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The Black Knight is the alias of several fictional comic-book characters that appear in the Marvel Comics universe. The first is a medieval knight created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Joe Maneely. The second version is a supervillain and descendant of the original, and is created by Lee and Dick Ayers. The third is a superhero and a member of the superhero team the Avengers.
Publication history
The first Black Knight, Sir Percy of Scandia, appears in the medieval-adventure series Black Knight vol. 1, #1-5 (May-Dec. 1955) from Atlas Comics, the 1950s precursor of Marvel Comics.
In 1964, Sir Percy's descendant, Professor Nathan Garrett, debuted as the modern-day supervillain Black Knight in Tales to Astonish vol. 1, #52 (Feb.). The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist co-plotter Dick Ayers. From 1964 - 1968 the villainous Black Knight appears, in Avengers vol. 1, #6, 14 - 15 (July 1964, Mar-Apr 1965) and Iron Man in Tales of Suspense vol. 1, #73 (Jan. 1966). The character is killed in this final appearance.
In 1968 in Avengers vol. 1, #47 (July), Dane Whitman - the nephew of Garrett - becomes a heroic version of the Black Knight. The character is created by writer Roy Thomas and artist George Tuska. Whitman sporadically appears with the Avengers until becoming a core member and regularly appearing in the title from 1985 - 1988 in Avengers vol. 1, #254 - 297.
In 1990, Whitman featured in a limited series, Black Knight #1-4 (June-Sept. 1990). The series was written by Roy and Dann Thomas and successive pencilers Tony DeZuniga and Rich Buckler.
In 2007, a Black Knight one-shot featuring Sir Percy is published as the second issue of Mystic Arcana. It is written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by Tom Grummet and Scott Hanna.
Fictional character biographies
Sir Percy of Scandia
The original Black Knight is Sir Percy of Scandia, a 6th century knight who serves at the court of King Arthur as his greatest warrior. Recruited by the wizard Merlin, Percy adopts a double identity, and pretends to be totally incompetent until changing into the persona of the Black Knight. As the Black Knight, Percy wields the Ebony Blade, which Merlin forged from a meteorite. [1] A constant foe of the evil knight Mordred the Evil (Arthur's traitorous "nephew"), Percy is eventually killed by him during the fall of Camelot when stabbed from behind with an enchanted blade - although Mordred then dies himself of wounds inflicted by Arthur. Merlin ensures that Percy's spirit will live on by casting a spell that will revive his ghost if Mordred should ever return.[2] Percy's spirit has appeared several times to counsel his descendant, Dane Whitman.
Nathan Garrett
Professor Nathan Garrett, a biologist, is the direct descendant of Sir Percy, and found Sir Percy's tomb and the ebony blade. Garrett's evil tendencies make him unworthy of wielding the sword, and he is shunned by Sir Percy's ghost. An embittered Garrett then devises an arsenal of medieval weapons that employ modern technology and genetically engineers and creates a winged horse called Aragorn. Calling himself the Black Knight, Garrett embarks on a life of crime to spite his ancestor. After a battle with the hero Giant-Man [3] Garrett joins the supervillain team the Masters of Evil at the request of master villain Baron Zemo. After two unsuccessful battles against the Avengers [4], Garrett is mortally wounded while trying to kill the hero Iron Man. [5] A dying Garrett summons his nephew, Dane Whitman, and reveals his secret identity and repents for his life of crime. Whitman then decides to adopt the identity of the Black Knight himself. [6]
Dane Whitman
Vatican Black Knight
An unidentified new version of the Black Knight has recently appeared, and is a member of a team of supervillains that invade the nation of Wakanda. A devout Catholic, this Black Knight hopes to convert the population of Wakanda to Catholicism. He is, however, defeated by the hero the Black Panther, who retains the Black Knight's ebony blade. [7]
Other versions
The Avengers: United They Stand
Nathan Garrett appears and attempts to steal a device from the organization AIM.[8]
Marvel Zombies
Dane becomes one of the dozens of super-powered zombies that are laying siege to the castle of Doctor Doom. The zombies have detected delicious humans hiding inside; all of whom ultimately escape.
Ultimate Black Knight
In the Ultimate Marvel universe, the Black Knight is a member of the superhero team the Defenders.
Earth X
In the Earth X series, Ahura - the son of Black Bolt and Medusa - becomes the Black Knight. [9]
Amalgam Comics
In Amalgam Comics, the Black Knight is combined with Atomic Knight to form Atomic Black Knight.
In other media
The medieval Black Knight appeared in the "Knights & Demons" episode of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, scripted by Don Glut. Dane Whitman was also to appear, but was rejected to avoid confusion. [10]
Footnotes
- ^ Black Knight vol. 1, #1 - 5 (May-Dec. 1955), Atlas Comics, the 1950s precursor of Marvel Comics.
- ^ Marvel Super-Heroes #17 (1968)
- ^ Tales to Astonish vol. 1, #52
- ^ Avengers vol. 1, #6, 14 - 15, 47
- ^ Tales of Suspense vol. 1, #73
- ^ Avengers vol. 1, #48
- ^ Black Panther vol. 3, #4 (July 2005)
- ^ The Avengers: United They Stand #4
- ^ Earth X #1 - 13 (1999 - 2000)
- ^ TV.com episode entry
References
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
