All-Black the Necrosword in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder,’ Explained

The new full-length Thor: Love and Thunder trailer has given us so much to unpack. For instance, we got our first official look at the latest space villain, Gorr the God Butcher. Played by longtime fangirl favorite Christian Bale, Gorr comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe ready to destroy every god he meets.

Gorr looks like an ultra-cool villain. But to butcher gods, you need an ultimate weapon. (Although those nails of his could make anyone think twice.) To fight against Thor’s Stormbreaker and the Mighty Thor’s reformed Mjölnir, Gorr has something special up his sleeve. He wields an ancient weapon called the Necrosword, also known as All-Black. So what is it?

All-Black, All-Awesome

All-Black is a unique weapon. Yes, it is a sword, but it is made out of an unlikely substance. A long time ago, Knull, the primordial evil God of the Void, made the Necrosword to kill the Celestials who brought light into his kingdom of darkness. Formed from evil, shadows, and the power of a deceased Celestial being, the Necrosword became the first symbiote. It is the precursor to Venom and Carnage. As a symbiote, it feeds off the emotions of its user—especially strong negative emotions.

But that isn’t all that makes this weapon different. Knull tied the sword through a metaphysical link to the body of the murdered Celestial. It became a type of afterlife for all the souls reaped by the Necrosword. (The comic version of Valkyrie remained trapped in this place until Jane Foster saved her.) What happened to the head of this being? Well, that became the mining city/space station called Knowhere (as seen in the Guardians of the Galaxy films).

In Gorr’s Hands

Before starting his career as a god-killer, Gorr came from a sad and desolate planet. He watched his mate, and all of their children, perish from natural disasters and famine. He concluded no gods could exist—because of the suffering endured by his family and others like them—until the gods brought their fight to his homeworld. A battle between Knull and golden-armored gods crashed onto Gorr’s planet. After being imprisoned by those he fought, Knull lost All-Black.

However, it quickly found a home in Gorr’s hands. Gorr decided if gods really existed, then he must kill them for allowing all the pain and cruelty in the world to go on. If they couldn’t save everyone, then they deserved to die.

Ironically, Gorr’s mission made him into the creature he hated the most. All-Black gives powers to its bonded user. Once he claimed the Necrosword, Gorr became essentially immortal with untold strength, the ability to manipulate dark energy, and the power to slay divine beings.

Gorr fighting against Thor, Jane Foster’s the Mighty Thor, and Valkyrie will be an MCU moment for the ages. Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters on July 8th.

(feature image: Marvel)