has become an iconic member of the Marvel universe. The alien symbiote merged with a psychotic killer stands out for its terrifying look and the mayhem he's capable of unleashing, So, of course, he had to be added as a card to "Marvel Snap." Introduced in the first pool of cards, Carnage may not be among the most powerful cards in the game but his ability to destroy other cards on his side and consume their power definitely makes it effective. On top of this, Carnage in "Marvel Snap" also sports some excellent art.

The base version of the card features the work of artist Ryan Benjamin and colorist Ryan Kinnaird, both comics veterans. Carnage snarls while wielding one of his arm blades with a sprawling city in the background. While this looks amazing, collectors can also unlock and use five other variants of the character.

My first golden split, looks sick on Carnage because of the red on him and the golden outline on his logo😍 from
MarvelSnap

While each is worth having, some variants are just cooler than others. Here's a rundown and ranking of everything that Carnage has to offer.

Sporting art and coloring by G-Angle, the Pixel variant is a rare card that can be purchased for 700 gold (which can't be earned in the game but can be purchased for $9.99 for 700) when it turns up in the shop. While some gamers may enjoy the pixelated option for cards — and Carnage does look somewhat cool here, crouching and, once again, flashing an arm blade — it's still a bit bland compared to other options.

In general, the pixel variants have been panned by the likes of Kotaku, and fans, while split, tend to dislike them. Ultimately, even Carnage can't totally pull off the pixelated look, and this variant drops to the bottom of the list with no good boosts to make up for it.

Devoted players and Carnage fans may want to grab this one to round out a collection, but everyone else will likely want to go hunting for some options higher up in the rankings.

Featuring art and coloring by another experienced artist of Marvel comics, the Kim Jacinto variant has Carnage lunging forward and appearing to leap right off the screen at the player.

Jacinto has been working in the Marvel universe for years and has even done previous work on Spider-Man comics and stories featuring Carnage. Notably, he contributed to "The Many Hosts of Carnage," which covers the history of the murderous symbiote, and "Absolute Carnage: Miles Morales," which sees the alternate web-slinger taking on his own version of the monster.

The downside of this variant is that it's not particularly unique. While the art is great, it's very similar to the base card, down to the same mostly blue background. Because it doesn't stand out as much, players may want to skip over this one and stick to the standard version until they can get a hold of one of the higher-ranked variants.

Next up on the list is the Max Grecke variant, which certainly stands out more from the base version, even if the stats are the same. This version features a more stylized and cartoonish style that shakes things up while leaving Carnage no less threatening.

Grecke seems to be newer to Marvel and comic book properties, but he's already become a part of the video game industry, having created art for "League of Legends." Since he began contributing to "Marvel Snap," he's won over fans with his variants, receiving praise on Twitter for his Green Goblin, Mysterio, and others.

Grecke's take on Carnage is definitely worth picking up for 700 Gold if it pops up in the shop. It's a unique interpretation of the character and worthy of any player's collection. Despite these points, however, there are a couple of variants that still rise above this one. Ultimately, it's hard to compete with the classics.

The Artgerm variant displays a more buff and physically imposing Carnage with art and coloring by Stanley Lau. Lau is an accomplished comic book artist whose work has appeared in both Marvel and DC stories. His experience and skill show through here with a Carnage image that some fans consider to be the best variant for the character.

What makes this variant really stand out, however, is that it actually comes from a past comic cover. This image of Carnage, in fact, comes from "Carnage-ized Variants #1," an alternate cover released back in 2019 as part of the Absolute Carnage event (per ComicBook.com).

A picture from a veteran artist of Carnage that even draws from a past Carnage event shoots this variant to the top of the list and makes it a must-have for collectors. Still, there's one variant that manages to rank higher, grabbing the number one spot.

While the Artgerm variant is excellent, it's hard to compete with the original. Grabbing the top spot is a variant from artist Mark Bagley – who actually created the character along with writer David Michelinie. Also featuring the work of colorist Jason Keith and inker Andrew Hennessy, this variant offers a classic 90s' take on Carnage as befits the originator of the character.

Great art from the original artist firmly cements this variant at the first spot in the rankings. It's fitting that Carnage gets a variant from Bagley, and fans of the character will need to grab this rare variant if they're lucky enough to find it in the shop.

Bagley may not have thought his creation would ever become a hit with fans (per SYFY Wire), but history has certainly proved him wrong, and Carnage has become a popular villain and a major part of the Marvel franchise. With six (including the base card) variants to choose from, fans of the character will be able to celebrate him in their decks in a variety of ways.