Did Marvel Already Set Up Doctor Doom's Replacement?

Avengers: Secret Wars is still two years away, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe is already setting up what comes next–and it could be one of the franchise’s next sagas yet. With the Russo Brothers returning for the two-part finale, Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars will bring Phase 6 and the Multiverse Saga with an epic battle between Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. What comes next, however, remains a mystery.

Not only will Secret Wars cap off the Multiverse Saga, but it will also usher in the next era for the MCU as a whole. The details for Phase 7 and beyond are uncertain, but Kevin Feige and the other executives at Marvel Studios have hinted that they’ve already figured out certain parts of their plan moving forward. While they have kept the identity of the next saga’s big bad a closely guarded secret, one Marvel trilogy could reveal who the Avengers could fight in Phases 7, 8, and 9.

Knull Could Be the Big Bad of the MCU’s Next Saga

Knull (Andy Serkis) sits on his throne in Venom The Last DanceImage via Sony Pictures

As crazy as it might seem, the symbiote god Knull could be the MCU’s next big bad. In the comics, Knull is an all-powerful eldritch god who dwells in a primordial void, separated from the rest of the living universe. Hailed as the deity and king of the Klyntar, Knull is one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe, known for wielding the terrifying Necrosword, a blade forged using traces of symbiote biology and Celestial remains. In the 2020 King in Black crossover event, Knull attacks the Marvel Universe, forcing Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to team up to stop the symbiote god from taking over their world. This storyline is hailed as one of the best crossover events of recent years, leaving audiences anxious to see it depicted in a live-action superhero universe. Sony’s Spider-Man Universe seemingly planned to do just that, introducing Knull during the events of Venom: The Last Dance. While the franchise’s exact road map was left unclear, Sony most likely planned to bring together its various heroes and antiheroes in a crossover that would loosely adapt King in Black. Given the poor box office of the SSU’s recent films and the cancellation of several upcoming projects, this crossover now seems very unlikely. However, there remains a slim chance that the MCU could take over the storyline for a true King in Black adaptation.

As an eldritch being confined to an interdimensional existence, Knull could arrive in the main MCU timeline under the right circumstances. All it would take is a symbiote from Earth-616 to create a codex, thus opening up the doorway for Knull to escape his primordial prison. The post-credits scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home introduced the first symbiote to the MCU, potentially setting up the possibility of Knull showing up in later films. Alternatively, the events of Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars could retcon Knull into the Sacred Timeline. With the multiverse on the brink of collapse, many different timelines will fold together at the end of Phase 6, leaving room for certain characters from other universes to show up in the MCU. Knull and his symbiotes from the Sony Spider-Man Universe could be included in this number, paving the way for their inevitable confrontation with the MCU’s Avengers. In many ways, this would be better than the SSU’s planned adaptation of King in Black. While the MCU is still missing certain key characters from the comic storyline, it has way more than the SSU ever would have been able to include before its crossover. As such, the MCU could adapt a much more traditional version of King in Black that fans would enjoy far more than what would inevitably have been a rushed, underwhelming adaptation from Sony. This could pave the way for the MCU’s post-Secret Wars era to become known as “The Symbiote Saga,” following the heroes of Earth as they battle against Knull and his army of symbiote soldiers.

King in Black Could Finally Give Fans the Perfect Spider-Man Crossover

Venom smiles in The Last DanceMarvel / Sony Pictures Releasing / Courtesy Everett Collection

Knull’s arrival in the MCU would open up the door to many exciting possibilities that Marvel fans have been looking forward to seeing for a very long time. Not only would it set up an adaptation of King in Black, but it would also make a meeting between Spider-Man and Venom possible. While there are indications that the MCU will introduce its own version of Venom in Tom Holland’s next Spider-Man trilogy, fans have always wondered what a crossover with Tom Hardy’s Venom would have looked like. If Knull makes the leap over to the MCU, he could easily be followed by the SSU’s Eddie Brock, leading to the first real crossover between the Lethal Protector and Spider-Man. Both characters are essential to King in Black, as they are forced to put aside their differences and work together to defeat Knull. This is a version of the Spider-Man/Venom dynamic that audiences have never seen onscreen before. This would also allow both characters to take a leading role in the next saga of the MCU, which could explore their rivalry and tenuous partnership in greater depth over multiple movies leading up to their final battle with Knull at the end of Phase 9.

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time that a Spider-Man and Venom team-up was possible. Sony’s original plans for the Venom franchise included a crossover with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. This most likely would have taken place after Eddie Brock and the Venom Symbiote were transported to the MCU in the post-credits scene of Venom: Let There Be Carnage. However, these plans fizzled out, and Venom returned home without ever meeting Spider-Man. As disappointing as this turn of events was to Marvel fans wanting to see Spider-Man and Venom interact, all hope isn’t lost. If the Multiverse Saga manages to combine the MCU and the SSU, there is a chance for Venom and Spider-Man to meet onscreen as part of an epic storyline that could even rival the Infinity Saga.

An MCU King in Black Storyline Just Became Possible

Tom Holland as Peter Parker unmasked in Spider-Man No Way HomeImage via Matt Kennedy / Sony Pictures Releasing / Marvel Entertainment / Courtesy Everett Collection

The biggest problem standing in the way of an MCU King in Black storyline is Sony. Most longtime fans of Marvel know that Sony Pictures owns the film rights to Spider-Man and his vast array of connected characters, including Venom, Knull, and the other symbiotes. The MCU Spider-Man franchise is the product of a partnership between Marvel Studios and Sony in which they share the profits from these films. However, this deal may not be necessary for much longer. After repeated failures in the disastrous Sony Spider-Man Universe, some reports claim that the studio is considering stepping away from the superhero genre entirely. These rumors suggest that Sony Pictures will sell the film rights for Spider-Man and his supporting cast back to Marvel after the release of Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse in 2027. While not officially substantiated, these reports make a lot of sense in an age where superhero movies are no longer guaranteed hits. Sony has had a particularly bad run in recent years, with five of its six SSU films underperforming at the box office. Currently, Sony has no live-action Spider-Man-related movies in development, suggesting that the studio may finally have given up on trying to build a franchise around the Marvel superhero. Rather than pumping more money into a franchise that will continue to underperform, it would be financially smarter for Sony to sell the rights to the character back to Marvel and cut its losses.

Sony selling the Spider-Man film rights back to Marvel would open the door for the MCU to do anything it wants with the character and his supporting cast. Previously, Marvel Studios would have to clear any characters it wished to use with Sony, which had the power to veto certain ideas. With complete creative freedom over the franchise, Marvel could fold the best parts of the SSU (which would exclusively include Venom and Knull) into the MCU for a crossover the likes of which the world has never seen before. Nothing would be in the way of Marvel bringing back Tom Hardy’s Venom for a team-up with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. And, the studio would have no problem bringing together the necessary elements for a proper King in Black adaptation that would perfectly cap off the Symbiote Saga.

An MCU version of King in Black is more possible than it seems, as Sony circles the possibility of stepping away from Spider-Man for good. Knull’s arrival in the MCU would shake things up after Avengers: Secret Wars, setting the franchise on a course filled with deadly symbiotes and cosmic wars that audiences would love to see play out onscreen.

Avengers: Secret Wars will open in theaters on December 17, 2027.