Venom: The Last Dance concept art reveals a horror-inspired Knull, with a more monstrous design than the one seen in the film
Venom: The Last Dance marked the long-awaited live-action debut of Knull, the King in Black and God of the Symbiotes, played by Andy Serkis. This fearsome villain, confined on Klyntar, launched his Xenophage to Earth with the aim of recovering Eddie Brock and the Venom code, a key to freeing him from his prison. Although his plan failed, the post-credits scene made it clear that Knull’s danger is not over and that his threat could extend to the entire universe if he escapes.
A bet on horror
Conceptual artist Karl Lindberg, tasked with shaping Knull’s appearance, recently shared the first drawings of the villain on his networks. According to Lindberg: “I worked directly with writer-director Kelly Marcel to design this terrifying villain. “I love how it turned out in the movie.”
These drawings show a much creepier version of Knull tied to the character’s horror roots in the comics. Among the most striking details is the incorporation of his iconic logo on the chest, although this feature went almost unnoticed in the film because Knull spends much of his screen time sitting on the throne.
The creative process behind The King in Black
Kelly Marcel, director and co-writer of Venom: The Last Dancespoke in a recent interview about Knull’s importance in the story and how his design was worked out from the early stages of production. According to Marcel: “Knull was the first character we started designing for this film. Before Venom-Horse and Xenophage, we knew we had to play Knull right. “He’s an extremely fan-favorite character and we wanted to stay true to the comic book version of him.”
The decision to cast Andy Serkis as Knull also came about during the development of Poison 2. Marcel explained: “Ever since Venom 2 we knew that Andy Serkis would be Knull. He was our director on that movie, and Tom and I were constantly talking about how we wanted to introduce Knull in the third installment. Andy is simply the best. “His talent for mo-cap and vocal performance is unmatched, and we couldn’t think of anyone else to bring the King in Black to life.”
An epic close to the Venom trilogy
Against Venom: The Last Dancethe saga led by Tom Hardy reaches its conclusion. The film not only explores the bond between Eddie Brock and Venom, but raises the emotional and physical stakes for the antihero. In this episode, Eddie and Venom are on the brink, pursued by both human and symbiotic forces. Their journey culminates in a devastating decision that marks the end of their story together.
The cast includes notable actors such as Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Peggy Lu, Alanna Ubach, Stephen Graham and Rhys Ifans, with Kelly Marcel directing from a script co-written with Tom Hardy. The production stars big names such as Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Amy Pascal and Hardy himself.
A look at the ultimate knull
Karl Lindberg’s sketches feature a Knull of cinematic proportions. The attention to detail, dark aura and horror-inspired design are a testament to the effort to do justice to the character. While some of these elements aren’t present in the final version of the film, the design reaffirms why Knull is one of Marvel’s most impactful villains.
Yes, okay Venom: The Last Dance concludes the trilogy, leaves several doors open for the character’s future. The threat of Knull remains, and his influence on the symbiotic universe may be explored in future projects. The film proves that, with a well-structured narrative and memorable performances, Venom still has a lot to offer fans.
Now it’s your turn: what do you think of Andy Serkis and Karl Lindberg’s Knull designs? Do you think Sony Pictures managed to capture the essence of the character? Leave us your comments!