Warning: This article contains spoilers for Venom: The Last Dance.

Knull may have arrived in live-action, but there are still moments from Marvel’s King in Black story that probably can’t be adapted to the big screen. As the main antagonist of Venom: The Last Dance, the powerful villain Knull has formally arrived in live-action. Though his role in the movie is relatively indirect, Knull’s awareness of Earth and Eddie Brock leads towards a potential adaption of Marvel Comics’ King in Black storyline.

The problem is, the Venom movies’ place in the Marvel movie universe creates issues for an adaptation of the King in Black story. As it sees Knull invade the Earth with an army of symbiotes and fighting a wealth of Marvel heroes, questions over which universe a King in Black story would take place in naturally arise. Regardless of whether it’s adapted into Sony’s Spider-Man Universe or the MCU, a live-action King in Black movie would likely have to skip over a number of moments from the comics.

10. Steve Rogers Fighting Knull’s Forces

Rogers’ Cinematic Journey Has Already Come To An End

One particular moment in Marvel Comics’ King in Black sees Captain America leading the Avengers into battle against Knull’s army of symbiotes. As the heroes are overwhelmed, Steve Rogers is merged with Knull’s hive mind, taking on a symbiote appearance and acting on the villain’s behalf before being freed by Dylan Brock. Though it’s not a hugely pivotal moment in the story, it likely wouldn’t happen in a live-action adaptation.

An MCU adaptation of the King in Black story would be the only way to include the Avengers being led by Steve Rogers. However, Steve Rogers’ story within the MCU is over, and he has passed the mantle of Captain America onto Sam Wilson. This makes it all but impossible to adapt the specific moment that Rogers leads a hopeless and noble charge against Knull’s symbiotes, because the character’s story has already come to a close.

9. Eddie Brock Joins The Symbiote Hive

Carnage’s SSU Story Changes The King In Black

The ending of Venom: Let There Be Carnage saw the death of both Cletus Kasady and the Carnage symbiote, which casts another moment in a King in Black adaptation into doubt. In the comic, Eddie Brock’s initial plan for combating Knull is to access the symbiote hive mind using the abandoned spire, which was originally created by Carnage when acting as an agent of Knull. Carnage’s ending in the SSU makes the moment an impossibility, however.

The spire’s existence is directly linked to Carnage’s own story in becoming Dark Carnage, which never came to pass in the Venom movie continuity. This means that the specifics of Brock entering the hive mind would not work in relation to the source material, and a new explanation would have to be devised. It’s hardly an insurmountable hurdle, but it’s another King in Black moment that would need to be rewritten for a live-action adaptation.

8. Blade Enlisting Dracula’s Help

Production Issues Make Blade’s Inclusion Unlikely

Since the movie was announced, Marvel’s Blade has fallen into development hell. This spells trouble for another element of King in Black’s story, as Marvel’s Daywalker plays a significant role in the comic book crossover. In the comics, Blade recruits Dracula and an army of vampires to help fight against Knull, bolstering the Avengers’ ranks with a host of his sworn enemies. However, this doesn’t seem likely to happen in an upcoming adaption of the story.

The problems with Blade’s development have delayed the character’s MCU debut. As the rights to Blade remain very much with Marvel, Blade presumably can only appear in an MCU King in Black adaptation, though this happening either before or too soon after his introduction doesn’t seem plausible. Blade’s role in King in Black’s story may not be crucial, but the moment he leads his enemies into battle will likely be conspicuous in its absence.

7. Flash Thompson’s Agent Anti-Venom Appearance

Agent Anti-Venom’s Story Hasn’t Yet Been Explored

Marvel Comics’ King in Black crossover featured more than just a single series, as it was expanded upon in a number of spin-offs exploring different subplots. One of these followed Eddie Brock in the symbiote hive mind, where he encountered Agent Anti-Venom. In the comics, the symbiotic hero is the alter-ego of Flash Thompson, though the character appeared after his death in King in Black to support Eddie Brock’s fight against Knull.

Flash Thompson certainly exists in the MCU, but not in a way that makes him a likely candidate to become a symbiote-infused hero. The MCU’s Flash has largely been used for comic relief, rather than pursuing any true comic accuracy. Regardless, the timelines not matching up in regard to Flash’s storylines would prevent the moment from being adapted into live-action anyway, as he’s barely into adulthood in the MCU.

6. Johnny Storm’s Defeat

The MCU’s Human Torch Is Too New To Face Knull

Throughout Marvel Comics’ King in Black story, many heroes fall during Knull’s assault on Earth. One such hero is Johnny Storm, who sacrifices himself to Knull’s forces in order to buy Spider-Man enough time to rescue Eddie Brock. The Human Torch is taken over by the symbiotes, fighting against his fellow heroes at the behest of the King in Black. However, his moment of sacrifice wouldn’t work in a live-action adaptation at present.

Johnny Storm is set to make his MCU debut in 2025, and so audiences won’t have the chance to grow attached to the character. What’s more, Storm’s last movie appearance came via the Multiverse in Deadpool & Wolverine, where he was brutally killed by Cassandra Nova. Having the Human Torch suffer another major defeat in a King in Black adaptation would only harm the character, rather than giving him the heroic end he faced in the comics.

5. The X-Men Battle Knull’s Symbiotes

Past Rights Issues Will Have An Effect On The X-Men’s Role

Throughout the King in Black story in the comics, various X-Men characters are shown playing key roles in the battle against Knull. Professor X helps co-ordinate the heroes’ forces, while Storm, Cyclops, Wolverine, and Jean Grey are all given specific tasks to slow Knull’s attack on Earth. Seeing so many X-Men characters fighting alongisde the Avengers is something that doesn’t seem likely to happen any time soon, though.

Should the King in Black be adapted into the SSU, the movie will presumably be unable to use the X-Men, the rights for whom only recently reverted to Marvel. Should it be in the MCU, the franchise has yet to introduce its own versions of the characters, making it seem unlikely that they could play a role either way. Similarly to other heroes’ potential inclusions, the story would come too soon in their MCU timeline to make any real sense.

4. Iron Man Becomes A Symbiote

Tony Stark Can’t Take On His Symbiote Form

Knull may have appeared as part of the cast of Venom: The Last Dance, but he’s not the only character vital to a King in Black story. Many Marvel heroes play important roles in the narrative, but few as prominently as Iron Man. In the comics, Tony Stark is one of the most important assets the Avengers have in battling Knull, as he’s able to take control of a symbiote dragon to assist him, and later even controls a Celestial in the same manner.

This couldn’t happen in an MCU adaptation, as Tony Stark’s story came to a definitive end. With the character dead in the franchise after his heroic sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame, resurrecting him simply to play his part in the King in Black story would be an insult to his role in the Infinity Saga. As such, Tony Stark augmenting himself with symbiotic powers is not something that can be adapted into live-action.

3. Sentry’s Death

Sentry Hasn’t Even Been Introduced, So He Can’t Die

Perhaps the most shocking moment in Marvel Comics’ King in Black event was the arrival and defeat of Sentry. The heroes of the Marvel Universe held out against Knull awaiting the arrival of Marvel’s Superman, only for the villain to defeat him with ease. Sentry’s death at Knull’s hands was a staggering moment that established Knull’s massive power levels, but it’s not likely to occur in a live-action adaptation.

Sentry is widely hailed as one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe, though he has yet to appear in live-action. There’s simply no way that Sentry could be introduced only to be killed so quickly, as this would do nothing to establish his own level of power compared to his fellow heroes. Though Sentry’s death was a powerful moment in the King in Black story, it’s not something that is likely to happen on the big screen.

2. Iron Man & Doctor Doom’s Subplot

The Characters’ Castings And Respective Timelines Make Their Meeting Impossible

Another of the King in Black subplots explored in spin-off comics may have been a little more lighthearted than other aspects of the story, but it will be absolutely impossible to adapt into the MCU. The story sees Doctor Doom approach the symbiote-infused Iron Man about enhancing his own armor, only for the two to encounter and battle a symbiote-possessed Santa Claus. As fun as the story is, it’s not likely to happen on the big screen.

As well as being unimportant to the King in Black story, the fact that the MCU has cast Robert Downey Jr. as its Doctor Doom makes an adaptation impossible. Iron Man in the MCU is dead, but even finding a way to resurrect him wouldn’t work, as the hero and villain would be played by the same actor. Simply put, there’s no conceivable way to make the subplot work in live-action due to the MCU’s casting choices.

1. Venom Defeats Knull

The Last Dance Rules Out Venom Being Able To Defeat Knull

Though Venom: The Last Dance’s post-credits scenes tease Knull’s cinematic future, it’s hard to imagine the King in Black story occurring as it does in the comics. The story’s ending sees Eddie Brock and Venom infused with the power of Captain Universe and able to battle Knull on even terms. Ultimately, this leads to Knull’s defeat at Venom’s hands, although this now appears to be an impossibility after Venom: The Last Dance.

As the final film in the Venom trilogy ends with the titular symbiote’s death, it’s unlikely that he’ll return to defeat Knull. Though Marvel’s Multiverse makes anything possible, the specific iteration of Venom from the SSU is now dead, meaning he cannot play a role in a King in Black adaptation. How exactly a live-action King in Black movie could get around Venom’s death remains to be seen, as it would prove a huge barrier to adapting the story.