The King in Black is coming to Earth this December, and while Earth’s heroes have had plenty of time to prepare for the primordial symbiote god’s arrival, that doesn’t mean they’re ready for the planet-spanning battle that’s coming their way. An ancient deity with control over the Klyntar race – of which characters Venom and Carnage are the most famous examples – the King in Black, aka Knull, is going to be a problem for every Marvel hero who wants a planet to live on, and Marvel just confirmed that the Black Knight will be part of the fight back in his own one-shot special.
First appearing in The Avengers #47, the modern version of the Black Knight – hero Dane Whitman – takes his name from Sir Percy of Scandia, a medieval hero first published by Marvel’s predecessor in the comics business, Atlas Comics. Despite stints in the Avengers, the Defenders, and MI13, the Black Knight is frequently forgotten, often missing from the Marvel landscape for years at a time. Whitman’s last solo outing was 2016’s Black Knight: The Fall of Dane Whitman, an interesting but ultimately short-running series that linked Whitman to Marvel’s Weirdworld setting without truly igniting fan interest in either. Thankfully, with the Black Knight’s upcoming role in MCU movie Eternals (where he’ll be played by Kit Harington), it seems like he’s getting another chance at the comics spotlight.
Writer Simon Spurrier (X-Men Legacy, X-Force) announced he’ll be teaming up with artist Jesus Saiz (Star Wars, Captain America: Steve Rogers) for King in Black: Black Knight #1, sharing his thoughts on the upcoming title as well as cover and page previews, embedded below:
I’ve always had a soft spot for the Black Knight. On paper he’s a splendid mashup of renaissance-fair fantasy and blood-drenched horror, somehow managing to hold his own alongside the bright, sciencey heroes of the Marvel Universe. It should be an awkward fit — and maybe it is. Maybe that awkwardness is what really sings about this character. A troubled anachronism trying to hide his dysfunction behind swashbuckly snark, whose greatest weapon (the fabled Ebony Blade!) is also the source of all his trouble. See, it’s a bit… well… murdery. In a ‘thirsts for the blood of the living’ sort of way.
This is not your average hero. But then, KING IN BLACK is not your average event. In this crashing-together of eldritch shadows and global defenders, who better to come charging forth to slay some dragons — technically cosmic superpredators, but let’s not split hairs — than a champion soaked in darkness of his own? And who better to shine the spotlight on some of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes outside the western hemisphere than a guy who feels like a stranger in his own armor?
KING IN BLACK: BLACK KNIGHT takes the action to the skies above Shanghai and tangles the KING IN BLACK event with the fates of two extraordinary Chinese heroes. It glories in the ultra-rich painted art of Jesus Saiz, and verily, ‘pon my troth, thou art mightily compelled to check it out.
While the stand-alone issue will only detail the Black Knight’s King in Black activities, it sounds like it might also be a launchpad for further adventures, with Marvel’s commentary on Spurrier’s words saying that the issue will “introduce new readers to the fan-favorite hero and reveal the bright future he has in the Marvel Universe, all amidst a vigorous battle that will go down in Marvel history!” This is borne out by the wordless preview pages, which show a grinning Knull presiding over what looks like a summary of the Black Knight legacy all the way back to Sir Percy, prior to Dane’s meeting with new Marvel heroes Sword Master and Aero.
What with Knull’s long life in Marvel canon and the way in which connecting with one of his symbiote dragons seems to overwhelm Dane, it’s entirely possible that the story will suggest a deeper link between the Black Knight and the King in Black. After all, the Black Knight‘s sword has otherworldy origins, and Knull has a history of forging ebony blades with his famed weapon All-Black the Necrosword. Whatever connections exist, they’ll be revealed in January when King in Black: Black Knight #1 hits the shelves. For now, enjoy Marvel’s preview pages below:
