In Marvel’s currently on-going Thor series, written by Donny Cates, readers witnessed the death of Galactus at the hands of Thor. This gigantic death came after the reveal that Galactus survived the destruction of the previous universe because he was the herald of an even bigger cosmic figure, the Black Winter. Though readers and fans are still waiting to see what comes of one of Marvel’s first gods, Galactus appears to remain alive in the MCU. With the recent announcements of Gorr the God Butcher in Thor and a new Fantastic Four movie, this leaves many speculators wondering whether Galactus, the Black Winter, and even Knull will eventually make their way into the MCU?

Silver Surfer Black

Stan Lee famously stated his favorite Marvel character was the Silver Surfer. Following Lee’s death, Cates was given the immense project of creating a new Silver Surfer mini-series. At the end of issue 1, Cates discusses how immense and meaningful the project was to him due to the character’s connection to Lee. The 20th Century Fox Fantastic Four film attempted to recreate Fantastic Four issues 48 and 49 with the coming of Galactus, the Silver Surfer’s rejection of his herald status, and his attempt to save the earth. Because this storyline has already been done, it's possible the MCU will go another route with the Fantastic Four film and if they ever create a Silver Surfer movie. The surfer himself provides an interesting story of his own of how he acquired his powers through Galactus. This plotline was a focal point in Cate’s Silver Surfer Black wherein the surfer deals with all of his past doings with Galactus, culminating in a pitfall into the void where he encounters Knull. This series is still very affordable and issue 1's main cover carries a fair market value of just $85 at a CGC 9.8.

The Black Winter

The origin of Galactus has forever been changed by Cates. First told on the pages of Thor #169, Galactus explains that his previous universe was destroyed by a black plague. Donny Cates took this tiny moment in Marvel history and expanded it in ways we could not have imagined, culminating in the figure of the Black Winter. This ret-con of Galactus’ origin by Donny Cates cannot be ignored by the MCU. If at any point Galactus explains to the Fantastic Four his origin, this will leave wide-open the possibility that the Black Winter will either be mentioned, referenced, or even make some sort of cameo appearance. Hilariously, the cloud in the Fox Fantastic Four film meant to be Galactus could actually be reused as the nebulous figure of the Black Winter. Regardless, the origin of Galactus has forever been changed and the MCU cannot ignore it if they choose to mention Galactus’ origin in a Fantastic Four film.

Knull

With Christian Bale’s announcement to play the role of Gorr the God Butcher, many are wondering if the Necrosword will appear in the film as well? In Jason Aaron’s
Thor God of Thunder run, the Necrosword played a pivotal role in the battle between Thor and Gorr. In fact, Gorr explains that with the sword he was able to kill other gods across the universe, indicating how special and powerful the sword is. Based on its significance alone, it would be worthy to mention or reference its creator which happens to be none other than Cate’s Knull, god of the symbiotes who first appeared in the current Venom series. Knull could serve as the connection between Gorr the God Butcher and Sony’s Venom films. It is worth noting that Sony’s Venom and the MCU’s Spider-Man films have changed a lot of the original interactions and stories between Peter Parker and Eddie Brock. For this reason, it’s reasonable to think that Sony would go the route of pure symbiote films with Carnage and eventually Knull. The symbiotes provide a plethora of characters and storylines alone, in addition to their immense popularity among fans.

Conclusion

Although traditional comic book collecting and speculation should still focus on the Silver Age and other original appearances throughout Marvel history, it is important to keep tabs on modern characters and stories. With the expansiveness of the MCU to video games, film, and TV, producers appear to be looking at all ages of Marvel history for inspiration, characters, and storylines. The announcement of Gorr the God Butcher itself is shocking as the character first appeared in the 2013 series of Thor God of Thunder. Thus, it's worth taking a look at other characters that are intricately woven in that storyline that could come to life on either Sony’s platform or the MCU.