The Black Knight: Exploring The Marvelous History Of Dane Whitman Before Eternals Arrives On November 5, 2021

The Black Knight, or at least his alter-ego, Dane Whitman, arrives in the MCU on November 5th, 2021 in 'Eternals'. Join us for a full breakdown of his comic book past and look into his cinematic future.

The Black Knight, or at least his alter-ego, Dane Whitman, arrives in the MCU on November 5th, 2021 in Eternals.

The Black Knight may not be a household name right now, but there may be big plans for the character at Marvel Studios. Dane Whitman has a long and storied history with The Avengers and the Marvel universe at large, appearing in over 400 comics since his debut in The Avengers #47.

Co-created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, Dane Whitman is the third Marvel character to bear the Black Knight name, though he is by far the most popular and long-standing. The original Black Knight was Sir Percy of Scandia, a character of Arthurian legend who appeared in the five-issue miniseries Black Knight, written by Stan Lee and illustrated by Joe Maneely.

THE BLACK KNIGHT: DANE WHITMAN COULD BECOME AN AVENGER SOMEDAY

His descendant, Nathan Garrett, was a supervillain who took up the Black Knight mantle in the present and joined the Masters Of Evil alongside Baron Zemo. He eventually dies amidst his life of supervillainy, passing on the family estate and the Black Knight mantle onto his nephew, Dane Whitman.

Kit Harrington will bring Dane Whitman to life in Chloe Zhao’s superhero epic, Eternals. While he will not become the Black Knight in that film, there are rumors that his armor and the Ebony Blade have already been designed by Marvel Studios.

His role as one of the only human characters in the upcoming fantasy tale about immortal aliens, gods, and monsters says a lot about what the future might hold for Black Knight fans. With Disney+ Day arriving a week after Eternals, a spin-off starring Dane Whitman could arrive much sooner than anyone expects.

Fan reception could go a long way in determining what Marvel Studios decides to do with The Black Knight after Eternals. Unless a secret spin-off is moving along at a speedy rate, unbeknownst to anyone outside of Marvel Studios, a theoretical Black Knight project would be in the very earliest stages of development. Again, there’s no guarantee that such a project currently exists.

THE BLACK KNIGHT: DANE WHITMAN AND SERSI HAVE HISTORY

That being said, a Disney+ show featuring Whitman, Merlin, Mordred and all of the glory of Arthurian legend would be a dream come true. A movie could also work, and if they want to posit The Black Knight as a leading member of The Avengers, as he has been in the source material, a film adaptation might be more likely.

Another strong possibility is that Whitman will return in a sequel to Eternals. He has a complicated romantic history with Sersi, a history that the film looks to begin exploring. Considering the massive scope of their conflict with the Deviants and the Celestials, I wouldn’t expect their romantic subplot to eat up too much of the runtime. Unless she ends up with Ikaris or an unexpected third party, I think it’s likely that the stories of The Black Knight and Sersi will intertwine in subsequent franchise installments.

The Black Knight coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe opens up so many exciting doors. While Runaways season 3 did feature Morgan Le Fay, the series didn’t dive deep into the world of Camelot and Excalibur. Furthermore, it’s quite unlikely that Marvel Studios will address this version of Morgan Le Fay anytime soon, if ever.

THE BLACK KNIGHT: WHY THE TROUBLED HERO DESERVES A SOLO PROJECT

The point is that there is a whole medieval world of magic coming to the MCU, and The Black Knight is the key to exploring that world. Additionally, The Black Knight has quite the fascinating lore in his own right. His sword, The Ebony Blade, hungers for blood and vengeance, and it slowly corrupts the soul and heart of whosoever wields it.

Dane Whitman has lost himself in the bloodlust of the weapon, a magic blade that grows stronger the more unworthy the wielder. Think of it as a dark inverse to Thor’s Mjolnir. He clones flying horses not infrequently, and he has fought with the Heroes For Hire, The Defenders, and even once wielded a pseudo-lightsaber. As cool as The Black Knight is on the surface, the psychological side of the character elevates him above many of his superhero contemporaries.

Now, the deep emotional trauma and mental health challenges that Dane Whitman deals with in the source material are too complex for Eternals to properly explore. However, the internal issues that Whitman struggles with are what make him so relatable and important, and that’s why he truly deserves a solo spin-off.

I have high hopes for The Black Knight in the future of the MCU, and for Dane Whitman in Eternals. Kit Harrington is a strong actor with a passion for fantasy storytelling, and I hope to see him as one of the faces of the MCU in the years to come.