Kraven the Hunter was finally released in theaters after several delays, and after the film's climactic events, audiences were left wondering exactly how Knull fits into Marvel's future. While many of Kraven The reviews were negative, some viewers still connected with what worked in the film. Much of this appreciation for Kraven comes from the villain's history and comic book canon, as well as several other characters that the film introduced, increasing the scope of the universe.
Kraven is rumored to be a core component of a Sony Six Sinisters film for some time, and Kraven sets up this potential spinoff in a few ways. For example, Allusions are made to a doctor who has been tending to the Chameleon who fits Morbius' description. With Venom possibly dead, it would theoretically make sense if the other anti-heroes teamed up in some way, potentially being protagonists in the teased confrontation with Knull. However, scenes from the new film – as well as updates from the studio – suggest the universe could be heading in an entirely different direction with Knull.
Venom 3 introduced a Thanos-level villain in Knull, but barely used him
Knull played a small role in the last dance
In Venom: The Last Dancethe Symbiote God Knull was presented as an Avengers-level threat in the film's trailer, leading to speculation about the size of Knull's role in the final film. At the end, Knull barely received any screen time in Poison 3, with director Kelly Marcel revealing at San Diego Comic-Con that “This is just the introduction to Knull.” With that in mind, speculation about the villain's future has since grown. In fact, after this, audiences generally believed that Knull would become a greater threat to the Sony universe.
The difficulty with this is that the Venom character has been removed from the equation. While the end of Venom: The Last Dance configure that the symbiote may have survived, the character of Venom as he was understood is gone. With the personal relationship with the King in Black also removed, many speculated that the future of the Sony Universe would become clear with the release of Kraven the Hunter. Instead, the film has been released and the path forward now appears to be smaller and different compared to what was expected.
Kraven the Hunter appears to be the end of Sony's Spider-Man universe
New reports indicate that Sony has no further plans for its villain-centric universe
The future of Sony's Spider-Man universe appears to be changing, with Kraven the Hunter now set to be the last film in the universe, at least for now. While the studio hasn't concretely announced that their universe will end, they have announced that they have no future spinoffs set for now. Of course, the franchise has had little box office success outside of the Poison films and, consequently, Sony is potentially focusing on its projects starring a real Spider-Manwhich includes the animated Spider-Verse movies and upcoming Spider-Man 4 starring Tom Holland.
Notably, Kraven should have left much sooner Poison 3, and it seems to have ended some time ago. With this in mind, it appears that most of the provocations revealed in Kraven, adding several other Spider-Man characters to the universe may have been separate from the plans for Knull. With the introduction of Calypso, Rhino, and Chameleon, and no mention of Knull, it seems like the future of the universe has had more than one vision. With these new announcements, however, it now seems unlikely that Knull or Kraven will continue in Sony's Spider-Man universe.
So what was Knull's goal?
It's Starting to Look Like There Was Never a Plan for Sony's Knull
Knull's small role in Poison 3 it was explained as being just proof of the villain, and that he would certainly return. Only hinted at in the film, with a brief appearance, the character, played by Andy Serkis, seemed to be being created to be a major threat in Sony's universe. This created an expectation that audiences would see Knull appear in future projects, but now there are no more projects in this universe in active development. With Sony taking a break from its films, it's starting to feel like the studio never had a concrete plan for the character.
However, this perspective is naturally devoid of understanding of all the internal negotiations at hand and therefore could be wrong, as it is possible that Sony has a long-term plan in mind. While Sony hasn't announced plans to continue with more villain spin-offs in the near future, intending to focus on the Spider-Man films, that doesn't necessarily mean the universe is over. THE Poison the trilogy was too popular to abandon completely and will certainly see a sequel eventually, even if it's just a spinoff. This could lead to a future for Knull, although it won't happen anytime soon.
How the MCU Could Redeem Knull
The King in Black would be an excellent villain for Spider-Man 4
Andy Serkis' Knull can still be redeemed, as long as Sony makes the right choices for the character. Theories about Knull in Spider-Man 4 have been circulating for some time, with Many believe that Venom and Spider-Man could team up in the film to take down the Symbiote God. Tying the villain and his story into the larger MCU through Tom Holland's acclaimed Spider-Man films would help make Knull's entry more meaningful and impactful. This would also elevate the canonical status of the Venom films as an added benefit.
While Sony's Universe has had some successes, audiences are still clearly more interested in Spider-Man than other characters in its world. Using this opportunity to align the universes a little more would be the best way to redeem Knull. This would also give the chance to bring in Kraven the Hunter, a villain who many have been hoping to see Spider-Man face in his films for some time. Seeing these foes against Spider-Man, or even the trio of Spider-Men, would make for a massive film that could provide a fitting culmination and farewell to Sony's universe.
It's not too late to align Sony's Spider-Man characters with the larger universe that Spider-Man now inhabits, especially in the Multiverse Saga. Doing so would allow Knull to make a significant impact on Spider-Man's life and universe in compelling ways that would make the villain's appearance not feel wasted. While Kraven the Hunter didn't do much to expand Knull's story, and while the state of this universe appears to be at an end, there are still opportunities to learn from mistakes and continue what worked in the future.
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- Release date
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February 14, 2025
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Rays*
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- Release date
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July 25, 2025
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July 24, 2026