I think the fight against Knull has the potential to be better than the MCU fight against Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, especially if Sony’s Spider-Man Universe utilizes one superhero team in particular. So far, Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has played host to just three main characters – Venom, Morbius, and Madame Web – with Kraven the Hunter poised to debut the most overtly villainous of this roguish roster. Sadly for Sony, these characters have not been as bankable as the Marvel hero after which the franchise is named, casting doubt on the future of Sony’s cinematic franchise.

In fact, Venom was the most financially successful character in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe before Venom: The Last Dance ended his cinematic career with Sony. Whether Tom Hardy’s assertions that this truly is the last we’ll see of Venom are to be believed now that Knull – a distinctly Venom-adjacent villain in Marvel Comics – is Sony’s very own big bad remains to be seen. If he’s being truthful, however – I’ve got the perfect replacement for Venom in mind that could be a huge win for Sony.

Venom 3 Introduced Knull, An Avengers-Level Villain

Knull Is A Primordial God In The Marvel Universe

Knull was finally adapted in live-action in Venom: The Last Dance as the absent arch-villain who sends an army of symbiote-eating Xenophages to hunt Venom and his codex. Despite Knull playing a diminished role in his debut movie, the Venom: The Last Dance mid-credits scene all but confirmed that Knull would return to wreak havoc. To put it mildly, this is big news for Sony’s core characters.

Knull is portrayed by Andy Serkis in
Venom: The Last Dance
.

Knull is a god of darkness, symbiotes, and the void between cosmoses, and is one of the most consequential and powerful villains in Marvel Comics. Knull’s power is distinctly godlike and bolstered by his legendary sword, All-Black the Necrosword, which was used to behead a Celestial and refined in the severed remnants. He also held sway over legions of symbiotes before they imprisoned him, as seen in Venom: The Last Dance.

If and when he is freed in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, nothing short of an Avengers equivalent force will be enough to stop him.

Knull’s primary MO is to lead a crusade of darkness throughout the universe, wielding his godlike abilities and symbiotes to snuff the light brought into it by the Celestials. If and when he is freed in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, nothing short of an Avengers equivalent force will be enough to stop him. Unfortunately, Sony does not hold the rights to the Avengers nor any Marvel character that does not fall under the Spider-Man banner. It does, however, have access to a worthy replacement team.

I Believe Sony’s Superhero Team Should Be A Live-Action Spider-Society

A Team Of Spider-People Would Be A Force To Be Reckoned With

It’s no secret that the absence of any Spider-Man in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is a cause of some frustration. Even when Madame Web debuted two Spider-Women and Araña, the three were woefully underused and underserved in one of the worst-rated Marvel movies. Sony’s animated Spider-Verse movies, on the other hand, are among the best superhero movies ever made. I don’t think it’s hard to see a correlation here – though it would admittedly be remiss to assert that the characters are the only thing that makes Sony’s Spider-Verse movies so great.

Still, my point is that Peter Parker is not the only Spider-Man that Sony can capitalize on. Knull may be a monumental threat to the universe, but Spider-Man is one of Marvel Comics’ most powerful characters. Multiple Spider-People, each with a unique feature to bring to the table, is another thing entirely. Marvel Comics pitted multiple characters (including Miles Morales) against Knull, with Venom leading the charge. In a cinematic universe constrained to Spider-People, the equivalent solution seems obvious.

Sony’s Spider-Verse movies are made by Sony Pictures Animation Inc., which is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse proved just how popular and compelling an entire screen filled with Spider-Man variants can be. For its part, Sony proved that it can handle the Spider-Man IP with this movie and its sequel alone. So, rather than introduce Knull to the MCU and thereby admit that the character is better served in Marvel’s cinematic universe, Sony should emulate what it has already achieved and give us a Spider-Society spectacle in live-action. It is probably the only opportunity we’ll get, after all.

Who Could Be On Sony’s Spider-Society Superhero Team

The Spider-Verse Proved That There Are Countless Options

Sony’s Spider-Verse movies showed that, despite their obvious similarities, Spider-Man variants can feel even more unique than entirely different superheroes. The list of comic-accurate variants to choose from is mind-boggling, while the multiverse provides infinite recruitment possibilities. Still, some familiar faces would be a particularly great fit for a war against Knull.

Madame Web’s Spider-Trio

Anya Corazon, Mattie Franklin, and Julia Cornwall were given seconds of screen time in their guise as Spider-Heroes in Madame Web – and they may have been the best seconds of the movie. The trio deserves a second chance in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, with the King in Black providing that opportunity. Besides, it would be mind-boggling to know that these heroes exist after being established in Madame Web, only for them to sit out the cosmic struggle against Knull.

The Main Players From Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse

Miles Morales, Gwen Stacey, and Miguel O’Hara would all have a suitable role to play in the fight against Knull. Not only would adapting these Spider-Verse favorites into live-action be a huge draw, but there are lore-based reasons to have them involved. Miles Morales and a symbiote-bonded Gwen Stacey were on the front lines facing Knull in Marvel Comics, for instance. Meanwhile, Miguel O’Hara is the linchpin of the Spider-Verse’s Spider-Society, a role that could easily cross over into live-action.

Andrew Garfield’s And Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parkers

While it remains unlikely that Sony’s Spider-Man Universe intends to reintroduce either Garfield or Maguire as the main Peter Parker due to their age, their recent multiversal jaunt in Spider-Man: No Way Home helped prove their popularity. Rather than diminish the impact of that nearly $2 billion-dollar outing by having them appear again in the MCU’s Spider-Man 4, Sony can capitalize on their star power by having these Peter Parkers help lead the charge against Knull.

Captain Universe

The Enigma Force is a god of light and antithesis to Knull in Marvel Comics. The entity plays a key role in defeating Knull when it bonds with Eddie Brock in a climactic Hail Mary against Knull’s insurmountable assault. Given Tom Hardy’s comments about Venom: The Last Dance being the titular antihero’s final outing, however, it appears Venom will be sitting out the final fight against Knull.

Tom Hardy also stated that he wants his Venom to fight Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, suggesting he could be tempted back into the role.

With that in mind, the Enigma Force can still play its part by bonding with another host from Marvel Comics: Peter Parker. When imbued with the Enigma Force, Spider-Man becomes Captain Universe and boasts the godlike powers that will be necessary to take down the god of darkness. Given comic accuracy will have been blurred by Venom’s omission from the fight, there’s also no reason why the Enigma Force couldn’t instead bond with another character like Miles Morales.

I’m Confident Sony’s King In Black Movie Could Rival Avengers: Endgame

All The Pieces Are There

Confidence in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has been shaken by the performances of Madame Web and Morbius. The MCU’s handling of Spider-Man and countless other Marvel characters, meanwhile, has earned much wider praise. Avengers: Endgame is a prime example, with the Russo Brothers’ climax to the Infinity Saga still seen as one of the best Marvel movies ever made, with the box office-topping profits to back it up. Clearly, Sony is on the back foot – but I’m not about to resign myself to the notion that an adaptation of The King in Black is doomed to fail.

All I’m saying is, if Sony can replicate the quality of its Spider-Verse franchise, then a Spider-Man-filled King in Black adaptation could at least be on an equal footing with Avengers: Endgame.

Sony has its work cut out, but the sheer spectacle of the King in Black has every chance to rival that seen in Avengers: Endgame. Furthermore, Spider-Man remains Marvel’s most popular character, and while there is a lot to be said for Marvel’s ability to spotlight and popularize lesser-known characters like Iron Man, Sony is looking at an easy win with a screen full of Spider-People. All I’m saying is, if Sony can replicate the quality of its Spider-Verse franchise, then a Spider-Man-filled King in Black adaptation could at least be on an equal footing with Avengers: Endgame.

Sony’s Upcoming Marvel Movie Release Dates