The King in Black has been ruthless in his conquest of the planet Earth, but some of Knull’s most powerful underlings have been absent from the fight. The heroes of Earth are already up against insurmountable odds and are fortunate they haven’t yet encountered all the King in Black’s forces.
Knull descended upon Earth with scores of obstacles for the planet’s defenders to face, including symbiotes, symbiote dragons, and corrupted celestials. Several of Earth’s heroes have been corrupted by symbiotes already, including Captain America, Cyclops, The Thing, and Storm, and have been added to the King in Black’s army. Powerhouse heroes, like the Sentry, were eliminated easily, and Knull’s grip on the planet is fierce. Those who are able scramble to find a way to free Earth from the shell of living abyss.
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Missing from the King in Black’s attack on Earth are a trio of forgotten goddesses who were corrupted by symbiotes. In Donny Cates, Tradd Moore and Dave Stewart’s Silver Surfer: Black #1, billions of years in the past, the Silver Surfer unknowingly arrives on a symbiote-conquered planet seeking help. There he encounters three intimidating sentries guarding a door. The beings attack him and in his weakened state, the Surfer only fends them off by summoning enough energy to birth a star from his power cosmic. His efforts ultimately free the planet and goddesses from the symbiote darkness, but draw the attention of the King in Black. Knull chases down the Surfer, but not before restoring his acolytes and leaving them behind to guard the King’s throne obediently, where they were last seen, in Silver Surfer: Black #2.
During their encounter, the Silver Surfer describes Knull’s Sentries as alien goddesses of an abandoned pantheon. They assault him with ancient weapons and attempt to overtake him with the symbiotes infesting that world. Their current whereabouts are unknown. There is a possibility they still guard Knull’s throne world. However, sometime after the Surfer encounter, Knull’s hive-mind with the symbiotes was severed and his creations caged him on Klyntar. It’s possible that during this period the acolytes were once again free from Knull’s corruption and vanished into the cosmos. Another possibility is the goddesses met their end by Knull’s hand, indirectly. Gorr, the God Butcher, lead a campaign for centuries executing gods with Knull’s necrosword in the pages of Jason Aaron’s Thor: God of Thunder. Gorr was on the loose for ages, and conceivably may have added them to his body count of deities.
Whatever the reason for their absence, Earth is better off without these goddesses present and at Knull’s disposal. As powerful as the Silver Surfer is, he barely survived his fight with them, surfing away injured and decaying slowly. If Knull’s acolytes do still serve the King in Black, Earth’s heroes should pray he doesn’t summon them to join the fight.
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