To read the best Black Knight comics featuring Dane Whitman, start with Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade (2021), by Simon Spurrier and Sergio Dávila, then go back to his first appearance, The Avengers #47, cover-dated December 1967, written by Roy Thomas. For a team book, Captain Britain and MI13 (2008-2009), by Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk, shows Dane in the middle of a British group.
Dane Whitman carries a name that others bore before him, and that is the whole point: he inherits a cursed sword, the Ebony Blade, and an uncle who had chosen the side of crime. On the page, he spends long years as an Avengers member without a lasting solo series, which makes his story scattered. This list therefore keeps the stories that put him at the center, and it says clearly which ones are short.
As always in this guide, we only state verified facts (creators, issue numbers, dates); the analysis is our own, with no reproduction of protected artwork or dialogue.
His first appearance
Dane Whitman is born in The Avengers #47, cover-dated December 1967, from the pen of Roy Thomas. He is the nephew of Nathan Garrett, a criminal who had already used the name Black Knight, and he takes over the identity after his dying uncle's confession. In the following issue, cover-dated January 1968, he becomes a hero. To place this moment in the series, our guide to Silver Age Avengers key issues offers a reference point.
The name itself has an older history, and it is worth telling the three apart. Sir Percy of Scandia, a medieval knight, appears in Black Knight #1, cover-dated May 1955, by Stan Lee and Joe Maneely, for Atlas Comics, Marvel's predecessor. Nathan Garrett debuts in Tales to Astonish #52, cover-dated February 1964, scripted by Stan Lee, with Dick Ayers handling the art and plot. Dane Whitman is therefore the third to bear the name, and he is the one today's readers follow.
These three entries are not equal in collections: Dane Whitman remains the pivot of the story, while Sir Percy and Nathan Garrett are matters of historical curiosity. This article centers its ranking on Dane, and cites his predecessors in their place. The Stan Lee page traces the period when these first two Knights came into being.
One last reading landmark: the Ebony Blade runs through all three knights. Merlin forged it from a meteorite for Sir Percy, and the curse comes from the blood he spilled. Garrett and then Dane inherit it, and the whole ranking that follows revolves around this weapon and what it does to those who wield it.
1: Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade, Simon Spurrier with Sergio Dávila and Jesús Saiz (2021)
This is the best modern entry point. Simon Spurrier writes five issues, published from March to July 2021, and Sergio Dávila draws them. They build on the nature of the Ebony Blade: a sword forged by Merlin from a meteorite for Sir Percy, whose curse comes from the blood spilled by the first Black Knight. The curse acts differently depending on the wielder, and it turned Dane to stone at an earlier time. A one-shot, King in Black: Black Knight (January 2021), by the same Spurrier with Jesús Saiz, came out two months earlier, during the King in Black event, driven by Knull.
The series is for the reader who wants to understand what makes Dane a more complex character than a simple knight: his weapon tempts him and eats away at him. It reads without knowing the Avengers, in a few hours, and it makes a good bridge to the other entries on the list. If Knull is unfamiliar to you, our Knull: key issues page sums up his appearances.
A tip on reading order: take the one-shot first, then the miniseries in order. A collected edition of these five episodes dates from November 2021, and it is enough to follow the story of Dane and his sword.
2: The Avengers #47-48, Roy Thomas, John Buscema and George Tuska (1967-1968)
These two issues set up the character. Dane Whitman appears in the shadow of his uncle's name, then sides with the heroes in issue #48. Roy Thomas writes both episodes; John Buscema draws issue #47, George Tuska issue #48. The character's dilemma lives in this passage: carrying a name that Nathan Garrett tarnished, and deciding what to do with it.
They are for the Silver Age reader and the collector of first appearances, not for anyone looking for a complete adventure: these two issues are chapters of the Avengers series, not a standalone story. They do, however, explain everything that follows, since the dilemma of legacy is laid out from the start.
To place them in the series, open the Avengers reading guide, which suggests an order for entering the team's long chronology.
For anyone reading in publication order, entries 2 and 3 are forty years apart: Dane changes setting, team and tone, but the thread connecting them remains the sword. Read the 2021 miniseries with The Avengers #47-48 within reach, and the back-and-forth between eras makes sense.
3: Captain Britain and MI13, Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk (2008-2009)
Fifteen monthly issues, from May 2008 to July 2009, plus an Annual. Paul Cornell writes; Leonard Kirk draws the series, with several inkers. Launched in connection with Secret Invasion, it brings together Captain Britain, Spitfire and Dane Whitman, among others, in the service of MI13. In the Vampire State arc (issues #10 to #15 and the Annual), Dane and Faiza Hussain head to Wakanda to recover the true Ebony Blade, because the blade he had carried until then was only a vampiric counterfeit fashioned by Dracula. Faiza then becomes his squire.
A note on his role: Dane is a member of the main cast, not the protagonist. The entry is for the reader who likes team books and wants to see Dane in a leading role without being the hero of the story. The Vampire State collection gathers the arc most useful to his story.
If the British setting appeals to you, the Captain Britain: fifty years of key issues page traces the landmarks of that world, and will help you pick what to read next.
4: Black Knight (1990) #1-4, Roy and Dann Thomas, with several artists (1990)
A four-issue miniseries, from June to September 1990, written by Roy and Dann Thomas. It features Dane Whitman and Sir Percy. Tony DeZuniga and Rich Buckler provide the pencils.
It is for the reader curious about the character's chivalric vein and about Marvel in the 1990s. Four issues, one hero at the center: the format lends itself to a one-evening read.
Roy Thomas, who co-created Dane in 1967, returns to his character twenty-three years later, which gives these four issues a collecting interest as much as a reading one.
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5: Black Knight: Exodus, Ben Raab and Jimmy Cheung (1996)
A one-shot dated December 1996, written by Ben Raab and drawn by Jimmy Cheung, with Andy Lanning on inks. This short piece falls after the UltraForce series (1995-1996) and before Heroes for Hire (1997-1998), and it mostly interests collectors who want to follow Dane with no gap between his periods.
It is for those who want to complete a run, not for those discovering the character. Read it at the end of your journey, once the previous entries are done.
6: Black Knight, Frank Tieri and Luca Pizzari (2015-2016)
A five-issue series, launched during the All-New, All-Different Marvel era and cut off at issue #5 because of insufficient sales. Frank Tieri writes; Luca Pizzari draws. It is Dane's most recent solo series before the 2021 one, and its brevity makes it a quick read.
It is for the curious reader who wants to have gone through all of Dane's solo series, or for one who enjoys stories of heroes in trouble. You do not need to read it to understand the other entries, and we rank it last for that reason.
For anyone who collects short-run series, it is a textbook case: the title never went past its fifth issue, which makes it an easy set to complete.
Where to start based on your profile
- You are coming from the Eternals movie: Kit Harington plays Dane Whitman in 2021. Read Curse of the Ebony Blade, then check our movie comparison.
- You read the Avengers: pick up The Avengers #47-48, then Captain Britain and MI13 to see Dane in another setting.
- You like standalone miniseries: read the 1990 miniseries, then Curse of the Ebony Blade.
- You like horror and the supernatural: begin with Curse of the Ebony Blade and the Vampire State arc of MI13.
- You collect first appearances: focus on The Avengers #47, then on Tales to Astonish #52 and Black Knight #1 (1955) for the predecessors.
In every case, the trade paperback of the 2021 miniseries remains the read that stands best on its own. To branch out afterward, the Avengers hub traces the major eras of the team Dane belongs to.
The key issues to know
The landmarks below follow the character and his name. For buying, make sure the listing targets the right knight: Sir Percy, Nathan Garrett and Dane Whitman share the same keywords, and an ambiguous title skews sales comparisons.
- Black Knight #1 (May 1955): Sir Percy of Scandia, by Stan Lee and Joe Maneely, at Atlas Comics. The series runs five issues, through April 1956.
- Tales to Astonish #52 (February 1964): Nathan Garrett, by Stan Lee, with Dick Ayers.
- The Avengers #47 (December 1967): first appearance of Dane Whitman, by Roy Thomas.
- The Avengers #48 (January 1968): Dane chooses the side of the heroes.
- The Avengers #71 (December 1969) and #375 (1994): his official entry into the team, after a provisional membership, then his departure alongside Sersi, at the end of a long stay.
- Black Knight #1 to #4 (1990): the miniseries by Roy and Dann Thomas.
- Heroes for Hire (1997-1999): Dane joins the team as early as issues #2 and #3.
- Captain Britain and MI13 #1 (May 2008): his entry into the British agency.
- Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade #1 (March 2021): the opening of the modern miniseries.
To place these issues in the team's history, the History of the Avengers in comics page offers a chronological thread, and the same buying habits apply there.
Frequently asked questions
Dane Whitman is the nephew of Nathan Garrett, a criminal who had taken the name Black Knight. He appears in The Avengers #47 in 1967, inherits the identity and the Ebony Blade, a cursed sword, then sides with the heroes in the next issue.
In The Avengers #47, cover-dated December 1967, written by Roy Thomas. He becomes a hero in issue #48, cover-dated January 1968. The two issues read together: the second explains the choice he makes in the first.
Three matter here, in order of appearance: Sir Percy of Scandia, a medieval knight from 1955, Nathan Garrett, a criminal from 1964, and Dane Whitman, his nephew, who appeared in 1967. Our ranking focuses on Dane, but cites the other two at the time of their debuts.
Yes: Kit Harington plays him in Eternals, released in 2021. To find out what the movie takes from the comics and what it changes, check our dedicated page, which compares screen and page without spoiling more than necessary.
The miniseries Curse of the Ebony Blade, by Simon Spurrier and Sergio Dávila (2021), is the most self-contained: five issues, one character at the center, no prerequisites. Then add The Avengers #47-48 for the origins.
Do you have an Avengers #47 or Black Knight issues in your collection? Have each copy appraised to decide whether to keep it, have it graded or sell it.
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