Knull vs. Thanos: Who Would Win in a Fight of Villains?

When it comes to Marvel villains, few are as powerful or as ruthless as Knull and Thanos. Knull, the God of the Symbiotes, commands an army of alien creatures and seeks to conquer the universe. At the same time, Thanos, the Mad Titan, is infamous for his quest to balance the universe through mass extermination. Both are capable of extreme destruction, and both clashed with numerous powerful entities over the history of their existence, but if it ever came to a fight between Knull and Thanos, who would win? 

Knull would win in a fight against Thanos. Both villains are incredibly powerful and have nearly-unlimited strength at their disposal, but Knull, being the primordial god of darkness, simply commands forces that are beyond even Thanos’ comprehension. Knull is durable is far more deadly than Thanos can ever hope to be. Having a macabre record of numerous slain gods, Celestials, and minor deities, Knull is quite the formidable force that Thanos can’t even hope to match. 

Now that we’ve covered the answer, it’s time to analyze the two villains in a bit more depth. If you’re interested in how the Mad Titan fares against Knull regarding powers, abilities, strength, and durability, stay with us since we’re about to analyze it to a great extent. 

Powers and abilities

Thanos is a master when it comes to energy projection and manipulation. He can skillfully utilize various mystical energies to create force fields, alter matter, and even distort reality to a limited extent. Thanos is likewise capable of producing greatly destructive blasts and emitting high-energy heat beams from his eyes. One of Thanos’ greatest abilities lies in the fact that he is a skilled manipulator capable of inducing madness and distorting their senses. Thanos can manipulate elements to a certain extent, but overall his powers and abilities highly depend on whether he has some other mystical item helping him out.  

Knull is a primordial God of Darkness. He is the embodiment of everything rotten, dark, and decayed in the Marvel universe. This status grants him ultimate control over eldritch forces and the void. By utilizing his command over Void, Knull is capable of creating symbiotes and commanding them, dispatching them to even the farthest corners of the universe.

By employing his highly-destructive powers, Knull has been responsible for destroying numerous worlds and planets, killing millions of gods and celestial entities. He is capable of killing a Celestial and utilizing their powers to create powerful pieces of equipment, most notably Necrosword. Besides manipulating void forces, Knull can alter time and even shape-shift, taking on numerous grotesque forms. 

Based on everything we’ve seen, Knull has complete mastery over the void, and everything related to dark forces. His powers, capable of destroying entire worlds, are far more potent than what Thanos’ has in his arsenal. This point goes to Knull. 

Points: Thanos (0:1) Knull

Strength and Stamina 

The exact limit to Thanos’ strength is not exactly known. What we do know as a fact, however, is that Thanos is, due to his enhanced Eternal/Deviant physiology, even stronger than an average Eternal. Thanos accomplished incredible feats with raw strength alone, and he can further enhance it by utilizing cosmic powers. In regards to stamina, his unique physiology also grants him nearly limitless stamina, which makes him able to fight and exert himself for prolonged periods of time without needing to rest or suffering adverse effects. 

Knull was strong enough to kill a Celestial single-handedly. He faced some of the most powerful characters in the Marvel universe with relatively little ease and walked away unharmed. He proved himself stronger than Silver Surfer, All-Father Thor, and Sentry, all of which are known to have infinite strength. Being the creature of the Void, Knull doesn’t have to eat or sleep. He is capable of self-sustenance and can possibly last in a fight for eons without suffering the ill effects of fatigue. 

Both Thanos and Knull have impressive feats when it comes to strength, and if the two were to lock in a match, it would hardly be about physical strength. Due to that, the point goes to both of them. 

Points: Thanos (1:2) Knull

Speed

Thanos can move at incredible speed despite his large frame. He can fly and teleport and can be extremely mobile if he needs to reach some distant corner of the universe. In the context of combat, Thanos is likewise extremely fast and has unparalleled reflexes and agility. 

Knull can easily move at speeds that exceed the speed of life. By manifesting a pair of black wings, he can likewise fly and speed-blitz even the fastest of opponents, like celestial. His combat reflexes and agility are fast enough to counter almost anyone, as Knull is capable of reacting (and acting) faster than the speed of thought. 

Thanos seems slow when compared to Knull, and due to this, the point goes to the King in Black.

Points: Thanos (1:3) Knull

Durability

Thanos has two things that afford him incredible, almost unparalleled durability. He has Eternal/Deviant physiology, which means that his tissues are incredibly hard to damage, and he has a fast healing factor. His healing factor can repair most brutal damage in a short amount of time. Thanos can recover from incredible damage that would leave a lesser being severely damaged or even dead. Over the course of his existence, Thanos tanked damage from opponents far stronger than he is, which begs us to question whether he can even die. 

The best testament to Knull’s durability is the fact that he survived being blasted by a Celestial. Knull can be damaged and even feel pain (as was seen in numerous instances), but it’s quite possible that due to his amortality and his connection with the Void, he can’t truly be killed. Knull has existed for 13.7 billion years, and even after being reduced to not a single atom, he successfully utilized Symbiote Hive-Mind to return from the dead. 

Thanos might be durable, but Knull is eternal. 

Points: Thanos (1:4) Knull

Intelligence

Thanos might be among the smartest characters in the Marvel Universe. His intelligence and willpower are legendary, and he is known to be able to abuse even the most dangerous scenarios to his advantage. Thanos is a genius, and he weaponizes that intellect to discern the true intentions of the beings that he surrounds himself with. Besides, Thanos was known to be exceptionally smart from a young age, even among Eternals. It’s his brutal wit and unwavering determination that led him on the path of obtaining the Infinity Gauntlet. 

To survive 13.7 billion years, you have to be pretty smart. Knull perhaps wasn’t created as a genius, but over the course of his terrifyingly long existence. He had enough time to learn everything there was. And I mean everything. Knull has seen universes being born and dying. He has wiped out gods, enslaved Celestials, and managed to keep himself alive through the eons, despite clashing with the most powerful forces of the universe. Besides, Knull has access to Symbiote Hive-Mind, which gives him a sort of quasi-omnipresence to all corners of the universe where Symbiotes are. Due to everything, we can certainly conclude that Knull is smarter than Thanos. 

Points: Thanos (1:5) Knull

Combat Skills 

Thanos was trained in every imaginable form of combat from a young age, both armed and unarmed, on his home world of Titan. His extensive training and centuries of experience have enabled him to defeat even the most skilled martial artists and combatants in the Marvel universe. While Thanos is an expert in hand-to-hand combat, he becomes a truly lethal force when armed with his blade. His deadly instincts and lightning-fast reflexes make it nearly impossible to find an opponent with a chance of defeating him.  

Knull was never formally trained, but based on everything we know about his past. He conquered planets, slain countless gods, and enslaved Celestials all singlehandedly. He is likewise very proficient when using his Necrosword. Knull also has a couple of billion years worth of combat experience, something that Thanos obviously lacks.

Points: Thanos (1:6) Knull

Knull vs. Thanos, who is stronger? 

Knull is stronger than Thanos. He overpowers him at every turn. He has more lethal powers at his disposal and is, at worst, equally strong as Thanos. Knull is likewise faster, more durable, more experienced, and deadlier with the blade. Thanos stands a chance against Knull if he is empowered by the Heart of The Universe, Cosmic Cube, or Infinity Gauntlet, but in his base form, he stands little chance of surviving.