With the Eternals trailer hitting 77 million views in its first 24 hours after being released online last Monday, Marvel fans proved the they’re ready and hungry for the next superhero team to hit the big screen. Eternals is full of star power. Not just cosmic power. A-list stars like Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek now are a part of the MCU. There’s also a handful of actors known for their hit shows, but two particular names stand out among the pop-culture crowd — Game of Thrones’ Richard Madden who played Robb Stark and Kit Harington who played the iconic character Jon Snow. So far we know Madden is Ikaris in Eternals. The tactical leader and most power of the Eternals. Kit Harington, who is not playing an Eternal, will be Marvel hero Dane Whitman a.k.a. Black Knight.
Who is Dane Whitman a.k.a. Black Knight in the Marvel comics?
Marvel’s Black Knight was first introduced in The Avengers issue #47 back in December of 1967. Whitman inherited a castle from his uncle, Nathan Garrett. He was unaware that his uncle was the villainous Black Knight until he found some notes and inventions.
Whitman eventually came upon the Ebony Blade. Passing its test, Sir Percival explained to Whitman the history of the blade and its curse. Whitman took the sword and decided to be a hero. He joined the Masters of Evil just as his uncle did with the intent to infiltrate it from within. He did it to assist the Avengers, though they didn’t trust him until he helped Earth’s Mightiest Heroes against Kang the Conqueror.
According to some reports, the Dane Whitman Black Knight, who Harington is portraying in the Eternals film, is the third version of Marvel’s Black Knight in the traditional comics canon. The original Black Knight was a Medieval-era knight, and that Black Knight’s descendants was Nathan Garrett, Whitman’s uncle and supervillain. After a battle with Iron Man, Uncle Nathan passed on the gear and the Ebony Blade to Whitman.
Marvel’s Black Knight has been part of multiple Marvel teams including the Avengers, The Defenders, Ultraforce, and Heroes of Hire. He finally got his solo outing in the comics in 2015. Whitman traditionally doesn’t have any powers, but he’s very smart and has excellent abilities to fight with a sword.
The future of Kit Harington’s Black Knight in the MCU
Eternals is still months away, but the ascending star power of Kit Harington hints that his Black Knight will be around for future MCU projects. If Eternals is successful and his character is well-received, Marvel Studios may just develop a solo project like a Black Knight series on Disney+. Harington is a big star and rising in the ranks in Game of Thrones just made his Jon Snow an iconic character. At least in pop-culture and among GoT fans.
Directed by Academy award-winning director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland), Marvel’s Eternals premieres in theaters November 5, 2021.
