Over the weekend, we brought you the news that Venom: The Last Dance may have plans for Knull, God of the Symbiotes. Sony Pictures arguably hasn't done enough to build to his debut, though the Venom franchise and "logic" have never exactly gone hand-in-hand.
Today, we have a counter rumour from scooper @MyTimeToShineH. Apparently, Knull isn't in the Venom threequel and is instead the studio's "ultimate villain for the spinoff-verse so they're keeping him for a crossover event."
With Tom Hardy strongly hinting that his time as Eddie Brock is over, how likely this is remains to be seen. Not helping matters is the fact Morbius flopped after setting the stage for a team-up between the Living Vampire, The Vulture, and other villains in a widely ridiculed post-credits scene.
Madame Web, meanwhile, was standalone and it's too soon to say what will become of Kraven the Hunter.
Still, building to a crossover event with Sony's Spider-Verse "heroes" assembling to battle Knull is an intriguing prospect, albeit one we don't ever expect to become a reality without someone spearheading this Marvel Universe.
As a reminder, Knull was introduced by writer Donny Cates and artist Ryan Stegman and first appeared in 2018's Venom #3. The villain is an ancient, malevolent deity and the creator of the symbiotes, including Venom and Carnage (he also has ties to Gorr the God Butcher).
His origin dates back to the early universe before the existence of the Celestials. He dwelled in the void, a dark space before creation, and was disturbed by the emergence of light. In response, Knull created the first symbiote, a living darkness known as the All-Black Necrosword, which he used to slay a Celestial. This act of rebellion led to his exile, during which he crafted an army of symbiotes to spread his influence.
Knull's power is immense, capable of manipulating darkness and symbiotes at will. He views himself as a God of darkness and has a profound hatred for light and life, and very nearly conquered the Marvel Universe when he returned to Earth.
In Venom: The Last Dance, Tom Hardy returns as Venom, one of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters, for the final film in the trilogy. Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie's last dance.
The movie stars Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Peggy Lu, Alanna Ubach, Stephen Graham, and Rhys Ifans. Kelly Marcel directs from a screenplay she wrote, based on a story by Hardy and Marcel. The film is produced by Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Amy Pascal, Kelly Marcel, Tom Hardy and Hutch Parker.
Venom: The Last Dance will be released in theaters on October 25.