The Black Knight
Real Name: Nathaniel Garrett
First Appearance: Tales to Astonish 52
Died In: Tales of Suspense 73, Avengers 47-48
What's His Problem? An eminent research scientist and university professor, Nathan Garrett was also a subversive espionage agent until his exposure and capture by Giant-Man (Henry Pym). Fleeing to his native Britain, Garrett learned he was a descendant of the heroic medieval Black Knight. The original Knight's spirit declared him unworthy of the Knight's ebony blade and denied him the Black Knight mantle. Deciding to spite his heroic heritage and turn his talents to crime, Garrett created some medieval-style weaponry and embarked on a criminal career in America as the villainous Black Knight.
Abilities: A brilliant geneticist, electrical engineer and weapons designer, Garrett designed and built the paraphernalia he used as the Black Knight. He also possessed considerable equestrian skills.
Weapons: Garrett carried a variety of exotic handguns, some of which could stun even Thor; one such gun, his paralysis pistol, fired a nerve gas that could paralyze or kill upon contact. His principal weapon was his lance, which was loaded with concealed weapons ranging from rockets to bola-launchers. His most impressive asset was his faithful steed, an honest-to-gosh flying horse genetically engineered by Garrett.
Favorite quote: "Surprised, thunder god? You didn't suspect my innocent-looking lance is in reality a most deadly arsenal of weapons!" (Avengers 6. Garrett gets the drop on Thor in his first outing with the Masters of Evil -- although how innocent-looking your average lance is might be debatable.)
Heroes He Kept Running Into: Giant-Man and the Wasp were Garrett's first foes. He later battled their fellow Avengers as a founding member of the Masters of Evil. Other adversaries included Spider-Man and Iron Man, who accidentally toppled Garret from his horse during battle, fatally injuring him.
People Who Think He's Not So Bad: Garrett played nicely with his Masters of Evil teammates, but the one person who really gave a darn about him was his closest living relative, nephew Dane Whitman. Dane attended Nathan on his death bed, where Nathan confessed his crimes and passed the Black Knight mantle and weaponry on to Dane with the stipulation that he use it only for good. Dane complied and became the new heroic Black Knight, eventually joining the Avengers.
Most Despicable Act: As depicted in a recent issue of Untold Tales of Spider-Man, the Black Knight was indirectly responsible for the death of Spider-Man's would-be sidekick, Bluebird.
by Sean McQuaid
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