Note: There are spoilers for “Venom: The Last Dance” below
“Venom: The Last Dance” introduces the literal god of symbiotes – Knull, a being older than the universe itself.
Being older than time means there’s quite a bit of history about the character the third movie in Sony’s “Venom” trilogy leaves on the cutting room floor. Knull created the symbiotes as a way to battle with the Celestials who created light in the unending darkness he’d been tumbling through forever.
Knull’s first arrival on Earth during the Dark Ages ended disastrously when he squared off with Thor. Despite an army of symbiotes – including dragon-like monstrosities called the Grendel – they weren’t a match for the God of Thunder. Thor broke Knull’s connection to his symbiote,s and they began looking for new hosts. Losing his connection, Knull fell into the Abyss.
When he came too, the King in Black found himself on Klyntar – a planet made of symbiotes, which in their language translates to “cage.” Knull was trapped on Klyntar but still remained committed to his mission of extinguishing the light in the universe. He just had to find a way out of his “cage” first.
Here’s a larger rundown on who Knull is, how long he’s been around, what his powers really are, and why he’s so obsessed with Venom.
When did Knull first appear in the comics?
Knull’s first appearance is fairly recent in the grand history of Marvel Comics. Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman introduced the King in Black in 2018’s “Venom” #3.
The following issue – “Venom” #4 – further tied his origin to Jason Aaron’s seminal run Thor run in “Thor: God of Thunder.” It was revealed that Gorr the God Butcher’s – later played by Christian Bale in “Thor: Love and Thunder” – living sword All-Black the Necrosword was actually Knull’s firstborn and the God Butcher stole it from him.
How old is Knull?
Knull is so old it’s hard to measure in time because he existed before it. He existed in the eternal darkness that was everything before the universe was created. He tumbled through that nothing for eons until the Celestials – in all their infinite wisdom – decided the darkness was wanting and created light and life.
Knull didn’t respond well to light in the universe and he took out his anger on the Celestials. In the course of the battle, he managed to pull a proto-symbiote from a Celestial and used it to make his sword All-Black, which he then used to kill one of the gods in turn.
What are his powers?
Being one of the oldest living entities in the universe comes with some pretty power perks. Knull is obviously an immortal being and his powers reflect that. He has godlike strength, can take a beating from the best of them and then regenerate from any wounds he might have. He can fly and create and manipulate the eldritch darkness he calls “the living abyss.”
He can teleport around the cosmos through darkness and can even send his consciousness back in time through those same shadows.
On top of all that, he can create new symbiotes and existing ones as their creator and center of the hive mind. So yes, Knull has a fair bit of power.
What’s the deal with Knull’s sword?
Knull’s sword is technically his first-born symbiote. He created it from the proto-symbiote he took from a Celestial when he fought them at the creation of the universe. The sword was forged in the fires of a dead Celestial’s head – actually, the same head that becomes Knowhere seen in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films. The fires used to make the sword are one of the reasons symbiotes are weak to fire.
The sword is called All-Black the Necrosword and being made inside the fires of a dead god’s head, it’s a godkiller itself. The sword eventually falls into the hands of Thor villain Gorr the God Butcher. Gorr was played by Christian Bale in “Thor: Love and Thunder” and was shown using the sword to exact his own godkilling goals.
What is his connection to Venom?
Being the god and creator of all symbiotes so really, he’s like a father to Venom. In the comics, Knull planned to end the reign of light in the universe through Earth’s destruction. The King in Black eventually unleashed his army on Earth and in the process, even killed Eddie Brock. Luckily (because it is comics, after all), the Silver Surfer was able to revive Eddie through a cosmic entity born of light.
With Venom and Eddie resurrected now as a temporary God of Light, they were able to defeat Knull by burning him in the literal sun. With the original symbiote hive mind destroyed, that power transferred to Venom who’s now considered the King in Black
What happens to Knull in the major motion picture ‘Venom: The Last Dance?’
In “Venom: The Last Dance,” Knull is played by Andy Serkis. Or at least voiced by Andy Serkis. Possibly performance-captured by Andy Serkis. The point is that you don’t really get a good look at Knull. You know that he created the symbiotes but was betrayed by them and is now an outcast on an isolated planet. He is, however, surrounded by sympathetic monsters, whom he teleports, almost “Doctor Strange”-style to earth. He’s looking for a key that can unlock him from his prison and wouldn’t you know it, that key is Venom. Not just Venom the symbiote but the combination of Venom and Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy).
One of them has to die in order for Knull to stay in his prison. This leads to some big stakes and some even bigger decisions (ones that we won’t give away here, of course – the movie just came out!) By the mid-credits sequence, Knull has started to refer to himself as the King in Black (!) and seems like he is actually free to get up from his throne. Unclear where we go from here. But could Knull end up being the big bad for the Sony Spider-Man Universe?