Warning! Spoilers for S.W.O.R.D #4 and King in Black #5!

Marvel’s King in Black event is finally over, and even though Venom and his allies have squeaked out a win, one tiny change could have made their nemesis, Knull, one of the scariest villains in the history of the Marvel universe. Too bad that as it stands, he was just another crazed, near-omnipotent villain with some sharp teeth, love for all things black and gooey, and a face only a mother could love.

As seen in S.W.O.R.D. #4 by Al Ewing and Valerio Schiti as well as the vast amount of tie-ins and mainline entries in this sweeping crossover event, Knull was depicted as a terrifying and horrific force to be reckoned with as he made his slow creep across the galaxy to devour Earth and its mightiest heroes whole. Born of darkness, imbued with the power to control those he has claimed via his symbiote offspring and brandishing a weapon called All-Black the Necrosword that is as strong as it is terrible, Knull had the potential to become something more than just a scary villain on a power trip.

Related: Venom As The King in Black Could Be A Bad Thing

But being the void made flesh, the God of Symbiotes, the villain that darkness bows to and a wildly powerful symbiote dragon-whisperer all rolled into one, fans would think that the number one rule of horror – less is more – would be followed to the letter to give this big bad a sense of dread and terror that is usually reserved for Hollywood boogeymen and the writhing thing living rent free under your bed. Instead, the approach seemed botched from the start as Knull made his physical presence known almost immediately, taking away the creep-factor of an amorphous villain who could have given readers nightmares.

Knull description

Described in perfect, frightening detail in S.W.O.R.D. #4, Frenzy speaks of Knull in a way that hits the nail on the head in terms of how Marvel should have always approached Knull to begin with. Saying, “I was on Krakoa…something stole Cable’s face…and then…it feels like a black hole around me, crushing in on every side. Physically and emotionally. Endless despair. Everything feels flat. Lifeless. Hopeless. I’m alone in the dark.” Get any chills reading that one?

Sounding like the devil incarnate as well as a being of unfathomable darkness and evil, Frenzy easily makes a case for how Marvel could have – and should have – rolled out a character that honestly deserved better. By showing their monster way earlier and more often than necessary, Knull’s constant presence becomes a problem, especially when his character design is seen as incredibly basic to the heroes of Marvel, and by extension the fans. This pale man with sharp teeth and flowy hair not only ended up failing to live up to his own reputation in terms of scare-factor, but Marvel in general looks to have squandered an opportunity to build a horror icon in a way that seemed fresh and new, settling for something “meh” and derivative instead.

So while Knull ended up being seen and heard way more than necessary by the time he was summarily dropped into the sun, this Dracula-lite was a misstep for a baddie that had the potential to scare the living daylights out of anyone turning the page. And although his symbiote creations still carry an eerie air of danger and the unknown with them wherever they slither and skitter to, their god, the King in Black, could have used a bit more mystique and a little more thought put into the reveal, design and treatment of a creature of darkness that could have been more than he ultimately was.

Next: Dragon Ball's Goku vs. Marvel's King in Black: Who'd Win in a Fight