Thanks to the movie The Eternals, two new iconic comic book characters have been teased to appear in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Already, Chloé Zhao’s feature film features Dane Whitman, aka The Dark Knight, played by comedian Kit Harington. Even if the latter does not reveal himself in his superhero outfit, comic book readers know exactly who he is. Then, the post-credits scene of the film introduced another big character: Blade. Indeed, the most observant will have recognized the voice of Mahershala Ali, who will play the famous vampire hunter in the MCU sequel. But suddenly, what role will they really play in phase 5 of the MCU?
Who are The Dark Knight and Blade?
Portrayed by Kit Harington in The Eternals, The Dark Knight is a recurring hero in Marvel comics. Inspired by the legend of King Arthur, he began his career in comics in 1967, as supervillain, enemy of Iron Man. At the time it was Nathan Garrett who is under the costume and wields the Dark Knight’s mighty ebony sword. When he dies, his nephew, Dane Whitman, restores the coat of arms of his lineage and expiates the faults of his uncle. He becomes the new Dark Knight and tries to do good around him. He manages to make people forget the misdeeds of his predecessor and even becomes a member of the Avengers. Except it’s not that simple.
In effect, he who wields the ebony sword becomes the target of its curse. This extremely powerful artifact has the particularity of corrupting the soul of whoever uses it. A harmful counterpart necessary when we see the power of this weapon, able to pierce any earthly matter (including metals) other than adamantium. When Dane Whitman is in possession of his sword, he is literally immortal. And when he separates from her, an unbreakable mental link allows him to find her. He can also draw her to him, like Thor with Mjolnir. However, beware of the evil force of this mighty ebony sword.
Blade, meanwhile, was created in 1973 by Marv Wolfman. Half-man, half-vampire, Blade spends most of his time protecting humanity from the threat of vampires. Talented bloodsucker hunter, he is an ambiguous character, a violent, solitary anti-hero. The character has already appeared several times in the cinema, in the trilogy dedicated to this vigilante, embodied for the occasion by Wesley Snipes from 1998 to 2004. He was also the hero of his own series in 2006, then camped by Sticky Fingaz.
The character will soon make his big comeback in the MCU, as Mahershala Ali. A film directed by Bassam Tariq is even expected soon. It is also rumored that the famous vampire hunter could make an appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The connection between the two characters
The connection between Blade and The Dark Knight is pretty minimal in the comics. However, they have worked together before. In effect, they were both members of the MI13 teama British paranormal agency, led by Captain Britain. The service was committed to protecting Britain and the wider rest of humanity from mystical and paranormal threats. But we doubt that Marvel Studios is based on this story to develop the two characters within the MCU.
Logically, Blade and The Dark Knight should be the origin of a whole new team within the MCU. They could open a new path in the Marvel universe, darker and more mature. We obviously think of Thunderboltsalthough perhaps this team, normally composed of supervillains, will certainly take another form (it is the Suicide Squad Marvel version).
The other team in which Blade and The Dark Knight could evolve could be the Midnight Sounds. There are already strong speculations around this new team. In the comics, this team consists in particular of Ghost Rider, Dr Strange, Blade and Morbius. An inherently darker team than the others, originally created to fend off Lilith, the mother of all demons. So that would be a good way to reintroducing Ghost Rider to the MCUand of connect Morbius to other heroes. Dr Strange and Blade are already there. This team could therefore be joined by Le Chevalier Noir, but also by Moon Knight, which perfectly suits this universe.
Anyway, given the post-credits scene of The Eternals, Blade and The Dark Knight will soon have a role to play in the MCU, and should logically team up. Likewise, they will provide a bit of darkness in the MCU, and to present a new dimension: that of the paranormal and vampires. To be continued !
