The most powerful villain ever delivered in Sony's Spider-Man Universe, Knull, was just unveiled in the marketing for Venom: The Last Dance (Venom 3).
Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock and Venom have faced their fair share of adversaries in his first two films. The biggest of which to date came through with Woody Harrelson's Carnage in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, who met his end when Venom devoured the villainous and evil symbiote.
Following a short diversion into the MCU for Spider-Man: No Way Home's post-credits scene, plenty of mystery surrounds Venom's journey in his final solo movie.
Venom: The Last Dance Trailer Shows First Look at Knull
Sony Pictures shared the first full look at Knull, who appears to be the main antagonist in Venom: The Last Dance, in the film's first trailer.
Only shown in a couple of shots, fans can see a massive gooey throne in the middle of a room made of Venom-esque material filled with various symbiotes.
A closer look at the villain shows him staring down at a clawed hand with long hair flowing over his face. While his specific on-screen look is still being kept secret, he seems to say the line, "As long as Venom lives, everything will end."
In the pages of Marvel Comics, Knull is one of the most powerful villains seen from the greater Spider-Man canon.
He is best known as the creator of all symbiotes, which includes characters like Venom, Riot, and Carnage from the first two films.
Initially coming into being after the destruction of the universe, the Celestials relegated him to a position as the King in Black, ruling over a kingdom of darkness. He then eliminated one of the Celestials after creating All-Black the Necrosword (seen previously in Thor: Love and Thunder).
This led to his banishment in the Void along with the severed Celestial head which, in the comics, would become Knowhere. This is sure to be developed differently in Venom: The Last Dance, as Sony's Spider-Man Universe is still being kept separate from the MCU with Knowhere seen in the Guardians of the Galaxy films.
This trailer confirmed at least a second villain in the film after June's initial Venom 3 trailer revealed the inclusion of Toxin, another immensely powerful symbiote.
The full new trailer for Venom: The Last Dance can be seen below. Knull can be seen at the 1:04 mark of the trailer:
What Will Happen With Knull in Venom 3?
Knull's appearance in Venom 3 seems to come as a shock to many. Even considering his place as the creator of all symbiotes in the comics, there is a genuine worry that he may only be relegated to being a one-movie villain, as all other villains in Sony's Spider-Man Universe have been.
Following the trailer's release, the character's co-creator Ryan Stegman revealed that he did not even know of Knull's inclusion in this film. He took to X (formerly Twitter) to confirm that fact while joking about what the move would do for him financially:
"Yes, I did co-create knull. No, I didn’t know until today that he was gonna be in 'Venom: The Last Dance.' Yes, I do expect to finally be able to afford that lazy river moat around my house"
Unfortunately, due to Sony's ownership of the rights to so many Spidey characters (which does not appear to be ending anytime soon), this film may be the best place for Knull to make his mark. After seeing the symbiotic threats of the first two films, their creator will be hellbent on either ending Venom or the universe itself.
What exactly Knull is after in Venom 3 is still unclear after Venom tells Eddie, "We have something he needs."
However, it explains the sudden invasion of symbiotes Eddie and Venom face in previous trailers and marketing material. Knull will likely use that army to hunt down Venom for what he needs, which could potentially lead to Venom and Eddie being separated for good by the end of the film.
This Sony franchise will end 2024 with this film and the release of Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Kraven the Hunter (which was delayed until December) with nothing else confirmed for release beyond that. From there, fans will be anxious to see what this universe will have in store.
Venom: The Last Dance will arrive in theaters on October 25.
