Warning! Spoilers ahead for Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade #2
In the latest issue of Marvel Comics’ Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade, large portions of Dane Whitman’s origins are being retconned, including the existence of more Ebony Items that were thought to have been destroyed long ago. While the Black Knight is certainly reeling from his previously unknown ability to be resurrected, someone sinister is searching for these items, hoping to collect the entire set of this new magical arsenal that’s been reintroduced to the Marvel Universe.
Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade #2 comes from writers Si Spurrier and Sergio Dávila, artist Sean Parsons, colorist Arif Prianto, and letterer Cory Petit. The story begins with Dane Whitman understandably freaking out that he’s come back to life after a mysterious foe killed him with an Ebony Dagger, trying to take his sword from him (though he was unsuccessful). Now, Dane gets some answers from the ghost of his ancestor Sir Percy, the first Black Knight of King Arthur’s Camelot. However, the Time Seer known as Jacks also learns new information that Sir Percy himself was not aware of, being transported back to when he was tasked by the wizard Merlin to forge four items out of the Ebony Starstone.
These items forged by Percy were the Ebony Shield which could block any blow, the Ebony Chalice which would bring great knowledge, the Ebony Staff which would support one weary with wisdom, and the Ebony Blade, which could cut any matter. Without hesitation, Sir Percy chose the Ebony Blade, and he became the Black Knight, a defender working in the shadows to protect the light of King Arthur’s Camelot. While the three unchosen items were believed to have been destroyed in a river of blood, Jacks learned that the Ebony Staff and Shield were secretly recovered by none other than Mordred, the dark nephew of King Arthur, and it looks as though he wants to complete the set.
It appears as though Modred took the Ebony Staff and reforged it into an Ebony Dagger, which is what he used to kill Dane in the first issue. However, Sir Percy explained the resurrecting powers of the Black Knight and his Ebony Blade: so long as Dane is wielding the sword upon his death, he’ll come back to life thanks to his Arthurian blood. However, it makes all the more sense why Mordred would want the Ebony Blade for himself. Being Arthur’s nephew, the sword would grant him immortality and resurrection powers as well. That being said, it looks as though he already has the Ebony Shield in his possession at the end of the issue, leaving only the Ebony Chalice missing (aside from Dane’s sword).
Now, the hunt is on in future issues of Marvel’s new Black Knight series, and it will be interesting to see if Dane eventually gets his hands on the entire Ebony arsenal, or if he’ll lose his powerful sword to Mordred in his efforts. However it all goes down, the Marvel Universe just got back some pretty powerful tools and weapons, and it might not be such a good thing that they’re back. Here’s hoping they land in the right hands or are destroyed as they should have been when Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade continues from Marvel Comics.
