Venom 3 Villain: Knull Powers & Comics History Explained

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Venom: The Last Dance will see the titular symbiote go up against Knull, a powerful villain from Marvel Comics. As the wait for Venom 3's release date becomes ever shorter, Sony Pictures has released a final trailer to tease the third installment in the trilogy. Where the Venom films are concerned, the first two are often counted as the best-ranked Sony Spider-Man Universe movies, drastically outranking the poorly received installments of Morbius and Madame Web.
As such, excitement for the upcoming Spider-Man-related movie is higher than it has been for previous entries into the Sony franchise. To increase this anticipation, the studio has released the final trailer for Venom: The Last Dance, offering more of an insight into the film's story. Although the first trailer showcased some of the otherworldly creatures Venom and Eddie will have to face from the former's homeworld, the final trailer for Venom 3 revealed the villain responsible for the attacks against Earth: the Marvel Comics villain of Knull.
Knull Comics History Explained Knull's Comic Book History Has Links To Venom, Spider-Man, & Asgard Before exploring what role Knull could play in Venom: The Last Dance, it is worth exploring his history in Marvel Comics. Knull was initially introduced as an eldritch god of darkness who resided in a primordial void in the Marvel cosmos. Eventually, Knull's home of darkness was infiltrated by the Celestials who filled it with light, much to Knull's chagrin. After waging war to return his home to darkness, he found himself on the home planet of Gorr the God-Butcher and discovered a power called the Living Abyss. Using this power, Knull created the symbiotes.
Knull's power led to the creation of a new plant where the symbiotes lived and from which the former's invasion of the cosmos began.
Knull established a hive mind with his creations, enabling him to control them in an attempt to conquer the universe. Knull created symbiote dragons and began conquering worlds, with two arriving on Earth only to be destroyed by Thor Odinson. The remnants of the symbiote dragons began bonding with hosts across Earth, infesting Knull's evil hive mind with concepts of morality, nobility, and honor. Eventually, these new symbiotes turned against Knull and trapped him on his homeworld, claiming it for themselves under the name Klyntar.

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Eventually, Knull was freed from his prison due to the conflict between Eddie Brock/Venom and Cletus Cassidy/Carnage. Knull then reinstated his dominion over the symbiotes by destroying Klyntar and rebuilding an army of symbiote dragons. Knull waged war against Earth, bringing him into conflict with heroes like Sentry, set to appear in the upcoming MCU movie Thunderbolts*. A lengthy battle eventually saw Knull defeated when the God of Light, his opposite, assumed Eddie Brock's dead body, giving the former host of Venom the power to destroy Knull in the sun's core.
After this story, Eddie became known as the God of the Symbiotes while Venom was passed onto Eddie's son, Dylan.
Knull's Powers Explained The Majority Of Knull's Powers Stem From Darkness Close Concerning Knull's powers in Marvel Comics, most come from his ability to manipulate the Living Abbys. Using this darkness, Knull created the symbiotes and thus the hive mind to control them, giving him a wealth of powers from each individual being under his control. Similarly, Knull's own body possesses god-like durability, healing, and strength. Atop his physical attributes, Knull can manipulate dark energy. This enables him to utilize blasts of powerful magic that are capable of overcoming several strong Marvel characters.
Knull's symbiote abilities offer him the power of flight through giant dragon-like wings.
Knull's durability is worth another mention, as it imbues him with near-immortality. In Marvel Comics, Knull has existed since the beginning of time and, despite encountering and battling several powerful heroes, has never been killed. Even after Eddie Brock and the God of Light disintegrated Knull's body, his consciousness lived on inside the symbiote hive mind. This immortality brings Knull a sense of self-sustenance, as he was shown to exist without the need for food or water for millions of years on his home world. Finally, Knull has a certain degree of power over time,
Knull Comics Changes Explained Venom 3's Trailer Hints At Some Deviations From Marvel Comics

While little is known about Knull's role in Venom 3, the trailer offers some clues about how his story could be different from the comics. For one, it seems as though Knull is still in control of Klyntar rather than being imprisoned on the planet, as evident by the other symbiotes and creatures being sent to attack Earth. Similarly, the somewhat self-contained nature of the Sony Spider-Man Universe likely means Knull has not come into contact with other Marvel characters like Thor, the Silver Surfer, and Gorr the God-Butcher.
Given that Knull's motivations in Marvel Comics do not go beyond dimensional rule, genocide, and revenge against the Celestials, it seems Venom 3 is inventing a reason for Knull to target the titular symbiote and Eddie...
Finally, Venom: The Last Dance seems to establish a connection between Knull, Eddie, and Venom. In the trailer, Venom mentions to Eddie that they have something Knull wants. Given that Knull's motivations in Marvel Comics do not go beyond dimensional rule, genocide, and revenge against the Celestials, it seems Venom 3 is inventing a reason for Knull to target the titular symbiote and Eddie specifically. Admittedly, the MCU has more connections to Knull than the Sony Spider-Man Universe does, hence the comic changes being hinted at in Venom: The Last Dance.
Knull's Role In Venom: The Last Dance Explained How Will Knull Tie Into The Sony Spider-Man Universe?

Regarding Knull's role in Venom: The Last Dance, it is clear he will become the primary villain of the trilogy. Thus far, Venom has faced off against other symbiotes like Riot and Carnage, yet it seems Knull will be a bigger threat than either. It is confirmed in the Venom 3 trailer that the other symbiotes on Earth fled Klyntar to escape from Knull. That said, Venom 3's trailer also confirms that Knull is sending more symbiotes and creatures to Earth in a bid to take down Eddie and/or Venom.
Klyntar In Venom Movies So Far
Debut Movie
Venom
Venom
Riot
Venom
Unnamed Yellow Klyntar
Venom
Unnamed Blue Klyntar
Venom
Carnage
Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Toxin
Venom: Let There Be Carnage
As alluded to, Venom mentions that he has something Knull wants. What this is remains to be seen, but it is clear that this will be integral to Knull's invasion of Earth in Venom: The Last Dance. At one point in the trailer, Patrick Mulligan - played once more by Stephen Graham in Venom 3's ensemble cast - shows the effects of the symbiote hive mind. Mulligan was infected by the Toxin symbiote in Venom: Let There Be Carnage's ending, with Knull speaking through him in Venom 3.

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In the trailer for Venom 3, Mulligan/Knull can be heard saying "As long as Venom lives, everything will end." This hints that Knull's goals revolve entirely around Venom. Interestingly, this line implies that Knull will leave Earth alone if Venom is killed or handed over to him. This teases another big change from Marvel Comics in which Knull is hellbent on conquering Earth as much as any other planet in the Marvel cosmos, meaning Venom: The Last Dance's version of Knull's villain story could be one unfamiliar to those who know the comics.

Venom: The Last Dance 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 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