Venom Writer Calls Out Fans Over King in Black Parody

Thor and Venom writer Donny Cates has hit out at fans criticizing his co-created character Knull, aka the King in Black, right as the antihero begins his own solo series with Marvel Comics.

Donny Cates Calls Out Marvel Fan's Knull Parody

In a recent X post, user @RealTruggler shared a parodic 'pitch' for Knull. Using a badly photoshopped image of Final Fantasy VII's Sephiroth, @RealTruggler emphasized the character's bombastic lore, writing, "he's more powerful than THE SENTRY HIMSELF and CANNOT BE KILLED."

In a surprising response, Knull's co-creator (alongside artist Ryan Stegman) hit back, with Cates describing Spider-Man in similarly bombastic terms as "an immortal genius ninja who can see the future," seemingly suggesting that the criticisms of Knull are a matter of framing.

Online reaction has been mixed, with some agreeing with Cates that all Marvel characters can be rendered ridiculous with the right description, and others decrying the big-name creator's decision to weigh in on a post that didn't even tag him.

It's an interesting time for the character to be caught up in controversy, given that this week will see the release of Al Ewing, Tom Waltz and Juanan Ramírez's Knull #1 - the character's first ever solo series.

Are the King in Black Criticisms Fair?

While Cates is clearly proud of a character who was a blockbuster success, his defense of Knull doesn't quite ring true. Cates has a history of introducing vastly powerful characters - from Galactus' godlike master the Black Winter to the Cosmic Ghost Rider - even by the standards of superhero lore.

Knull was introduced wholecloth as the embodiment of primordial darkness, depicted as the ultimate force of evil from before the multiverse existed. This is part of what fans loved about Knull when he debuted - he was a staggering force of evil that completely upended the cosmic order and became the sole origin of all Venom lore.

While Spider-Man has accrued some ridiculous details over sixty years, Knull was introduced as an absolutely unbeatable foe, with 2020's King in Black depicting him destroying every major Marvel hero before a deus ex machina ending empowered Venom to destroy him.

Whether Knull's extreme powers and backstory are enjoyable is a decision for fans, but @RealTruggler isn't randomly insulting Cates' character - the King in Black was a uniquely extreme, 'rule of cool' creation from the very beginning.

Comic Creators Taking on Their Fans Is Surprisingly Common

The bigger issue highlighted by Cates' comments is comic creators engaging directly with their critics. Comics exist in a unique space in pop culture, inspiring the biggest media on the planet while still considered a cult interest in and of themselves. Comic creators are seen as celebrity creators by their fans, but often don't fulfill that definition from their own perspective.

Partly because of this (among many other factors), there's a long history of comic creators taking their critics to task on social media. Spider-Man writer Mark Waid frequently battled with his detractors on X (then Twitter) before deactivating his account, and fans look forward to Gail Simone's snarky putdowns of comic gatekeepers.

It's essential to note that comics can be an incredibly toxic space where creators face abuse and in some cases even death threats simply for telling superhero stories. However, there's a divide between toxic trolls spewing abuse and regular fans discussing characters they don't like between themselves.

Comic Creators Need to Stop Throwing Down with Fans

As a comic reader and journalist, it's weird to see one of the most successful creators in the industry calling out individual fans online - fans who didn't even direct their post his way. Complaining about points of criticism in general is one thing (and a lot of comic creators do so in their blogs and newsletters), but engaging directly is another.

Social media has blurred a lot of lines when it comes to making art, for comic creators especially. But as hard as it may be for Venom's Donny Cates to see his work maligned, creators raise the stakes when they decide to take everyday art criticism as a personal attack. Especially, as in the case of Cates, when their response directs 69.9k followers to a post.

Absent abuse, comic fans deserve to be able to discuss (and even badmouth) their favorite artform on X without feeling like the wrong comment will get them called out by celebrity creators with tens of thousands of followers, even if creators have to actively step back to make that possible.

Knull #1 is coming January 14 from Marvel Comics.