While Dane Whitman has been the Black Knight in the comics for years he's not exactly the most well-known superhero, though the character is poised to become a bit more mainstream thanks to his upcoming appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Eternals.
The Black Knight obviously becomes a close ally of the Eternals, though over the years he has joined a few other Marvel teams that have made him a global and even multiversal hero. Kit Harrington's role in Eternals could quite possibly usher in any one of these Marvel teams to the MCU or bring Black Knight to the already established teams he's joined over the years.
10 Dane Whitman Was The Second Black Knight To Join The Masters Of Evil
When Dane Whitman first discovered his heritage as the nephew of the villainous Black Knight who had worked alongside the first Masters of Evil to take out the Avengers, he decided to take up the ebony blade and become the second Black Knight.
Like his uncle before him, Whitman joined a new roster of the Masters of Evil that was targeting the Avengers. However, he soon revealed that he had instead decided to become a hero and only joined the Masters of Evil as an infiltrator to help the Avengers, though it took some time for him to build trust with the team.
9 He Was Turned To Stone And Sent To The Past While Working With The Defenders
Dane Whitman was given a chance to explore his lineage of generational Black Knights further after he began working with the Defenders. Unfortunately, it came at the cost of his body, as he was transmuted into stone while his spirit was sent back in time into the body of his 12th century descendent Eobar Garrington, the Black Knight of the Crusades.
While he eventually returned to the present-day timeline in a restored body, he spent a lot of time in that era at different times over the years, including a memorable encounter with Bennet du Paris, the powerful omega-level mutant known as Exodus.
8 Black Knight First Joined And Then Became Leader Of The Avengers
Dane Whitman's master's degree in physics and overall skill with mechanics served him well when he finally gained the trust of the Avengers and joined the team, as they were short on science-heavy members. It allowed him to create a new photon sword to help him avoid the blood curse of the Black Knight's ebony blade, and he stepped up to lead a team of Avengers.
His roster included members like Black Widow, Sersi, Crystal, Vision, and Hercules as they encountered a dark multiversal team known as the Gatherers led by his corrupted future self named Proctor, which ultimately led to his leaving the team.
7 He Joined And Led Ultraforce In The Now-Forgotten Ultraverse Reality
Black Knight and a few other Marvel characters found themselves transported to the alternate reality known as the Ultraverse that featured characters from the recently purchased Malibu Comics. The Avengers teamed up with superpowered "Ultras" who had been transformed by an alien Theta virus known as Ultraforce during the Black September event.
Black Knight and Sersi chose to stay in the Ultraverse and he became leader of Ultraforce, though they both eventually returned to the Marvel universe when the Ultraverse line was canceled by Marvel and the characters were forgotten.
6 Black Knight Worked With Oracle Corporation's Heroes For Hire After His Return
While Black Knight's relationship with Sersi had defined his time with the Avengers and Ultraforce, they separated after they returned and he joined with a new version of Heroes for Hire that was put together by Iron Fist and Luke Cage for Jim Hammond/Human Torch's Oracle Inc. (which was founded by Namor the Sub-Mariner).
Black Knight joined other heroes like Hercules, White Tiger, Ant-Man, She-Hulk, and others as they were hired on for missions as required, though Whitman spent some time exploring his connection to Arthurian legend and the mystical Lady of the Lake that provided him with new weapons and a new mission.
5 Dane Whitman Trained The High Evolutionary's Knights of Wundagore
It was during his time working with Heroes for Hire that Black Knight encountered the High Evolutionary and his bestial Knights of Wundagore, the security force of his hidden sanctuary that was well-equipped with advanced technology but undertrained.
Black Knight first met with the Knights during "The Siege of Wundagore" crossover that saw Exodus and his Acolytes target the High Evolutionary's Savage Land base, and he was asked to stay on and help train the Knights. While his time with the team was short-lived, he did come away with a new high-tech atomic steed in his arsenal.
4 Black Knight Joined Excalibur To Help Captain Britain Save Otherworld
A short-lived team of Excalibur formed in the early 2000s under Brian Braddock/Captain Britain as he gathered allies like Black Knight, Psylocke, Meggan, and Captain U.K. alongside other multiversal versions of Braddock to help him save the magical realm of Otherworld.
Black Knight was successful in aiding Captain Britain, who became the new monarch of Otherworld which led to the disbandment of Excalibur, though not the relationship that formed between Whitman and Braddock.
3 He Continued Working With Captain Britain Alongside MI13 During Secret Invasion
The British government created a number of different departments that spent years researching and experimenting with the occult and supernatural, though those various departments were eventually all assembled together as the branch known as MI13 under the watch of Pete Wisdom.
Captain Britain was brought on board to lead the branch's new strike force of British heroes that fully formed during the Skrull Secret Invasion. The team included Black Knight alongside other European heroes like Spitfire and even Blade, as well as his new squire and romantic interest Excalibur.
2 Black Knight Was Chosen As The Leader Of Euroforce Despite His American Heritage
Dane Whitman was chosen to lead a new formation of the Euroforce team due to his long and loyal service with MI13, and his team first appeared to assist the Avengers against Morgan le Fay's Army of Awoken Death.
He revealed it was only a temporary appointment as he wasn't actually European, though he was still working with the team when they reappeared during the Secret Empire event to take on the forces of Hydra against other non-American teams like the Champions of Europe.
1 A Corrupted Black Knight Created A Weirdworld Army When He Formed New Avalon
Dane Whitman constantly struggled with the corruptive blood curse of his ebony blade which finally began to take its toll on his mental stability after he began using the sword again during his time with MI13 and Euroforce. Black Knight succumbed to the blood curse during a battle and killed his enemy, which caused him to retreat from Earth to the realm of Weirdworld.
He killed the sitting king and took over his armies of fantasy creatures to establish his kingdom of New Avalon. He then appointed his powerful Spear and Shield to help build his army in preparation for the Avengers Unity Squad, though they ultimately left him in charge of New Avalon after they managed to separate him from the ebony blade.