Warning: This article contains spoilers for Venom: The Last Dance.
Knull may have arrived in live-action, but there are still Marvel moments King in Black story that probably can’t be adapted for the big screen. As main antagonist Venom: The Last Dancethe powerful villain Knull has formally arrived in live-action. Although his role in the film is relatively indirect, Knull’s awareness of Earth and Eddie Brock leads to a potential adaptation of Marvel Comics’ King in Black storyline.
The problem is that Poison The films’ place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe creates problems for an adaptation of the King in Black story. Seeing Knull invade Earth with an army of symbiotes and fight a wide variety of Marvel heroes, questions naturally arise about which universe a King in Black story would take place in. Regardless of whether it’s adapted into Sony’s Spider-Man Universe or the MCU, a live-action King in Black movie would likely have to skip several moments from the comics.
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Steve Rogers fighting Knull’s forces
Rogers’ cinematic journey has come to an end
One particular moment in Marvel Comics’ King in Black sees Captain America leading the Avengers into battle against Knull’s army of symbiotes. As the heroes are overwhelmed, Steve Rogers merges with Knull’s hive mind, taking on a symbiote appearance and acting on the villain’s behalf before being freed by Dylan Brock. While it’s not a hugely pivotal moment in the story, it probably wouldn’t happen in a live-action adaptation.
An MCU adaptation of the King in Black story would be the only way to include the Steve Rogers-led Avengers. However, Steve Rogers’ story within the MCU ended and he passed the mantle of Captain America to Sam Wilson. This makes it practically impossible to adapt the specific moment in which Rogers leads a noble and desperate attack against Knull’s symbiotes.because the character’s story has already come to an end.
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Eddie Brock joins Symbiote Hive
Carnage’s SSU Story Changes the King Black
The end of Venom: Let There Be Carnage saw the death of Cletus Kasady and the Carnage symbiote, which casts doubt on another moment in the King in Black adaptation. In the comics, Eddie Brock’s initial plan to combat Knull is to access the symbiote hive mind using the abandoned tower, which was originally created by Carnage when he was acting as Knull’s agent. The end of the carnage at SSU makes the moment an impossibility.
The existence of the tower is directly linked to Carnage’s own story of becoming Dark Carnage, which never happened in the Poison film continuity. This means that the specifics of Brock entering the collective mind wouldn’t work in relation to the source materialand a new explanation would have to be devised. It’s not an insurmountable obstacle, but it’s another King in Black moment that would need to be rewritten for a live-action adaptation.
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Blade counting on Dracula’s help
Production issues make Blade inclusion unlikely
Since the film was announced, Marvel Blade fell into development hell. This spells trouble for another element of King in Black’s story, as Marvel’s Daywalker plays a significant role in the comic book crossover. In the comics, Blade recruits Dracula and an army of vampires to help fight Knull, bolstering the Avengers’ ranks with a host of his sworn enemies. However, this doesn’t seem likely to happen in an upcoming adaptation of the story.
The problems with BladeThe development delayed the character’s debut in the MCU. Since the rights to Blade remain with Marvel, Blade can presumably only appear in an MCU King in Black adaptation, although this happening before or shortly after his introduction doesn’t seem plausible. Blade’s role in King in Black’s story may not be crucial, but the moment where he leads his enemies into battle will likely be conspicuous by its absence.
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Appearance of Flash Thompson’s Anti-Venom Agent
Agent Anti-Venom’s story has not yet been explored
Marvel Comics’ King in Black crossover featured more than just a single series, as it was expanded into a series of spin-offs exploring different subplots. One of them followed Eddie Brock into the symbiote hive mind, where he encountered Agent Anti-Venom. In the comics, the symbiotic hero is Flash Thompson’s alter ego, although the character appeared after his death in King in Black to support Eddie Brock’s fight against Knull.
Flash Thompson certainly exists in the MCU, but not in a way that makes him a likely candidate to become a symbiote-infused hero. The MCU’s Flash has largely been used for comic relief rather than aiming for any true comedic accuracy. Regardless, timelines that don’t match Flash’s stories would prevent the moment from being adapted into live-action anyway, as he’s barely reached adulthood in the MCU.
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Johnny Storm’s defeat
The MCU’s Human Torch Is Too Young to Face Knull
Throughout Marvel Comics’ King in Black story, many heroes fall during Knull’s attack on Earth. One of these heroes is Johnny Storm, who sacrifices himself for Knull’s forces to give Spider-Man enough time to rescue Eddie Brock. The Human Torch is taken over by the symbiotes, fighting his fellow heroes at the behest of the King in Black. However, his moment of sacrifice wouldn’t currently work in a live-action adaptation.
Johnny Storm is scheduled to make his MCU debut in 2025, so audiences won’t have a chance to get attached to the character. What’s more, Storm’s last film appearance came across the Multiverse in Deadpool and Wolverinewhere he was brutally killed by Cassandra Nova. Having the Human Torch suffer another major defeat in a King in Black adaptation would only harm the characterinstead of giving him the heroic ending he faced in the comics.
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X-Men Battle Knull’s symbiotes
Prior rights issues will affect the role of the X-Men
Throughout the King in Black’s comic book history, several X-Men characters are shown playing important roles in the battle against Knull. Professor X helps coordinate the heroes’ forces, while Storm, Cyclops, Wolverine and Jean Gray are given specific tasks to slow down Knull’s attack on Earth. Seeing so many X-Men characters fighting alongside the Avengers is something that doesn’t seem likely to happen anytime soon.
If The King in Black is adapted for the SSU, the film will likely not be able to use the X-Men, whose rights only recently reverted to Marvel. Should be in the MCU, the franchise has not yet presented its own versions of the charactersmaking it seem unlikely that they could play a role anyway. As with the possible inclusions of other heroes, the story would arrive too early in the MCU timeline to make any real sense.
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Iron Man becomes a symbiote
Tony Stark is unable to assume his symbiote form
Knull may have appeared as part of the cast of Venom: The Last Dancebut he’s not the only character vital to a King in Black story. Many Marvel heroes play important roles in the narrative, but few as prominently as Iron Man. In the comics, Tony Stark is one of the most important assets the Avengers have in the battle against Knull, as he is able to take control of a symbiote dragon to help him, and later even controls a Celestial in the same way.
This could not happen in an MCU adaptation, as Tony Stark’s story has come to a definitive end. With the character killed off in the franchise after his heroic sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame, Resurrecting him simply to play his role in the King in Black story would be an insult to his role in the Infinity Saga. As such, Tony Stark augmenting himself with symbiotic powers is not something that can be adapted for live action.
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Death of the Sentinel
The Sentry hasn’t even been introduced, so he can’t die
Perhaps the most shocking moment of Marvel Comics’ King in Black event was the arrival and defeat of the Sentry. The heroes of the Marvel Universe resisted Knull awaiting the arrival of Marvel’s Superman, only for the villain to defeat him with ease. Sentry’s death at the hands of Knull was a surprising moment that established Knull’s enormous power levels, but it’s not likely to occur in a live-action adaptation.
Sentry is widely acclaimed as one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe, although he has yet to appear in live-action. There’s just no way the Sentry could be introduced only to be killed off so quicklyas this would do nothing to establish his own power level in comparison to his fellow heroes. While Sentry’s death was a powerful moment in the King in Black’s story, it’s not something that’s likely to happen on the big screen.
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Iron Man and Doctor Doom Subplot
The cast of characters and their respective timelines make them impossible to meet
Another King in Black subplot explored in the spin-off comics may have been a little more light-hearted than other aspects of the story, but it will be downright impossible to adapt into the MCU. The story sees Doctor Doom approach the symbiote-infused Iron Man to improve his own armor, only for the two to encounter and fight a symbiote-possessed Santa Claus. As fun as the story is, it’s not likely to happen on the big screen.
In addition to not being important to the King in Black’s story, the fact that the MCU cast Robert Downey Jr. as his Doctor Doom makes an adaptation impossible. Iron Man in the MCU is dead, but even finding a way to resurrect him wouldn’t work as the hero and villain would be played by the same actor. Simply put, there is no conceivable way to make the subplot work in live action due to the MCU’s casting choices.
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Venom defeats Knull
The Last Dance rules out Venom being able to defeat Knull
However Venom: The Last DanceAlthough Knull’s post-credits scenes tease Knull’s cinematic future, it’s hard to imagine the King in Black’s story playing out as it does in the comics. The end of the story sees Eddie Brock and Venom infused with Captain Universe’s power and able to fight Knull on equal terms. This ultimately leads to Knull’s defeat at the hands of Venom, although this now appears to be an impossibility afterwards. Venom: The Last Dance.
Since the final film in the Venom trilogy ends with the titular symbiote’s death, it’s unlikely he’ll return to defeat Knull. While Marvel’s Multiverse makes it all possible, SSU’s specific iteration of Venom is now dead, meaning he can’t play a role in a King in Black adaptation. How Exactly Live Action King in Black What film could get around Venom’s death remains to be seen, as it would be a huge barrier to adapting the story.
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