8 Years Later, Venom Lore Officially Unleashes the King in Black’s Evil Opposite

Eight years after Marvel officially introduced the King in Black, Venom lore is introducing his terrifying opposite – but this terrifying new god of light is nothing like you expect.

Knull Gets White Redesign, Redefining the King in Black

Marvel just revealed an epic new redesign of Knull from Ryan Stegman, seeing the villain reborn as an epic god of light. In Knull #4, Knull will visit the Lightforce dimension, attempting to seize control of the accumulated power of all living beings.

Stegman’s cover for #5 seemingly confirms that Knull will succeed, transformed into a god of light to fight the new Queen in Black. Issue #5’s summary reads:

LET THERE BE LIGHT! Knull has conquered the Lightforce Dimension and left his dastardly eternal mark in SUPERNOVA fashion! But wait! An enemy he thought he’d eliminated with extreme prejudice is back for more…and he comes upgraded for battle this time! Meanwhile, the newly crowned Queen in Black, Hela of Asgard, is beginning to question her strategy against Knull – is it time to activate Plan B? This is it! The bombastic grand finale! Who will fall? Who will rise? Who will CLAIM THE LIGHT?!

In current comics, Knull’s powers as the King in Black have been stolen by the Asgardian goddess Hela, turning her into the Queen in Black.

The upcoming Queen in Black crossover will drag Knull and Venom (currently bonded to MJ Watson) into the fray, but Knull refuses to go unarmed.

What Does the Lightforce Power Mean for Knull?

So far, it’s unclear exactly what powers Knull will gain, however the Lightforce isn’t a new addition to Marvel lore. The dimension is an accumulation of the energy of all living things, and the counter to the living darkness of the Darkforce dimension. Given the King/Queen in Black commands the primordial darkness of the multiverse, it’s likely Knull will command the light, giving him power drawn from life across all realities – and potentially control over it too.

Knull also seems to have forged a new sword – the light equivalent to his powerful All-Black the Necrosword, the first symbiote to ever exist. Like the Necrosword, this will likely be a major addition to Marvel lore.

What Does Anti-Venom Have to Do with Knull’s Rise to Power?

Issue #4’s cover and summary promise that Knull will have to defeat a “familiar foe” to gain control of the Lightforce Dimension. From Stegman’s cover art, this could either be the superhero Anti-Venom or a similar-looking entity known as a Poison – a multiversal predator that feeds on Knull’s symbiotes.

Anti-Venom isn’t close to Knull’s power level, even with his status as the King in Black revoked, leaving fans with questions about what exactly will happen in this fight – especially with issue 5’s summary suggesting this enemy won’t be totally vanquished.

Venom lore just gained a new god of light, as Knull ascends to a new kind of power – but will it be enough to defeat the new Queen in Black, and how does Anti-Venom figure into this ascension?

Knull #4 is coming April 8 from Marvel Comics, followed by #5 on May 13.

First Appearance

The Amazing Spider-Man

Alias

Eddie Brock

RELATIONSHIPS

Eddie Brock (primary host and ally), Peter Parker/Spider-Man (initial enemy, later uneasy ally), Anne Weying (former wife of Eddie Brock and occasional host), Cletus Kasady/Carnage (offspring of the Venom symbiote and a deadly enemy)

Alliance

Vigilante