Despite the nearly universal disdain for Thor: Love and Thunder, the God of Thunder’s fifth solo flick is in development (as if we didn’t see that coming). While Waititi is not officially writing and directing, he told Screen Rant that, if Disney were to offer him the job, Thor would get an antagonist worthy of Hela.
He didn’t offer any clues as to which characters he’s eying. For that matter, he may not have any specific character in mind. Given the direct ties to Thor and the larger MCU, the logical choice would be Knull.
Originally teased in 2015, the God of the Symbiotes is one of the most powerful characters in all of Marvel. Although mainly associated with Venom, his first venture to Earth saw him dispatched by Thor. Once the character was fully fleshed out, readers learned that Knull predates virtually every being in the Marvel-616.
The Elder God existed before the universe was born and waged war on the light with his magical Necrosword, All-Black, a weapon that was introduced to the MCU via Love and Thunder. In fact, Knull’s comic origin credits him with creating the Guardians of the Galaxy’s home; he used All-Black to decapitate the Celestial whose severed head became Knowhere.
Don’t forget that Eddie Brock left a piece of Venom behind when he made a mid-credits cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home, thus establishing symbiotes in the MCU.
With so many ties to the MCU mythos, Knull fits the bill for the next Thor villain, and that will have buyers rolling the dice on a once-red hot key issue.
VENOM, VOL. 4 #3 THIRD PRINT
What’s a hero without a villain?
From the first issue of Donny Cates’ Venom run, he completely redefined the fan-favorite character. After years of uninspired symbiote stories, Venom had only recently returned to Eddie Brock when the first issue hit shelves in 2018. Cates then set out crafting a comprehensive symbiote mythology, tying them to the foundation of the entire Marvel Universe. Besides Venom’s new abilities, the series gave the character something he desperately needed: a true nemesis. He got that in Knull.
With a cool new villain in the hottest series on the market at the time, Venom #3 became hugely popular. Aside from variants galore, the issue would get five total printings. Out of all those editions, the third print with Knull on the cover remains the top seller.
When the entire comic book market was exploding thanks to pandemic buying, the graded 9.8 fetched a record $1k in 2020. It’s gradually come back to reality, averaging under $400 for the past 12 months. However, it has sold for as much as $475 this year, and the current Thor speculation could drive it back over $500.
CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
One way or another, Knull is going to be in live action, of that we can be sure. After the Russo Brothers knocked Avengers: Infinity War out of the park, I would have been first in line to see a Marvel movie featuring Knull. As powerful as he was depicted in the comics, he had potential as another Multiversal threat.
With the MCU’s current state (which is still better than Sony’s dismal Venom-Verse), I fear the God of the Symbiotes would be yet another needlessly wasted villain. A character as awe-inspiring as Knull deserves more than being relegated to one-and-done bad guy in a slapstick comedy. Hopefully, Marvel Studios will hold Knull until after the MCU is back on track.
