The Black Cat is about to get an Anti-Venom upgrade, and not a moment too soon as she is about to go up against Knull, the god of the Symbiotes. In the solicitation for January’s Black Cat #2, by writer Jed Mackay (Spider-Verse) and artist CF Villa (Lockjaw), we learn that The Black Cat, AKA Felicia Hardy, is going to steal something from Knull, who has control over all symbiotes She is going to need some serious protection for the job, so she gets a serious upgrade from an Anti-Venom suit.
Over the last two years, in the pages of Venom, we have been introduced to Knull. An ancient entity who can control symbiotes, Marvel has been positioning him as a serious, Avengers-level threat. Starting this December the heroes of the Marvel Universe will face off against him in The King in Black. The solicitation did not make clear what exactly Black Cat will be stealing, but if she is going to survive an encounter with Knull, then an Anti-Venom suit will be exactly what she needs; she will have all of Venom’s powers with very few of his weaknesses. The suit also includes healing properties.
The cover, by Pepe Larraz, shows Black Cat almost completely covered in the Anti-Venom suit. No mention is made of where the suit comes from, or what similarities it has with previously seen Anti-Venom suits. Regardless of where it came from, Black Cat is going to need all the help she can get. Knull is a powerful, god-like being who can control symbiotes, so an Anti-Venom suit is ideal for going up against him. Knull knows the symbiotes' weaknesses and can manipulate them, so having a suit with none of those can also give Black Cat an advantage.
- BLACK CAT #2
- JED MACKAY (W)
- C.F. VILLA (A)
- Cover by PEPE LARRAZ
- Variant Cover by OLIVIER COIPEL
- Variant Cover by ARIST DEYN
- Variant Cover by ADAM HUGHES
- MARVEL VS ALIEN VARIANT COVER BY PEACH MOMOKO
- A CLASSIC GAME OF CAT AND…SYMBIOTE? Black Cat has to steal from Knull himself! If you know Felicia Hardy, she never shows up inappropriately dressed - THIS ISSUE, Felicia gets her own ANTI-VENOM COSTUME!
Yet Knull’s power levels are above and beyond the average symbiote, so there exists a possibility that the Anti-Venom suit may not even work against him. The suit is also partially made of symbiote material, so perhaps this will allow Knull to control it somehow? Knull also has other tools at his disposal; first and foremost among them is the Necrosword, a sword fashioned from the abyss Knull once lived in and capable of killing a Celestial with one swipe.
Another question to ask is how will this impact Black Cat moving forward? Will she keep the suit? It would provide many advantages in her line of work, so it is not beyond the realm of possibility she could keep it. But first, she must survive her encounter with Knull in Black Cat #2.