Warning, this article contains spoilers for Symbiote Spider-Man #1.
Venom villain Knull has changed history on Prime Earth. The King in Black‘s arrival is causing tremors throughout the timeline and Spider-Man witnessed this first-hand. Spidey first acquired his famous black suit symbiote during the Secret Wars storyline when he needed a new costume. The suit he picked up happened to be part of the Klyntar race, a symbiote race that Knull had created. When Spidey returned to Earth after the event, he discovered that the suit had amazing abilities.
The suit could shift its shape and appearance and also increased Spider-man’s powers. This period when Peter returned home with the symbiote is the period that became altered due to Knull’s interference in the latest book. A symbiote appears during this time period at the Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane and possesses Spider-Man villain Alistair Smythe.
In Symbiote Spider-Man #1 by Peter David, Greg Land, and Iban Coello, both Uatu The Watcher and Kang The Conqueror realize there is a major disturbance in the universe. A shadow begins to eclipse the Earth’s sun as the symbiote that possessed Alistair Smythe begins to infect more of the institute. It dubs itself Mister E and is confused when Spider-Man attacks. Mister E views Spider-Man as kin because of the black symbiote that attached itself to Peter. He tells Peter that they both serve the same God.
The battle between Spider-Man and Mister E comes to an end when The Black Knight arrives and skewers Mister E with his sword. When interrogated about the eclipse Mister E tells the heroes, “creation moves forward, uncreation runs backward.” Knull predates the universe. Before creation, he existed in a dark and quiet abyss. Now he intends to turn back the clock to a time where the universe had only one occupant.
Spider-Man and The Black Knight are confronted with the repercussions of darkness incarnate’s descent on Earth. Knull’s arrival will trigger a symbiote invasion in Marvel Comics’ past. The King in Black is looking to take over the past, present, and future of the universe. Knull and his army will not rest until they turn every living organism into a host and snuff out every life in the galaxy. As if the threat of The King in Black couldn’t get any worse, now there is a possibility that Marvel’s heroes will have to ward off waves of symbiote invasions in multiple time periods along with the present.
