Marvel Teases “He Is Back” On 616 Day, But Who Is “He”? Is It… Knull?

Marvel has been teasing since the end of last week’s Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1 — yes, a whole half a week — that today, June 16, is 616 Day. So named because that’s the designation of Marvel’s portion of the multiverse (thanks to writer Dave Thorpe). And while the publisher has now revealed some of their plans as of 6:16 am ET, they’re also teasing that at 6:16 pm ET, they’ll reveal “he is back.” But who is he? Is it Jesus? Or perhaps Jesus’s diametric opposite, Knull?

“Every year, we look for new ways to celebrate the incredible comics that make up the heart and soul of our industry. Our job is to tell stories that keep readers on the edge of their seats, introducing them to characters that feel real and relatable, and building a passionate community that embraces the fun and joy of being a comic book fan. None of that happens without you and your stores, so we want to take a moment to say thank you,” Marvel President Dan Buckley told retailers via a statement provided to Comic Book Club.

So what does that mean for retailers? Today select retailers received a 616 Day package that includes: 616 Day variant covers by Marco Checchetto, Greg Land, Sara Pichelli, and Leinil Francis Yu; a 616 Day Pin Set featuring the Fantastic Four; and best of all, a letter from Dan Buckley. Gotta get that last one slabbed and graded, folks!

In addition, online the publisher dropped an ominous “He Is Back” teaser at marvel.com/616. While there won’t be any details until suppertime, there is a lot of black goop on there, the “He” is in red,” and the whole thing is pretty clearly in a Venom/symbiote font. So it could be teasing that Eddie Brock is back as Venom, which, sure, cool. Currently Mary Jane is Venom, so I guess fans would be excited about that. Or it could be Cletus Kasady back as Carnage, which again, sure, cool. Currently Eddie Brock is Carnage.

But why hype up “yep, these characters are back to normal” when you might instead bring back Knull, God of the Symbiotes, who was last seen in the popular “King In Black” crossover. Sure Knull died at the end of that, and we got a lot of wacky symbiote stuff afterwards. But do powerful villains stay dead for long? I don’t think so.

Whatever is happening, we’ll know more later today. Check out the covers, pin, and teaser below. Sadly we don’t have that EXCLUSIVE letter from Dan Buckley for you to preview, though.

Comic Book Club Live Info:

Want to watch Comic Book Club live? We stream every Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on YouTube and Twitch. Come hang out, and ask questions of our guests (and us!). And you could potentially win a $25 gift card to Midtown Comics. You can check out a current list of upcoming guests and other live appearances on our Shows page.