Spoilers for King in Black: Black Knight #1 ahead!
The Ebony Blade has been the Black Knight’s weapon of choice since his introduction, but now he has learned its secret thanks to the King in Black, and why it chose him. In King in Black: Black Knight #1, by writer Simon Spurrier and artist Jesus Saiz, readers learn the truth of the Ebony Blade and its horrifying connection to Knull. The issue is available now in stores and on all digital comics platforms.
There have been three main versions of the Black Knight, with the Ebony Blade being the common thread among them. The Blade can trace its roots back to 6th century Britain and the time of Camelot and King Arthur. Carved from a meteor that fell to Earth, the sword’s first wielder was Sir Percy, and from there it passed hands over the centuries before finding its way to the current Black Knight, Dane Whitman. The sword allegedly only chooses those pure of heart, and as fans know, while Black Knight fights on the side of good, he is a bit unstable and prone to snap—and fans learn this may be what drew the sword to him in the first place.
Knull and his symbiote dragons have invaded the Earth, and Black Knight rushes into battle. The King in Black recognizes the Black Knight as a user of the Ebony Blade, and proceeds to tell him the truth behind it. Black Knight has long maintained that the Blade chose him because he is pure of heart, but he learns that is not the case. Knull informs him that it only chooses the weak—when the noble knights of Camelot tried to use the Blade, its magic died. Sir Percy, the sword’s first user, was chosen for “his weakness” as Knull puts it. He then tries to take the sword from the Black Knight, but he is able to resist and use it to destroy the symbiote avatar Knull has created.
While Black Knight may have been stunned by these revelations, they should come as no surprise for readers. As mentioned earlier, Black Knight has shown signs of instability and rage – qualities that would definitely make him attractive to a weapon like the Ebony Blade. Readers even get to see him lose his cool while fighting a symbiote dragon. And yet for all of the bad qualities the Ebony Blade possesses, it is still one of the very few known weapons that can harm, and even potentially kill, the King in Black.
While the truth behind the Ebony Blade may have been a bitter pill for the Black Knight to swallow, the revelation makes sense in light of the character. He wishes to be a good person, but struggles against his darker impulses, making him perfect for the Ebony Blade.
