The Marvel Cinematic Universe is setting up a villain even more powerful than Kang the Conqueror. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige always promised the studio would "over-deliver" whenever it came to San Diego Comic-Con, and he certainly fulfilled that promise in 2022. He used Marvel's SDCC 2022 panel as an opportunity to announce the entire Phase 5 slate, to reveal the next two Avengers movies, and to confirm Phases 4-6 are collectively called "The Multiverse Saga." This positioned Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror as the next Thanos figure.

The overall direction has long been obvious to most viewers. Loki launched the MCU's multiverse, and even featured an unexpected appearance by a variant of Kang named He Who Remains. Since then, the various MCU heroes have increasingly found themselves drawn into multiversal affairs, most notably in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. That film even introduced some key terms and concepts from the comics that built up towards Secret Wars, a multiversal epic in which every timeline collided. That means few were especially surprised when Marvel revealed they were working on Avengers: Secret Wars, with the real surprise coming through the speed with which the MCU is pivoting towards that event movie. But, surprisingly, the MCU is setting up something even greater - and a cosmic villain beyond even Kang the Conqueror.

Related: What Is Secret Wars? Avengers 6's Title Explained

Thor: Love & Thunder is a massive step along the road towards introducing Knull, a villain who featured in a 2020-2021 event called "King In Black." Thor: Love & Thunder introduced viewers to the Necrosword, an ancient blade of darkness created for the purpose of killing gods. It avoided revealing the history of the Necrosword, simply establishing that it had been forged at the dawn of time, and had been used to slaughter gods for billions of years. In the comics, the Necrosword was created by an ancient being named Knull, who ruled the universe before the dawn of light and life. He was furious when the Celestials began creating galaxies and stars, worlds on which life could flourish, for he viewed their action as an attack on his kingdom. Knull forged the Necrosword as his ultimate weapon against the Celestials - and it's notable that Thor: Love & Thunder also suggested Celestials are closely related to the gods, with two present at Omnipotence City. There is now clearly the potential to introduce Knull to the MCU.

Will Knull Actually Appear In The MCU?

Looking beyond Thor: Love & Thunder, the character of Knull would fit organically with the MCU's grand cosmology. Thor: The Dark World already established there was darkness before the dawn of creation, and Knull could easily be linked to the Dark Elves (perhaps helping redeem those villains). Eternals built upon this, revealing the Celestials were the ones responsible for creating light and life across the cosmos. It would therefore be very easy for Marvel Studios to adapt Knull's comic book story, with the Necrosword serving as another indicator Knull is part of the MCU. Interestingly, Thor: Love & Thunder chose to emphasize the Necrosword's connection to a mysterious "Shadow Realm," a place where light had not penetrated, that could be brought into the story quite easily. In the comics, Knull was imprisoned millennia ago; the Shadow Realm could be his prison in the MCU.

There is, however, one complicated. Knull is not only the ultimate God of Darkness in Marvel Comics; he is also God of the Symbiotes, the one who created the symbiotes associated with Venom. The film rights to Spider-Man, Venom, and all associated characters are owned by Sony - including (according to copies of the contracts that leaked in 2014) new creations. Knull is unlikely to be considered a Spider-Man-oriented character, however, simply because he operates on too vast a scale. It's likely Marvel and Sony's deal considers Knull a shared property, meaning any MCU appearance will depend on their relationship continuing.