There’s definitely been an element of power creep with the Avengers in the MCU, with each team packing more of a punch than their predecessors. Given the original group included the literal God of Thunder, their latest incarnation certainly are “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.” Assembled in Thunderbolts*, the so-called “New Avengers” include Sentry – a being who could have easily defeated all previous Avengers, and that’s not even counting his powers as the Void.
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Hailing from the comics, Sentry is one of the most powerful Avengers of all time. He literally killed the supervillain Carnage in his debut, but he’s also proved to be somewhat unreliable due to the Void factor; under the influence of Norman Osborn, he once tore the God of War apart in a brutal and bloody scene. The Avengers have always had a tense relationship with Sentry, because he’s too powerful to bench, but he can be something of a loose cannon. And then, five years ago, Marvel revealed just how limited Sentry was by pitting him against an even greater foe.
Knull, the God of the Symbiotes, Was Too Much for Sentry
The Avengers thought the Sentry was their secret weapon when Knull, the god of the symbiotes, launched a full-scale invasion of Earth. As powerful as Knull may be, they believed a being who claimed to have “the power of a million exploding suns” could defeat him, and they played for time until Sentry arrived. Engaging Knull immediately, Sentry launched Knull into space to repeat his victory over Carnage. But he had fatally underestimated the god of the symbiotes, a being who hails from the dawn of time.
The epic (but shockingly brief) confrontation is told in King of Black #1, by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman. The art is the stuff of nightmares, deliberately evoking the day Sentry killed Ares in front of the Avengers, leaving them reeling as they realized the God of War himself was a nobody compared to this powerhouse. As mighty as Sentry may be, though, he was as nothing compared to Knull, who literally tore him apart in a demonstration of brutal power. Knull then returned to confront the Avengers, confident in his victory.
King in Black was one of the biggest Marvel Comics events of all time, and Knull’s opening shot was absolutely staggering. By the end of the issue, the Avengers were defeated – their most powerful hero already dead. The entire planet had been conquered, a layer of symbiote had cut the Earth off from the sun itself, and hope seemed to be gone. A cosmic force had come to Earth at last, and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes had been found wanting.
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