Movies

‘The Eternals’: How ‘Black Widow’s’ Taskmaster Could Help Set Up Kit Harington’s Black Night

Marvel's 'Black Widow' will directly tie into 'The Eternals' through Taskmaster and Kit Harington's Black Night.

by Perry Carpenter

Published on May 28, 2020

3 min read

Black Widow’s Taskmaster might help set the stage for Kit Harington’s Black Knight inThe Eternals. The villain will be one of the newest antagonists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and fans believe he will play a role in introducing Harington’s character in The Eternals. Here’s a look at how Black Knight and Taskmaster are connected and what fans can expect to unfold in both films.

The Eternals Kit Harington — ‘The Eternals’ star Kit Harington | John Shearer/Getty Images

Inside Marvel’s plans for ‘Black Widow’

Marvel was originally set to release Black Widow, the first film in Phase 4 of the MCU, in May. The coronavirus pandemic delayed those plans and Marvel was forced to push back the entire Phase 4 by several months.

Black Widow is now scheduled to open in theaters in November while The Eternals will not be out until February of 2021. Although Black Widow is still a few months from hitting theaters, Marvel has already revealed a lot about its storyline.

For starters, we know that the movie is set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. We also know that Taskmaster will be the film’s main villain, though we still don’t know who will be portraying the character.

Black Widow is also expected to set the stage for the rest of Phase 4, especially when it comes to Taskmaster. In the first full trailer for the movie, Taskmaster is shown mimicking the fighting styles of Black Panther, Captain America, and Hawkeye.

And a few eagle-eyed fans noticed that Taskmaster is also wielding a sword in the trailer, which might connect him to Black Knight in the next Phase 4 film.

This is how ‘The Eternals’ Black Night and Taskmaster are connected

Up until now, there has yet to be a signature sword in a Marvel film. That will change, of course, when Black Night makes his big debut in The Eternals.

According to Screenrant, in the comics, the character’s main weapon is a sword known as the Ebony Blade. The sword has magical powers and is widely considered one of the most powerful weapons in the Marvel world.

Given his ability to copy any fighting style, Taskmaster mirrors the Black Knight and his Ebony Blade in the comics. Marvel has not confirmed this link, but if Taskmaster is wielding a sword in Black Widow, then this could be a subtle way to set up Black Knight.

It is unclear if Marvel will make this link obvious in Black Widow or if it will be an Easter Egg that only some fans will discover. Either way, it will be interesting to see how the studio handles introducing the characters.

Black Widow is set to open in theaters on November 6, 2020, barring any further details related to the pandemic.

What is Black Knight’s connection to ‘The Eternals’?

Black Knight is a lesser-known hero in the comics who is a long-time member of the Avengers. But one of his bigger claims to fame was his relationship with Sersi, who also happens to be one of the Eternals.

The Eternals is expected to feature Black Knight’s romance with Sersi, though it remains to be seen if the studio plans on staying true to the storyline or tweaking it a little. Marvel is known for adjusting stories from the comics so there is a good chance that changes will be made.

Apart from his romance with Sersi, the decision to include Black Knight in the movie remains a mystery. After all, the character has no other ties to the superhero group, which might indicate that Harington will play a small role in the film.

We do know, however, why Marvel cast Harington for the part. The actor gained plenty of sword fighting experience playing Jon Snow in HBO’s Game of Thrones, skills that will readily translate to his new role in the MCU.

Fans can watch Harington in action when The Eternals hits theaters on February 12, 2021.