I’m admittedly feeling let down by how Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has seemingly introduced Knull in Venom: The Last Dance without a clear direction. As a character of immense power within Marvel’s pantheon, Knull possessed the potential to reshape the landscape of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe dramatically. His appearance in the trailers for Venom: The Last Dance undeniably amplified the excitement surrounding the film, and like many, I was eager to witness how the studio would handle the inclusion of this eldritch god of the abyss. The subsequent hints from writer/director Kelly Marcel about his potential return in future SSU installments were also particularly encouraging.
However, a nagging feeling persists, especially considering Venom: The Last Dance was positioned as the concluding chapter of Venom’s SSU trilogy. Despite Knull’s comic book history involving numerous Marvel superheroes—characters largely under Marvel Studios’ control and thus inaccessible to Sony—Venom stands as his primary adversary. This scenario initially presented an intriguing, albeit unconventional, path for Sony’s Spider-Man franchise. Audiences were left contemplating a future where Knull might confront lesser-known characters like Morbius and Kraven the Hunter, rather than engaging in a showdown with figures like Venom or Thor. Ultimately, this promising setup seems to have fizzled, leaving me, and likely many others, with a sense of anticlimactic disappointment regarding Knull’s role in Venom: The Last Dance.
Venom 3: Knull’s Setup Echoed Thanos, Promising a Universe-Altering Threat
The Post-Credit Scene Strongly Suggested Knull’s Return
Knull, the enigmatic creator of the symbiotes and an ancient god dwelling in the cosmic void, is undeniably a force to be reckoned with. His god-like status places him among Marvel’s most formidable characters, boasting powers that eclipse even many prominent villains previously showcased in Marvel movies. Notably, this includes Thanos (when not wielding a complete Infinity Gauntlet), positioning Knull as a potential figure capable of rivaling the Mad Titan’s imposing legacy. In Marvel Comics, Knull’s sheer power is brutally illustrated by his act of tearing Sentry – Marvel’s equivalent to Superman – in half.
Related: Venom 3 Villain: Knull Powers & Comics History Explained
The final trailer for Venom: The Last Dance offered a glimpse into the film’s antagonist: Knull, a significant Marvel Comics character.
Sony’s approach to introducing Knull into their franchise mirrored Marvel Studios’ successful strategy with Thanos. Knull’s role in Venom: The Last Dance was intentionally understated, portraying him as a manipulative force operating from his Klyntar prison. This parallels Thanos’ initial appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy, followed by a second post-credits scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron and recurring mentions in subsequent films, all building anticipation for his devastating arrival in Avengers: Infinity War. The post-credits scene of Venom: The Last Dance, hinting at Knull’s grave threat to Earth, seemed to pave the way for a similar trajectory for the character—though, in retrospect, this setup feels increasingly like a missed opportunity.
Kraven the Hunter’s Performance Casts Doubt on Sony’s Spider-Man Universe Future
Reports Indicate Sony is Pausing Live-Action Spinoff Development
The Wrap reported a significant shift in Sony’s strategy for its Spider-Man Universe, stating a temporary halt in the development of live-action spinoff movies “for now.” The studio is reportedly pivoting its focus towards the animated Spider-Verse franchise, the upcoming Spider-Noir series, and its collaborative Spider-Man projects within the MCU. This decision followed the wave of unfavorable early reviews for Kraven the Hunter, which seemingly acted as a significant blow to Sony’s cinematic franchise ambitions. One anonymous Sony insider reportedly conceded, “The movies just aren’t good.” Critical reception of Kraven the Hunter largely echoes this sentiment.
| Sony’s Spider-Man Universe Movies | Worldwide Box Office | Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score |
|---|---|---|
| Venom (2018) | $856,081,053 | 30% |
| Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) | $501,546,922 | 57% |
| Morbius (2022) | $162,759,437 | 15% |
| Madame Web (2024) | $100,298,817 | 11% |
| Venom: The Last Dance (2024) | $472,447,179 | 41% |
| Kraven the Hunter (2024) | TBA | 15% |
While Kraven the Hunter has indeed become another divisive entry, evidenced by a stark contrast between a 73% fan score and a 15% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes (at the time of writing), its domestic opening weekend performance has been notably weak. This underperformance is understandable, considering the prevailing sentiment surrounding Kraven the Hunter leading up to its release was characterized by widespread apathy and skepticism. Sony’s strategic shift doesn’t surprise me—in fact, I find myself somewhat relieved that the studio might refocus on the Spider-Verse, a property with proven success. However, the apparent lack of a coherent plan for Knull, a villain introduced in Venom: The Last Dance, remains a frustrating point.
The Futility of Introducing Knull Without a Long-Term Vision
Sony Seemingly Lacked a Concrete Plan for Knull
I must admit, skepticism arose when Kelly Marcel initially hinted at Knull’s future appearances before Venom: The Last Dance even premiered. At that juncture, Sony’s Spider-Man Universe’s upcoming movie slate looked conspicuously empty, prompting questions about where exactly Knull’s return would materialize. Having now seen Venom: The Last Dance, that initial skepticism has morphed into full-blown cynicism. It’s difficult to envision how the franchise could effectively navigate Knull’s cataclysmic invasion without Venom playing a central role.
In retrospect, I’m increasingly inclined to believe that Sony never truly formulated a comprehensive plan for Knull’s integration into the SSU. Instead, it feels as though this formidable cosmic villain was strategically inserted into Venom: The Last Dance primarily to generate buzz and attract audiences (a tactic that, admittedly, worked on me). The expectation then seemed to be that subsequent, potentially ill-defined projects would somehow awkwardly incorporate him, perhaps even without Venom as a meaningful connection point. Furthermore, Venom: The Last Dance seemingly concluded with the titular antihero severing Knull’s only escape route from Klyntar, effectively thwarting the god’s plans to invade Earth. If this wasn’t the intended outcome, then Venom’s sacrifice at the film’s climax feels disappointingly meaningless.
Related: Venom 3’s Codex Explained: What It Is And How It’s Different To Marvel Comics
Venom: The Last Dance revolves around the concept of a codex – a significant element in Marvel comics symbiote lore.
If this strategic introduction of Knull was a calculated attempt to maximize box office returns, its success was limited. Venom: The Last Dance, while not a financial failure with a $475 million global gross, and outperforming both Morbius and Madame Web, still marked a downturn. It became the lowest-grossing film within the Venom trilogy and significantly underperformed compared to the original Venom, which garnered $856 million worldwide. Conversely, the MCU’s Spider-Man franchise exhibits the opposite trend, with each successive film surpassing the box office performance of its predecessor. Intriguingly, I believe Knull could be the key to continuing this upward trajectory with Spider-Man 4.
MCU’s Spider-Man 4 Offers a Chance to Redeem Knull’s Introduction
The MCU Can Seamlessly Continue Knull’s Narrative
A persistent criticism leveled against Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is its notable absence of Spider-Man. Before Sony’s reported shift away from developing further SSU movies, I held onto the hope that Knull’s arrival might finally necessitate Spider-Man’s involvement, perhaps even leading to the formation of a multiversal team of Spider-Man variants—a significant, yet potentially exciting, departure from established comic book narratives. Thankfully, this aspiration isn’t entirely extinguished, as Spider-Man 4 still presents a viable platform to deliver on this grand spectacle.
Given Knull’s dominion over the interdimensional void in Marvel Comics, transitioning him into the MCU should be narratively straightforward.
Story details surrounding Spider-Man 4 remain scarce, yet it’s widely anticipated to delve further into multiversal storylines. Whether this will involve the return of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men to the MCU is uncertain, but Spider-Man 4‘s release window, positioned between Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars—the Multiverse Saga’s culminating films—strongly suggests we’re poised for even more extensive multiversal exploration than witnessed in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Considering Knull’s command over the void between universes in Marvel Comics, integrating him into the MCU narrative becomes a logical and compelling possibility.
Knull has a history of clashing with Thor in Marvel Comics and is also the original creator and wielder of Gorr the God Butcher’s All-Black the Necrosword.
Knull stands out as an ideal antagonist for the MCU. He readily fits the criteria of a threat exceeding Thanos’ scale and, in Marvel Comics, required the combined efforts of numerous Marvel Studios-owned heroes to be defeated. Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s post-credits scene, featuring a symbiote fragment, could be ingeniously tied to Knull’s overarching influence over symbiotes across the multiverse. If Sony and Marvel are indeed aiming to amplify Spider-Man’s cosmic adventures, Knull emerges as the most compelling candidate to serve as the central villain.
Ultimately, Knull is simply too compelling a character to be relegated to a narrative dead end.
Ultimately, Knull is too compelling a character to be wasted. However, acknowledging the obvious constraints, Spider-Man 4‘s proximity to Avengers: Doomsday strongly indicates that Doctor Doom is likely to be positioned as the MCU’s next major antagonist, potentially leaving limited narrative space for Knull to establish himself as a significant threat before Avengers: Secret Wars concludes the saga. Nevertheless, given Venom: The Last Dance‘s initial tease of the character, Spider-Man 4 still retains the potential to capitalize on this setup and offer at least a glimpse of Knull as a future arch-villain within the MCU.
