What is the Necrosword in Thor: Love and Thunder? The new Marvel movie from Taika Waititi introduces one of the MCU‘s most horrific villains yet – Gorr, the God Butcher. He’s using a weapon called the Necrosword to murder gods, and Odinson is next in the action movie.
We don’t learn a huge amount about the Necrosword in Love and Thunder, but that only adds to the intrigue. Why is Zeus afraid of it? Why does it give Gorr the ability to summon oily spider monsters? Who made it, and is there any way to stop it? As with most things in the franchise, the comics have some answers for you.
To learn what is the Necrosword, one need only consult the history of symbiotes. That seems simple enough right? Kind of, because this is deep Marvel history and nothing’s ever that simple when you get into the cosmic side of things. Alas, we’ve got the Sword of Simple Explanations (title unofficial), to cut through the fluff to you what you need to know.
What is the Necrosword?
The Necrosword is a mythical weapon that has the ability to kill gods and other cosmic beings. Anyone who wields it enters into a symbiotic relationship with the blade, infected and fuelled by its dark energy. If the Necrosword is damaged, they lose all its power.
In the context of MCU, it inspires a mix of fear and cynicism among gods who’re aware of it. Those who believe in it would rather keep themselves away from its sharp edges, while others chalk it up to make-believe, but would still prefer to avoid any chance they’re wrong.
Zeus declines Thor’s request for assistance because he doesn’t want Gorr bringing the Necrosword anywhere near him. At the start of Love and Thunder, we see Gorr stumble on the blade, and then use it to kill the god he worshipped after being insulted.
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From there, he uses the Necrosword’s powers to command shadows, creating monsters that do his bidding. He can also teleport through darkness. While holding the sword, he has ghost shite skin, black teeth, and golden eyes, for extra creepiness.
Where is the Necrosword from?
It’s not explained where the Necrosword is from in Thor: Love and Thunder, but the comics give ample backstory. The Necrosword is a manifestation of what’s called the ‘All Black’, the first symbiote created by Knull.
He’s an eldritch cosmic entity – think a Celestial by way of HP Lovecraft – and he formed the Necrosword out of energy from the Living Abyss. In fact, a dead Celestial’s energy is part of what powers the weapon, and Knull used it to kill deities.
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Thor: Love and Thunder glosses over basically all of this, instead having it that the Necrosword is imprinted on the owner similar to Mjolnir or Stormbreaker. If you hold it, you become tethered to it, forming a bond that can only really be broken if one-half dies.
In the end, the Necrosword was only shielding Gorr from death, not curing him, and when it’s broken, he passes. Be wary though, because now that Knull and the symbiotes have been hinted that in the MCU, anything can happen.
For what could be coming, check out our guide to Thor 5.