That project came to head in the King in Black crossover from 2021. Knull’s symbiotes begin to cover the cosmos, creating venomized versions of some of Marvel’s greatest heroes, including Cyclops of the X-Men, the Thing of the Fantastic Four, and Ms. Marvel. But thanks to his special bond with his symbiote, Eddie and Venom are able to break Knull’s hold, killing Knull and freeing the universe from the threat.
Yes, you read that right. Knull as a character lasted just a few years, and rarely appeared outside of storylines not from his creators Cates and Stegman. So why in the world does Venom: The Last Dance treat Knull like such a big deal?
Part of the answer to that question goes back to the very nature of the Sony Spidey-less Villain universe. Unless Sony wants to try another Z-list good guy like Madame Web, they have to make Spider-Man’s enemies into protagonists, and that means that they have to pit these creatures against even bigger bads. With Carnage already out of the way and Spider-Man off the table, Knull is easily the biggest bad left.
But even beyond that practical, if cynical, reasoning, Knull allows The Last Dance writer and director Kelly Marcel the chance to give the people what they want from these films: ridiculous, over-the-top moments and lots of romantic bickering between Eddie and Venom.
The trailers shows that The Last Dance deals with Knull finding Venom on Earth and sending hordes of symbiotes to take him. The more symbiotes that arrive, the more opportunities there are for crazy combinations, such as the aforementioned venomized horse, to say nothing of the weird monsters that Venom and Eddie fight.
In short, to bring viewers the strangeness they want, Venom: The Last Dance must use Knull, the strangest thing of all.