We Hope the Creators of VENOM: THE LAST DANCE’s Villain Knull Get Paid

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As a long-time follower of comic book lore and a staunch advocate for the rights of creators, I can’t help but feel a mix of excitement and indignation upon hearing about the latest development regarding Knull‘s appearance in Venom: The Last Dance. On one hand, it’s thrilling to see such a significant comic book character make his live-action debut. However, on the other, it’s disheartening to learn that the creators who brought Knull to life were left in the dark about this development.

In the final trailer of ‘Venom: The Last Dance’, we were introduced to the main antagonist for the first time – a villain from Venom comics history, named Knull, who is said to be the largest in scale. The unveiling was thrilling, but surprisingly, even those responsible for creating Knull learned about his presence in the movie through this trailer itself. Now that they are aware of Knull’s live-action debut in Venom’s third film, creators are eagerly anticipating something more – financial success for their creation.

After the unveiling of the last trailer for Venom: The Last Dance, two creators associated with Knull shared an unexpected revelation on social media. It turns out they weren’t informed by Sony about their character being featured in the movie. The initial post (originally spotted at IGN) was from Ryan Stegman, who illustrated the comic issue where Knull was first introduced. On Twitter, he expressed his expectation of a substantial payment since Knull is portrayed as the film’s main antagonist.

Indeed, I was one of the creators behind knull. However, I wasn’t aware that he would appear in “Venom: The Last Dance” until today. And yes, I am hoping and anticipating that someday soon I will be able to afford installing a leisurely flowing water feature surrounding my house, much like a lazy river moat.

— Ryan “x-men man” $tegman (@RyanStegman) September 12, 2024

A lazy river moat at home does sound nice.

As for the creator of the comic, Donny Cates, he was quite straightforward with his sentiments. He shared a picture that simply read “MONEY” accompanied by a chuckle, symbolized as “lol.

lol

— DONNY CATES (@Doncates) September 12, 2024

It’s quite clear how both of them are feeling about the situation. These creators brought Knull to life on the Marvel Comics pages. With him now starring in a live-action movie, they seek fair compensation for their work.

Without question or reservation, they should be.

It’s no secret that Hollywood hasn’t always given comic book creators the fair treatment they deserve (and this is certainly putting it mildly). By speaking out about this obvious injustice, Stegman and Cates are shedding light on yet another instance of corporations reaping profits while neglecting their debt to those who made it all possible. Without the contributions of comic book writers, artists, and other creators, there wouldn’t even be a Knull character for Venom: The Last Dance.

It’s not a good indication for future compensation if Sony didn’t inform them that Knull is in the movie. However, public backlash could potentially change that situation. Fingers crossed it does. Ideally, such treatment of comic book creators will cease altogether. We hope to oppose Knull when he appears in Venom: The Last Dance, but not for this particular reason.

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2024-09-13 22:02