Marvel’s Ebony Blade Explained: Powers & Origin Revealed
Marvel Universe is home to some incredible weapons wielded by a variety of superheroes and villains. One of them is Ebony Blade, created out of nearly-indestructible material with enough power to cut through to almost any material imaginable. Ebony Blade is not among the most popular weapons, and an iconic Black Knight wields it. This is why we decided to explore it in a bit more detail. We’re going to explore the origin, powers, and additional information regarding this powerful weapon. Not let’s see who created Ebony Blade and what’s it capable of.
Ebony Blade was designed out of the so-called ‘Startstone’ by Merlin and forged by Ser Percy. Ebony Blade is considered to be a symbiotic dark counterpart to Excalibur and primarily uses the wielder’s negative emotions to power its terrifying magnitude for destruction. According to some accounts, Ebony Blade is powerful enough to annihilate worlds.
Now that we’ve given you the summarized version of Ebony Blade’s origin and might, it’s time to expand upon it. If you’re interested in more, stay with us and keep reading!
Who created Ebony Blade, and out of which material?
Ebony Blade was created out of Starstone by Merlin and Ser Percy, and trust me; Starstone is one special material. Starstone was created eons ago from the leftovers from the previous incarnation of the Universe, so its origin is ancient, much like Galactus’. Although Merlin was credited with finding the material, this was actually an orchestrated event. He was meant to find it and meant to forge a weapon out of it.
Former Time Variance Authority member Professor Gamble was contacted by a cosmic voice instructing him to take the Starstone to Merlin. When the Incinerators invaded his time ship and captured him, they learned about the Starstone and journeyed to 5th-century England to retrieve it near Camelot. The time-traveling Anachronauts intervened, rescuing the Professor, defeating the Incinerators, and enabling the Professor to exchange the Starstone with Merlin.
With the Starstone and The Pool of Blood, Merlin created several artifacts; Ebony Blade was not the only one. Merlin got into contact with Sir Percy, the original Black Knight, and had him create numerous artifacts out of this strange material: the Ebony Blade, Ebony Chalice, Ebony Shield, and Ebony Staff. After Percy chooses the Ebony Blade for himself, the rest of the artifacts are thrown into the Acheron River, but Ebony Staff will ultimately be reforged into the Ebony Dagger.
Merlin gave the enchanted sword to Sir Percy of Scandia, known as the “first” Black Knight, succeeding King Arthur’s cousin Sir Reginald. Despite being the ninth wielder, Merlin attributed a curse to the Ebony Blade due to Sir Percy’s bloodshed, although it actually amplified his bloodline’s repressed rage, bloodlust, and psychosis. After Sir Percy’s death, his son vowed to continue his legacy, passing the sword down through generations, with each wielder ultimately succumbing to its corrupting influence, regardless of their nobility.
Ebony Blade is indestructible but has a terrible curse
Ebony Blade is an extremely powerful weapon. It is capable of deflecting most magical attacks and even resurrecting its wielder if he happens to fall in combat. But the thing is, the Blade carries a particularly nasty curse with it.
Ebony Blade telepathically links with its user and slowly corrupts him the more souls it absorbs and the more blood it sheds. Over time the Blade starts craving death and destruction and urges its wielders to start committing extremely heinous acts.
Originally it was believed that the Ebony Blade could be wielded only by those of pure heart and mind, but eventually, this was refuted by Knull himself.
According to him, Ebony Blade is symbiotic in nature, and this is the primary mechanics via which it can connect with its wielder. Knull also claimed that Merlin was aware of the true nature of Ebony Blade but lied about it. Ebony Blade seeks not those of pure heart but rather, it seeks wielders who have a propensity for evil and heinous acts, whether conscious or subconscious.
The fact that both Black Panther and Captain Brittain at one point wielded the Blade, however, completely contradicts Knull’s statements as both are pure of heart.
Can Ebony Blade cut through Vibranium?
Ebony Blade is known to be able to cut through “anything.” To be fair, this is often the description that numerous weapons in Marvel Universe have. Ebony Blade might struggle against Adamantium, however, which is one of the most metals notable for being incredibly dense and strong, which we witness occasionally through the might of Wolverine’s claws. This led many fans to wonder whether Ebony Blade could cut through Vibranium.
Ebony Blade can’t cut through Vibranium, despite the metal being less dense than Adamantium. This exact scenario was seen in the ‘Old Man Logan’ storyline. During the fight between Wolverine and Red Skull, Red Skull can be seen picking up Ebony Blade and striking Wolverine with it. Wolverine manages to grab Captain America’s shield at the last moment and deflects Ebony Blade’s strike, with the shield remaining in perfectly good condition. Wolverine proceeded to decapitate Red Skull with the shield.
Who has the Ebony Blade in the MCU?
If you’ve followed the progress of the MCU and watched every movie, you are probably aware that the Ebony Blade has already been featured in the MCU, in the post-credits scenes of the ‘Eternals.’ Dane Whitman, also known as the greatest Black Knight in history, opens the box that contains the sword, and since Ebony Blade is able to telepathically connect with its wielder, the sword’s voice catches him off-guard.
Dane Whitman is the current holder of the Ebony Blade in the MCU, and even though the Ebony Blade itself is set to appear in the upcoming ‘Blade’ movie, no such thing was confirmed for Kit Harrington’s Dane Whitman.
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