One of the most intriguing aspects of the Thor movies is how a brand-new villain got introduced every time, even after constantly incorporating Loki into the films. The first one had The Destroyer, the second focused on Malekith and his Dark Elves, and the third dealt with Hela and Surtur. Now, after the recent Thor: Love and Thunder trailer, fans are lapping up the introduction of Christian Bale's Gorr, the God Butcher. However, there was a sequence in the new look that may have teased another deadly villain entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It came around the 1:27 mark when Gorr was spotted atop a moon, plunging his sword into it. His action seemingly blew it up, with fans theorizing the sequence is what turned the weapon into All-Black, the Necrosword, which he used to battle Valkyrie in the clip. And that could be very important because it could lead to Knull, also known as the God of the Symbiotes, from the Venom lore arriving.
In the comics, Knull created the sword as his weapon of mass destruction from the Klyntar, using it to cover the universe in darkness. His mission was all about slaying gods, with the sword eventually falling into the hands of Gorr. It allowed Gorr to kill the gods after his family suffered, but in time, the weapon would be picked back up by Knull, calling to him the same way Mjolnir would to its owner.
So, the scene in the trailer might be more than just activating the sword -- it could be that Gorr's freeing Knull or at least the dark essence of the being. That would stick to the comics where Gorr found the sword, bonded with it and went on his quest, carrying on a warped form of Knull's initial mission. Years later, Knull would awaken to complete his goal, aiming to dim the light on all reality.
The MCU can always tweak the source material, with Gorr finding the primordial weapon and becoming worthy, in a dark twist on how Mjolnir got wielded by folks like the Odinson or Jane. The dark god in Knull could possess the sword or at least influence it, whispering in Gorr's ear to feed him souls of deities and paving the way for the immortal puppet master to return to life. That could lead to Knull, other symbiotes and the black dragons from the Venom comics and events such as King in Black rising up if Gorr fails as an avatar.
It may get done via a set-up sequence later in the movie or a post-credits scene similar to how Black Knight's sword appeared in Eternals, calling out to Dane Whitman. Either way, Gorr as an avatar fits the MCU and Knull's story and could bring Marvel Studios and Sony closer by eventually giving Venom and Eddie Brock their true master. But more important than that, the threat of Knull may require the help of the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy and Asgardians, potentially paving the way for the MCU's next event.
To see if Knull appears, Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters July 8.
