Name

Current Alias

Aliases

As long as the Black Blade blazes darkly in my hand, I must fight on... No matter what the cost!

Early Life[]

As a young man, Dane Whitman fell in love withAshima Chopra, who developed terminal cancer. Dane planned to visit her in the hospital and propose, but lost his nerve and fell out of touch. Refusing treatment, Ashima died within a year, after secretly giving birth to a baby girl,Jackie.^[12]

Becoming the Black Knight[]

As an adult, Dane inherited his uncleNathan Garrett'scastle. He was unaware that his uncle had been the villainous Black Knight until finding notes and inventions.^[14] Eventually he came upon theEbony Blade. Passing its test,Sir Percival explained the history of the blade and its curse. Taking the weapon Dane decided to be a hero, joining theMasters of Evil just as his uncle did, but with the intent of infiltrating them from within. This he did to aid theAvengers, but they did not trust him until he later assisted them againstKang the Conqueror.^{[citation needed]}

Crusades and Otherworld[]

Dane later fought alongside theDefenders against theEnchantress, but was apparently turned to stone by her. TheValkyrie took possession of the Knight's Ebony Blade and his winged horse,Aragorn, andDr. Strange took custody of his petrified form.^[15] The Defenders later attempted to restore him using theEvil Eye ofAvalon. They discovered, however, that Whitman's spirit had been transported back in time to the 12th Century where it now inhabited the body of his own ancestor,Eobar Garrington. Whitman declined to return to the present day with the Defenders, and Valkyrie returned his sword to him; Whitman allowed her to keep the horse.^[16]

Later, however, he was equipped with a new flying horse namedValinor and transported (still in Garrington's body) to the present day by the mageMerlyn, to carry out a special mission.^[17] Sent to find the amnesiac heroCaptain Britain, Whitman then traveled with him toOtherworld to battle the evilMordred and his master, the demonicNecromon, and saveCamelot^[18] (at some point during the course of this quest, both heroes were briefly abducted by theGrandmaster to participate in his 'Contest of Champions'). After this mission was concluded, Whitman was returned to the 12th Century, though he did briefly travel forward again to attend Merlyn's funeral. Back in the past, he protected the mystical island of Avalon from the demonicFomor, until Garrington's body was eventually destroyed during a battle involving the time-traveling Avengers. Whitman's spirit returned to his original body, which became flesh and blood again.

Avengers[]

Dane served several tours of duty with the Avengers. While a member, his scientific knowledge came to be useful, especially when such minds asIron Man andHank Pym were not on the roster. He began his first extended membership with the team shortly afterVision stepped down as chairperson.^[19] Dane participated in the siege onAvengers Mansion by the Masters of Evil (during which he was captured and beaten byMister Hyde). Despite his injuries, Dane remained with the team after the membership shakeup that followed.^[20]

The curse of the Ebony Blade reasserted itself after the Avengers' associate memberMarrina went insane and became the enormous Leviathan. Her husbandNamor used the Ebony Blade to slay Marrina, reactivating the Knight's curse. Dane began to physically transform into an extension of the blade, his body seizing up until he required an exoskeleton to move it.^[21] After the Avengers disbanded, the Black Knight joined Thor in defense ofAsgard from the invasion of the Egyptian Death God known asSeth, but his curse finally took hold and the Knight was trapped as an inanimate statue once again.^[22]

Returned to his ancestral castle, Dane's statue was tended to byVictoria Bentley. She attempted a spell to restore him to life, but inadvertently summoned the spirit of the original Black Knight, Sir Percy of Scandia, in his place. After a series of adventures, Sir Percy abdicated Dane's body, taking the Ebony Blade's curse with him and restoring Whitman to his own body. Sir Percy had taken a squire namedSean Dolan, who Dane kept as his own.^[23]

The Black Knight returned to the Avengers after this, first as a reserve substitute,^[24] and later as a full member.^[25] The curse of the Ebony Blade became too dangerous, and Dane eventually abandoned it choosing to use atechnological weapon instead.^[25] He was involved inOperation Galactic Storm, during which he was part ofCaptain America's team, sent to theKree Empire. At the end of that mission, Dane was among the Avengers who followed Iron Man to execute theKreeSupreme Intelligence, and was, in fact, the one who struck the mortal blow.^[26]

While Dane would be away with the Avengers, Victoria Bentley retained ownership of the castle so he would not lose it. She could easily watch over the property as it neighbored hers. However, Dane's former squire became possessed by the Ebony Blade and turned into the Bloodwraith.^[27] The Bloodwraith accidentally killed Victoria during a duel between the Bloodwraith, Dane, andDeadpool.^[28]

At this time, Dane also found himself in a love triangle withCrystal andSersi. At first, he pursued a relationship with Sersi, as Crystal and her estranged husband,Pietro, attempted to reconcile, even becoming Sersi's "Gann Josin", establishing a powerful psychic link which was meant to help Sersi maintain control in troubled times. Still, after Crystal and Pietro relationship seemingly reached the point of no return, he confessed his feelings for Crystal and the two kissed. However,Luna's kidnapping brought Pietro and Crystal closer again, so, afterProctor (an evil alternate version of Dane) was finally defeated, Sersi felt she was too dangerous and had to exile herself, and Dane went along with her, leaving Crystal behind.^[29]

Ultraverse[]

The two eventually ended up in theUltraverse. Dane became a member of the local heroes known asUltraForce.^[30] During a reality-shredding event known asBlack September, the Avengers and UltraForce joined forces againstLoki and the combined sentient power of theInfinity Gems. In the aftermath, Dane remained in the Ultraverse as the new leader of UltraForce.^[31]

After leading UltraForce for several months, Dane had the opportunity to return toEarth-616 after an alien invasion. He took the chance and passed through a portal leading back home.^[32]

At one point, Dane appeared in Crystal's mirror, telling her they needed help, but this was only witnessed by her daughter, Luna.^[33]

Exodus[]

While Dane was in the body of his ancestor Eobar Garrington during the Crusades, he met the knightBennet du Paris, who became Exodus shortly after.^[16][34] This explained why Dane felt Exodus was somehow familiar when they 'first' met inGenosha sometime earlier.^[35]

Heroes for Hire[]

Sersi was later able to transport herself and Dane back to the present. Their 'Gann Josin' had apparently been broken and they had gone their separate ways aside from acting as reservist Avengers. Dane joinedLuke Cage'sHeroes for Hire shortly after his return.^[36]

Not long after his return to Earth, theLady of the Lake appeared to Dane, telling him he was destined to become Avalon's champion. She presented him with a new armor as well as theShield of Night and theSword of Light.^[36] While working with Heroes for Hire Dane came across theHigh Evolutionary'sKnights of Wundagore and agreed to train them. It was at this time that Dane acquired one of their "atomic steeds."^[37]

Excalibur and Avengers[]

Dane briefly joined anExcalibur team who helpedCaptain Britain to become the new monarch ofOtherworld.^[38] For a time he served sporadically as a member of theAvengers^[39][40] and was present when they disbanded.^[41]

Later, Dane had returned toGarrett Castle and converted it into a museum. Dane suddenly switched bodies with the original Black Knight, Sir Percy of Scandia. The investigating new Excalibur team found an ancient scroll in Percival's tomb showing the team as the saviors of Camelot. Traveling back to the era ofKing Arthur, Whitman met Percy and helped his ancestor, King Arthur, and Merlin defeat the dragons plaguing the kingdom (revealing the "dragons" to beMakluans in the process) and returned to the present. After assisting Excalibur in tracking downJuggernaut inKorea and returning him to the team, Whitman left in search of his real Ebony Blade.^[42]

Secret Invasion[]

Recently returned toEngland, Whitman appeared to be wielding the original Blade again (actually a fake created byDracula), using it to slaughter invadingSkrulls during theSecret Invasion. Dane also was revealed to have a literal stone heart, given to him by Sersi to keep him "above it all" and uninvolved.^[43] During the invasion, Dane made his way throughLondon protecting innocents and in doing so saved the life of civilian doctorFaiza Hussain. Faiza fought alongside Dane against the Skrull army and their champion,Super-Skrull, until Dane was incapacitated and a newly resurrectedCaptain Britain came to their rescue. While Captain Britain fought Super-Skrull, Faiza attempted to heal a dying Black Knight with her newfound abilities, and Dane - under the belief that he was on his deathbed - dubbed her his steward. Captain Britain was able to defeat the Super Skrull, Faiza healed Dane once magic returned to England and the Skrull Invasion in England came to an end; but not without revealing the new wielder ofExcalibur to be Faiza.^[44]

Insanity and Euroforce[]

He slowly started to become insane because of the power of the Ebony Blade. After encountering a fakeSavage Steel robbing a bank, he brutally beat the criminal, even costing him an eye and leaving him in a coma. After theWatcher'sdeath and the release of the secrets buried in his eye, his attack on Savage Steel was revealed toRebecca Stevens, a historian investigating the Blade who he previously met. She told him that the past users of the Blade had all fallen insane and offered help, but he refused.^[45] Later, he was recruited to lead the newEuroforce as a "temporal adjustment".^[46]

Journey on Weirdworld[]

Black Knight had fled toWeirdworld after killingCarnivore when losing control over the Ebony Blade as it increased in power.^[47] There, he murderedKing Zaltin Tar to establishNew Avalon and built an army of Amazons, Demon Dogs, Giants, Ice Swarms, Thunder & Lightning Dragons,Tribbitites, and Underwater Apes with the help ofShield andSpear. The army was formed in anticipation of the arrival of theAvengers Unity Division seeking to bring him to justice.^[48] When the Avengers Unity Division arrived, they encountered Black Knight and his army, ultimately separating him from the Ebony Blade, so that he could be apprehended.^[49] Later, commander Steve Rogers realized that the people of New Avalon relied upon Dane Whitman, and after defending the kingdom from theFangs of the Serpent, Rebecca Stevens negotiated a compromise whereby Dane would remain in Weirdworld with her.^[50]

Worldwide Conflicts[]

When Captain America established aHydra Empire in theUnited States of America, Hydra splinter groups started to form all over the world and several superhero teams were gathered to stop Hydra from going any further.^[51]

Meanwhile, Dane Whitman returned toEurope to help Euroforce battle Hydra, but he was apprehended alongside several teammates, remaining imprisoned until theChampions of Europe arrived and freed them.^[52] On another occasion, Dane answered the call to join the Avengers battling the threat of theEmpyre ledCotati.^[53]

Enter the Phoenix[]

When the cosmic force known as thePhoenix Force returned to Earth, it staged a contest to determine its next host, and Black Knight was one of many individuals summoned to theWhite Hot Room for it. The Phoenix empowered the assembled champions and had them fight each other in trials by combat.^[54] Dubbing himself the Phoenix Knight, Dane was pitted against the mysteriousRed Widow inStonehenge.^[55] However, Black Knight was quickly overpowered by his opponent and was defeated.^[56]

King in Black and Curse of the Ebony Blade[]

Depressed and resentful that the Avengers viewed him as a madman, Dane doubled down on his conviction that the Ebony Blade was responsible for his fits of rage. When the dark godKnull assailed the Earth with hishorde of symbiotes, Dane was among the Avengers-adjacent heroes contacted. En route to Manhattan he was attacked by asymbiote-dragon sent by Knull to claim the Ebony Blade, crash landing inShanghai,China. Losing his grip on the Ebony Blade, Dane encounteringAero andSwordmaster while searching for it, and was angered by their disdain towards him. When Swordmaster refused to help save the civilians after learning the symbiotes were not minions of his nemesis, the dark godChiyou, his divine weapon - theSword of Fu Xi - forsook him for Dane.

Lapsing into a berserk state, Dane hacked a symbiote dragon to shreds, maniacally declaring that the Sword of Fu Xi belonged to him now. As Swordmaster tried to take the divine sword back, one of the symbiotes latched onto them and connected them psychically to Knull, who revealed to Dane the truth of the Ebony Blade - that the sword's curse was not responsible for his family's history of mental instability and bloodlust, but it fed off their inner darkness and could only be wielded by a person consumed by evil. Knull declared his intent to claim both the Ebony Blade and the Sword of Fu Xi for himself, manifesting an avatar in the shape of Chiyou to mock Swordmaster. The Sword of Fu Xi rejected Dane as its wielder and returned to Swordmaster, leaving Dane devastated to learn his whole life had been a lie. Sensing his despair, the Ebony Blade returned to him, and Dane ultimately decided to channel his inner darkness to put a stop to Knull's invasion.^[57]

None

Gifted Scientist: Whitman started out as a scientist, though specializing 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.

Expert Swordsman: Whitman is an excellent swordsman whose skills have allowed him to best theSwordsman in combat.

Skilled Martial Artist: He is an excellent fighter, able to hold his own against such highly skilled fighters asCaptain America andWolverine.

Expert Horseman: He is also an expert horseman.

Magical Knowledge: Whitman has become somewhat familiar with magic.

Dane wears protective armor, apparently of elven design. He also possesses a necklace that can contain his armor, sword, and shield and reappear whenever he saysAvalon.

• Brazier of Truth: Magical flame inGarrett Castle.

• Originally after taking up the mantle of Black Knight, Dane took to wielding his unclesPower Lance as a personal armament. Using it with the same expertise as its original creator did every now and then.^[59]
• Dane currently wields theEbony Blade as it has been gifted back to him byStorm.^[60][43] In addition, he also owns a few replicas of the Ebony Blade that are stated to be nearly as powerful and just as dangerous.^[61][62]
• He formerly used aPhoton Sword and theSword of Light and theShield of Night, and for a time (while in the service ofMerlyn) carriedExcalibur after the temporary destruction of the Ebony Blade.

• Dane normally rides the white-winged horse,Strider, a gift from theLady of the Lake. He formerly rodeValinor, whom he acquired while in the 12th century. While training theKnights of Wundagore, Dane used one of their 'atomic steeds.' His first white-winged horse wasAragorn, whom he gifted toValkyrie.
• While he used theEbony Blade, Dane could be summoned to it regardless of location through the use of a ritual.

• The Black Knight was one of the characters featured in Series A of the Marvel Value Stamps issued in the 1970s.

• On the 50 state variant covers ofU.S.Avengers #1, Black Knight was assigned as the Avenger ofOhio.

• Bloodwraith is his former Squire, Sean Dolan.
• Dane Whitman was created byRoy Thomas, who was inspired by theoriginal Black Knight.
• Dane's telephone number in England was 01-552-8210.^[63]

• Fantasy
• Sci-fi
• Marvel