The trailer forVenom: The Last Dancehas me worried about Sony’s plans for a Thanos-level Marvel villain: Knull. Thefinal trailer forVenom 3was released in September 2024 and finally revealed more about the mysterious symbiote creatures attacking Earth. Rather than simply being mindless villains for Venom and Eddie to face off against, it was revealed that thepowerful Marvel Comics villain Knull will be inVenom 3.
Knull is a massive character in more modern iterations of Marvel Comics. In recent years, many have been clamoring for Knull to appear in anupcomingSpider-Manmovie, given his inherent connections to Venom and the other symbiotes. Now, it seems I and many others will be getting our wish granted as Knull makes his way toVenom 3’s climactic story. However,despite my overall excitement at seeing Knull depicted in live-action, I cannot deny that I have some reservations about Sony’s plans for the villain.
Venom 3’s Villian Knull Is A Thanos-Level Threat
Knull’s Comic Book Story Proves His Threat To Marvel’s Heroes
Firstly, it is worth exploring the elements of Knull’s story that have caused me to view him as a Thanos-level threat. Knull is the creator of the symbiotes, and spent his earlier stories waging war against some of the most powerful beings in the Marvel cosmos: the Celestials. Knull’s home of darkness was infected with light after living in the latter since the beginning of time. After discovering an ability he dubbed the Living Abyss, Knull realized he could create parasitic lifeforms, later known as the symbiotes.
The Avengers, the X-Men, The Fantastic Four, many other heroes, and the symbiotes all teamed up to stop Knull from invading Earth, and even then he could only be defeated by a literal god of light…
After this, Knull began to form a hive mind of symbiotes dedicated to conquering the cosmos as an extension of his one motivation: eradicating light and living in darkness. Across millennia,Knull has grappled with some of Marvel’s most powerful characters, from Thor, Sentry, and Spider-Man to The Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer. In one of his biggest storylines, The Avengers, the X-Men, The Fantastic Four, many other heroes, and the symbiotes all teamed up to stop Knull from invading Earth, and even then he could only be defeated by a literal god of light.
The Sony Spider-Man Universe Should Have Knull Be A Villain Of Everyone, Not Just Venom
Knull Is Being Undersold As The Villain Of Venom: The Last Dance
With Knull being shown to possess this level of threat in Marvel Comics, I am worried about his inclusion as the villain ofVenom 3.Do not get me wrong, I am very excited to see Knull in live-action and if the film can capture the best elements of his story, I am certainVenom 3will be the bestVenommovieyet. However, it remains the case that Knull should have been a villain of the entire Sony Spider-Man Universe, not solely Venom and Eddie.
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Although Eddie Brock and Venom have a distinct rivalry with Knull in the comics, he is a threat that cannot be handled by them alone. The same should be the case in the Sony Spider-Man Universe. Admittedly, adding heroes like Morbius and Madame Web to Venom’s side would not give him much more of an advantage against Knull, but this would at least provide a thematic endpoint for the universe Sony has crafted thus far. When factoring in theKraven the Huntermovie, a team to face Knull presents itself.
Morbius seemed to tease connections to the MCU, while Madame Web was as self-contained as Venom, Venom 2, and Kraven, proving the franchise’s disconnectivity and how good Knull would be as connective tissue.
Instead, Knull will be utilized as the final villain in theVenomtrilogy, but this is not necessarily befitting of a character of his reputation.It would have been much more effective if the other Sony Spider-Man movies had included teases to tie them to Knull’s story, leading to anAvengers-like story in which they come together to face Knull. Whether this would have worked is another question entirely as Knull deserves to be faced by Marvel’s biggest, best heroes, but it would at least give him more meaning as a universe-altering threat rather than a one-off villain.
The MCU Could Better Utilize A Villain Like Knull
Admittedly, the universe I am envisioning going up against Knull is one like the MCU, which would have undoubtedly served his character better than the Sony Spider-Man Universe. Therefore, exploring how the MCU could potentially utilize Knull going forward is interesting to think about.WithVenom 3introducing Knull, it could be the case that the character is thrown through the multiverse and emerges in the MCU, allowing that franchise to give him a soft reset and a new backstory in which he fights more Marvel characters.
Another possibility is simply that Knull is introduced and used solely forVenom: The Last Dance, though as a soft introduction for general audiences in case Marvel Studios wishes to introduce its own variant of the villain…
This would certainly make sense, given that other characters have gone back and forth between the two universes in the past, including Venom and Eddie themselves. Another possibility is simply that Knull is introduced and used solely forVenom: The Last Dance, though as a soft introduction for general audiences in case Marvel Studios wishes to introduce its own variant of the villain inupcoming MCU movies. Regardless of how wary I am of how the Sony Spider-Man Universe will treat Knull, there are still prospects for better explorations down the line.
Venom: The Last Dance
Cast
Venom: The Last Dance is a film directed by an undisclosed director, featuring the character Venom in a thrilling narrative. The movie explores the alien symbiote’s latest challenges and transformations as it navigates through a world full of danger and new adversaries.
