new venom last dance The movie’s trailer debuted last weekend, surprising fans with the news that Knull will likely be the film’s main villain. This came as a shock to the original creator of the character Donny Cates and Ryan StegmanKnull is the god of all symbiotes and has been used heavily in recent Marvel adaptations.
Here’s the original trailer for the film, which will be released on October 25, to see what we’re talking about.
When the news hit the press, the two co-creators jokingly replied on X (formerly Twitter), claiming neither knew about it. Uncertainty about this led to a sudden outpouring of coverage from major entertainment outlets, which were particularly concerned given the shaky history of major comics companies fairly compensating their creators. Especially ones that have generated millions of dollars in revenue through film, game, and merchandise adaptations.
When the news first broke, artist Ryan Stegman issued a brief statement:
“Yes, I did co-create Knull. No, I had no idea until today that he would be in Venom: The Last Dance. Yes, I do hope to eventually be able to afford a lazy river moat around my house.
Next, of course, was Downey’s Food. Who shared this funny tweet in Venom font style…
Ha ha pic.twitter.com/VLKtdhmG9N
— Donny Cates (@Doncates) September 12, 2024
But later, Cates clarified:
“I’ve been talking to Sony and I read the script for ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ and I will say this; it’s a lot bigger than you think and a lot more ambitious than you think. And, um …KNULL. Oh my God. This is how to treat a king. Happy birthday to me.
In fact, Venom (2018) has been slowly being adapted into the Marvel brand for a while…
Knull’s original introduction in Marvel comics reinterpreted the entire long-standing symbiote universe. Knull is revealed as the god and creator of the symbiotes, who is apparently a dark being who existed before the celestial beings gave birth to life. He wants to shroud the universe in darkness like almost all the cool Endgame villains. While Knull’s appearance in a Marvel film adaptation may seem surprising, he’s actually been hinted at in Marvel expansions over the past few years!
Since the beginning of the MCU, we’ve seen his unique weapon: the Sword of the Dead.
Yes, the All-Black weapon used by Jason Aaron against Gorr The God Butcher in Thor was later adapted into the MCU . Thor: Love and Thunder. Many of the creatures Gore spawned through the weapon in that film were later revealed to be the first symbiote, black and fluid in nature – hints at the sword’s true master, as well as its The secret properties it possesses.
The sword’s purpose and history are intentionally left semi-ambiguous in the movie to allow room for reimagining or reconnecting the entire story, whether it’s Sony’s or the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s. The biggest takeaway is that this weapon always inevitably leads to Knull.
That said, this isn’t the only adaptation of 2018’s Venom in recent years…
As reviewed last year, Spider-Man 2 also uses quite a bit of material from the symbiote invasion of Earth storyline. king in black —Cates and Stegman as part of Operation Venom. It’s hard to argue now that this was entirely a borrowed comedy idea, since “alien invasion” often falls under the umbrella of generic superhero movie plots in comedies, but considering Marvel’s long history of ownership when it comes to working with them, it’s hard to argue with that. ? Given that the comic’s art seems a little too similar, you can see that below. First there’s the flying Venom, but also the design of the game’s symbiote invasion and their unique spiral heads – which look almost identical to Stegman’s own creations.
But how does this compensation work, or how are creatives informed in advance? All of this remains invisible, I’m not a lawyer, just a reporter who sees the facts. I can say, though, that fans seem to be pretty conservative in assuring Cates and Stegman that they’ll be paid for this movie – and yes, their work has been a huge contributor over the past few years.
It should be noted that probably the biggest reason I’m writing this article is that, according to Bleeding Cool , Donny Cates was in a horrific car accident over a year ago. The result is considerable brain damage and a period of retrograde amnesia. Highlights of the report highlight that Kate, who was sitting in the middle passenger seat, was rear-ended and his laptop more or less went through part of his skull.
Cates has since been in rehab, slowly and quietly making his way back to health, during which time he won multiple Marvel titles. It has long been rumored that he created many large-scale works in the process. Including some rumors I’ve also heard that he originally had a role in the upcoming Absolute DC/All-In DC.
It’s worth noting that before all of this happened, Donny Cates was one of Marvel’s hottest and fastest-rising stars. From what I gathered behind the scenes, Cates was a bit of an eccentric (very rock star and Gerald Way vibe in my personal opinion), although he was perfectly suited to the task, and his extraordinary talent was partly due to Years of hard work pitching and honing skills to earn a well-deserved spot.
We’ve seen this happen time and time again. From Peter David to Brett Lewis, creators need crowdfunding to pay for medical bills. This is why organizations like the Hero Initiative exist. This is why artists need to crowdfund from their own audiences to survive, even though these IPs are based on toys borrowed from companies and are worth billions of dollars. Thankfully, Cates appears to be doing fine and is making great progress in his recovery. He is also confirmed to appear at New York Comic Con 2024.
The complexity of hiring
As someone who not only covers comics but also hires people to help produce his own comics and is part of this independent circuit, I do have to stress the slight complexity that comes with hiring contract work. All things considered, it has some advantages, but it also has its disadvantages.
On the plus side, it’s a tough economy and an even tougher job market, so now having a guaranteed page rate and low commitment beyond getting the job done does have its advantages. You do a job. You get paid for it. Finish. Many artists now tend to do this on a contract-for-hire basis, not just for independent work but also for larger companies including the two major companies. This isn’t great in the sense that you have little control over how you make money, but it’s a direct means to an end.
On the negative side, this strategy can hurt the backend. Major corporations make millions of dollars in profits from other works and ideas and don’t have to compensate creators for their work under their employment contracts. Many creators are just happy to play with toys in a company’s game box, and in turn, compensation can be kept low to keep profitability high—that’s the business of integrating creativity into entertainment.
As someone who has dabbled in many fields, this is very much an entertainment industry issue, not just comics. This is how a lot of business has been done for quite some time. It does come with some benefits though.
In turn, working for a company with that kind of legacy means pushing the creator’s own reputation forward – and with that fan base, people can try to do other things. This is how you get your own Todd McFarlane’s or Robert Kirkman’s of the world. When opportunity meets luck and business acumen – albeit often with a lot of trial and error.
I’ll end this post by acknowledging that it’s really hard for creatives right now for a number of reasons. In these unprecedented times, most entertainment media (not just comics) are facing many uncertainties, including the rise of artificial intelligence and an oversaturated market looking to scale. The competition for attention is more fierce than ever, and social media has transformed from a platform designed to build an audience to a platform designed to divert users’ attention by keeping them scrolling infinitely.
I’ve talked in the past about how the world is changing – and comics are too. I think a lot of people want to keep comics alive but don’t know how. Personally, I recommend starting with opening your phone and looking at your hourly usage. Look at what you’re spending your time on and what you’re neglecting to spend on things you’re passionate about or, like me, are working to change the world.
Because if you really like something – whether it’s a person or a medium – it’s really worth spending some of your precious time. There is only so much in life.
