Core Identity: Born from the primordial darkness and wielded by gods and madmen, All-Black the Necrosword is the very first Symbiote, a sentient weapon of immense power capable of slaying cosmic deities and corrupting all who wield it.
* Key Takeaways:
* Role in the Universe:
All-Black is not merely a sword; it is a living abyss, the progenitor of the entire Klyntar race and the ultimate expression of the cosmic entity knull's will to extinguish all light and life in creation.
* Primary Impact:
The Necrosword is directly responsible for one of the most devastating events in Asgardian history through the hands of gorr_the_god_butcher, whose deicidal rampage across millennia nearly erased all divinity from the cosmos and left deep psychological scars on thor_odinson.
* Key Incarnations:
In the comics (Earth-616), All-Black is explicitly the first Symbiote created by Knull. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), its origin is more ambiguous; it is an ancient, cursed blade that corrupts its wielder with shadow magic, but its direct connection to Knull and the Symbiotes is severed for cinematic simplicity.
===== Part 2: Origin and Evolution =====
==== Publication History and Creation ====
All-Black the Necrosword first appeared with a cataclysmic impact in Thor: God of Thunder #2 (January 2013), though its presence was felt from the very first issue of the series. The weapon, along with its most famous wielder, Gorr the God Butcher, was co-created by writer Jason Aaron
and artist Esad Ribić
. Their run on Thor is celebrated for its epic scope, blending cosmic horror with high fantasy, and the Necrosword was the central artifact of this vision.
Aaron and Ribić introduced the sword as a mysterious, terrifying force. It was a weapon that allowed a mortal to challenge and murder gods, a concept that immediately established the stakes of their story. Initially, the sword's origins were shrouded in mystery, presented simply as a “darkness” that Gorr bonded with. This ambiguity fueled fan speculation for years. It wasn't until the landmark 2018-2019 storyline Venom by writer Donny Cates
and artist Ryan Stegman
that the sword's true nature was revealed in a massive retcon. Cates tied the Necrosword directly into the lore of the Symbiotes, retroactively establishing it as the very first of its kind and the personal weapon of their dark creator, Knull. This revelation was a masterstroke of interconnected storytelling, fundamentally re-contextualizing not just Gorr's story but the entire history of Venom, Carnage, and their species, culminating in the universe-spanning event, king_in_black.
==== In-Universe Origin Story ====
The origin of All-Black is a tale of two vastly different continuities, each reflecting the narrative needs of its respective medium. One is a story of cosmic horror and primordial creation, while the other is a more grounded, mythic tale of a cursed object.
=== Earth-616 (Prime Comic Universe) ===
The true origin of All-Black predates the known universe. Before light, before life, there was only the endless, sentient void. From this void emerged Knull, the Lord of the Abyss. When the cosmic beings known as the Celestials began their work of creation, bringing light and life into his darkness, Knull saw it as an unforgivable trespass.
In retaliation against the “light of creation,” Knull manifested his power. He reached into his own living shadow, his “living abyss,” and from it, he forged a blade. This was All-Black
, the Necrosword. It was not forged from metal or any conventional material; it was a piece of the void itself, a sentient darkness given form and purpose. It was the first Symbiote.
With this newfound weapon, Knull attacked a trespassing Celestial, decapitating the cosmic god with a single blow. The severed Celestial head would later become the cosmic mining colony known as Knowhere
. Knull then used the forge of the dying Celestial's head, tempered by its cosmic energies, to refine the Necrosword, purging some of its weaknesses (like intense heat and sound) and imbuing it with a fraction of the dead god's power. He then embarked on a genocidal war against the light, using All-Black and an army of Symbiote-dragons to consume entire civilizations.
After millennia of conquest, Knull was eventually defeated and stranded on a desolate, nameless planet. Mortally wounded and weakened, he entered a state of hibernation. The Necrosword, however, became separated from him. On that same barren world, a mortal alien named Gorr, whose family had perished despite his unwavering faith, had finally renounced the gods. In his moment of ultimate despair and rage, he witnessed the crash of two warring gods—one of them being a wounded Knull. When the other god begged Gorr for help, Gorr, disgusted by the sight of a god asking a mortal for aid, was instead drawn to the amorphous, black ooze slithering from Knull.
This ooze was All-Black. Sensing Gorr's profound, bottomless hatred for the gods, the weapon bonded with him. It flowed over his hand, forming a sharp, obsidian blade and granting him the power to finally act on his nihilistic beliefs. With the Necrosword in hand, Gorr murdered his first god, beginning his infamous crusade as the God Butcher.
=== Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) ===
The origin of All-Black in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Earth-199999), as depicted in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), is significantly streamlined and disconnected from its comic book counterpart's complex cosmic lore.
In the MCU, Gorr is a devout man from a desolate, barren world. He and his people worship the god Rapu, praying for deliverance from their harsh reality. Despite his faith, his daughter, Love, dies in his arms from starvation and dehydration. Heartbroken and lost, Gorr wanders into a lush oasis, where he finds his god, Rapu, celebrating a recent victory.
Gorr confronts Rapu, telling him of his people's suffering and his daughter's death. Rapu is arrogant and dismissive, mocking Gorr's faith and stating that the purpose of mortals is simply to suffer and die. As Rapu attempts to kill Gorr, a nearby ancient weapon, the Necrosword
, calls out to him. The sword lies at the base of a ruined shrine, pulsing with dark energy.
Sensing Gorr's overwhelming grief and newfound hatred, the Necrosword offers him the power to exact revenge. Gorr picks up the blade, and it immediately corrupts him. His skin turns pale, his eyes glow yellow, and black veins crawl across his body. He gains the ability to manipulate shadows and summon monstrous creatures. His first act is to murder Rapu, vowing to kill all gods for their selfishness and indifference.
Critically, the MCU's Necrosword has no stated connection to Knull, the Symbiotes, or Celestials. It is presented as a singular, powerful, and malevolent artifact of unknown origin. Its curse is also a key plot point: the sword grants its wielder immense power but also slowly poisons them, draining their life force and driving them to madness, guaranteeing their eventual demise. This change serves to make Gorr's story more self-contained and his motivations more tragically immediate, focusing on the personal cost of his quest for vengeance rather than a universe-spanning cosmic war.
===== Part 3: Composition, Powers & Wielders =====
The Necrosword's capabilities and nature differ dramatically between the comics and the films, reflecting its fundamentally different origins in each medium.
=== Earth-616 (Prime Comic Universe) ===
As the first Symbiote, All-Black is a living, semi-sentient being composed of the “living abyss,” the primordial void from which Knull was born. It is not a static object but a parasitic, amorphous entity that bonds with a host.
==== Powers and Abilities ====
* Divine Slayer:
The Necrosword's primary function is its ability to kill any being, including abstract entities, cosmic beings, and the most powerful gods. It was forged specifically for this purpose and has slain countless deities across the universe.
* Symbiotic Empowerment:
All-Black grants its host a suite of superhuman abilities, including:
* Superhuman Strength, Speed, and Durability:
Wielders are elevated to a level where they can physically overwhelm gods like Thor. Gorr was able to fight three versions of Thor from different time periods simultaneously.
* Immortality and Regeneration:
The host is rendered functionally immortal, ceasing to age and capable of regenerating from grievous wounds, including near-total disintegration. Gorr lived for thousands of years fueled by the sword.
* Amorphous Weaponry & Constructs:
The sword is not limited to a blade form. It is a mass of living darkness that the wielder can shape at will. Its most common uses include:
* Sharp-Edged Weapons:
Swords, daggers, spears, and tendrils.
* Armor and Wings:
It can form a protective carapace around the wielder or manifest wings for flight.
* Black Berserkers:
Gorr famously used All-Black to create an army of sentient constructs called the Black Berserkers. These hounds of the void could fight independently and overwhelm entire armies.
* Cosmic Power Manipulation:
Having been tempered in the fires of a dying Celestial and having consumed the power of countless gods, the sword can absorb and manipulate vast amounts of cosmic energy. King Thor used it to absorb the energies of Galactus.
* Corruption and Influence:
The sword preys on the negative emotions of its host—hate, despair, grief—and amplifies them, twisting the wielder's mind and making them a slave to its dark purpose.
* Technopathy:
A lesser-known but potent ability, Gorr used the sword to create the “Godbomb,” a massive weapon of living darkness designed to detonate across all of spacetime and erase every god that ever was or ever will be.
==== Notable Wielders ====
* Knull:
Its creator and first master. Knull wielded it as an extension of his own being during his ancient war against the Celestials and the light of creation.
* Gorr the God Butcher:
Its most infamous wielder. Gorr used the sword for millennia to carry out his deicidal crusade, becoming one of Thor's greatest and most terrifying enemies.
* Thor Odinson (All-Father Thor):
In the far future, an aged King Thor took up the Necrosword to battle a universe-devouring Galactus. The sword's corrupting influence nearly consumed him before he managed to cast it into a black hole.
* Galactus, the Butcher of Worlds:
When King Thor fought him, Galactus seized the Necrosword for himself, merging with it to become an even more terrifying entity. He was only defeated when Ego the Living Planet, now possessed by a future version of Loki, also bonded with a piece of the All-Black.
* Ego the Living Planet:
Wielded the sword in its battle against Galactus at the end of time.
* Loki:
A future, Necrosword-wielding version of Loki, known as the “All-Butcher,” arrived to fight King Thor, demonstrating the sword's corrupting power even on the God of Mischief.
=== Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) ===
In the MCU, the Necrosword is a more straightforward cursed weapon, a physical blade whose powers are rooted in shadow magic rather than symbiotic biology.
==== Powers and Abilities ====
* God-Slaying Blade:
Like its comic counterpart, its primary attribute is its lethality against gods. Gorr uses it to kill Rapu and many other deities with ease.
* Corruption and Life-Drain:
The sword is explicitly a curse. It grants immense power but slowly kills its wielder, physically and mentally. It feeds on their life force, causing physical degradation and paranoid madness. The only cure is to be separated from it or to reach the cosmic entity Eternity.
* Umbrakinesis (Shadow Manipulation):
The sword grants the wielder complete control over shadows.
* Shadow Travel:
Gorr can melt into any shadow and emerge from another, allowing for instantaneous teleportation across vast distances.
* Summoning Shadow Monsters:
Gorr can use the sword to bring shadows to life, creating monstrous, tar-like creatures of various shapes and sizes to fight for him. These are the MCU's equivalent of the Black Berserkers.
* Superhuman Enhancement:
The wielder gains superhuman strength, agility, and durability sufficient to fight and nearly defeat Thor and the Mighty Thor (Jane Foster) simultaneously.
==== Notable Wielders ====
* Unknown Previous Wielder:
The sword is found in a ruined shrine, implying it had a previous owner who was likely killed or defeated long ago.
* Gorr:
The only known wielder of the Necrosword in the MCU. The sword “chose” him in his moment of supreme despair and empowered his quest to reach Eternity and wish for the death of all gods.
===== Part 4: Thematic Significance & Key Conflicts =====
The Necrosword is more than just a weapon; it is a narrative device that explores profound themes of faith, nihilism, corruption, and the nature of power.
==== The War on Divinity (Gorr the God Butcher) ====
The sword's most defining conflict is Gorr's war against the gods. All-Black did not create Gorr's hatred; it merely gave him the means to act upon it. The weapon is a physical manifestation of his nihilistic philosophy: a tool born of darkness to return everything to darkness. The story arc, chronicled in Thor: God of Thunder #1-11, explores the question, “What happens when a mortal gains the power to hold the gods accountable?” The Necrosword represents absolute, corrupting power. It promises justice but delivers only oblivion, twisting Gorr's righteous grief into a genocidal obsession that makes him no different from the cruel, selfish gods he despises. This conflict forces Thor to confront his own role as a god and the very concept of divinity.
==== The Primordial Darkness (Knull, King in Black) ====
The retcon that established All-Black as the first Symbiote fundamentally changed its significance. It was no longer just Gorr's weapon; it was the origin point for one of Marvel's most popular species and the key to understanding their dark god, Knull. In this context, the Necrosword represents the universe's primordial antithesis to life and creation. It is Knull's will made manifest. The king_in_black event is the ultimate culmination of this idea, where Knull arrives to reclaim his long-lost power and plunge the universe back into the void from which it came. The Necrosword becomes a symbol of ultimate cosmic horror—the terrifying truth that darkness is not just the absence of light, but a hungry, sentient force.
==== A Tool of Vengeance and Despair ====
A recurring theme is that All-Black finds and empowers those who are broken. It found Gorr after he lost his faith and family. It tempted a weary, cynical King Thor who had lost everything. It merged with a perpetually hungry Galactus. The sword is a predator that senses despair and offers a terrible, simple solution: power. It is a metaphor for how grief and hatred can become all-consuming, transforming a person into the very thing they sought to destroy. The wielder believes they are in control, but it is always the darkness of the sword that truly holds the power.
===== Part 5: Iconic Events & Storylines =====
=== The God Butcher Saga (Thor: God of Thunder #1-11) ===
This is the Necrosword's debut and its most defining story. The narrative unfolds across three timelines. In the past, a young, unworthy Thor is brutally defeated by Gorr and the Necrosword, an event that haunts him for centuries. In the present, Avenger Thor investigates a series of god-murders across the cosmos, discovering Gorr's trail of celestial bodies. In the far future, a bitter, one-eyed King Thor is the last Asgardian in a dead universe, ruling over a desolate Midgard, preparing for his final battle with Gorr.
Gorr uses the Necrosword's power to enslave gods from across time to build the “Godbomb,” a weapon made of living darkness that will detonate and erase all divinity from existence. The three Thors are brought together to fight Gorr on his dark world. The sword's constructs, the Black Berserkers, prove nearly unstoppable. Ultimately, it is the faith of Gorr's own resurrected son, Agar, who calls him a hypocrite, that gives Thor the opening he needs. Avenger Thor, wielding two Mjolnirs, absorbs the entirety of the Godbomb's blast and the Necrosword itself, finally defeating Gorr.
=== The Last Days of Midgard (Thor Vol. 4 #1-8) ===
Millennia in the future, King Thor faces a new threat: Galactus, who has come to consume the now-lifeless Earth. Recognizing he is outmatched, Thor retrieves All-Black the Necrosword from the black hole he cast it into. He battles Galactus, but the sword's corrupting influence begins to overwhelm him. In a shocking turn, the perpetually hungry Galactus senses the sword's even greater hunger. He forcibly takes the Necrosword from Thor, merging with it to become the “Butcher of Worlds,” a cosmic terror far greater than either of his previous forms. This storyline showcased that even for a being like Galactus, the Necrosword's power was a corrupting and irresistible temptation.
=== King in Black (2020-2021) ===
This universe-wide event served as the climax for the Necrosword's retconned origin. Knull, the Symbiote God, arrives at Earth with his army, encasing the planet in a dome of living abyss. The heroes learn that Knull is searching for the remnants of the Necrosword's power—the “codex” or “All-Black” spark—that resides within anyone who has bonded with a Symbiote. The final battle sees a cosmically-powered Thor, now the All-Father, face Knull. When all seems lost, Thor realizes the truth: the Necrosword was just a tool. The true power was always the living abyss. In a final, desperate act, Thor merges the power of the Enigma Force (Captain Universe) with Mjolnir, transforming it into a divine opposite of the Necrosword. He uses this power to purge the All-Black from Venom, finally destroying Knull and severing the sword's dark legacy from the universe forever.
===== Part 6: Variants and Alternative Versions =====
=== Marvel Cinematic Universe (Earth-199999) ===
As detailed previously, the MCU Necrosword is the most significant alternate version. Its core differences are:
* Origin:
Ambiguous, ancient cursed blade vs. the first Symbiote created by Knull.
* Nature:
A magical object with shadow-based powers vs. a living, amorphous, parasitic being.
* Weakness:
Slowly poisons and kills its host vs. vulnerability to intense sonic frequencies and heat (though this was largely overcome).
* Lore:
Self-contained within Gorr's story vs. deeply integrated into the cosmic history of Symbiotes, Celestials, and the entire Marvel Universe.
=== Hela's Necroswords (MCU Fan Theory) ===
A popular topic of discussion among fans is the nature of the blades wielded by Hela in Thor: Ragnarok. Hela can manifest seemingly endless black blades from her body, which are referred to as “Necroswords” in some official art books and behind-the-scenes material. This has led to speculation that her weapons are connected to Gorr's Necrosword.
However, there is no canonical connection in the MCU
.
* Visuals:
Hela's blades are sharp, obsidian, and relatively uniform in shape. Gorr's Necrosword is depicted as more gnarled, ancient, and almost organic.
* Powers:
Hela's power to manifest the blades is shown to be innate to her as the Goddess of Death and the firstborn of Odin; she does not require an external object. The Necrosword in Love and Thunder is a distinct artifact that grants power to its wielder.
* Narrative:
The filmmakers and writers have never established a link. Hela's power source is Asgard itself, while the Necrosword is a separate, corrupting entity. The shared “Necro” prefix appears to be a thematic coincidence related to their death-related powers rather than a direct lineage.
=== Video Games ===
All-Black the Necrosword has made appearances in several mobile and console games, often as an ability or item associated with Gorr or Knull.
* In Marvel Contest of Champions, Knull is a playable character who wields All-Black as his primary weapon, using it to create armor and tendrils, reflecting his comic book abilities.
* In Marvel Snap**, Knull is a powerful card whose ability is tied to destroying other cards, and his art prominently features the Necrosword. Gorr is also a card, and his ability reflects his god-killing crusade.