Following a rough 2023 at the box office and with critics, the Marvel Cinematic Universe appears to be undergoing a soft-reset as the studio retools many of its upcoming films and makes some casting changes. One person who is not as clear on his own MCU status, though, is Kit Harington as the Game of Thrones veteran gave some disappointing news about where things stand for his character, Dane Whitman.
Harington revealed to ScreenRant, via DigitalSpy, that despite all the retooling within Marvel Studios, there are no immediate plans for Whitman or his alter-ego, Black Knight, inside the MCU.
“The honest answer is nothing's in the works at the moment,” Harington said. “If they decide to use the character in something, or as a solo thing, I'd be very excited by it. But I don't think it's planned at the moment.”
He did express his desire for the character to return to the MCU and tell Whitman's story as he succumbs to the Ebony Blade, becoming Black Knight.
“I hope that they do something with that character,” Harington added. “I think that character is fascinating and brilliant. And I love his trajectory in the comics.”
“I love the idea of a good guy being turned bad by his superpower. I think that's brilliant. I'm not sure whether we've had a protagonist that's like that, so I think it's a really strong idea.”
The Black Knight of Marvel
In Marvel Comics, Whitman dons the mantle of the Black Knight from his supervillain uncle who asked his nephew to restore the family's honor on his deathbed. Whitman does this, and while initially mistaken for his uncle, he is eventually accepted and granted membership to The Avengers after he aids them in their battle against the Masters of Evil.
He comes into possession of the cursed sword Ebony Blade soon after, which serves as Marvel's dark antithesis to King Arthur's legendary sword Excalibur. While the blade is enchanted to protect its wielder from death, it slowly corrupts them with a lust for bloodshed and violence until the wielder is a crazed berserker.
Whitman would eventually abandon the sword and replace it with new weapons, though the Ebony Blade would continue to haunt him as new wielders would take up the sword and give in to its curse.
Harington made his first appearance in the MCU as Whitman in 2021's Eternals as a history professor working in London's Natural History Museum and is dating Sersi. He is primarily present at the beginning and end of the film, with him witnessing Sersi's abduction by the Celestial Arishem.
In the post-credits scene, audiences were given a brief look at the Ebony Blade as Whitman considering taking it up before an unseen voice stops him. It was later confirmed the voice was Mahershala Ali's Blade in his first appearance of any kind under the Marvel Studios banner.
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