Next weekend sees the release of Sony’s Venom: The Last Dance. It’s the end of the line for Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock, as the film is being billed as his last time playing the Marvel Comics character. So, what comes next for Sony’s Marvel universe? That’s a little unclear but it certainly seems like this movie will tee up a big baddie who will be around for more than one movie. That villain is Knull and, based on some recent comments from director Kelly Marcel, it sounds like this could be the Thanos of this universe.
Marcel recently spoke with IGN about Venom: The Last Dance. In particular Knull, who was revealed in the film’s most recent trailer. Marcel made it clear that the major Marvel Comics villain will not just be a one-and-done. This movie is just going to lay the groundwork. Here’s what she had to say about it.
“We were always aware of Knull, but knew that we needed to lay the foundation of the Venom character, and his relationship with Eddie, before introducing him. This is just the beginning for Knull. We’re in spoiler territory now and we hope some of the fun of watching this movie is not knowing what will happen, but trust me, we know full well how important Knull is to the fans, so just as we laid a foundation for Venom, we hope we are doing the same for Knull. The King in Black is way too powerful for ‘one and done.’”
“This film introduces Knull, but it just touches the beginnings of his story,” Marcel added. “Marvel’s greatest film villains are developed over time. Here, Knull is the threat lurking behind the danger that tests the absolute limits of Eddie and Venom’s partnership — but it’s their relationship that remains the heart of this story.”
This sounds very much like what Marvel Studios did with Thanos. He first appeared in a credits scene attached to The Avengers. Then he made small appearances over the years before becoming the main villain in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. While much remains unclear, it sounds like Knull is in this for the long haul. So, where might he show up next?
As mentioned, this is being pitched as the end of the Venom trilogy. Beyond that, Sony only has Kraven the Hunter on the calendar in December, as far as further spin-offs are concerned. After the failure of both Morbius and Madame Web, it’s tough to know where they’ll go from there. Though it is speculative for the time being, the most obvious answer is that Knull will be a villain in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4. That raises a bunch of other questions though, some of which might be answered once this movie hits theaters. Time will tell.
Here is the synopsis for Venom: The Last Dance.
“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 cast also includes Chiwetel Ejiofor (Doctor Strange), Juno Temple (Ted Lasso), Rhys Ifans (The King’s Man), Peggy Lu (Venom), Alanna Ubach (Ted) and Stephen Graham (Venom: Let There Be Carnage). Marcel wrote the script working from a story she cooked up with Hardy. The film is produced by Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Amy Pascal, Kelly Marcel, Tom Hardy and Hutch Parker. Joe Caracciolo Jr. is on board as the executive producer.
Venom: The Last Dance hits theaters on October 25.
What do you think? Are you excited for the movie? Are you looking forward to seeing Knull in live-action? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Twitter!
