The 'Eternals' Ebony Blade Could Give Thor's Hammer a Run for Its Money

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe introduces a new class of superheroes in the upcoming feature film Eternals, the franchise is expanding to lengths it never has before.

The new group of superhumans are a part of the extraterrestrial race known as Eternals and includes the likes of Ajak, Druig, Gilgamesh, Ikaris, Kingo, Makkari, Phastos, Sersi, Sprite, and Thena. There's also Dane Whitman, who is the third character to assume the Black Knight alias.

Like with most superhero origin stories, Dane witnessed a family member meet their demise. Before his uncle Nathan Garrett passed away from fatal wounds, he told Dane about his life of crime as Black Knight and proposed that Dane take on the Black Knight legacy, which also involved the Ebony Blade.

Yes, we know you're currently saying to yourself, "What the heck is the Ebony Blade?" And while you might be perplexed now, you'll be an expert on the weapon in a matter of minutes. So, let's all learn about the Ebony Blade from Marvel Comics and see if it'll make an appearance in the film Eternals.

In Marvel Comics, there are several incarnations of Black Knight. Throughout several Marvel eras, the Black Knight title belonged to diverse heroes and villains, not just one individual. Each Black Knight has wielded the Ebony Blade — a mighty and enchanted sword laced with a curse — with which they become synonymous.

After obtaining a Starstone meteorite, Merlin, the sorcerer of the Arthurian legend, and Sir Percy used the artifact to assemble the Ebony Blade.

Per the Marvel Database Fandom page, "The Ebony Blade was enchanted to cut through any object, to prevent the death of its wielder, and to deflect any magic, but it also carried a curse that would slowly corrupt any user and cause a lust for violence, bloodshed, and death."

The current wielder of the Ebony Blade is Dane Whitman, who happens to be a primary ancestor of Sir Percy. While past wielders succumbed to the sword's dark power, Dane used the blade for many years. He understood that the sword's curse revealed the worst parts of those who possess it, which caused him to reject the sword on many occasions. It was much more intelligent to do than try to resist its sinister charm.

Now that we know about the Ebony Blade itself and the sword's history with the Black Knight, it's time to think about the potential of seeing them in the MCU. So, are we seeing either of them in Marvel's Eternals?

Unfortunately, neither the Ebony Blade nor the Black Knight will appear in the Eternals film. Dane's character in the film is strictly human, with no superhuman abilities just yet. Marvel Studios producer Nate Moore confirmed the news when ComicBook visited the Eternals set in January 2020.

"We think he's interesting and a great character and actually Kit Harington, who just wrapped yesterday, was fantastic, but we very much explore the relationship between Dane Whitman and Sersi, which is again something for comic readers."

Nate added, "You won't see the Ebony Blade in this movie. He's not going to be a Black Knight necessarily, but that is something that we get to play with down the road."

Though the Black Knight won't be wielding the Ebony Blade in Eternals, Nate's comments provide an optimistic outlook on the future. He doesn't rule out the possibility of seeing the character and iconic sword, so keep your hopes up! Just so you know, when the Ebony Blade arrives in the MCU, it'll give Thor's hammer Mjolnir a run for its money.

Marvel's Eternals hits theaters on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021.