Warning: This article contains spoilers for Venom: The Last Dance
The fact that Knull barely features throughoutVenom: The Last Dancedespite ostensibly being the arch-villain of theSony Spider-Man Universemovie bears explaining.Venom: The Last Dancehas finally hit theaters, drawing Venom’s trilogy in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe to a close as filmmakers assert that this is the last we’ll see of themost bankable character in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.Kraven the Hunterwill followVenom: The Last Dancein December, thoughSony’s live-action release slatelooks decidedly bare in 2025.
Venom: The Last Dancedebuts one of the most consequential and formidable Marvel villains since Thanos in the MCU’s Infinity Saga. The eldritch god of darkness is an unfathomably powerful figure responsible for creating symbiotes out of a “living abyss” in Marvel Comics and for one of the franchise’s most cataclysmic comic book runs in the form ofThe King in Black.His appearance inVenom: The Last Dancewas certainly cataclysmic, but questionably minimal - though this is seemingly for good reason.
What The Venom 3 Director Has Said About Knull’s Role
Kelly Marcel Wrote And Directed Venom: The Last Dance
Venom: The Last Dancewas Kelly Marcel’s directorial debut after penning the screenplay forVenomand the story forVenom: Let There Be Carnagealongside Tom Hardy. Marcel also co-wrote the story and screenplay for the threequel, makingVenom: The Last Dancethe project in which she was most intimately involved. GivenKnull’s monumental impact in Marvel Comics, being so closely tied to his live-action debut must have been daunting. It’s safe to say that the gravitas was not lost on Marcel, however, as she affirmed at this year’s New York Comic-Con:
This is just the introduction to Knull.Obviously, he’s a massive character, so you could never do one and done with him, so this is just a taste of Knull, you will get to meet him and then what the future holds for him; who knows.
These comments came beforeVenom: The Last Dancewas released, assuaging concerns that the godlike being would have been woefully underserved in the space of just one movie. She also confirmed in these comments thatVenom: The Last Dancewould contain “Just a taste” of the character, forewarning audiences about his minimal involvement. The question of what the future holds for the terrifying arch-villain, meanwhile, remains pertinent - but it’s safe to say that Sony’s approach is so far mirroring the MCU.
Sony’s Marvel Universe Is Teasing Knull Like The MCU Did Thanos
Venom: The Last Dance Is Replete With Parallels
Thanos' MCU debut came in the post-credits scene for 2012’sThe Avengers, where his CGI-rendered face turned to the viewer as his prolonged involvement within the MCU was heavily implied. While a similar shot occurs in themid-credits scene forVenom: The Last Dance, Knull’s debut was a little more involved in the movie’s main events, though still relatively restrained. In this regard,Knull’s debut more accurately mirrors Thanos' second MCU appearancein 2014’sGuardians of the Galaxy.
Both Thanos and Knull are also depicted sitting on isolated thrones in their earliest appearances.
Guardians of the Galaxysaw Thanos looming as a far greater threat than Ronan the Accuser as he pulled the strings from behind the scenes. Yet Ronan is still seen as the arch-villain ofGuardians of the Galaxy, with the same being true of the Xenophages inVenom: The Last Dance. In both movies,the protagonists are always aware of the looming background threat but only face lackeys, while the more powerful figure consolidates dread by continuing to take a backseat until some unspecified future event.
When Knull Could Return In Sony’s Spider-Man Universe
It Is Difficult To Predict Where Knull Might Reappear Without A Confirmed Release Slate
As Marcel confirmed, Knull survives the events ofVenom: The Last Danceand even threatens his return in the mid-credits scene. Yetthe ending ofVenom: The Last Dancecertainly complicates predicting where that might be, as this particular arch-villain is most closely tied to Venom in Marvel Comics. This prediction is further muddied by the fact that other characters most closely tied to Knull, including Thor, the Silver Surfer, and the Avengers, fall under the direct purview of Marvel Studios.
24 Venom: The Last Dance Easter Eggs & Marvel References Explained
Venom: The Last Dance features all kinds of Easter eggs and Marvel references amid all the crazy symbiote mayhem and Knull the Symbiote God.
Furthermore,Kraven the Hunteris the only confirmed Sony project with a release date, and it’s difficult to picture how the distinctly cosmic Knull would slot into Sergei Kravinoff’s more grounded origin story. Given Sony has done little to weave its cinematic universe together so far,Kraven the Huntermay be about to buck the trend with a post-credits sequence featuring Knull. This would also follow the MCU’s formula with Thanos as the Mad Titan reappeared immediately afterGuardians of the Galaxyin the post-credits scene forAvengers: Age of Ultron.
Story details for Spider-Man 4 are forthcoming, but Venom: The Last Dance confirmed that a piece of Venom’s symbiote remains in the MCU’s Earth-616, further tying Sony’s and Marvel’s cinematic universes together and potentially foreshadowing Venom variant for Knull to pursue.
Another possibility is that Knull will reappear in the MCU’sSpider-Man 4. Story details forSpider-Man 4are forthcoming, butVenom: The Last Danceconfirmed that a piece of Venom’s symbiote remains in the MCU’s Earth-616, further tying Sony’s and Marvel’s cinematic universes together and potentially foreshadowing Venom variant for Knull to pursue. Whatever the case, Sony might be able to shed light on the situation if and when the studio decides to announce further movies afterKraven the Hunter.
Venom: The Last Dance
Cast
Venom: The Last Dance is a film directed by an undisclosed director, featuring the character Venom in a thrilling narrative. The movie explores the alien symbiote’s latest challenges and transformations as it navigates through a world full of danger and new adversaries.
