Warning: SPOILERS for Ruins of Ravencroft: Sabretooth
Marvel’s Black Knight has a fabled history in the comics, as the original version of the character predates Marvel Comics itself. In present-day comics, the first Black Knight is still around and he just showed up in one of the most unlikely places imaginable: The Ravencroft Institute.
Black Knight originally debuted in Atlas Comics’ Black Knight #1. The hero is a warrior recruited by Merlin, wielding the Ebony Blade, which was forged by the wizard himself from a meteorite. Primarily, there have been three Black Knights in the comics. The first was Sir Percy of Scandia. The second a biologist named Nathan Garrett. The third and most popular is Dane Whitman, a member of the Avengers who’s set to appear in the upcoming Eternals movie.
In Ruins of Ravencroft: Sabretooth, the comic flashes back to the year 1909. Ten years after the Ravencroft Institute was built by Jonas Ravencroft, a patient is strapped down to a hospital bed. The patient curses at the staff and tells them that he demands their attention because he is “Sir Percy of Scandia.” He claims he was sent to the present day by a “she-witch” named Morgan Le Fay. The first Black Knight threatens Ravencroft to release him.
Unfortunately, Sir Percy of Scandia’s plea isn’t taken seriously. Ravencroft tells the Black Knight that he’ll get the helps he needs as he’s wheeled away. Naturally, the Black Knight tells him he’ll get his blade and “flay ye alive.” One of the doctors asks Ravencroft is he might be telling the truth and is immediately shut down as the Asylum owner who compares him to Santa Clause.
Clearly, the Black Knight is telling the truth. Morgan Le Fay was the hero’s first supervillain. The half-sister of King Arthur, Le Fay definitely could have used magic or some sort of witchcraft to send him to the present day. While it might sound implausible to Ravencroft, it appears the Black Knight is telling the truth.
The Ruins of Ravencroft: Sabretooth is an easter-egg filled dive into Marvel’s past from an all-new angle. There are countless hints at how Ravencroft shaped the Marvel Comics universe and some new takes on older characters. Sadly for Sir Percy of Scandia, he was sent to a place and time where his story probably wouldn’t be believed. Unfortunately, the Black Knight just became the latest patient at the Ravencroft Institute. How long he’ll be institutionalized remains to be seen.
Next: The X-MEN’s Smartest Mutant Has His Powers Again