VENOM: KING IN BLACK
The sky doesn’t turn cloudy; it turns oil-slick black. The screams of a billion years of symbiotic history are finally answering a single call. Following the multiversal tremors of the past, the void has finally found its way to Earth. Tom Hardy returns for his final, most harrowing performance as Eddie Brock, joined by Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in a desperate stand against a primordial nightmare. Directed by Andy Serkis with a focus on cosmic horror and high-octane action, Venom: King in Black is the apocalyptic crescendo of the Sony-Marvel crossover.
I. The Awakening of the Abyss
The film opens billions of years in the past, in the “Void” before the Big Bang. We see Knull, a pale, gaunt figure with a jagged spiral on his forehead, forging the first symbiote—the All-Black Necrosword—from the shadow of a slain Celestial.
Flash-forward to the present: Eddie Brock and Venom are living in hiding in Mexico, trying to ignore the psychic “drilling” Venom feels in his skull. The hive mind is screaming. Knull has escaped his prison on Klyntar. He isn’t coming for conquest; he is coming to reclaim his property. Every symbiote on Earth—Venom, the remnants of Carnage, and the secret government-held seeds—is a beacon for the King in Black.
II. The Arrival: NYC in Darkness
The first act culminates in “The Black Noon.” Thousands of Symbiote Dragons, massive winged terrors made of living abyss, descend upon New York City. The sun is literally blotted out as Knull’s “Living Abyss” wraps around the Earth like a shell.
Peter Parker (Tom Holland), still operating as a lonely neighborhood hero, is overwhelmed by the dragons. He is saved only when a familiar black tendril pulls him from the sky. The reunion between Eddie and Peter is tense and laden with trauma, but Venom makes the choice for them: “The Father is here, Peter. Either we bond, or we burn.”
III. The Unlikely Trinity
The core of the movie focuses on the “uncomfortable brotherhood” between Eddie, Venom, and Peter. They retreat to an underground bunker—an old SHIELD site—where they meet a battle-hardened Silver Surfer, who serves as the herald of the warning.
They learn about the Codex: a trace of symbiote DNA left in every host. Because Eddie has bonded with Venom for so long, his Codex is the key to the “God-Hive.” If Knull kills Eddie, he can rewrite the biology of every living being in the universe into a mindless shadow-slave.
The chemistry shifts here. While Peter represents the moral compass, Eddie represents the grim necessity of violence. The film explores the “Anti-Hero” vs. “Hero” philosophy as they realize they must use Knull’s own darkness against him.
IV. The Battle of the Minds
Knull doesn’t just fight with swords; he fights with the Hive. He enters Eddie’s mind, forcing him to relive his failures—his father’s rejection, Anne’s death, and the lives he’s taken. These sequences are filmed in a surreal, gothic style, reminiscent of a fever dream.
Meanwhile, NYC becomes a warzone. Knull’s shadow-parasites begin infecting other heroes and citizens. We see a “Symbiote-Infected” version of a major MCU character (a cameo role) that Peter and Eddie must fight, raising the emotional stakes: can they save the person, or must they destroy the host to stop the spread?
V. The Climax: The Forge of the Stars
The final battle takes place on the roof of a collapsing Empire State Building and extends into the upper atmosphere. Knull is a terrifying antagonist—calm, ancient, and seemingly invincible. He rips the Venom symbiote off Eddie, leaving him dying of internal trauma.
In a moment of ultimate sacrifice, Peter Parker allows the wounded Venom symbiote to bond with him fully, creating the Uni-Power Spider-Man. Combining the Enigma Force (the light of the universe) with Venom’s rage, they engage Knull in a reality-shattering duel.
The action is brutal. Unlike previous films, there is no humor here—only the desperate sounds of tearing metal and cosmic energy. Eddie, despite being human and broken, uses a piece of the All-Black Necrosword he managed to shatter, proving that the man is just as dangerous as the monster.
VI. The Ending: The New King
Knull is not merely killed; he is consumed. To stop the darkness, someone must control the Hive. Eddie Brock makes the ultimate choice. He bonds with the core of the God-Hive, effectively becoming the “New King in Black.”
He saves the world, but at a cost: he can no longer be human. He becomes a cosmic entity, a guardian of the darkness to ensure it never rises again.
The final scene shows Peter Parker standing on a rooftop as the sun finally breaks through the black clouds. He looks up at the stars, knowing his “frenemy” is up there, watching over the shadows. In the far reaches of space, we see a throne made of stars and obsidian. Eddie Brock sits upon it, his eyes glowing white. Venom’s voice echoes one last time:
“We are the End. We are the Beginning. We… are Venom.”
