The Black Knight Lives Again!

Magneto has captured Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch in order to force them to rejoin the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.[1] Needing to buy time for rescue, Quicksilver pretends to be interested in joining back up. Magneto then leave the twins alone to talk it over. Pietro then uses his super-speed to get his hand free and use his Avengers communicator to call for help.

However, the only one who is around to answer the call is the Avengers butler, Edwin Jarvis, who almost ignores the call because he thinks Pietro and Wanda are still on monitor duty. Not far away, Hawkeye is still coming to terms with Captain America’s departure from the group and wonders if the Avengers can make it without him.[2]

Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne are spending some time in a casino to do a little gambling. When Janet becomes suspicious of a man who keeps winning at roulette, Pym commands his ants to investigate. They discover that he is cheating by using a magnetic device to manipulate the ball. After taking away the device, the pair leave to answer the call from Jarvis to return home.

While in far off Olympus, Hercules has returned home to discover that the entire kingdom is empty. Searching for an explanation he discovered that someone has snuffed out the Promethean Flame and, as a result, everyone in Olympus to be banished to limbo. Hercules vows to find out who is responsible and get revenge. By this time, Goliath and Wasp have returned to New York where they find Hawkeye waiting. They play the recording left by Quicksilver. While it warns them that Magneto is back, he doesn’t have a chance to say where they are being kept prison.

Meanwhile, Dane Whitman — the owner of Garrett Castle — has gotten free from the dungeon and has been avoiding Magneto by using secret passage ways to get to the armory. He remembers how his uncle, Nathan Garrett, was the criminal Black Knight.[3] After his last battle with Iron Man, Nathan was mortally wounded and called on Dane to come to him. Nathan’s dying wish was for Dane to make up for the crimes that he committed as the Black Knight. Dane has spent his time mastering the various weapons that Nathan used and used his genetic engineering process to make his own winged horse. Now with Magneto on the loose, Dane decides it is the perfect time for the Black Knight to live again.[4]

Moments after the new Black Knight takes wing on his flying steed, Magneto decides to relocate to a new hideout, taking Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch with him. When the Black Knight arrives outside Avengers Mansion, the Avengers mistake him for the predecessor. A battle breaks out that ends when Goliath uses his powers to prevent a cornice of a building from falling on the crowd below. However, this stunt takes a lot out of Goliath, leaving him to wonder it is becoming dangerous to use his growing powers. The Black Knight finally convinces the Avengers that he came to talk and tells them about how Magneto was at his castle. When the Avengers ask the Black Knight to help, he declines because they attacked him without provocation and flies off.

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Goliath, Wasp, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Hercules), Magneto, Toad, Black Knight, Edwin Jarvis, Black Knight (flashback), Aragorn

Continuity Notes

1. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch were founding members of the Brotherhood in X-Men #4. They left after X-Men #11 and later joined the Avengers in Avengers #16. They are referred to as mutants here, but they actually are not. As revealed in Uncanny Avengers (vol. 2) #4-5, they were experimented on by the High Evolutionary who covered his tracks by making them register as mutants.

2. At the time of this story, Steve Rogers has decided to retire as Captain America so he can have a life. This retirement proves to be short lived though. See Tales of Suspense #95-96.

3. The Black Knight’s battle with Iron Man took place in Tales of Suspense #73.

4. While putting on his costume, Dane wonders if he is related to the Black Knight of Arthurian legend. The adventures of the first Black Knight were chronicled in Black Knight #1-5. Dane will discover that he is a descendant of the Black Knight when the spirit of Sir Percy passes the ebony blade to him in Marvel Super-Heroes #17.

Topical References

• Dated pop-culture references: Dick Tracy

• Outdated technology: Jarvis records the message from Quicksilver on a reel-to-reel tape recorder.