Knull will make his live-action debut as a major antagonist in Venom: The Last Dance, and he is the best chance to save Sony’s faltering Spider-Man Universe. Knull’s debut was confirmed in Venom: The Last Dance’s final trailer, raising excitement for the villain’s appearance in the upcoming sequel, which is scheduled to be released on October 25 and is set outside the MCU. The Last Dance is Tom Hardy’s final movie as Eddie Brock, the host of the Venom Symbiote, but Knull’s introduction means the alien antihero will likely go out with a bang.

While Tom Hardy is set to exit Sony’s Spider-Man Universe after Venom: The Last Dance, the franchise is expected to continue. Kraven the Hunter is scheduled to be released in December, but after a series of mistakes and disappointing box office returns in its six-year history, the future of the SSU is uncertain. The franchise’s two most recent movies, Morbius and Madame Web, performed terribly, but Venom: The Last Dance has the perfect opportunity to save the SSU by introducing Knull, one of Marvel’s most exciting villains, into live-action.

10 He Can Be The SSU’s Answer To Thanos

Thanos Was The Big-Bad Of The MCU’s Infinity Saga

Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga became so climactic towards the end because of the years-long build-up of the Mad Titan, Thanos, as the chapter’s primary antagonist. Thanos gave the heroes of the MCU a purpose, and Knull could fill this role for the characters of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. Knull’s impact on the Marvel Universe following his debut in 2018 certainly matches up to that of Thanos, so Knull can make as significant a mark on the SSU as Thanos did on the MCU, which could be hugely exciting for the faltering Sony franchise.

Knull could even mirror Thanos’ Infinity Saga storyline more directly, as he is powerful enough to initially best his opponents in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. This could see him defeat Eddie Brock and Venom in Venom: The Last Dance, perhaps leading to either or both’s demise, explaining why The Last Dance is Tom Hardy’s final Venom movie. Knull’s debut could change the landscape of the SSU forever, and teasing him in Venom: The Last Dance would be the perfect way to establish many years of new stories in the franchise.

9 He Can Expand The Mythos Of Symbiotes Even Further

The Origin Of Sony’s Symbiotes Is Still A Mystery

So far, Sony’s two Venom movies, the 2018 original and 2021’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage, have included several extraterrestrial Symbiotes, but have avoided detailing much about the species’ origins. Knull’s debut in Venom: The Last Dance could dramatically change this. In Marvel Comics, Knull is a primordial deity who waged war against the Celestials, and created an army of alien soldiers with himself at the center of a Hive Mind to take on the godly beings. This could very well be the case in the SSU, too.

Knull was dubbed the “King in Black” by the Celestials, but when his kingdom of darkness was ruined, he renounced the Celestials and created the Symbiotes to wage war against them and spread his darkness across the universe.

Venom: The Last Dance’s trailers have confirmed that Venom’s “home” will have a key role in the upcoming sequel. This suggests that Venom’s roots and origins may be explored in the movie, perhaps even going so far back as to the creation of the very first Symbiote at the hands of Knull. This would help to establish Knull as the God of the Symbiotes, the core of the Hive Mind and a supremely powerful figure in the history of the universe. This could also create connections to the MCU, which would make sense given Knull’s multiverse abilities.

8 His Multiverse Powers Mean Crossover Potential

Knull Could Connect The SSU & The MCU

Knull hasn’t always been a villain connected to the multiverse of Marvel Comics, but in more recent adventures, the King in Black title has been given a new significance. During 2023’s Venom (Vol. 5) #18, it was revealed that the Celestials gifted Knull the King in Black title when they tasked him with looking after his creations. However, this same issue instead confirmed that the Kings in Black are actually tasked with maintaining the multiverse from within, while the Kings in White, the Beyonders, do the same from outside the multiverse.

Since Marvel Studios is in the midst of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, Knull’s status as the King in Black makes him a clear candidate for a crossover between Sony’s Spider-Man Universe and the MCU. The SSU has already been established to be an alternate reality in the MCU’s multiverse, thanks to Eddie Brock’s appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home’s post-credits scene. The multiversal powers of Knull as the King in Black of the SSU creates the perfect opportunity for the franchises to converge, perhaps in Venom: The Last Dance, Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man 4 or beyond.

7 He’s One Of Marvel’s Coolest Villains In Years

Knull Is A Relatively New Villain In Marvel Comics

Despite being one of Marvel Comics’ newest antagonists, making his first full appearance in 2018’s Venom (Vol. 4) #3, Knull has very quickly proven himself to be one of the coolest and most exciting villains in Marvel’s history. His debut saw an epic expansion of the mythology surrounding Symbiotes, and 2020’s King in Black event saw him take on most of Marvel’s heroes in a fantastic battle for Earth. The art depicting his rise to power is some of Marvel’s best, making Knull one of Marvel’s most notable and powerful supervillains.

Knull’s power-set, including a range of superhuman attributes, immortality, a regenerative healing factor, dark energy manipulation and the ability to create and control Symbiotes, make him one of the most formidable characters in the Marvel Universe. Introducing a god-like villain as powerful as Knull would be a brilliant way for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe to raise its stakes and better establish a real threat. Since so many characters in the SSU have been inaccurately adapted from Marvel Comics, it would be great to see Knull’s notoriety brought into live-action properly.

6 His Most Powerful Weapon Has Already Been Introduced In A Marvel Movie

Thor: Love & Thunder Debuted All-Black The Necrosword

Knull began his war against the Celestials in Marvel Comics by creating his first Symbiote in the shape of a sword, which he named All-Black the Necrosword. He used this weapon to sever the head of a Celestial, which would become Knowhere, and he then used the severed head to forge the new Symbiote into something even more powerful. All-Black is one of the most interesting, complex and powerful weapons in Marvel Comics, and it has already seen an adaptation into live-action, so the stage is already set for it to appear in Venom: The Last Dance.

The Necrosword, not named All-Black, however, debuted in 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder as the weapon that Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher used during his rampage against the universe’s deities. The Necrosword was destroyed by Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor in Love and Thunder, but Venom: The Last Dance being set in an alternate world means a new version of the Necrosword can still appear. The fact that the weapon has already been partially explained and set-up means The Last Dance has less leg-work to do, and can instead jump straight into the action.

5 He Has Huge Brand Power With Marvel Fans

Knull Is One Of Marvel’s Most Popular Villains

Knull’s rise to popularity since his first full appearance in 2018 has been seriously impressive. The supervillain has very quickly become one of the most beloved, feared and anticipated characters in Marvel’s history, and this kind of influence could be hugely beneficial to Knull’s debut in Venom: The Last Dance. So far, 2018’s Venom is the most successful movie in the SSU, grossing just over $850 million at the global box office, but Sony’s Marvel movies have fared progressively worse since then. Knull could help The Last Dance break the trend.

Knull was previously voiced by Ben Pronsky in the promo for the animated
Spider-Man
series.

Part of Knull’s popularity is due to the character’s simplicity. He is an evil supervillain who wants to bring darkness to the universe, and has the power to create monstrous soldiers to aid his cause. This creates huge opportunities for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe to use Knull and his related characters for years to come. His popularity in Marvel Comics, while not guaranteed to transfer to the movie-going audience, could allow Venom: The Last Dance to become the SSU’s highest-grossing movie, perhaps even crossing that ever-elusive $1 billion mark.

4 He’s Ridiculously Powerful

Knull Is Powerful Enough To Rival Most Of Marvel’s Other Supervillains

As a primordial deity, Knull is far and away one of the most powerful and notable characters in the Marvel Universe. Aside from being depicted as an immortal being, his superhuman strength, durability, stamina, regenerative healing factor and flight power mean he is practically indestructible, invulnerable and incredibly hard to harm or kill. It’s his command over the Symbiotes that provides his most formidable gifts, however, as he is able to extend his influence across the entire universe without leaving his own domain.

Before Gorr the God Butcher took up his mission and earned his name, it was Knull who waged war on the Celestials and the gods of the Marvel Universe, using All-Black the Necrosword to help his cause. His Symbiote armor, decorated with the emblem of a Symbiote dragon, makes him even more powerful. Introducing a villain of this significance and strength into Sony’s Spider-Man Universe would be a fantastic way to make an impact on the faltering franchise. Sony needs to pull out the big guns to regain its reputation – enter Knull.

3 He Has Huge Sequel & Spinoff Potential

Knull Could Be A Villain In Several Upcoming Projects

While Tom Hardy isn’t expected to be returning for any further movies after Venom: The Last Dance, this could only be the beginning of Knull’s journey in live-action. A villain with as much reach, influence, power and importance as Knull has huge potential for spinoffs, sequels and continuations of his story. It’s unclear whether The Last Dance will explore Knull’s own origins, but this would be brilliant to see in live-action. His creation of the Symbiotes, the reasoning for Venom running from his homeworld of Klyntar, and Knull’s connection to the Symbiote Hive Mind could all be explored in future.

Knull hasn’t been confirmed to be appearing in any future projects after Venom: The Last Dance, but Sony may have stayed mum about its upcoming Marvel movies in an effort to keep Knull’s debut in The Last Dance a secret. Future installments in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe could prominently feature Knull as an antagonist. Knull’s debut could even inform future stories in the MCU proper, especially since both Knull and Venom have been speculated to be appearing in the MCU’s upcoming Spider-Man 4 and beyond.

2 He Can Finally Bring Together The Characters Of The SSU

Sony’s Spider-Man Universe Is Still Very Disconnected

Venom kick-started a new shared universe in 2018, but six years later, there has been no sign of the characters of each of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe’s movies joining forces. Venom is not aware of Morbius, and neither seem to have heard of Madame Web, while Michael Keaton’s Vulture is the only character in the SSU who has suggested bringing these characters together. In Marvel Comics, specifically in the King in Black event, it takes most of Marvel’s heroes to take down Knull, so this may also be the case in the SSU.

While not many of the characters in the SSU are actually heroes, Sony has transformed some of Spider-Man’s greatest villains into antiheroes, so they may be primed to take on Knull. It’s possible the Spider-Women of 2024’s Madame Web could return to fight Knull, however, bringing in at least a few heroes. While it would be great to see the SSU’s characters finally come together, perhaps forming some twisted version of Marvel’s Sinister Six team, there is still one key character missing from the franchise.

1 He Is The Perfect Villain For Sony’s Spider-Man

Sony Still Hasn’t Introduced Its Own Version Of Spider-Man

While a number of Spider-Man-related characters, including versions of Spider-Woman, have been introduced to live-action in Sony’s aptly-named Spider-Man Universe, Peter Parker himself has not become Marvel’s most iconic wall-crawler. Madame Web confirmed that the SSU’s Peter Parker was born in 2003, making him 15-years-old during Venom, and perhaps in his early twenties in the franchise’s current timeline. Time seems to be running out for the SSU to debut its own Spider-Man, but Knull’s debut in Venom: The Last Dance creates the perfect opportunity.

There has been speculation that either Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield or Tom Holland could reprise the role of Peter Parker’s Spider-Man in the SSU. After Spider-Man: No Way Home brought them all back into action, this seems more likely than ever. Of course, Holland’s Spider-Man has more adventures in the MCU to come, but since Knull presents the opportunity for crossover, Holland could easily become the SSU’s Spider-Man as well as the MCU’s. By teasing Spider-Man, Venom: The Last Dance may become the SSU’s most important movie, perhaps setting up the franchise for a much stronger future.

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