While the Eternals were going on their journey to question their fate and kill a god, Dane Whitman (Kit Harington) was also finding out the truth about his family. Unfortunately, Dane’s adventures happen in the background ofEternals. Still, the second post-credit scene of the movie teases the emergence of a new hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While we don’t know when, and how, Dane will take his superhero mantle,Eternalsleaves a lot of breadcrumbs for fans to follow, the biggest being a spooky sword that’s obviously dangerous.
But whatisthe spooky sword at the end ofEternals? And why is Dane tempted to use its powers? To answer that, we’ll dig deep into comic book mythology, explaining how Dane Whitman is destined to become the Black Knight.
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The Ebony Sword
Created byStan Leefor 1955’sBlack Knight Comics#1, the Ebony Sword is a blade forged from a meteor by the wizard Merlin. Imbued with the cosmic energy of the meteor and Merlin’s magic, the Ebony Blade was gifted to Sir Percy of Scandia, the greatest warrior in the court of King Arthur. Due to its unique properties, the Ebony Sword can cut any physical substance, except other magical weapons and extremely solid metals, like Wolverine’s adamantium. The blade can also deflect energy, block enchantments, and cut through magical barriers, making it the perfect weapon against mystical menaces. In addition, the Ebony Blade allows its bearer to manifest a black armor instantly and makes its master immortal. Long story short, the Ebony Blade is one of the most impressive weapons in the Marvel Universe.
In possession of the Ebony Blade, Sir Percy led a double life in the 6th century, pretending to be an incompetent warrior while using the Black Knight persona to defend the kingdom from evildoers. However, Sir Percy shed so much blood with the Ebony Sword that the blade became cursed. Using the Ebony Blade for too long leads its master to become angry and sometimes go berserker in his thirst for blood. So, it’s no wonder the Ebony Sword is either a powerful tool for heroes or a terrible weapon for villains.
The Black Knight Legacy
After Sir Percy of Scandia was killed during the fall of Camelot by Mordred the Evil, King Arthur’s traitorous nephew, Merlin, blessed the Black Knight so that his soul could always rise again should his killer ever return to Earth. However, the Ebony Sword was passed on for generations, going from one of Sir Percy’s descents to another. No one dared to use the sword until biology professor Nathan Garrett discovered the weapon’s magical properties and used it to become a villain also named Black Knight. Black Knight, the villain, fought the Avengers several times until he was fatally wounded during a battle against Iron Man. On his deathbed, Nathan tells the truth about the Ebony Sword to his nephew, Dane, who then decides to use the blade for good.
While the MCU will probably change Nathan’s story, his presence was already teased inEternals. Knowing that the world is about to end, Sersi (Gemma Chan) calls Dane and tells him to search for the distant uncle he’s always talking about. Sersi doesn’t tell Dane about the apocalypse, but her call is the final push for Dane to look for Nathan, a family reunion that allows him to acquire the MCU version of the Ebony Blade.
The MCU’s Ebony Blade is entirely black, and the box that holds it has Latin words carved inside it. The Latin writing indicates that the MCU blade still comes from the 6th century, and by the looks of it, it seems that the weapon still holds its magical properties. Besides that, the saying that’s carved, “Mors Mirim Lucrum”, means “Death is a Marvelous Gain” in English, an ominous warning that the Ebony Sword is still cursed in the MCU.
In the comic books, Sir Percy’s spirit frequently visits Dane, advising him about the Ebony Sword and the duties of the Black Knight. However, another hero seems to be Dane’s guide in his journey to become the Black Knight. As soon as Dane touches the blade inEternals, he can hear a voice from someone the camera doesn’t show. The voice asks: “Sure you’re ready for that?” This line is an indication that the owner of the voice knows both Dane and the Ebony Sword. Writer and directorChloé Zhaoconfirmed the voice belongs to Blade(Mahershala Ali), we can expect Black Knight to be involved in some vampire-hunting adventure. Now we just need a Disney+ Black Knight series to give Dane the chance to become a hero on its own, instead of just being a part of other people’s movies.
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