‘Eternals’: Who Is Dane Whitman, aka Black Knight, in Marvel Comics?
In Marvel’s Eternals, human Dane Whitman (Kit Harington) is in a relationship with the Eternal Sersi (Gemma Chan). However, we haven’t learned much about his character yet in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Here’s who Dane Whitman is in Marvel Comics.
Dane Whitman descended from the Black Knight on King Arthur’s court
In Marvel Comics, Dane Whitman had knighthood in his veins. While Thanos had an Eternals legacy on his shoulders, Dane seemed destined to become the Black Knight.
Sir Percy of Scandia served King Arthur as the Black Knight, and his castle eventually fell to Nathan Garrett. However, Garrett would become a villain and battle Hank Pym as an evil Black Knight.
After Nathan Garrett died, his nephew, Dane, inherited the Black Knight’s castle. He took the Black Knight’s Ebony Blade and began his heroic career.
And with Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman preparing to suit up in the Eternals post-credits scene (separate from Harry Styles debuting as Starfox), it looks like the Marvel Cinematic Universe is ready for his heroic career to start, too.
The Black Knight’s Ebony Blade has some tragic drawbacks
In the post-credits scene of Eternals, Dane Whitman heard a voice call out, asking whether he was ready to wield the blade. That voice had a good reason for asking him. The Black Knight’s Ebony Blade has some intense side effects.
In addition to the ability to cut through anything (including overpowered metals like Wolverine’s adamantium), it feeds on the user’s negative emotions. It causes them to become more violent, urging Whitman to kill his enemies instead of defeating them.
However, these details did not make it into Eternals, as it was already one of the longest superhero movies.
Marvel Comics has bounced him around, from the Avengers to Venom Symbiotes and more
While Dane Whitman in Eternals seems like a straightforward character as a historian and scientist, Marvel has bounced him around in the comics.
He joined the Avengers, filling the role as the resident genius while Iron Man and Hank Pym had other business to attend. However, he left but rejoined at various times.
He has gotten involved with more prominent storylines in more recent years. In the “Absolute Carnage” storyline, the Avengers contact Black Knight to help fight Knull and the dragon Grendel.
More recently, Marvel revealed Whitman to have a long-lost daughter, Jackie, who could also possess the Ebony Blade.
With Eternals introducing the Black Knight into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Dane Whitman’s story stands to turn a lot more heads. Who knows, Marvel might even have plans for Jackie to join Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye in a Young Avengers team-up.
