Who is Cull Obsidian in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Warning: Spoilers for Secret Invasion to follow.

We’re a third of the way through Secret Invasion as of today, and the plot has thickened immaculately; from the nuances of Nick Fury’s broken promise to Gravik’s acclimation to the Skrull war general position, the layers just keep piling up as we wait for them to be torn down in as many fell swoops as it takes.

But nothing built up quite the same degree of intrigue as G’iah’s discovery of the DNA collider deep in the walls of New Skrullos; a device that she and many others likely aren’t meant to know about.

As G’iah dove deeper into the truth of the machine, she found digital entries outlining the makeup of DNA from creatures across the universe, including current Guardians of the Galaxy member Groot, Jotunheim-native Frost Beasts, the Extremis bioelectrical virus, and a being by the name of Cull Obsidian.

Indeed, G’iah’s discovery made for a particularly ominous scene, and it seems like only a matter of time before Gravik plunges himself and the rest of the Skrulls into the world of eugenics. But who exactly is Cull Obsidian? And why might Gravik be interested in throwing their DNA into such a lineup?

Who is Cull Obsidian?

Cull Obsidian was the name of one of Thanos’ now-deceased Black Order members; orphaned aliens who Thanos raised as his own children and molded into elite warriors. Cull, along with fellow Black Order members Ebony Maw, Proxima Midnight, and Corvus Glaive, were all wiped out over the course of Avengers: Infinity War, with Cull meeting his end at the hands of a rather inventive Bruce Banner during the Battle of Wakanda.

An alternate, past version of Cull and the rest of the Black Order were joined by Thanos in the final confrontation with the heroes in Avengers: Endgame, but they ultimately faced their end as they did back in Infinity War, snapped away by one Tony Stark with the power of the Infinity Stones.

A hulking combatant with strength, durability, and speed in droves, Cull was perhaps the heaviest hitter within Thanos’ ranks and put up more than a few good fights against several of Earth’s champions. Indeed, it’s not difficult to see why Gravik would show an interest in borrowing the ogre-like brute’s genetic makeup; between a member of the Black Order, the indomitable Frost Beasts, and the bio-manipulation abilities granted by Groot and Extremis, these Skrulls are on course to become pretty super, so to speak.