Black Knight (Dane Whitman)

Dane Whitman is a fictional comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe, the company's third person to bear the name Black Knight. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, he first appeared in The Avengers #47 (Dec. 1967)

Publication history
Following his introduction, the Dane Whitman Black Knight became a recurring character in the superhero-team comic The Avengers, with his first solo story appearing shortly afterward in the anthology title Marvel Super-Heroes#17 (Nov. 1968). From 1979 to 1980, the Black Knight also appeared in black & white feature in the Marvel UKcomic Hulk Weekly, where the feature was to be the longest-lasting of the comic's UK-originated material, appearing in the majority of the title's 63 issues. It was written by Steve Parkhouse with art by Paul Neary and John Stokes. He also appeared in his own Marvel US title, the miniseries Black Knight #1-4 (June-Sept. 1990) by husband-and-wife writers Roy and Dann Thomas and successive pencillers Tony DeZuniga and Rich Buckler. This was followed by the one-shot Black Knight: Exodus #1 (Dec. 1996), by writer Ben Raab and penciller Jimmy Cheung.

Early life
Dane Whitman was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts and is best known as the modern-day Black Knight, continuing a legacy that began in medieval England. The first Black Knight, Whitman's ancestor Sir Percy of Scandia, lived during the reign of King Arthur. Percy's murder at the hand of his nemesis Modred began a string of successors, all of them Percy's descendants.

It was revived by Whitman's uncle Nathan Garrett, who became the supervillain Black Knight II. After being mortally wounded during a battle with Iron Man, he escaped to his estate, summoned his nephew to confess his crimes, and asked him to restore honor to their family legacy and atone for Garrett's misdeeds.

The Avengers
Whitman became the Black Knight, creating Aragorn for his mount. During his first outing, he was mistaken for his uncle and attacked by the Avengers, though they eventually realized their mistake.Later, he infiltrated the Masters of Evil, proving his worth to the Avengers, who offered him provisional membership. Shortly afterward, he inherited Castle Garrett and traveled to England. He encountered the spirit of Sir Percy of Scandia there and was given the Ebony Blade. He then encountered Doctor Strange, and helped fight the extra-dimensional threat Tiboro.

Heroes for Hire
The newly empowered Knight helped the Heroes for Hire defeat Nitro, then accepted Iron Fist's offer to join the newly formed team (due primarily to his concern over former teammate and friend Hercules, who had been drinking heavily out of grief for the Avengers' deaths). Whitman eventually learned what happened to Sersi when she reappeared asking for help to defeat yet another of her old enemy Ghaur's nefarious schemes. Later, the Heroes for Hire found themselves in the midst of a major conflict in the High Evolutionary's city of Wundagore. The Black Knight left the team to assist the Knights of Wundagore along with Quicksilver and later returned to the Avengers when they expanded their roster to include satellite teams around the world. Whitman was sent to the Slorenian border, where the Bloodwraith had used the Ebony Blade to absorb the souls of the entire population after they had been killed by the android Ultron. After the "Kang War" arc, the Avengers disbanded these global teams.

New Excalibur
Whitman reappeared in New Excalibur in the mid-2000s. He has opened up a museum in England chronicling the Black Knights that have existed throughout history. Whitman recently learned that Sir Percy was not the original Black Knight, but that eight men had held the Ebony Blade prior. The Ebony Blade however corrupted these men, and Sir Percy was deemed the only one noble enough to wield the Blade. Also at this time, Merlin told Whitman that he must not destroy the Blade as he had previously been told to do. It is not clear whether he has access to his Avalonian equipment at present. In New Excalibur, Whitman was invited to join the team but after the second adventure with them he refuses as he believes that his Ebony Blade is not the real one and needs to find the original.

Ebony Blade
Whitman eventually gained the Ebony Blade, a weapon that had been passed down through the ages from one of his ancestors to another. Although it was incredibly powerful, it carried a harmful curse that caused Whitman to eventually abandon it. As of New Excalibur #10, Whitman gained possession of a faux Ebony Blade.

Neural Sword
After giving up the Ebony Blade, Whitman designed and constructed a neural sword. The neural sword resembles a lightsaber in both its appearance and its effects on non-living matter, but the sword functions differently when used against living beings. Its "laser" blade is actually a neural disruptor; when Whitman cuts someone with the sword, it delivers a massive jolt to the being's central nervous system. This jolt is usually enough to incapacitate someone within just a few hits. Alternately, Whitman can reverse the neural sword's energy stream so that it encases its hilt and, by extension, Whitman's fist in a high-energy field. Using the sword in this fashion enables Whitman to punch with some unspecified degree of enhanced strength. The neural sword also creates a refraction field used to defend against energy-based attacks.

Avalonian equipment
In the 1997 Heroes for Hire series, the Lady of the Lake named Whitman the Pendragon for the current era and gave him an amulet. When Whitman says the word "Avalon" while wearing the amulet, he gains the following:
 * Armor: The armor Whitman currently wears has been described as mystical. It is said to be supernaturally durable for its light weight, but specific information on the durability of the armor is scarce.


 * Strider: Strider is a mystical creature like Valinor rather than a genetically engineered one like Aragorn, but he is unique in that he possesses mystical powers of his own. Most notably, Strider is capable of far greater airspeeds than either of Whitman's previous mounts; he is easily capable of breaking the sound barrier. Whitman can verbally summon Strider to appear at his side or return to Avalon as he pleased. While mounted on Strider, Whitman is magically protected from any harsh environments such as the depths of the ocean.


 * Shield of Night: The Shield of Night is a mystical kite shield; it not only protects him from most attacks but also absorbs the energy of the forces directed against it. He can then release that stored energy in the form of power blasts from his blade, the Sword of Light. Whitman has used it to block and absorb the energy of everything from Nitro's explosive blasts to fire to punches.


 * Sword of Light: The Sword of Light is a mystical sword capable of projecting the energy absorbed by the Shield of Night in blasts of the same kind of energy. It is also, supernaturally durable and can cut through almost any substance.

While Whitman still has access to Strider and the mystical armor he has not been seen using the Shield of Night or Sword of Light for some time. He has adopted a photonic shield similar to those used in the past by Captain America and U.S.Agent

Miscellaneous
Whitman has also employed an atomic steed, typically used by the High Evolutionary's Knights of Wundagore, in place of a flying horse.