Dane Whitman
Dane Whitman is a male comic superhero who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Dane Whitman
As a young man, Dane Whitman fell in love with Ashima 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. (Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade v1 #5)
Avengers
Dane Whitman intended to retire from super-heroics after this, recognizing what a poor showing he had made up until this point. After inheriting the original family castle on the outskirts of London from his uncle’s estate, Dane traveled to England to assess his new holdings. His uncle’s castle in Washington had been rebuilt to the exact specifications as this one and Dane discovered its secret passages as well. He inadvertently lit the Brazier of Truth, calling forth the lost spirit of Sir Percy of Scandia, who greeted his descendent. Percy explained the heroic legacy of the original Black Knight and offered Dane the chance to draw forth the Ebony Blade and wield it as a modern crusader. Percy said Nathan Garrett had failed to unsheathe the blade and it had turned him bitter. Dane Whitman did draw the Ebony Blade and was magically clothed in his armor as the Black Knight. After defeating the blade’s guardian to prove his worth, Dane was ready to return to his career and a knight and hero. Destiny called the Black Knight back to action for a reason. Mordred the Evil had made a pact with dark forces to bring his spirit back to the Earthly plane. Merlin’s final spells as Sir Percy died were that he or his heirs would always rise to defeat Mordred whenever the fiend returned. Mordred empowered a French blade artist named le Sabre to be his agent, gifting le Sabre with an animated gargoyle to ride and the Ebony Dagger to kill the Black Knight. Dane and Aragorn encountered le Sabre in mid-air and began to joust. The Black Knight recognized the Ebony Dagger from Percy’s tales and realized he was in mortal danger, but Aragorn kicked the dagger from le Sabre’s hands and sent it tumbling to the ground below. The gargoyle was slain and le Sabre was captured, but Dane could not find the fallen dagger, leaving the one weapon that could kill him out in the world for another foe to find. (Marvel Super-Heroes v1 #17)
As he renewed his efforts at heroism, the Black Knight attended the awkward wedding of Yellowjacket and Janet van Dyne at Avengers Mansion. (Avengers v1 #60) Back at Garrett Castle in England, Dane amused himself by wearing his knightly garb to attend a costumed party held by his English neighbor, Victoria Bentley. Doctor Strange was acquainted with Victoria as well and arrived seeking her magical assistance. He recognized Black Knight from Avengers Mansion and recruited the crusader in a quest against Tiboro and the Sons of Satannish. (Doctor Strange v1 #178) The Sons provided Strange with the Crystal of Conquest to oppose the Spell of Fire and Ice, an incantation to bring about Armageddon by unleashing Ymir and Surtur of Norse myth on the Earth. Black Knight and his allies the Avengers kept the Frost Giant of Jotunheim and the Fire Demon of Muspelheim busy until Doctor Strange readied the crystal’s power for a counter spell. Afterwards, Black Knight accompanied the Avengers to Wakanda to recuperate, becoming one of the first outsiders invited by King T’Challa to his hidden land. (Avengers v1 #62) Black Knight’s next encounter with the Avengers started off poorly, although he couldn’t have anticipated why. Kang and the Grandmaster were playing the Game of Galaxies, pitting the Avengers against the Squadron Sinister in individual matches with the fate of the Earth in the balance. So, when Goliath was teleported to London to battle his foe the Whizzer, the Black Knight couldn’t have known the consequences of interfering. The Knight struck down the super-villain and was surprised when Goliath yelled at him and snatched his sword away after the damage had already been done. Goliath and the Whizzer were teleported back to Kang’s 41st century citadel with the match over, taking the Ebony Blade with them. (Avengers v1 #70)
Dane returned to Garrett Castle and lit the Brazier of Truth to consult with Sir Percy. From beyond the veil of mortal time and space, the first Black Knight was able to observe the wager between Kang and the Grandmaster and relate the consequences of his actions to Dane Whitman. With Percy’s aid, the Black Knight focused on the Ebony Blade that Goliath had taken with him. Through their connection, Dane transported himself from present day England to the future citadel of Kang the Conqueror to reunite with his sword. Suitably armed, the Black Knight then freed the Avengers who were being held in stasis by Kang after their appointed matches. In two rounds, the Avengers won on behalf of Kang each time. However, because of the Black Knight’s interference, the Grandmaster resolved to give Kang only the power of Life or Death and not both as had been the wager. Kang intended to restore his beloved Ravonna from the brink of death with the power of Life but, when Black Knight and the freed Avengers barged in, his hatred overwhelmed him and Kang chose to receive the power of Death to kill his enemies instead. The Grandmaster was deliberately technical with his wagers, though, and Kang received only what he asked for: the power of Death over the Avengers. The Black Knight, not yet inducted into the team roster, proved immune to Kang’s newfound power and defeated the conqueror. The assembled Avengers quickly voted to correct their oversight after Kang and the Grandmaster were no longer a threat and Dane Whitman was inducted as a member of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Although he accepted the honor, the Black Knight lived in England now and so would only serve when called upon, making him the team’s first deliberate reserve member. (Avengers v1 #71)
Dane served several tours of duty with the Avengers. While a member, his scientific knowledge came to be useful, especially when such minds as Iron Man and Hank Pym were not on the roster. He began his first extended membership with the team shortly after Vision stepped down as chairperson. (Avengers v1 #255)
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. (Avengers Annual v1 #22)
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 joined Luke Cage's Heroes for Hire shortly after his return. (Heroes for Hire v1 #2)
Excalibur
Recently returned to England, Whitman appeared to be wielding the original Blade again, using it to slaughter invading Skrulls during the Secret Invasion. Dane also was revealed to have a literal stone heart, given to him by Sersi to keep him "above it all" and uninvolved. (Captain Britain and MI-13 v1 #10)
Black Knight
He was seen infiltrating a cult and eliminating its members when he was approached by Conan who recruited him as part of Doctor Strange's team that were looking to recover one of the Eyes of Agamotto. This relic was within the hoard of the Asgardian dragon Sadurang with Black Knight agreeing to help to right some evil perpetrated by the monster. (Savage Avengers v1 #14)
Whilst at Castle Garrett, he came to receive a communique from the Avengers and was urged by the spirit of Sir Percy to respond to the summons. This was a call for all heroes to gather and fight against the threat from the Symbiote God Knull who had invaded the Earth. Taking the Ebony Blade, he fought one of the dark god's Symbiote Dragons which he managed to slay over China. This led to him meeting the Chinese superhero Aero where he teamed up with her to fight the Symbiotes. They were later joined by the Sword Master where Dane came to struggle to control the dark urges of the Ebony Blade. Knull came to claim that the sword did not choose its bearers based on their strengths but rather on their weaknesses. He then formed an avatar of himself based on the war god Chiyou until it was destroyed by Whitman using the Ebony Blade. Dane was then informed by Aero that Iron Man had made a summons of all heroes to offer a united front against Knull with the Black Knight joining them. (King in Black: Black Knight v1 #1)
Overview
Personality and attributes
After being empowered by the Phoenix Force, he came to be briefly known as the Phoenix Knight. (Avengers v8 #43)
In his youth, he became involved with Asim Chopra until she died from terminal cancer. Unknown to Dane, Asim was pregnant with his child and gave birth to their daughter who was named Jackie. (Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade v1 #5)
Powers and abilities
Originally after taking up the mantle of Black Knight, Dane took to wielding his uncles Power Lance as a personal armament. Using it with the same expertise as its original creator did every now and then. (Avengers v1 #47)
Reforging the Starstone, Whitman came to create the Ebony Siege that resembled a black throne. By sitting on it, he was able to peer and even venture into other worlds. It enabled him to gaze into the abyss to discover hidden truths and see past the lies. The Siege also lets those who sit upon it gaze through history with reddened eyes, seeing the past, present, and ever changing future unfold. (Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade v1 #5)
During the Phoenix Force's tournament, Black Knight became empowered by a portion of its power. He came to lose this power after being defeated by Red Widow during the tournament. (Avengers v8 #43)
He was also in possession of a family relic named the Brazier of Truth. Whitman was able to use it after he proved himself worthy of lighting the flame. The Brazier allowed Dane to contact his dead ancestor, Sir Percy of Scandia. (Marvel Super-Heroes v1 #17)
Notes
- The Dane Whitman Black Knight was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema where he made his first appearance in Avengers v1 #47 (December, 1967).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the Dane Whitman Black Knight made a cameo non-speaking appearance in the animated television series in the episode "Come the Conqueror". He was shown as being a hero protecting London from the forces of the time travelling warlord Kang the Conqueror.
Films
- In Eternals, Dane Whitman appeared in the setting of the live-action film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe where he was portrayed by actor Kit Harington.
Video games
- In Marvel Avengers Alliance, Dane Whitman as the Black Knight appeared as a playable character in the setting of the Facebook video game.
Appearances
- Avengers v1: (1967)
- Black Knight v2:
- Avengers Annual v1:
- Avengers World v1:
- Savage Avengers v1: (2020)
- King in Black: Black Knight v1: (2021)
- Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade v1:
External Links
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