The cat is out of the bag with the final Venom 3 trailer, which revealed the surprise supervillain from Marvel Comics: Knull.
Long story short, Knull was introduced in the comics in 2018 and retconned into being a major Marvel villain. In relation to Venom, he is the god of the symbiotes.
Donny Cates stoked for Knull
With the final Venom 3 trailer revealing Knull, the character’s creator, Donny Cates, took to Twitter to share his response.
After hearing about the trailer, Cates initially joked on X about getting a nice payday, posting the word “money” in the Venom font.
lol pic.twitter.com/VLKtdhmG9N
— DONNY CATES (@Doncates) September 12, 2024
Cates would then reveal that he was allowed to view the Venom: The Last Dance script and has good things to say.
“Okay, bottom line: I turn 40 today and there’s a movie being made where a character that @RyanStegman and I created is fighting a character @Todd_McFarlane created. And, guess what? Everything else aside… nothing is going to rob me of thinking that’s fucking rad,” he tweeted.
Okay, bottom line: I turn 40 today and there’s a movie being made where a character that @RyanStegman and I created is fighting a character @Todd_McFarlane created. And, guess what? Everything else aside… nothing is going to rob me of thinking that’s fucking rad.
— DONNY CATES (@Doncates) September 14, 2024
Cates followed the tweet up with mention of the script.
“Also, I’ve been talking with Sony and I read a script for #VenomTheLastDance, and I’ll say this; it is so much bigger, and so much more ambitious than you can imagine. And, um….KNULL. Holy shit. That’s how you treat a king. Happy Birthday to me. See you at @NY_Comic_Con ;),” he tweeted.
Also, I’ve been talking with Sony and I read a script for #VenomTheLastDance, and I’ll say this; it is so much bigger, and so much more ambitious than you can imagine. And, um….KNULL. Holy shit.
— DONNY CATES (@Doncates) September 14, 2024
That’s how you treat a king.
Happy Birthday to me.
See you at @NY_Comic_Con 😉
Who is playing Knull in Venom 3?
Also worth mentioning is a fake rumor circulating on X that Norman Reedus is playing Knull in Venom 3.
However, it’s speculated that Rhys Ifans is actually portraying Knull and not reprising his role as Dr. Curt Connors, aka The Lizard, from the Spider-Man movies.
Update: It is reported Andy Serkis is Knull.
Knull has a history with the multiverse
What is also interesting about the use of Knull is that the character has a history with the multiverse.
Another long story short, Knull was one of the “Kings in Black” — beings picked by the Celestials to maintain the multiverse. However, Knull refused this role and rebelled against the Celestials.
MCU connections
In the comics, Knull was also retconned as the force behind Gorr the God Butcher’s mission to hunt down and kill various gods. Gorr, portrayed by Christian Bale, was featured in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Knull also created Gorr’s weapon, the All-Black the Necrosword, which is said to have inspired Hela’s sword in the MCU.
Where is Sony going with Knull?
Whether Knull is just a cool Easter Egg for fans or if Sony actually has big plans for the character down the road is unknown.
Sony’s Marvel division could use a win right now, especially after Madame Web bombed. Venom: Let There Be Carnage was also a disappointment, in my opinion, as was Morbius.
Venom: The Last Dance marks the end of the franchise, so if Knull continues—or even Tom Hardy as Venom—fans might need to look elsewhere. Perhaps Spider-Man 4 which could finally connect Sony Marvel to the MCU and Tom Hardy with Tom Holland?
Venom: The Last Dance gets released on October 25, 2024.
