Venom's Greatest Foe Finally Returns, But is Facing Someone Much Worse

3 weeks ago 10

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The King in Black is finally headed back to the pages of Marvel Comics, although he might not survive what the Queen in Black has in store for him.

Courtesy of a recent press release from Marvel Comics, fans can officially get their first look at all the horror to come when the original King in Black returns in the pages of Knull. Written by Al Ewing and Tom Waltz and illustrated by Juanan Ramirez, the first issue of the upcoming series finds Knull right where he was in the recently released Venom #250, specifically in the Asgardian prison lorded over by none other than the Goddess of Death herself — Hela. Although Hela has used her magic to steal Knull's power for herself, that doesn't make the ancient villain any less capable of slipping from the Queen in Black's clutches, as readers can see for themselves in the preview gallery down below.

Knull #1

Written by AL EWING & TOM WALTZ
Art by JUANAN RAMIREZ
Main cover art by RYAN STEGMAN
Variant covers by IBAN COELLO and KYLE HOTZ

Knull co-writer Tom Waltz opened up about the series, recalling, "When super-editor Jordan White reached out to me to see if I'd be interested in collaborating with fellow writer Al Ewing on the new Knull series, I couldn't jump at the chance fast enough. Besides working alongside Al, who is an absolutely fantastic and steady talent, the kicker for me was getting to play with such an amazing character with such untapped potential as Knull. The King in Black has once again risen up out of the void to cause delicious havoc and mayhem across the universe, and we've got surprises a'plenty in store, my friends. And just wait until everyone sees Juanan Ramirez's darkly bombastic artwork — WOW!"

Though Knull's name and visage had been heard and glimpsed years prior, it wasn't until 2018's Venom #3 by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman that the progenitor of the symbiotes made his first full comic book appearance. An ancient entity who existed back when the universe was a mere empty void, Knull's peaceful slumber was abruptly interrupted by the Celestials' light of creation. In response, Knull reached into his own newly formed shadow, and from it he drew All-Black, the very first symbiote, which he used to lead a deicidal campaign against the Celestials across the Marvel Universe. Eventually, Knull was imprisoned by the very symbiotes he created, only to break free millennia later and wage yet another crusade of terror against the universe. Thanks to Eddie Brock, Knull was ultimately defeated and seemingly destroyed, kicking off the symbiote superhero's own reign as the King in Black.

Knull's return and Hela's reign as the Queen in Black were teased by Marvel Comics back in October during New York Comic Con. Along with the teaser for Queen in Black, Marvel Comics also teased the upcoming Amazing Spider-Man: Death Spiral by writers Joe Kelly, Al Ewing, and Charles Soule, and artist Jesús Saíz. Amazing Spider-Man: Death Spiral will close out the events of Amazing Spider-Man, Venom, and Eddie Brock: Carnage, all while introducing a new superpowered serial killer to the Marvel Universe.

Knull #1 goes on sale Jan. 14, 2026 from Marvel Comics.