Facts About Black Knight:
The Rightful King Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) is finally coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the fans are losing it. He will play the role of Black Knight (Dane Whitman) in the universe and he will make his cinematic debut from the movie The Eternals (2020).
Dane Whitman or Black Knight is a relatively less popular character in comic books but we are sure that Kit Harrington will play this role exceptionally as he suits the character very well. As we all know Kit has a lot of experience in Sword-fighting and Horse-Riding.
#1: Creation and Debut
Black Knight was created by none other than Stan Lee himself in 1955. There have been a total of 3 versions of the character. The first two, Sir Percy of Scandia and Nathan Garett were created by Stan Lee. Sir Percy of Scandia was a medieval knight and hero in the court of King Arthur. Whereas the second iteration of the character Nathan Garett was a supervillain. The third and most famous iteration was Dane Whitman and he’ll be portrayed by Kit Harrington in the MCU.
#2: Creation of Dane Whitman (Kit Harrington’s character)
The third character to bear the Black Knight’s name was Dane Whitman. This character was not created by Stan Lee, but Stan Lee laid the foundation for this character. Dane Whitman was created by the esteemed writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema and he first appeared in Avengers #47 back in December 1967.
#3: Dane Whitman was the descendant of the original Black Knight
Dane Whitman is the most popular version of Black Knight and he is also a descendant of the original Black Knight; Sir Percy and he is the nephew of the supervillain Black Knight. He inherited a mystical sword and took the Black Knight name to help restore honour to the name. He has been a long-time member of the Avengers’ various incarnations as well as the Defenders. Ultraforce, Heroes for hire and MI 13.
#4: Powers and Abilities
Dane Whitman is a very powerful character in the Marvel universe with a lot of unique skills. He is an excellent swordsman and hand to hand combatant. He is an expert in horse-riding, Genius physicist, Strong strategist, and tactician, he possesses magical senses and he wields the sword of light and Shield of Night. He is also an excellent fighter in general who was able to hold his own against Captain America and Wolverine.
#5: The supervillain Nathan Garrett made Dane Whitman the Black Knight
As you must have read above, Nathan Garrett was an evil Black Knight. He was a Biology professor who became evil to spite his ancestors and he used technology to gain his powers instead of magic. His thirst for power got him in trouble when Iron Man defeated him by severely wounding him. So, Nathan asked Whitman to take up the mantle of Black Knight on his deathbed as he was repenting and believed Dane would right all his wrongs.
#6: He has a Mystical Horse
Black Knight has a Mystical steed from the land of Valinor, which is named Strider. Strider is a horse who has wings and it can fly at extremely high speeds. In the comics, Strider has broken the sound barrier several times. Strider is extremely loyal and whenever Whitman calls him, he is available.
#7: He wields a Cursed Sword
Black Knight’s sword, The Ebony Blade, has spilled a lot of blood during the years and due to that it became afflicted with a blood curse. The curse can harm even Black Knight himself, it can turn him into stone or it can even make him mad with rage. Dane had to take the help of Doctor Strange to remove the curse but it can return if it is ever used for unnecessary bloodshed.
#8: Dane Whitman infiltrated the Masters of Evil
Black Knight’s reputation was tarnished due to the evil acts done by Nathan Garrett. So, when Dane first came across the Avengers, they attacked him as they thought he was evil too. He proved himself by using his past to his advantage and infiltrated the Masters of Evil and helped the Avengers defeat them from within. After that, he became an important member of the team.
#9: He has a Magical Amulet
The Lady of the Lake named Whitman the Pendragon for the current era and gave him an amulet. When Whitman says the word “Avalon” while wearing it he gains – A magical Armor: which is super durable, The Shield of Night: A mystical kite shield that protects and absorbs the power, Sword of Light: A supernatural sword that can cut through anything and Strider.
#10: He started as a Scientist
Whitman specializes in Physics (having earned a master’s degree in physics), he is proficient in a wide array of advanced sciences and technologies, including genetic and mechanical engineering, and continues to approach things from a scientific perspective more often than not, despite his ties to the world of magic.
