Death of Doctor Strange Gave An MCU Hero A New Weapon
Marvel Comics' recent Death of Doctor Strange event secretly gave an MCU hero a new weapon - because the Black Knight now wields Excalibur. Marvel Comics recently killed Doctor Strange, and the result was almost a disaster of apocalyptic proportions. The story revealed the greatest secret of the Sorcerers Supreme - that there has been an unbroken line of Sorcerers Supreme for centuries, maintaining a mystical barrier that strengthens the boundaries between this dimension and those surrounding it. This barrier failed for a brief time when Earth was left without a Sorcerer Supreme, and the danger was only averted when Clea embraced Doctor Strange's mantle.
The origin of this mystical barrier was revealed in The Death of Doctor Strange: X-Men/Black Knight by Si Spurrier and Bob Quinn. This revealed it was woven by Merlin, the Sorcerer Supreme who lived at Camelot, and whose mistakes imperiled all creation. When Merlin had Arthur draw the sword from the stone, claiming Excalibur as his weapon, he broke an enchantment that had protected Earth from a demon realm called the Hungry Land that now threatened to consume the world. Merlin realized the stone in which Excalibur had been sheathed was a magnet for evil, and Excalibur had been placed in the stone to neutralize it; thus Merlin was forced to create the barrier to prevent Earth falling because of his actions. The Hungry Lands began to invade Earth once again after Doctor Strange's death, but the Black Knight realized Merlin had forged that cursed stone into the Ebony Blade. Jacks Chopra, the new Black Knight, solved the problem by allowing Excalibur to be plunged into her chest - combining the power of the Ebony Blade and Excalibur once again, banishing the Hungry Land.
Marvel Comics has begun teasing a new Savage Avengers book, by David Pepose and Carlos Magno. This featured a brand new team including the Black Knight - a mantle now shared by Dane Whitman and his daughter, Jacks - and it promises a dramatic change in the Black Knight's status quo. One teaser image shows the Black Knight, and it's notable that this particular masked hero isn't wielding the Ebony Blade. Rather, they are holding Excalibur.
It seems the Black Knights now wield not one but two of Marvel's most powerful magical relics - and, ironically, that should bring them into a perfect balance. Marvel has recently retconned the property of the Ebony Blade, essentially turning the Black Knight's trademark weapon into the opposite of Mjolnir; it can only be used by the unworthy, and the longer a person uses it, the more corrupted they become. But Excalibur can contain this dark magic, meaning the Black Knights should be able to resist the curse. It's notable the Black Knight in the Savage Avengers teaser also wears a slightly different costume - note the hints of gold in their armor, the color of Excalibur's light.
The Death of Doctor Strange: X-Men/Black Knight further revealed Jacks, the new Black Knight, is a mutant. There's a degree of irony to this, in that King Arthur hated mutants with a passion - apparently the gulf between Arthur and his son Mordred came about because Mordred was a mutant. Assuming Jacks and Dane Whitman still share their weapons, then a mutant now shares Excalibur. Arthur would not be happy with the new Black Knight.