Marvel Snapon the surface is a high-quality mobile card game that allows fans of theMarveluniverse to engage in short but competitive matches. It also happens to be a solid avenue for new or casual fans to be introduced to much more of the Marvel Comics world than what has been adapted to the ever-popular Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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Though Venom and Carnage are rather popular villainous symbiotesfrom the Spider-Man comics, there’s a recent symbiote bad guy that’s become all the rage. His name is Knull and he’s both the creator of the symbiotes themselves, but also a rather powerful god of darkness belonging to the Eldritch horror pantheon of deities.Marvel Snapcommissioned creators to design and deliver variant art pieces of Marvel characters corrupted by Knull in what is labeled as a “Knullified” state.
8The Thing
Despite being a part of Marvel’s first family,The Fantastic Four, The Thing is a hero who rarely gets the love and attention of the other members. He’s almost always seen as a quiet and stoic hammer who is there to serve as a wall while his assumedly more intelligent and capable allies find a solution to the problem at hand.
Well, what will they do when he becomes Knullified and morphs into a problem they can’t solve? Delivering both the art and coloring for this variant art is creative Juan Ferreyra. They managed to take the orange mound of rocks known as The Thing and turn him into a beast more commonly referred to as The Thing That Goes Bump In The Night.
7Daredevil
For as much good asMatt Murdock tries to do in the world, it seems as though he’ll never escape the darkness surrounding him. Religion plays a big role in his life as he navigates the moral quandaries his Daredevil crime-fighting persona naturally creates. It seems like a cruel twist of fate that Knull’s symbiote would find its way to Earth and attach itself to Daredevil, but it would result in a pure agent of violence and chaos.
Knullified Daredevil inMarvel Snapwas done by artist Ken Lashley, and their approach was to build on the iconic silhouette of the Daredevil suit while also adding a hauntingly long tongue and thin snake-like tendrils coming off his body.
6Captain America
Captain America has often served as the altruistic dream of what the United States of America should and could strive for. Throughout his comic book history, he’s had to face the harsh realities of what the country he represents has done to its own citizens, foreigners, and refugees. What happens when the man who always looks to do the right thing has an accidental run-in with the literal god of darkness?
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Artist Julian Totino Tedesco did their best to find the answer to that question with their Knullified variant card art. Standing in a position that signifies his readiness to lead an army of some sort, Knullified Captain America carries both a corrupted version of his shield and a flaming banner. He appears to serve as the darkest and most pessimistic representation of his home country, which is in stark contrast to who Steve Rogers is at his core.
5Thor
Out of every Marvel character inMarvel Snapon the receiving end of a Knullified variant art card, Thor happens to be the one with the closest connection so far with Knull himself. When looking at how the God of Thunder would take on the god-derived symbiote, it’s no wonder that colorist Nolan Woodard and artist Ken Lashley delivered what they did.
Thor is covered from neck to foot in chaotically damned black armor, with a crimson Knull symbol on his chest. It seems as though the symbiote even managed to morph the appearance of Thor’s primary weapon and trusted tool for destruction, Mjolnir.
4Spider-Man
By now the world knows what Peter Parker’s Spider-Man looks like when corrupted by various symbiotes. With Miles Morales being the new emerging Spider-Man, it’s nice to see what he’d look like when the darkest parts of the universe biologically fuse with his DNA. In-Hyuk Lee was the artist tasked with this mission and they knocked it out of the park.
Miles tends to carry a youthful spring to his appearance, but in a Knullified state, he carries a sword while covered in rather gnarly armor. The star ofSpider-Man: Into The Spider-Versehas been blessed with a handful of incredible variant art cards inMarvel Snap, but In-Hyuk Lee’s take on the Knullified theme might be the best of the bunch.
3Shang-Chi
Though Shang-Chi has been around in Marvel Comics for some time, it’sShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten RingsMCU film from 2021 that put the Asian American superhero in front of general audiences. He’s a martial arts master with a difficult upbringing who overcame the morally corrupted family around him to stand his ground on what he felt was the right thing to do.
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Sadly, his Knullified variant art inMarvel Snapby artist Khary Randolph and colorist Emilio Lopez showcases a Shang-Chi corrupted by an evil similar to that he fought to escape. Grinning ear to ear it’s clear he’s embodied with so much power that he likely favors himself in any possible combat scenario regardless of who his opponent is. As if his hands couldn’t be any more dangerous, now they’re shaped like sharp talons, with spiky gauntlets adorning his wrists.
2Iron Man
Symbiotes are organic alien beings, so most often the thought of them attaching to other living things is rarely associated with technology. That’s what makes the fusion of Iron Man and Knull such a terrifying reality. Providing one of the smartest inventors and problem solvers with unquantifiable power feels like a match made in the deepest pits of hell.
Funny enough, artist Dave Rapoza went with the idea of a Knullified Iron Man inMarvel Snaphaving the symbiote morph theappearance of Tony Stark’s suit. At that point, it’s unclear if Stark and the suit are two separate entities or if the symbiote morphed them into a singular living organism made of both flesh and steel.
1Spider-Woman
Spider-Woman may not hold the same popularityor reverence as her male counterpart, but regardless of who holds the title, she’s managed to establish herself as a Spider-powered personality worth rooting for. Peach Momoko really outdid herself with her take on a Knullified version of Spider-Woman. The colors and shading are a bit flatter, but it gives the entire piece a more painterly vibe.
Having pops of red and yellow harken to the iconic Spider-Woman suit, but the sharp and horrific edges help establish that something is a bit off. A neat detail in Peach Momoko’s Knullified variant art is the way she makes Spider-Woman’s hair gradually turn into spider webbing in the background. She managed to make something that was both feminine and sinister.
Marvel Snapis available on Android, iOS, and PC.
