I’m a little miffed now thatSony’s Spider-Man Universepointlessly introduced Knull inVenom: The Last Dance. As one ofMarvel’s most powerful characters, Knull had a lot of potential to change the fate of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. His appearance inVenom: The Last Dance’s trailers supercharged the hype surrounding the movie, and I was one of many who couldn’t wait to see how the studio would handle the involvement of the eldritch god of the abyss. Writer/director Kelly Marcel’s subsequent promise that he would reappear in future SSU installments was also particularly encouraging.
The weird part was thatVenom: The Last Dancewas the final installment ofVenom’s SSU trilogy. Although Knull encounters several superheroes from Marvel Comics, the vast majority of which are owned by Marvel Studios and therefore walled off from Sony, Venom is his primary nemesis. This setSony’s Spider-Man franchiseon an interesting trajectory as audiences were faced with the prospect of Knull facing off against such minor characters as Morbius and Kraven the Hunter instead of Venom and Thor. Ultimately, however, this all came to naught, and I’m once again disappointed.
Venom 3 Set Up Knull As The Sony Spider-Man Universe’s Thanos
The Post-Credits Scene Suggested Knull Would Return
Knull is the creator of all symbiotes and a primordial god of the abyss that exists between cosmoses. As a god, he is one of Marvel’s most powerful characters with powers that far exceed those of manyarch-villains thus far introduced in Marvel movies. This includes Thanos (provided he does not wield a complete Infinity Gauntlet) meaningKnull was poised to give even the Mad Titan a run for his moneyin terms of his legacy. In Marvel Comics, for instance, Knull’s incredible power was summarily demonstrated when he tore Sentry - Marvel’s answer to Superman - in two.
Venom 3 Villain: Knull Powers & Comics History Explained
The final trailer for Venom: The Last Dance has been released, offering insight into the film’s villain: the Marvel Comics character of Knull.
Sony had even taken a similar route to Marvel Studios when introducing Knull to the franchise. Hisrole inVenom: The Last Dancewas minor, acting as the string-puller from his Klyntar prison.This emulates the role Thanos played inGuardians of the Galaxybefore a second post-credits teaseinAvengers: Age of Ultronand several mentions in subsequent movies heralded his cataclysmic arrival inAvengers: Infinity War. Knull’s grave threat to Earth in thepost-credits scene forVenom: The Last Danceostensibly preceded a similar route for Knull - though I guess this was ultimately pointless.
Kraven The Hunter Is Seemingly The End Of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe
Reports Suggest That Sony Is Halting Development Of Its Live-Action Spinoffs
The Wrapreported that Sony’s Spider-Man Universe would cease developing its live-action spinoff movies “for now"and focus on its animatedSpider-Versefranchise, upcomingSpider-Noirseries, and its Spider-Man collaborations in the MCU. This followed a smattering of unfavorable earlyreviews forKraven the Hunter, which was seemingly the final nail in the coffin for Sony’s cinematic franchise. One Sony insider was even reported to have admitted “The movies just aren’t good.” Critics' reviews ofKraven the Huntertend to agree with that ongoing sentiment.
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$501,546,922
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$162,759,437
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Kraven the Hunter (2024)
TBA
WhileKraven the Huntermay be the latest movie to divide fans and critics, with a 73% fan score on Rotten Tomatoes contrasting the critics' 15% (at time of writing), it has also suffered a particularly poor opening weekend domestically. This stands to reason asthe zeitgeist surroundingKraven the Hunterapproaching its release mostly comprised apathy and mistrust. I’m not surprised about Sony’s decision - in fact, I’m quite glad the studio will focus on the one character we all want to see more of - but it’s difficult to stomach its plan, or lack thereof, with Knull.
Introducing Knull Without A Plan For The Future Was Pointless
I’ll admit I was suspicious when Kelly Marcel promised that Knull would reappear beforeVenom: The Last Dancewas released. At the time, the release slate for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe was conspicuously bare, which made me wonder exactly where his reappearance would occur. After seeingVenom: The Last Dance,that suspicion turned to cynicism as I struggled to see how the franchise would navigate Knull’s cataclysmic invasion without Venom being involved at all.
Knull was portrayed by Andy Serkis inVenom: The Last Dance.
In hindsight,I now wonder if Sony had a plan for Knull in the first place. Instead, it feels as though the formidable cosmic villain was tacked onto the movie to drum up hype (which, for me, worked) before leaving it to subsequent projects to shoehorn him in without Venom as a conduit. Furthermore,Venom: The Last Danceostensibly endedwith the eponymous antihero depriving Knull of his only route out of Klyntar, thereby thwarting the god and his nefarious plans to invade Earth. If that wasn’t the case, then Venom’s death was insultingly pointless.
Venom 3’s Codex Explained: What It Is And How It’s Different To Marvel Comics
Venom: The Last Dance hinges around something known as a codex - a concept that also crops up in Marvel comics regarding the symbiotes and their lore.
If this was a cynical attempt to maximize attendance in theaters, it didn’t really work. With a $475 million global box office,Venom: The Last Dancewas far from a flop, and unsurprisingly outperformedMorbiusandMadame Web,butit was the lowest-grossing movie of Venom’s trilogyand fell substantially short ofVenom, which earned $856 globally. The MCU’s Spider-Man franchise, meanwhile, boasts an opposite tendency as each subsequent movie outperforms the box office of the last. Coincidentally, I think Knull could help this trend continue withSpider-Man 4.
Sony Can Still Redeem Knull’s Introduction In The MCU’s Spider-Man 4
The MCU Can Continue Knull’s Story
It’s no secret that one of the most common criticisms leveled at Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is its conspicuous lack of Spider-Man. Before Sony put a hold on developing movies in this franchise, I had hopes that Knull’s appearance would finally rally Spider-Man to the cause, perhaps even forming a multiversal team of variants in a stark but entertaining departure from comic book precedent. Thankfully, this wish still isn’t beyond the realm of possibility asSpider-Man 4could still deliver on this spectacle.
Given Knull holds sway over the void between universes in Marvel Comics, it should be easy to have him visit the MCU.
Whilestory details aboutSpider-Man 4are still scarce, it’s almost certain that it will comprise another multiversal narrative. Whether this involves reintroducing Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men to the MCU remains to be seen, but the fact thatSpider-Man 4will be released betweenAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars- the Multiverse Saga’s two climactic movies - suggests thatwe’ll be looking at even greater multiversal shenanigans than was seen inSpider-Man: No Way Home. Given Knull holds sway over the void between universes in Marvel Comics, it should be easy to have him visit the MCU.
Knull has repeatedly come to blows with Thor in Marvel Comics and is the original creator and owner of Gorr the God Butcher’s All-Black the Necrosword.
Knull is the perfect villain for the MCU. He easily fits the bill of being a threat greater than Thanos, and required several Marvel Studios-owned heroes to bring him down in Marvel Comics.Spider-Man: No Way Home’s post-creditssymbiote tease could be paid off with Knull’s involvement, given his authority over all symbiotes across the multiverse. If Sony and Marvel do intend to double down on Spider-Man’s cosmic adventures,it’s hard to see how anything could top Knull as the movie’s arch-villain.
Ultimately, Knull is too incredible of a character to let fall by the wayside.
Ultimately, Knull is too incredible of a character to let fall by the wayside. I’ll address the elephant in the room, however, and note howSpider-Man 4’s proximity toAvengers: Doomsdaymeans it is most likely going to concern Doctor Doom’s position as the franchise’s new arch-villain, leaving little room for Knull to muscle in and complete an arc beforeAvengers: Secret Warsrounds out the saga. Still, afterVenom: The Last Danceteased the villain,it’s still possible forSpider-Man 4to follow up and maybe provide a glimpse of Knull as the next arch-villain of the MCU.
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.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the first sequel to the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy starring Tom Holland as the titular wall-crawler. After wiping his identity from the public’s memory in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker continues his crime-fighting adventures without the aid of Iron Man technology or the support of his former allies.
