Eternals: Who Dane Whitman's Uncle Is & MCU Phase 4 Importance

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Eternals.

Eternals curiously mentioned Dane Whitman’s uncle, who appears to be involved in the MCU’s Black Knight legacy. While the Eternals were off trying to put the team back together to stop the Emergence, Sersi (Gemma Chan) suggested that Dane (Kit Harington) patch things up with his uncle, with whom he apparently shared a rocky relationship. If and when Dane actually spoke to his uncle after his conversation with Sersi was never revealed.

Dane’s uncle wasn’t spoken of again, but he was about to explain something to Sersi about a discovery he made about his family history in the movie’s final scene. Whatever he was about to say is clearly linked to the Black Knight mantle, as indicated by Eternals’ post-credits scene. A mysterious box in Dane’s possession was confirmed to hold the Ebony Blade, the mystical weapon owned by the Black Knight and many of his ancestors in Marvel Comics. Since Dane Whitman is Black Knight in the comic books, it’s been suspected from the beginning that Eternals would set the stage for his evolution into the classic, sword-wielding Avenger.

How Black Knight got his hands on the ancient sword wasn’t explored in Eternals, but Sersi’s comment about his uncle provided a big clue. In the comics, Dane Whitman’s uncle is Nathan Garrett, the second character to carry the “Black Knight” name and a villain whose debut actually preceded Dane’s. In the early 1960s, the Nathan Garrett incarnation of Black Knight was introduced as an enemy of Iron Man who rode a flying horse and fought with an energy-powered lance. Years later, Marvel established that Garrett died, but not before contacting his nephew, Dane, and bequeathing him the Ebony Blade, his castle, and more. It was Garrett’s dying wish that Dane redeem the Black Knight name and become a hero.

The Black Knight attacks Iron Man in Marvel Comics.

Since Nathan Garrett is the character who kickstarted Dane Whitman’s superhero career, it makes sense that he’ll have a similar role in the MCU, especially since he was specifically referenced in Eternals. That comment made by Sersi may have been the catalyst for Black Knight acquiring the Ebony Blade in the first place. If Dane took Sersi’s advice and reached out to Garrett, he could have been told then about the sword and their secret family lineage. In fact, Nathan Garrett – not unlike his comic counterpart – may have been the MCU’s Black Knight at some point in his lifetime. Plus, it’s possible that whatever issues existed between them had something to do with the Ebony Blade. In the comics, the curse on the sword is what resulted in his descent into villainy, so it’s certainly feasible that it caused him to make some bad decisions in the MCU as well.

Depending on what Marvel does with Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman after Eternals and where he appears next, the MCU may be able to answer some important questions about Nathan Garrett and Black Knight’s other ancestors. When Marvel is allowed an opportunity to make the Black Knight the focal point of an MCU storyline, it can formally introduce Nathan Garrett and use him to dive much deeper into Dane’s backstory and the history of the Ebony Blade.

More: How Black Knight Is Connected To Blade