Knull’s debut in Venom: The Last Dance presents the opportunity for one of the most wasted weapons in the MCU to seek redemption in the hands of its original creator. Tom Hardy’s third solo movie as Eddie Brock, a.k.a. the host of the alien Symbiote Venom, will pit the unlikely pair against a formidable villain who has never before been seen in live-action. Knull’s appearance in Venom: The Last Dance’s most recent trailer hints at an epic battle in the upcoming movie, but also creates an interesting connection to Marvel Studios’ MCU.

Introduced in 2018, Knull, the creator of Marvel’s Symbiotes, is one of Marvel’s newest antagonists, but he has already made himself known as a terrifying threat. It was previously reported that Venom: The Last Dance will be the final solo movie focused on Venom in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, and Knull is a fantastic adversary for the character’s last ride. This is in part due to Knull’s incredible arsenal, which includes a huge number of Symbiotes and a sword that contains an incomprehensible level of power, which has already been seen in the MCU.

All-Black The Necrosword Had A Huge Role In Thor: Love & Thunder

Gorr The God Butcher Wielded All-Black The Necrosword In Thor: Love & Thunder

Knull’s most recognizable weapon in Marvel Comics is All-Black the Necrosword, a sword-shaped Symbiote that has enough power to slay even the most powerful gods. This level of power came in handy for Gorr the God Butcher’s mission in 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder, as he acquired the Necrosword during his exchange with Rapu, and used the weapon to wage war on the MCU’s gods, making his way to Eternity. This version of All-Black was previously wielded by the Dark Shadow Lord, though its true origins were never revealed.

Thor: Love and Thunder displayed All-Black’s abilities several times, as it was able to slay many gods, withstand direct hits from Thor’s lightning, and summon shadow monsters that aided in Gorr’s mission. Even so, the weapon received very little development and explanation, and was destroyed by Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor and Mjolnir before it could do any real damage. This was a huge waste of one of Marvel’s most exciting and powerful weapons, but Venom: The Last Dance has the chance to give All-Black the Necrosword some much-needed redemption.

All-Black Is Knull’s Most Powerful Weapon In Marvel Comics

All-Black’s Origins Were Revealed In Marvel Comics In Venom (Vol. 4) #4 In 2018

Thor: Love and Thunder failed to explore All-Black the Necrosword’s origin story, most likely due to the rights to this story residing with Sony Pictures, as Knull is a villain connected to Venom and Spider-Man in Marvel Comics. Love and Thunder did a good job at showing the Necrosword’s strength, but could have taken this further. All-Black was the first Symbiote that Knull ever created, for which he used his own shadow. He created All-Black in the shape of a sword, and promptly used the weapon to decapitate a Celestial, immediately proving its power.

Knull was banished by the Celestials for this action, but took refuge in the Celestial’s severed head – Knowhere – where he forged All-Black into an even more powerful weapon. All-Black was enhanced by Knowhere’s own power, and became metaphysically tied to the Celestial, creating an afterlife where the souls of those slain by All-Black would gather. Knull used All-Black to take on the universe’s gods, earning the sword the title of “Godslayer,” but Knull would later be defeated in battle, causing the Necrosword to leave him and instead bond to Gorr.

All-Black has been wielded by many characters in Marvel Comics, including Knull, Gorr the God Butcher, Thor, Dylan Brock’s Codex and Malekith, and characters from Earth-14412, such as King Thor, Loki, Ego and Galactus.

This is where Thor: Love and Thunder found All-Black the Necrosword, though it’s unclear whether the MCU’s version of All-Black’s history with Knull is the same as in Marvel Comics. As a Symbiote with extra abilities gained from being forged in the head of a Celestial, All-Black is a remarkably powerful weapon that is also able to corrupt and alter the biology of its wielder, granting them new gifts, too. It would be fantastic to see this dark backstory play out in live-action, and Venom: The Last Dance has the perfect opportunity to pull this off.

How Venom: The Last Dance Can Bring All-Black The Necrosword

Knull’s Live-Action Debut In Venom: The Last Dance Could Introduce A New Version Of All-Black

Venom: The Last Dance’s most recent trailer confirmed that Knull would make his live-action debut in the upcoming SSU sequel. Even though Thor: Love and Thunder ended with All-Black the Necrosword being destroyed, smashed into pieces by the Mighty Thor and Mjolnir, Knull’s debut in an alternate reality creates the best chance for the weapon to return. The SSU and MCU are in separate universes, which means Venom: The Last Dance’s Knull could have his own version of All-Black, perhaps a more comic-accurate iteration of the weapon.

Since Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures have already established connections between the MCU and SSU, it’s possible that Venom: The Last Dance’s All-Black could bear striking similarities to that seen in Thor: Love and Thunder. Love and Thunder did a good job of displaying All-Black as a slender and unassuming threat, but Knull’s more primitive version of the weapon in Venom: The Last Dance may be much more terrifying. It’s possible that Knull may have already lost the weapon, but it would be great to see All-Black revisited in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.

All-Black In Venom: The Last Dance Can Create More Connections To The MCU

All-Black Gained A Huge Amount Of Power From Knowhere In Marvel Comics

As well as possibly creating a direct connection to Thor: Love and Thunder by introducing a new version of All-Black the Necrosword, and possibly even naming its own version of Gorr the God Butcher, Venom: The Last Dance has the opportunity to form even more bonds to the MCU by debuting Knull and the Necrosword. Most notably, All-Black was forged in Knowhere’s head in Marvel Comics. Knowhere is a significant location in the MCU, the base of operations for the Guardians of the Galaxy, but it could be something much darker in the SSU.

Knowhere was first seen as a mining colony in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy , but has since become the base of operations of the Guardians of the Galaxy and the home of a new society.

There is also speculation that Eddie Brock and Venom won’t be able to take on Knull and All-Black alone, so will journey to Earth-616, the MCU’s primary continuity. This could constitute physical appearances from a number of MCU heroes, though perhaps the most likely option would be Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. Spider-Man and Venom have taken on Knull together on several occasions in Marvel Comics, but haven’t always come out on top, so Venom: The Last Dance could mark a tragic ending for one of these unlikely heroes.