While Eternals has brought 10 immortal heroes to the MCU, the mid and post-credits teasers delivered more new additions. The mid-credits scene leads us into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. But we’re here to talk about that final post-credits sequence. Not only does it introduce a famous Marvel artifact, but we think it also establishes another new hero.
Which Sword Did Dane Whitman Find in Eternals’ Post-Credit Scene?
Marvel Comics, Luca Pizzari, Antonio Fabala
If you wait until the credits have rolled and you’ve celebrated all the people who made the movie you just watched, you’ll get an extra reward. We find Dane Whitman (Kit Harington) in what seems to be the basement of the London’s Natural History Museum. He strides around and occasionally nervously approaches a strange ancient box. An eerie sound emanates from it and when Dane finally opens it we see a sword wrapped in bandages. Inside the box is a Latin inscription which says “Mors Mihi Lucrum.” Dane translates it as “Death is My Reward.” Nothing good seems like it’s going to come from this situation. Even Dane knows that as he apologizes for what he’s about to do. But just as he goes to lift the blade which is almost reaching towards him, he’s stopped by a voice.
“Are you sure you’re ready for that, Mr. Whitman?” the mystery voice queries. So who was that and what’s he stopping Dane from touching? Well, we know that Dane was about to pick up the famed Marvel artifact known as the Ebony Blade. We’ll get into how we know that in the next segment. But here’s the really exciting part. The voice that stops Dane is Mahershala Ali as Blade (director Chloé Zhao has confirmed this). And it actually makes a fair bit of sense when we look back at the history of the Ebony Blade and of the famed Marvel vampire.
What Is the Ebony Blade and How Could Dane Whitman Use It in the MCU?
Marvel Comics, Iban Coello
Though he might not be as much of a household name as Tony Stark, Marvel fans might have already recognized Dane Whitman as the everyday alter ego of another big hero. In the comics, Whitman is the third person to take on the mantle of Black Knight. The first was a servant of King Arthur named Sir Percy. Second up was the villainous Nathan Garrett, uncle of Dane Whitman. A scientist and descendant of Sir Percy, he wished to wield the power of the Ebony Blade but was unable to due to his bad guy behavior. The third and most famous is Dane Whitman. This backstory is key to the Ebony Blade, as the two are intrinsically connected. Now you know a little about Dane and his connection to it, let’s learn about that spooky blade.
The Ebony Blade was forged by Merlin and Sir Percy out of a meteorite and is magically enchanted. Despite making the user invulnerable to magic and can cut through anything, like any good haunted artifact there’s a catch. The Ebony Blade is cursed to turn anyone who uses it into a bloodthirsty killer, drawing on the worst of its wielder. With such a nightmarish curse around it, why would Dane have wanted to use it anyway? He needs powerful magic to help him locate Sersi and save her from the Celestials. While we don’t know exactly how that will manifest in the MCU, there is comic book precedent for both Dane and Sersi joining the Avengers. Could Dane head to the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes for help? Maybe. But it seems like someone else is more concerned with Whitman and the weapon first: Eric Brooks A.K.A. Blade.
How Does Blade Tie Into the Eternals and the Rest of the MCU?
Marvel Studios
So the introduction of Blade here might seem random, but in the context of the Ebony Blade it actually makes sense. Blade does have a direct connection to the legendary sword and Dane Whitman. During the cosmic Captain Britain and MI-13 series, Blade joins a team including Black Knight. While trying to defeat the Skrulls—seems timely—the team are exposed to a fake Ebony Blade as well as the real one. The true Ebony Blade was hidden in Wakanda, while the fake one was created by none other than Dracula. While we don’t expect to see a full Captain Britain and MI-13 team coming to the MCU, we do think that Blade could be recruiting Dane for a new team. Seeing as Blade is a supernatural hero himself, he could even play a role as a sort of paranormal Nick Fury. But what team?
The obvious answer is whatever sort of Dark Avengers we’ve already seen assembled. But we’re here to suggest something more exciting. In the comics, Blade was a founding member of the occult superhero group known as the Midnight Sons. Made up of teams like the Nightstalkers, the Spirits of Vengeance, and the Darkhold Redeemers, the crew originally came together to fight Lillith. Seems important to note they were sometimes aided by Doctor Strange. Although the Midnight Sons were founded by two Ghost Riders, Danny Ketch and Johnny Blaze, we could see a version here started by Blade. Or we could see Blade as an introduction to the Ghost Riders and the rest of the Midnight Sons. It would make a lot of sense as the Ebony Blade and Black Knight are both connected to magic and occult. So could Blade be here to recruit Dane?? We wouldn’t count it out…
Featured Image: Marvel Studios
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