- Key takeaways: Dane Whitman (Black Knight) remains sidelined as Eternals go absent from the MCU through 2026.
- Kit Harington’s Black Knight showed little of his comic-book power in Eternals and was never fully expanded.
- Comics lore — the Ebony Blade and Arthurian ties — gives the character cinematic potential that Marvel hasn’t explored.
H2: Why Black Knight mattered in the Eternals film
Dane Whitman, played by Kit Harington in Eternals, arrived onscreen as one of the few human-linked figures amid immortal heroes. Fans expected the film to set up a larger role for Whitman — a Golden Age-style knight with a cursed sword — but the MCU version never displayed his full abilities or arc.
The wider absence of the Eternals on Marvel’s release slate through 2026 has effectively paused any momentum the character could have gained from the film.
H2: Comic origins that add cinematic stakes
In Marvel Comics, Whitman is heir to a legacy that traces back to Sir Percy of Scandia and Camelot. He’s the third Black Knight in the comics and inherits the mantle from a villainous uncle, Nathan Garrett, who seeks redemption through his nephew.
Whitman’s signature weapon is the Ebony Blade, a mystic, near-indestructible sword that can cut almost anything, deflect energy and absorb magical forces. It also carries a corrupting curse if used for bloodshed — a dramatic device that could fuel a personal and moral storyline on screen.
Beyond the blade, Dane is an exceptional swordsman and a gifted scientist, traits that make him versatile for both action beats and character-driven plots.
H2: How the MCU shifted away — box office and studio choices
Eternals grossed roughly $402 million worldwide and earned mixed reviews (Rotten Tomatoes critics ~47%, audience ~77%). Despite some positive audience response and strong elements praised by the cast, Marvel Studios has not prioritized Eternals follow-ups or spin-offs.
Industry delays from the COVID-19 pandemic and a studio focus on other franchises contributed to the Eternals’ limited integration into the MCU’s broader narrative. As a result, Black Knight’s potential — including storylines around the Ebony Blade and his Arthurian ties — remains unexplored on the big screen.
H3: What this means for Kit Harington and fans
For Kit Harington, the sidelining removes a promising avenue beyond his established TV work. Fans who hoped Whitman would grow into a darker, more complex hero are left waiting.
Marvel has often revived sidelined characters later, but as of 2026 the Eternals and their associated characters haven’t been assigned new projects. That leaves Black Knight as one of the most noticeable missed opportunities from the Eternals ensemble.
H3: The road ahead
The comic-book source material still offers plenty for future adaptations: cursed artifacts, legacy family drama, and a bridge between human heroes and mythic forces. Whether Marvel revisits Dane Whitman will depend on studio priorities and whether creators decide the Ebony Blade’s moral stakes fit upcoming stories.
For now, Black Knight remains a compelling MCU thread left hanging — a character with rich lore that could have added new texture to the franchise, if given the chance to grow.
Image Referance: https://fandomwire.com/best-eternals-character-marvel-ignoring-officially-out-of-mcu-in-2026/
