Warning! Spoilers for King in Black #2, by Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, Frank Martin, and VC’s Clayton Cowles, below.
One of the many contributing factors that make King in Black’s invasion of Earth so utterly insane is how quickly the God of Symbiotes effortlessly defeated some of the planet’s most powerful heroes. The list is quite staggering. The devastation that Knull and his minions imparted during King in Black #1 was so complete that many of the few lucky survivors understandably believed that those who fell under the unwavering and absolute might of Knull’s onslaught had undoubtedly perished. Peter Parker seemed to have initially agreed with this general consensus based upon his reaction in the second and latest issue when he realizes otherwise. Instead, those whom Knull did not kill, including Cyclops, Captain America,and The Thing, are now part of his symbiote army.
Spider-Man knows a thing or two about symbiote-controlled superheroes, hence why he says, “Oh God…he didn’t kill them…” when he sees them, before quickly slinging away as fast as he can. In Carnage, U.S.A., Peter faced off against many of these very heroes before, including Captain America and the Thing in addition to zoo animals, when they were all under the influence of Carnage’s will.
Now, Spidey must also contend with a symbiote-controlled Hawkeye and Wolverine. And this isn’t even considering the events of Absolute Carnage where a symbiote-controlled Hulk can be added to the mix. Sure, the green World-Breaker spent the majority of his time in this augmented state battling Carnage, but the chaos that ensued was a sight to behold. So if Carnage’s puppets caused Peter headaches before, then those under the influence of Knull would cause an all-out migraine.
Plus, it’s quite possible that Spider-Man’s negative reaction could be derived not just out of fear for the damage these superheroes are quite capable of inflicting as Knull’s slaves, but out of pity for what they are undoubtedly experiencing. Peter has been controlled by a symbiote himself many times, most notably in the Ultimate Spider-Man series when Green Goblin injected him with the Venom serum, which did not react well with his biology. This isn’t even mentioning the mental anguish Peter endured when he first bonded with the Venom symbiote, an experience he found to be both terrifying and experience mostly on account for the symbiote having a mind of its own that could interact with his own thoughts.
As to how much damage the Knull-controlled superheroes can make has yet to be seen. Readers know the first one to engage them in combat is the Human Torch after he employed his Nova Blast after sharing his plans with Peter, and the fiery explosion gave Spider-Man a chance to escape with Eddie. Are there any other heroes who are suffering the same fate as the ones Spidey comes across? We’ll find out as King in Black continues.
