After the big reveal, I"m now convinced that Sony"s Spider-Man Universe has big plans for Knull after his debut in
Venom: The Last Dance. Venom"s third movie in Sony"s Spider-Man Universe is due to be released on October 25, with its subtitle heavily suggesting that this will be Venom"s final solo outing. His "Last Dance" will then be followed by Kraven the Hunter on December 13, debuting the third Spider-Man villain origin story in the franchise. Sony"s release slate after that, however, looks conspicuously bare, which has got me thinking about the future of the franchise.
The lack of confirmed future projects is unusual for cinematic franchises like Sony"s Spider-Man Universe. Following two successive flops with Morbius and Madame Web, the void in its confirmed release slate makes it seem as though the studio is waiting to see how its next two movies perform before jumping on the momentum. Two more flops, on the other hand, might spell doom for the franchise. Nevertheless, the villain reveal in Venom: The Last Dance makes me think that there are indeed plans in place for the future - and it"s safe to say that they"re big.
Knull Is The Arch-Villain Of Venom: The Last Dance Knull Was Glimpsed And Named In The Latest Trailer Close Sony released the final trailer for Venom: The Last Dance and unveiled its arch-villain to be Knull, the God of Symbiotes. The trailer revealed Knull to be Venom"s creator and the individual responsible for sending a wave of symbiote monsters to Earth. Short of a few epic shots of the god on a throne, little else has been revealed about Knull - but there is plenty of comic book lore to help discern Sony"s plan with the character.
Related 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.
In Marvel Comics, Knull is a primordial deity who dwelled in the void between cosmoses before the Celestials disturbed his dark dimension with light. In response to the intrusion, Knull created All Black the Necrosword from the first symbiote, and beheaded a Celestial, sparking an eternal rivalry between the godlike beings. Knull would then create symbiotes from the "living abyss," a necrotic substance over which he has complete control. Knull maintained direct control over these symbiotes as the nexus of their hive mind and used them to conquer worlds.
This is where Knull created the first symbiote dragons including Grendel and Grendel"s Mother. After Thor slew these, Knull"s connection to the symbiotes was severed, causing them to discover independence and a desire to do good while he was imprisoned on their home planet Klyntar. He would break free centuries later thanks to reestablishing a connection with the dormant Grendel symbiote and being freed by Carnage, proceeding to wreak havoc upon the universe and Earth with a cataclysmic invasion of symbiotes once more under his control.
In Marvel Comics, the symbol that appears on Venom"s chest (and Spider-Man"s symbiote suit) is a symbol representing Knull"s symbiote dragons - though this does not appear in the live-action Venom movies.
Knull"s reemergence appears to be where Venom: The Last Dance is heading with its narrative. Needless to say, my hopes are securely pinned to the eventuality that Grendel will also make his live-action debut and help to provide the SSU with its most epic scenes yet. In fact,
Grendel would just be scratching the surface of the immensity that Knull brings to the SSU"s overall narrative - and it"s something that I hope Sony intends to capitalize on properly.
Sony Just Introduced Its Own Version Of The MCU's Thanos Into The Universe Knull Is At Least A Thanos-Level Threat
To this day, until Kang or Doom demonstrate their own power levels, Thanos remains the MCU"s most threatening villain with a lasting legacy that the Multiverse Saga can"t seem to shake. The impact of Thanos and his Infinity Gauntlet came to define the MCU and helped it to deliver the second-highest-grossing movie in history with the climactic Avengers: Endgame.
Knull should be Sony"s answer to Thanos - after all, Thanos was powerful but mortal nonetheless. Knull, on the other hand, is an eldritch god.
That is not to say, however, that Sony is about to do away with its own Thanos in the space of a single movie.
Thanos was introduced in 2012"s The Avengers and remained a sinister background presence within Marvel"s interwoven narrative for six years before debuting in earnest in Avengers: Infinity War as the arch-villain. Evidently,
Sony is taking a different route with Knull after barely hinting at his presence in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, when Venom says to Eddie, "80 billion light-years of Hive knowledge across universes would explode your tiny little brain." That is not to say, however, that Sony is about to do away with its own Thanos in the space of a single movie. At least, I hope not.
Knull's Story Deserves More Than One Movie To Tell It On-Screen Knull's Presence Should Affect Other SSU Characters Close Hope remains that
Venom: The Last Dance is about to debut Knull as its franchise"s overarching villain. His debut in Venom: The Last Dance may very well be the springboard from which the SSU is about to transform its narrative, finally connecting its roster of antiheroes with a threat that transcends their earthly hang-ups. It also stands to reason that Venom - the one character that is currently keeping the SSU afloat - will be the one to unite these characters against his primary villain.
Knull is powerful enough to kill Sentry - Marvel"s answer to Superman - in Marvel Comics.
The "King in Black" run of Marvel Comics that delves into Knull"s attack on Earth and the cosmos comprises multiple issues and tie-ins that could only be properly realized through multiple on-screen appearances.
The obstacle Sony faces is that the other Marvel heroes directly involved with Knull - such as Thor and the Silver Surfer - remain under Marvel"s exclusive purview. Still, its own collection of characters - including Morbius, Kraven, and Spider-Man himself - are primed to take their place, helping to ensure that Knull"s impact is felt on a similar scale to the MCU"s Thanos.
Venom 3's Title Makes Me Hopeful For Knull's Future Venom May Die Close There is one glaring caveat, however, when it comes to Knull"s arrival on Earth - and it"s one that the third Venom movie"s subtitle, "The Last Dance," hints at significantly. Namely, it could lead to Venom"s death at the hands of his creator, as Venom quite literally meets his maker. While it would be a bold move for Sony to kill off its most financially reliable character, I"m confident that this is actually a good thing.
Sony"s Spider-Man Universe Movies
Worldwide Box Office
Venom (2018)
$856,081,053
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
$501,546,922
Morbius (2022)
$162,759,437
Madame Web (2024)
$100,298,817
"The Last Dance" suggests that Knull will in fact emerge victorious in a moment akin to Thanos" earth-shattering victory in Avengers: Infinity War, setting him up for a future showdown against surviving SSU characters.
It may be here that Sony"s Spider-Man Universe finally debuts its eponymous hero, having him take Venom"s place as its flagship hero. This could ultimately culminate in Venom"s revival several years later, as it is, after all, pretty difficult for a symbiote (or any comic book superhero, for that matter) to remain dead.
Of course, there is still the slightly less exciting possibility that
Venom: The Last Dance will actually conclude with the death of both Venom and Knull in a moment of heroic self-sacrifice. I"ll willingly admit that this would still be an epic moment for Venom and Eddie Brock, ending his impressive SSU trilogy with a bang and securing a poignant legacy for future movies. At the risk of sounding dramatic, this could make the SSU"s demise even more likely - which means that its survival, ironically, relies on Knull"s.
Venom: The Last Dance Not Yet Rated Venom 3 is the third and final installment in Sony's symbiote trilogy starring Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock. It follows the events of Let There Be Carnage, where the anti-hero fought serial killer Cletus Kasady, and Spider-Man: No Way Home, where Brock was briefly transported to the MCU through the multiverse.
Director Kelly Marcel
Release Date October 25, 2024
Studio(s) Columbia Pictures , Marvel Entertainment , Pascal Pictures
Writers Kelly Marcel , Tom Hardy
Cast Tom Hardy , Juno Temple , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Rhys Ifans , Alanna Ubach , Stephen Graham Sony's Upcoming Marvel Movie Release Dates
Venom: The Last Dance
Release Date October 25, 2024
Kraven the Hunter
Release Date December 13, 2024
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