Costumed heroes and villains have a number of different options to choose from when creating their comic book identities, ranging from design choices that potentially tie into their origins and powers or a chosen thematic avatar like an animal to help create their new persona. However, there is a comic book trend that unites a small group of characters with similar themes.
There are a few heroes and villains who have fashioned their costumed personas after medieval-based themes and imagery, whether through their own interest in the era or a connection to the past that continues to influence characters in the modern day. These medieval heroes and villains have a unique connection to the middle ages that allow them to stand out among the rest.
10 Jason Blood Was Eternally Bonded To Etrigan The Demon By The Arthurian Wizard Merlin
DC's Merlin and the Arthurian age played a large role in the timeline of the universe, which continued to impact the heroes and villains in the modern age. Jason Blood was cursed when his soul was bonded by Merlin to a dark prince of hell known as Etrigan the Demon.
Their mystical union led to Blood's immortal life that allowed him to fight in various wars over the years including the Crusades, where he would transform into Etrigan so the Demon could bask in the chaos he craved. While Blood has adapted his look to fit with the times, Etrigan still wears the same look that dates him back to the middle ages.
9 Arthur Blackwood Gained The Power Of His Medieval Ancestors To Become The Crusader
The Marvel villain known as The Crusader is Arthur Blackwood, a religious man who felt that society would benefit from a harder stance against the "godless" unbelievers. He gained the power of his ancestors to help in his mission, along with a powerful suit of armor, sword, and shield. The armor was styled after his ancestor's gear from the Crusaders and contained mystical properties.
When The Crusader believes in what he believes in his holy mission, he is strong enough to take on powerful characters like Thor. However, if his faith is shaken he can lose his increased abilities which have resulted in the loss of his medieval weapons a few times over the years.
8 Sir Justin Was The Arthurian Shining Knight Who Wore Merlin's Enchanted Armor
Another DC character that hails from the middle ages is Sir Justin, a young member of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table who was on a sworn mission of vengeance when he encountered and helped free Merlin. The wizard of Camelot enchanted Sir Justin's armor to be impenetrable which earned him the new title of the Shining Knight.
His sword was also enchanted to cut through almost anything and his horse was given wings to further aid him as a warrior. He was trapped and frozen in ice until he was frozen in the modern age, where he began working alongside other costumed crimefighters.
7 Prester John Was A Time-Traveling Crusader Who Worked With A Few Marvel Heroes
The warrior known as Prester John fought in the Crusades before he eventually found his way to the kingdom of Avalon, where an encounter with Kang the Conqueror resulted in his first travel back through time to the Viking era.
Prester John and his connection to Avalon's Seat of Survival and its powerful Evil Eye allowed him to survive over the centuries in suspended animation until he was awoken in the modern era, while also making him a target for others seeking power. He went through a villainous period as well after he was driven insane by the Stone of Power, though he recovered in Cable's Providence.
6 The Silent Knight Was An Arthurian Ally And One Of Hawkman's Reincarnated Lifes
The Hawkman character has a long and confusing origin that connects a number of DC characters across the entire timeline. Hawkman and Hawkgirl were transformed by their connection to the alien Nth metal, resulting in an eternal cycle of death and reincarnation as time-crossed lovers.
One of Hawkman's reincarnated lives was a man named Brian Kent in 6th century England. After finding a silver and red suit of armor, he fought against injustice as the Silent Knight in order to hide his identity, working alongside other medieval characters like King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table and his reincarnated lover Lady Celia.
5 Joanna Dark Is A Police Officer Known As The Maid In Top 10's Superpowered City Neopolis
Alan Moore and Gene Ha's Top 10 was a superhero police procedural from Alberta's Best Comics that took place in the city of Neopolis, where almost every citizen had some kind of power or fit a monster or robot classification that resulted in the cities creation during the 40s.
That era of Neopolis was explored in Top 10: The Forty-Niners, which introduced the mysterious character of Joanna Dark/Maid, a police officer with an undefined connection to Joan of Arc that gave her enhanced abilities and medieval weaponry that made her a perfect agent against the vampire mafia that thrived in the underworld of Neopolis.
4 Knight And Squire Are The United Kingdom's Own Version Of The Dynamic Duo
Percy Sheldrake was inspired by the exploits of Batman and Robin to join forces with his son Cyril to become London's own Dynamic Duo, Knight and Squire. Cyril eventually took over as Knight after the death of his father, and Beryl Hutchinson stepped in as his Squire for years.
They worked with teams like the Club of Heroes and Batman Inc. for years while also operating as the official heroes of England. The death of Sheldrake saw Hutchinson become the new Knight as she herself took on a new Squire, Amina Eluko.
3 Lord Covenant Appeared In The 12th Century Before Sir John Of York's Medieval Spawn In The 16th Century
Following the death of soldier Al Simmons, he returned to Earth as a soldier in a war against Heaven and Hell known as a Hellspawn in Image Comics' Spawn. However, he was hardly the first character to join the demonic Malebolgia's dark army.
Spawn: The Dark Ages introduced Lord Covenant, who returned as a Hellspawn in the 12th century to find his way in war-torn England. A former knight named Sir John of York was revealed to have been another Hellspawn in the 16th century who became known as Medieval Spawn in the 16th century before he was hunted down by an assassin from Heaven named Angela.
2 Azrael Is The Hereditary Avenging Angel For The Medieval Order Of St. Dumas
Jean-Paul Valley is the armored hero known as Azrael who briefly took over as Batman for an ill-fated run as Gotham City's Dark Knight. While his appearance has evolved away from the more knight-like armor of his predecessor, the Avenging Angel Azrael has origins that date back to the dark ages.
Valley served the ancient and secretive Order of St. Dumas, which was originally a printer group of Templar Knights that formed after the Crusades to protect their own interests using their highly-trained hereditary operative Azrael.
1 Dane Whitman Followed In His Uncle's Footsteps To Wield The Ebony Blade As Black Knight
Marvel's Black Knight first appeared as a villain of the Avengers when Nathan Garrett used his family's ancestral armor and connection to the powerful Ebony Blade to join the Masters of Evil. Garrett's nephew Dane Whitman eventually inherited the mantle of the Black Knight and the Ebony Blade, though he used both to work alongside the Avengers.
Whitman learned that he was the latest in a long line of Black Knights that dated back to the middle ages and shared a connection with the magical Ebony Blade, which corrupted its wielders more with each life taken by the sword. Whitman also possessed the body of an ancestor to serve as Black Knight during the 12th century where he worked alongside Merlin.