Warning: This article contains spoilers for Venom: The Last Dance.

After Venom: The Last Dance, Sony could resurrect one dead character from its Marvel franchise who could prove capable of releasing Knull, allowing the multiversal villain to pose a threat to the SSU and MCU alike. Tom Hardy’s final movie as Eddie Brock premiered on October 25 and marked the last adventure for both Brock and Venom, with the latter sacrificing himself to save the universe from Knull. Knull was an exciting inclusion in Venom: The Last Dance, and the movie may have set him up for a bigger role in the SSU’s future.

Knull made his first full appearance in Marvel Comics in 2018’s Venom (Vol. 4) #3, but despite being such a recent addition to the Marvel Universe, he has already made his mark. As the King in Black and the dark creator of the Symbiotes, Knull is an incredibly powerful villain in Marvel Comics, making him a worthy inclusion in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. However, Venom: The Last Dance seemingly sealed his fate, as the death of Venom means there is no Codex available to free Knull, but there may still be a way to explain the supervillain’s return.

How Cletus Kasady Can Return After His Venom: Let There Be Carnage Death

Woody Harrelson Played Cletus Kasady In Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Perhaps the best way for Sony to explain Knull’s return and him breaking free of his Symbiote-inflicted captivity on Klyntar would be to bring back Cletus Kasady from Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Woody Harrelson portrayed Kasady in the Venom sequel, becoming the host of the Carnage Symbiote after being exposed to a splintered piece of Venom. Kasady’s battle against Eddie Brock and Venom culminated in his demise, but he could still be resurrected, particularly since there is precedent for this to happen in Marvel Comics.

Throughout his Marvel Comics history, Cletus Kasady was removed from and bonded with the Carnage Symbiote over and over, which took a huge toll on his body. Kasady did die, and was resurrected by re-bonding with Carnage, but much later on, he was revived by a Carnage-worshiping cult who bonded him to a Grendel, a Symbiote-like dragon creature created by Knull. It’s very possible that Cletus Kasady’s corpse could be bonded with a Grendel in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, allowing Woody Harrelson to reprise his role.

Cletus Kasady & Knull Are Connected In Marvel Comics

Cletus Kasady Hopes To Release Knull In Marvel Comics

Even if Cletus Kasady is resurrected in live-action, there may be confusion about why this could lead to Knull being freed. This is explained in the pages of Marvel Comics, as Cletus Kasady was revived by the Cult of Knull, led by a corrupted Scorn, who bonded Kasady to a Grendel in order to physically connect him to Knull through the Codex created by their pairing. Revived, Cletus Kasady assumed command of the cult and set out to free Knull, hunting down and consuming Codexes of other Symbiote hosts across the universe, both living and deceased.

In
Venom: The Last Dance
, it’s explained that a Codex is created when a human is killed and then resurrected by a Symbiote. This meant that Eddie Brock and Venom had created a Codex when killed by Riot during the original
Venom
movie in 2018, which allowed Knull’s Xenophages to track the pair to Earth.

Consuming these Codexes transformed Cletus Kasady into Dark Carnage, who rampaged across the universe, but was ultimately fought by Venom, Spider-Man and other heroes. Kasady was eventually defeated, but the Grendel merged with Venom and bonded to Eddie Brock instead, which reawakened Knull. This could be adapted and altered for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, as something even as simple as re-bonding Cletus Kasady to Carnage would create a Codex capable of freeing Knull, so the connection between these two notable villains could still be explored.

Woody Harrelson Would Make A Perfect Knull In The SSU & MCU

Knull Could Take A Human Host In Live-Action

It was revealed in 2020’s Ruins at Ravencroft storyline that Cletus Kasady was actually destined to become the human host of Knull. This presents more reason than ever for Woody Harrelson to be brought back as Kasady, particularly since an established and beloved actor such as Harrelson would be a wonderful choice to bring Knull to life in human form. Knull was created using visual effects in Venom: The Last Dance, with the voice of Andy Serkis, but it would be great to see Woody Harrelson bring the multiversal villain to life in both the SSU and the MCU’s futures.

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