MCU Phase 4 introduces the Black Knight in 'The Eternals' and here's how he fits in the upcoming cosmic superhero film
'Game of Thrones' star Kit Harington is all set to make his MCU debut as the Black Knight in Marvel's 'The Eternals'. His character is a member of the Avengers in the comics and was created by Stan Lee and Joe Maneely in 1955. The origins of the Black Knight date back to Arthurian days (Another movie that dated back to King Arthur's time was 'Transformers: The Last Knight').
Black Knight's stories come with an element of magic and a shade of the supernatural, quite similar to Doctor Strange. Before becoming the sorcery superhero, Dane Whitman was heir to a legacy that goes back to King Arthur's reign.
The first Black Knight, Sir Percy, was chosen by the legendary wizard Merlin and received an enchanted blade forged from a meteorite. Unfortunately, the Ebony Blade, as it was called, received a terrible curse of all the blood that Percy shed with it. The blade was passed down to generations after his death.
When it came down to Whitman, he sought to use the Blade to restore the family's lost honor by making up for Percy's cruel acts. He was instrumental in helping the Avengers infiltrate the Masters of Evil. Whitman worked as a mole in Baron Zemo's supervillain organization that saw him gain the trust of the Avengers.
He eventually worked with the Defenders and MI:13, a fictional British intelligence agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
How he fits in 'The Eternals' and the MCU
The answer is Whitman's relationship with Sersi. According to the comics, the superhero was part of the Avengers when he met her and the duo became involved in a romantic relationship. A supervillain, Proctor, altered Sersi and destabilizes her powers. In a bid to cure her, Ikaris, the other Eternal, tries to make things normal by bonding her to Whitman by the Gann Josin, a process of soul-bonding.
Proctor returns revealing he is Whitman from an alternate reality. After he was rejected by Sersi, he traveled the multiverse seeking to kill all versions of the Eternal. Sersi manages to slay Proctor but is deeply affected by the outcome. At the moment, it is unclear if this is how he will be introduced in the MCU.
Marvel had previously tinkered with the idea of introducing the character earlier. His Ebony Blade was designed in 2016 during 'Doctor Strange' and was intended to be one of the relics at Kamar-Taj.
Eventually, it was not used as Marvel probably saved it up for Phase 4. 'The Eternals' will also add to the slew of cosmic superhero films that the studios will introduce this time around. 'The Eternals' is slated to release on November 6, 2020.
