Meet Knull, the God of Symbiotes

Symbiotes like Venom and Carnage are among the most terrifying and relentless creatures in the Marvel Universe, but even they fear the deity that reigns over them: Knull, the God of Symbiotes. 

Knull’s existence in the cosmos stretches back for untold eons. He controls the hive mind that unites all Klyntar, the extraterrestrial race that evolved into the symbiotes. As Eddie Brock discovered the true nature of these symbiotes, Knull set his sights on Earth, threatening heroes and villains alike as he plunged the universe into darkness.

Here is everything you need to know about Knull, from his immense powers and abilities to his ancient history and most memorable moments within the Marvel Universe so far, from stories available now in Marvel Unlimited!

WHO IS KNULL?

Knull’s existence predates the creation of the seventh iteration of the Multiverse. The Celestials summoned him as they remade reality and offered to make him their King in Black, who would oversee their creations. Whereas the Beyonders maintain the Multiverse from a more detached position, VENOM (2021) #18 revealed that the Kings in Black operate from within the universes they look after. However, Knull rejected this offer and attacked the Celestials for bringing light to his realm of darkness, even beheading one of them with his sword.

While the decapitated Celestial head went on to become Knowhere, a spot frequented by the Guardians of the Galaxy eons later, Knull used the Celestial’s raw cosmic energy to create symbiotes. After a failed bid to kill all the gods in the universe, Knull formed an army of symbiotes to continue his war against the light, with Earth becoming a focal point of the interstellar conflict. Eventually, the symbiotes rebelled against Knull and trapped him in a planet composed of billions of symbiotes, sparing the universe of his terror for centuries.

KNULL’S POWERS AND ABILITIES

As the God of Symbiotes, Knull can create, manipulate, and control symbiotes to suit his purposes. He has used this power to create an army of symbiote dragons, which he employs to overwhelm all who oppose him. He is also able to control an unnatural darkness, which—during his invasion of Earth—heralded his arrival and disoriented the planet. 

Knull’s ultimate weapon is the All-Black, a Necrosword he forged at the dawn of time from his first symbiote and the cosmic energies of a fallen Celestial. The sword is not only capable of killing gods and Celestials alike, but also absorbs the souls of everyone that it kills and transfers them to its wielder.

Knull himself possesses an incredible level of superhuman strength, speed, and endurance, with the latter reinforced by an armor made from countless symbiotes. Knull also possesses the ability to shapeshift, which he can use to forge weapons and other items, as well as the power to fly. 

Through the symbiote hivemind, Knull is telepathically connected to his vast army of symbiotes, giving him a degree of cosmic awareness. Given his nature, Knull doesn’t age and has existed for billions of years. He spent most of this time lying dormant until he gained enough power to free himself and continue his twisted crusade against the light.

KNULL’S FIRST APPEARANCE

Knull made his unofficial debut in THOR: GOD OF THUNDER (2012) #6, where he appeared as an unnamed divine figure clad in black armor. Here, he battled other gods 3,000 years before the present day Marvel Universe. After the skirmish left Knull weakened, Gorr the God-Butcher found him and formed a weapon from a portion of Knull’s symbiote armor. From there, Gorr unknowingly served Knull as his God-Butcher, using the Necrosword to hunt down and massacre deities across the cosmos—until Thor stopped him, at least.

Knull’s first full debut took place in VENOM (2018) #4 when he introduced himself to Eddie Brock and revealed his extensive backstory through a series of telepathic flashbacks. Knull explained that he especially detested the cosmic light coming from heroes like Thor, which keeps his shadowy influence at bay. He sought to blot it out completely and rule all of reality from the ensuing eternal darkness. Drawn to Earth’s inherent source of light, Knull vowed to conquer the planet.

KNULL MEETS THE SILVER SURFER

In SILVER SURFER: BLACK (2019), the Silver Surfer was sucked into a singularity that transported him eons into the past. There, he found himself face-to-face with Knull in the throes of his obsession with killing gods to spread his darkness. The Surfer became infected with one of Knull’s symbiotes, which began to spread across his body, affecting his mastery of the Power Cosmic. Ego the Living Planet managed to stave off the infection, so Silver Surfer repaid the favor by battling Knull again before he could turn Ego into his latest conquered world.

With Ego’s help, the Silver Surfer connected himself to all life in the universe through the Power Cosmic, significantly increasing his power and allowing him to fight Knull directly. With this augmented strength, the Silver Surfer defeated Knull in SILVER SURFER: BLACK (2019) #5 and repelled him across the cosmos. 

As his power dispersed, the Silver Surfer also brought new light and life to the universe—including the creation of his eventual home planet, Zenn-La. As an upgraded Silver Surfer was reborn in his relative present day, his past conflict with Knull created a deep animosity within the symbiotes that endured billions of years later.

KNULL UNBOUND

Shortly thereafter, a Carnage-worshiping cult stole a codex that Knull left behind on Earth during the Viking Age and bonded the codex to Cletus Kasady’s body. In WEB OF VENOM: CARNAGE BORN (2018) #1, Carnage—resurrected and telepathically connected to Knull—learned that anyone who had ever been bonded to a symbiote possessed a codex linked to Knull in their spine, and he vowed to recover them all. With each codex Carnage recovered, he grew significantly stronger, and so too did Knull’s telepathic link to the symbiote hive mind.

Cletus’ resulting rampage prompted Venom to confront his old enemy in a grueling showdown, with Venom finally killing Carnage in ABSOLUTE CARNAGE (2019) #5. However, this had the unintended consequence of fully reviving Knull, who then freed himself and reabsorbed all the Klyntar making up his planetary prison. As Knull drew ever closer to Earth, he claimed other planets along the way, while Eddie received increasingly disturbing visions of Knull.

KNULL INVADES EARTH

Knull finally reached Earth in KING IN BLACK (2020) #1, where Venom rallied the Marvel Universe’s greatest heroes to take a stand against the God of Symbiotes’ incoming armies. Engulfed by a symbiote force field, Earth was cut off from the Sun, plunging the planet into perpetual darkness while symbiotes rained from the skies and assimilated all they overwhelmed. Knull forcibly absorbed the Venom symbiote and left Eddie for dead, then searched for Eddie’s son Dylan Brock to similarly absorb while the heroes went on the defensive.

As Thor and the Silver Surfer led the charge against Knull, Jean Grey telepathically learned that the extra-dimensional Enigma Force was capable of defeating the God of Symbiotes. Eddie became a host to the Enigma Force, which revived him and transformed him into the new Captain Universe. Cosmically empowered, Eddie drove back the symbiote army, destroyed the symbiote barrier enveloping the Earth, and defeated Knull for good with the Uni-Power. This ended the God of Symbiotes’ reign and freed the Klyntar from his control in KING IN BLACK (2020) #5.

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