Did Gorr Kill Knull in ‘Thor: God of Thunder’ Comic?

Gorr the God Butcher is the main antagonist of the newest MCU movie, Thor: Love and Thunder. In the comics, Gorr first appeared in Thor: God of Thunder comics. He wielded All-Black the Necrosword, but to get All-Black, it had to be taken from Knull, the God of Symbiotes. So, did Gorr kill Knull in Thor: God of Thunder comic?

Gorr saw two battling gods fall from the sky, one of which was Knull with the Necrosword. After All-Black chose Gorr as a host, he seemingly killed both gods and became the God Butcher. However, Knull survived and came back years later.

Gorr thought he killed Knull, but you can’t kill such an unfathomably powerful entity so easily. I mean, if Gorr – a powerless humanoid alien – became the God Butcher who killed millions of gods just by wielding All-Black, imagine how powerful the guy who created All-Black is. Here’s everything you need to know about Gorr, Knull, All-Black, and their encounter.

When Did Gorr Become The God Butcher?

As I mentioned in the intro, Gorr first appeared in Thor: God of Thunder comics and was nothing but a weak humanoid alien living on a desolate, impoverished, unknown planet. The people were extremely religious, though, and despite the poverty, hunger, and death at every step, they prayed to the gods constantly.

Eventually, Gorr’s entire family died, so he cussed at the gods, not even believing they existed. For that, he was banished from his community. Angry, desperate, and full of sorrow, Gorr wandered the planet, hoping to die, when all of a sudden, he saw two gods crash from the skies in battle.

Gorr was shocked that the gods even existed but even more shocked, disgusted, and enraged when one of them dared to ask him for help. One of the two gods – which we later learn was Knull, the God of Symbiotes – lost his bond with his weapon, All-Black the Necrosword.

Gorr bonded with All-Black, and instead of helping, proceeded to kill both of the fallen gods. Learning that gods really exist, he vowed to kill every god in existence for not answering the prayers of his people and darling to ask for help from him. That’s how Gorr became the God Butcher, who’d go on to slay millions of gods over thousands of years.

Now, he thought that he killed both of the gods that day when he bonded with the Necrosword – but one of them survived.

Did Gorr Kill Knull In Thor: God Of Thunder?

When the two gods fell from the sky in front of Gorr, one of them was Knull. When Gorr peeked at them, the gods had impaled each other on their weapons. Knull was impaled by the spear of the gold-armored god, and Gorr thought he had finished the job by slaying both of them (Thor: God of Thunder #6).

As it turns out, Knull was nowhere near dead. He was hurt and remained dormant for a long time. However, he eventually escaped fallen armor and continued his quest to eradicate the universe and encapsulate it in the living abyss – as it was before the Celestials created the universe as we know it.

He was later imprisoned yet again by no other than his Symbiotes. As Thor helped them break away from Knull’s hive-mind command, they took the God of Symbiotes back to Klyntar – their planet – and kept him trapped deep within.

As we learn, Klyntar was never an actual planet – it’s a huge pile of countless Symbiotes, rolling over one another – and the one thing keeping them together; the hive mind that is their God. You see, Klyntar is not a planet – it’s the Symbiote word for “cage.”

Of course, Knull would eventually escape yet again, only this time, not all the Symbiotes were exactly on his side. Here’s how he was eventually defeated.

When Did Knull Really Die In The Comics?

So, if Gorr didn’t really kill Knull in Thor: God of Thunder, when did Knull really die in the comics? Well, officially, it happened during the King in Black event, precisely King in Black #5.

Knull came to conquer the Earth but was confronted by Thor and Dylan Brock. Thor managed to rip off Knull’s lower jaw with a full-power hit with Mjolnir. However, the God of Thunder was quickly overpowered by the God of Symbiotes and impaled on the Necrosword (yes, Knull had it again, but that’s another story).

However, Knull didn’t expect another player in the mix. It was Eddie Brock and the Venom Symbiote who eventually destroyed Knull – well, with some help, of course.

You see, Eddie and Venom bonded with the Enigma Force, one of the most powerful entities in the universe, also known as the God of Light. Basically, the Enigma Force is the opposite of what Knull was – if he’s the living abyss, the Enigma Force is the living light.

Not only did Venom now possess the powers of the Enigma Force – he also wielded one of the most powerful weapons ever created in the Marvel universe after Thor’s Mjolnir and the Silver Surfer’s board got merged into one divine ax.

A fight ensued that saw Eddie and Venom beat Knull silly and then take him directly into the core of the Sun, destroying Knull’s body and disintegrating him with the Enigma Force’s Uni-Power. Was that really the death of Knull? Well, perhaps it’s not that plain and simple.

Can Knull Ever Really Be Killed?

We’ve seen Knull disintegrated and seemingly destroyed forever. However, the God of Symbiotes has been described as amortal so many times, fans wonder – can Knull ever be killed?

Well, according to Donny Cates, the creator of Knull: “Darkness never dies.”

And, that makes sense, if you ask me. Knull is a primordial being. He was the first “something” in the endless “nothing” before the universe was even created. He predates life and death, and a being of such power can never really be killed.

I believe that in King in Black #5, Knull’s physical body was destroyed, but as long as there is darkness and the living abyss, you cannot really kill Knull, and there’s always a possibility of his return.