WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Ravencroft #5 by Frank Tieri, Angel Unzueta, Rachelle Rosenberg and VC's Joe Sabino, available now.
During the events of the Absolute Carnage event, the Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane was destroyed. After this, the Ruins of Ravencroft miniseries charted the secret history of the Institute, which was far darker than its usual status as a holding place for Spider-Man villains. After a new, more secure version of the asylum was constructed, the Ravencroft Institute reopened its doors under the management of Wilson Fisk and Norman Osborn and the watchful eye of heroes like Misty Knight in Frank Tieri and Angel Unzueta's Ravencroft #1.
It didn't take long for trouble to arrive however, as creatures known as the Unwanted rose from depths of the Institute to prevent anyone else from suffering as they had. And as the Ravencroft miniseries comes to a conclusion with issue #5, the threat of the Unwanted is contained once more.
However, it turns out that's just a prologue to the real darkness that is coming because, at the end of Ravencroft #5, something even worse is unearthed from the ruins of the old institute: the body of Cortland Kasady.
In Ruins of Ravencroft: Carnage #1, we learned that the influence of the diabolical symbiote god Knull stretched throughout history. In the 1400s, the area where the Ravencroft Institute would one day be built was already home to a group of Native Americans who worshiped Knull. Paintings on cave walls showed the ancient god walking the Earth, with his symbiote taking over people and animals alike.
That issue also revealed that Cletus Kasady's family tree already had a history with Knull. In fact, his ancestor Cortland Kasady first became aware of the symbiote god in 1664. Cortland and his wife were among the first European settlers of the land that would become the United States of America. But after his wife was kidnapped, Cortland went to search for her in the forest. While there, he came across Knull's worshippers and was infected with an alien darkness that drove him mad. Because of this, Cortland became the first mass murderer of the New World, and he later escaped to join the Cult of Knull.
While the issue never showed what ultimately happened to Cortland Kasady, Ravencroft #5 adds another piece to his story. In the old block where the Unwanted were initially kept prisoner, an operative of the J.A.N.U.S. organization kills his partner by shooting him point-blank. Then, he heads inside a room where Knull's symbol can be found etched in the brick. The operative then removes his glove to reveal that he too has the symbol marked in the palm of his hand.
Pressing the symbols together, the brick wall opens, revealing the tomb of Cortland Kasady. Not only does the headstone feature Knull's symbol, the marker also reads "Here lies Cortland Kasady. May Knull have mercy on his soul."
This revelation means that Cortland's body never left the area that would one day become the Ravencroft Institute. And as it turns out, the New Worlds' first mass murderer was buried inside its walls in the name of Knull.
"God is coming," the operative says after finding the tomb. "And when our lord Knull arrives, we really would like you to be there to greet him."
This J.A.N.U.S. operative is therefore clearly a member of the Cult of Knull, which we have seen operate in the shadows before. They were the ones who previously brought Cletus Kasady back to life, a process that alerted Carnage to the existence of Knull, something that would lead directly to the events of Absolute Carnage. While Venom was successful in killing Carnage in that event, it appears the Cult of Knull has already lined up a potential replacement in Cortland, who seems set to be revived in some capacity as a major acolyte of Knull.
Knull was finally awakened and freed at the end of Absolute Carnage, and he is currently on his way to Earth. Clearly, the Cult of Knull is aware of this, and its members are preparing for his arrival. Whatever their plans for Cortland are, they can't bode well for the Marvel Universe. Cletus Kasady, aka Carnage, was frightening and dangerous. For all we know, his ancestor could be even worse, especially when Knull finally arrives on Earth.