Marvel has made some major changes to Black Knight ahead of his MCU debut in Eternals. The first Black Knight was created by the late, great Stan Lee and artist Joe Maneely back in 1955, in a sword-and-sorcery comic set in the days of Camelot; that means the Black Knight is actually older than Marvel itself. Decades later, Marvel recognized the potential of the character, and they introduced a new Black Knight in the present day.
The Black Knight is hardly an A-list superhero, even if he has actually led the Avengers on occasion. In spite of this, though, he’s set to make his MCU debut in Eternals, played by Kit Harington of Game of Thrones fame. Little is known about the Black Knight’s role in the film, other than that Marvel seems to be exploiting the comic book romance between Dane Whitman and the Eternal Sersi.
Naturally, Marvel Comics is keen to tap into the fact a lot more people are soon going to know who the Black Knight is; they’ve been increasing his profile for over a year now. Surprisingly, though, they’ve been doing so with a number of retcons that rewrite the Black Knight’s lore – even granting him some pretty horrific new powers.
The Ebony Blade Is More Powerful Than Anybody Thought
The Black Knight has been a key player in Marvel’s current King in Black event, in which an ancient being from the dawn of time has declared war on light and life. Knull desires to consume all life across the galaxy, and he set his covetous eyes upon the Black Knight’s Ebony Blade. The Ebony Blade was forged centuries ago by Merlin, but it seems to have dark secrets that predate the age of Camelot. “The sword, boy, the sword,” Knull taunted the Black Knight in one scene, “You truly don’t know what it is.” The God of the Symbiotes declared the Ebony Blade a weapon that had the potential to end worlds, but fortunately, he never got his hands on it.
The Black Knights Are Chosen For Weakness, Not For Strength
Knull shook the Black Knight to the core by revealing Merlin lied about the Ebony Blade’s nature when he gave it to Sir Percy of Scandia. Merlin had claimed he sought someone worthy to wield the blade, one who could resist its taunting, but Knull insisted that wasn’t the case. “Did you truly believe [Merlin] struggled to find men of pure heart in Camelot,” Knull mocked. “When men of light held the blade… when kings and paladins took it up… its magic died.” Knull’s claims forced the Black Knight to confront a dark truth about himself; that the Ebony Blade is not the cause of his flaws, even of his bloodlust, but rather it serves to reveal what already lies inside him.
The Black Knight’s Ebony Blade Is The Opposite Of Mjolnir
All this means the Ebony Blade is essentially the exact opposite of Mjolnir. As revealed in Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade #1, its enchantment means its power can be used only by those who are unworthy – who are vain, prideful, bitter, or wrathful. In fact, in one scene Thor Odinson found himself unable to even lift the sword, much to his surprise. As Dane told Thor, “It lightens only in shadow.” In fact, in order to access the full power of the Ebony Blade, the Black Knight must dwell upon all his inner darkness; his rage, his grief, his pain, his wounded pride. When he does this, he is able to release the power of the Ebony Blade as what the Avengers call a WMD – one able to completely atomize mystical threats. Neither the Avengers nor the Black Knight fully understands the power of the Ebony Blade, though – meaning Dane Whitman’s experiments with it risk unleashing the holocaust Knull foretold.
The Ebony Blade Consumes Souls
Horrifically, Marvel’s Empyre event revealed another aspect of the Ebony Blade’s power; it consumes souls. Previously Marvel had described the Ebony Blade as possessing a blood curse, but it seems instead it has a relentless hunger to consume the spirits of those who are killed with it; apparently, the process of digestion takes time, though, because Scarlet Witch and Shanna were able to resurrect one of the Ebony Blade’s victims, Ka-Zar, before his soul could be obliterated. Although this was handled in a rather off-handed manner, it explains why the Ebony Blade is so powerful; presumably, it transforms souls into energy, and by now it has been used by successive Black Knights to slay hundreds of thousands over the centuries. Every time Dane Whitman uses the Ebony Blade in battle, he may well be making it more dangerous.
The Black Knight’s Olde-English Phrasing Has A Purpose
All this means the Black Knight has now been forced to fundamentally reappraise himself. Before, he had believed he was a noble hero who was struggling to master the darkness he had been entrusted with; now he knows he is a broken and corrupt figure, and his very weakness is what makes him a superhero. The revelation has shaken Dane to the core because suddenly all the old sins he committed originated in his own will and desires – not because of the Ebony Blade’s baleful influence. None of his traditional coping mechanisms are working anymore, presumably because he is becoming aware of how they look to others.
One of the Black Knight’s oddest quirks has been revealed to be a coping mechanism; occasionally Dane drifts into faux Olde English, talking to himself and narrating events. This was originally just an amusing comic book idea – his dialogue comprised the text boxes that used to accompany comics all the time – but in a meta touch, it seems he’s narrating to himself in a desperate attempt to keep himself sane. This retcons Dane’s struggles back into a lot of classic comics, and it certainly explains why other Avengers find him weird; particularly given the narration tends to be self-focused and congratulatory, with the Black Knight making himself the center of the story and the others little more than sidekicks and love interests.
