Venom: The Last Dance has been heralded as the ending of Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and Venom’s story, but it may not be the end for a major comics villain that the film is set to introduce. Knull, the creator, king, and god of all Symbiotes, will be making his big-screen debut in the third and reportedly final Venom film. To quote Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) from Spider-Man: Far From Home, Knull is a true Avengers-level threat, and according to recent comments from the upcoming film’s director, Venom: The Last Dance may be just the first chapter in a larger story for “The King in Black.”
In an exclusive interview with IGN, co-writer and director of Venom: The Last DanceKelly Marcel revealed that “there are more stories to explore” when it comes to Knull. Marcel‘s full statement on Knull’s future can be found here:
“We’re in spoiler territory now and we hope some of the fun of watching this movie is not knowing what will happen, but trust me, we know full well how important Knull is to the fans, so just as we laid a foundation for Venom, we hope we are doing the same for Knull. The King in Black is way too powerful for ‘one and done.’
“This film introduces Knull, but it just touches the beginnings of his story. Marvel’s greatest film villains are developed over time. Here, Knull is the threat lurking behind the danger that tests the absolute limits of Eddie and Venom’s partnership — but it’s their relationship that remains the heart of this story.”
If this really is the final Venom film, Marcel‘s comments all but confirm that Knull is being primed as a big bad for an upcoming Spider-Man story. Whether that ends up being for Tom Holland‘s Peter Parker from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Shameik Moore‘s Miles Morales from the Spider-Verse films, or something completely different remains to be seen. Priming Knull as a Thanos-level villain is consistent with the end-credits tease of Spider-Man: No Way Home, as well as the rumored reports of infighting between Sony and Marvel Studios regarding whether Tom Holland‘s Peter Parker should continue his journey in a street-level setting or a multiversal one.
Who Is Knull in the Marvel Comics?
A more recent fan-favorite character from the comics, Knull is an essential figure in the main Marvel Universe. First introduced during the “Thor: God of Thunder” comics run, Knull is a primordial god of darkness responsible for the creation of the Symbiotes, which includes Gorr the God Butcher’s necrosword (which, in the comics, is the first ever Symbiote) and, of course, Venom. Knull is also responsible for killing Eddie Brock in the comics, so suffice it to say, the notorious Symbiote King will be the greatest threat that the film version of Venom will ever face.
Venom: The Last Dance premieres in theaters on Friday, October 25th, 2024.
via Collider