Marvel Just Reimagined One of Their Most Hated Characters

Over the many decades that Marvel has been pumping out comics, they’ve introduced hundreds of characters. A constant stream of new personalities that can push the envelope and star in or help established characters through endless stories is required to keep things fresh, after all. From the X-Men to Miles Morales, not being afraid to shake things up with new blood has let Marvel charge forward for years. However, for every Storm and Hobgoblin, there are at least three Starbrands, two Spidercides, and a Paul. Sometimes, characters just don’t land, and occasionally, they become outright despised. Such is the case with our subject today, Knull.

Knull is the God of Symbiotes, the King in Black. He was the primordial void that existed before the universe’s creation. When the Celestials arrived and made the Marvel Universe, Knull carved the All-Black from his first symbiote child and the cosmic blood of a Celestial he murdered. From there, he tried to erase everything, only to be betrayed by his own symbiotes and locked away. His arrival was the culmination of Venom’s biggest story event of all time, but fans, for the most part, hated him. Frankly, they thought he was trying too hard, was way too edgy, and reminded them of a thirteen-year-old’s first OC. Now, however, Marvel has totally reimagined him, and it fixes almost everything about him.

The God of Nothing, Reborn

In his last fight with Venom, Knull was killed and usurped as King in Black. However, when Eddie died, the universe needed his space to be filled, and so Knull was revived to once again take his throne. However, before he could reclaim his divine power, the weakened Knull was kidnapped by the Asgardian goddess Hella. As detailed in Knull #1, Knull’s backstory wasn’t incorrect, but it was heavily skewed from his perspective. See, Knull was God of the Void, but he was actually chosen to fill this role by the Celestials, who allowed him to live and fill an essential role in their universe. 

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Knull Returns to Conquer the Marvel Universe with His Most Powerful Creation Yet

Hela planned to drain Knull of his power until there was nothing left of him, becoming the Queen in Black. She left Knull alone, but in doing so, reminded him of his true power. When the room was empty, Knull simply disappeared. A guard checked his cage, only to find it empty, at which point Knull reappeared and killed him. Knull was the God of Nothing, and so the cage was filled with nothing. With his position as this god, Knull was able to fade away and reappear in another empty location, just as the room. He made his way through Hela’s base, slaughtering her men and reclaiming the symbiotes they wore. Knull made his escape, aiming to restore his lost power, and showed us the coolest exploration of his powers to date.

From Nothing Special to the Embodiment of Nothing

The problems with Knull before this comic were twofold. One is that he was too edgy and powerful to be taken seriously, and the second was that he didn’t have an identity beyond being strong and wanting to kill everything. Knull, for lack of a better phrase, had a nothingburger personality. Al Ewing’s reimagining of Knull is genius because it takes everything good about Knull and plays into his weaknesses, turning them into even bigger strengths. Knull always felt like something tacked onto the Marvel Universe, like he didn’t belong. This comic changed all of that.

A tragic backstory or deeper motivations wouldn’t really have worked for Knull’s character, given how he represents evil as a concept. Instead, Ewing played into the shallowness that weakened Knull’s character, making it a core trait by tying him directly to the Marvel Universe’s rules. Knull being the Celestial’s chosen pawn brought him down from his status as an outsider that upset the pre-established lore. Instead of trying to fill the void in Knull’s character, this idea embraced that. Knull is the very void itself, meaning that he should feel shallow. Knull is nothing, so he has to feel like nothing.

Then there’s the sheer creativity that has gone into Knull’s new abilities. Before this, despite being the primordial void itself, all Knull had done was manipulate symbiotes and darkness. While this is cool, it wasn’t exactly unique. This new version uses the very concepts that he represents to his advantage. Wordplay-based powers always make Marvel’s gods more interesting, in my opinion, because it lets them feel like something more than a standard villain. Knull isn’t just a shallow villain; he is nothingness itself, and watching him become nothing is really darn cool.

Overall, this reinvention of Knull aims to make him cool by embracing all the cool aspects that he’s always had, but adding a new twist that will make him both more unique and more at home in the Marvel Universe. Frankly, I’m very excited to see what happens next with this new version of Knull, and I haven’t felt that way in a very long time.

Knull #1 is on sale now!

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