WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Symbiote Spider-Man - King in Black #1 by Peter David, Greg Land, Jay Leisten, Frank D'Armata and VC's Joe Sabino, on sale now.
In the upcoming Marvel event King in Black event, the symbiote god Knull will finally arrive on Earth. But before the villain and his army begin their invasion, Symbiote Spider-Man - King in Black #1 takes a trip back to the past of the Marvel Universe. In the comic book, we find Peter Parker shortly after the events of 1984-1985's Secret Wars, when he had just begun to wear the black symbiote that would later become Venom. It's perhaps a simpler time for Peter, but he finds himself thrown into a dangerous situation that it turns out is connected to Knull.
For the past months, we've learned that Knull's influence has stretched to the distant past, from the creation of the Universe itself to the founding of the Ravencroft Institute. And here, we find out that Knull also had a hand in the era at the heart of Symbiote Spider-Man #1 when Peter Parker faces another one of his dark creations, the forgotten, symbiote-like creature called Mister E.
The issue begins with Alistair Smythe, the former Spider-Slayer, incarcerated at the Ravencroft Institute. Alistair is shocked to be woken up by someone, or something, that looks exactly like his father. It explains that it is looking for a new host and that all Alistair needs to do is to concoct a special serum to inject himself with before delivering it to everyone else inside the facility.
Once Alistair does as he is told, everyone in the Ravencroft Institute becomes infected with his creation and, as a result, they are all taken over by symbiote-like creatures. They are not like Klyntar, but they are extremely similar. They are dark, they have the appropriate white eyes and they are dangerous. As for Alistair, he becomes the host for the leader of this pack, a dark creature that calls itself Mister E.
Mister E is akin to a shadow creature, much as he was when he debuted in Bill Mantlo and Steve Ditko's Marvel Spotlight #9 in 1980. This villain's appearance hasn't changed since he fought Captain Universe in one of that hero's early adventures. Mister E is tall and slender, with tentacle-like tendrils that make him a frightening opponent. He talks about his god, a lord who gave him a second chance. It's clear that he is talking about Knull, which seems to indicate Mister E another one of the dark god's creations, who was lost in the Shadow Dimension at some forgotten point in the past.
The Klyntar symbiotes were created by Knull, but they weren't his first creation. In Web of Venom: Wraith #1, it was revealed that the mysterious Exolon were also created by Knull, a failed experiment in his efforts to create the symbiotes. And now, Symbiote Spider-Man #1 reveals that Mister E is another one of these creations. He's not Exolon, and he isn't a symbiote either. Mister E recognizes the symbiote bonded to Spider-Man as its brother, which makes them of the same family. He's a dark creature who needs to bond with a host and who can take over others thanks to a special formula, a kind of proto-symbiote.
Thanks to some help from the Black Knight, Mister E is defeated, but he is almost certain to return. While the nature of the second chance that Mister E was given by Knull still unclear, the shadowy villain will almost certainly help prep the stage for Knull's upcoming arrival in King in Black.