Marvel Might Already Have A Weapon To Beat Kang The Conqueror

Thanks to the introduction of the Ebony Blade, Phase 4 may already have the weapon that will beat Kang the Conqueror in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Despite being human and not possessing any real powers, Kang has a reputation as one of the greatest threats ever faced by Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Though he lacks the raw power of Thanos, he could still prove equally difficult to bring down.

Played by Jonathan Majors, the time-traveling Avengers villain is known to be the antagonist of at least two Multiverse Saga movies. Following the setup provided by the Loki season 1 finale, Kang the Conqueror will appear in-costume for the first time in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania where he’ll be pitted against Scott, Hope, and apparently Cassie. Regardless of how the movie ends, the conflict with Kang won’t conclude with Phase 5. He’ll be back to fight a much larger gathering of heroes in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Not only that, but he may also be the team’s primary opponent in Avengers: Secret Wars, though that remains unconfirmed for the time being. Either way, Kang is sure to be a major thorn in the side of the MCU’s heroes in both Phase 5 and Phase 6.

Kang’s position as the main villain of the Multiverse Saga is indicative of just how dangerous he really is. In the comic books, Kang was typically not an adversary the Avengers could overcome in a standalone story. For the most part, beating Kang usually involved multi-issue arcs and high-stakes showdowns. From the looks of things, the same will be the case for the MCU as the heroes look for a way to stop Kang in his tracks. Interestingly, though, Marvel may have already provided the Avengers with the means of defeating him. Here’s why the Ebony Blade from Eternals’ post-credits scene could be the key to beating Kang the Conqueror in

Phase 6 of the MCU.

How Black Knight Beat Kang In Marvel Comics

The story that officially made Black Knight a.k.a. Dane Whitman an Avenger sheds light on how he and the Ebony Blade can be of use to the team in the MCU. In a three-part story published in Avengers comics in 1969, the Avengers were forced to act as pawns in a game played by Kang and the Grandmaster. Because Kang had wagered the fate of the Earth in his best with Grandmaster, the Avengers had no choice but to fight on his behalf. Unknowingly, Black Knight witnessed the game in progress and intervened. Consequentially, the Avengers were sent back to the future with Kang for the game to continue. Purely by accident, the Ebony Blade was sent along with them.

Determined to undo his mistake, Dane tried to use his connection to the Ebony Blade to reach the Avengers. With help from the spirit of his ancestor, the original Black Knight, Dane was able to follow the Ebony Blade through the centuries and make it to the distant future. After that, he rescued the Avengers and brought down Kang single-handedly. If it wasn’t for the Ebony Blade and its mystical link to Dane Whitman, the Avengers wouldn’t have survived their encounter with Kang. Since then, Dane has gone on a number of time travel adventures related to the Ebony Blade and the Black Knight legacy. In addition to following the sword through time, he’s also inhabited the bodies of the sword’s previous owners. All things considered, Dane is one of Marvel’s biggest time-traveling heroes.

Black Knight’s Time Travel Powers Would Explain His Real MCU Role

Dane Whitman and Sersi watching Arishem return to Earth.

The MCU’s Black Knight sharing a bond with the Ebony Blade that transcends time itself would provide an explanation for where his character fits into the bigger picture. As its name implies, the Multiverse Saga is an era defined primarily by stories that deal with time travel and the multiverse. Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange 2, and Loki all fit with this theme. Some new MCU heroes, who initially had no obvious link to these concepts, are expected to get roped into them in one way or another and that could end up happening for Black Knight as well. The promise of a threat from another universe in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ post-credits scene seemingly set up Shang-Chi for a role in a multiverse story, whereas Wong’s appearance in She-Hulk appears to be filling the same purpose for Jennifer Walters.

As for the character from the mystical and supernatural corners of the MCU, it’s not altogether clear how they connect with Marvel’s masterplan for the Multiverse Saga. Marvel could of course keep characters like Black Knight, Werewolf by Night, and Blade separate from the overarching story, but it’s possible that it actually has a way to make at least one of them relevant. If the MCU’s Ebony Blade has time travel powers, Black Knight could become a major factor when the Avengers take on Kang in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

Why The Ebony Blade Could Be The Avengers’ Secret Weapon In Phase 6

Based on what’s known about the Ebony Blade in Marvel Comics, the sword of the Black Knight has the potential to be the Avengers’ secret weapon when they head off to fight Kang in Phase 6. That’s because the Ebony Blade represents a second, currently unknown form of time travel that Kang doesn’t know about. In the comics, Kang was taken by surprise by Black Knight’s sudden appearance in the future, which had a lot to do with why he was ultimately defeated. Like Tony Stark, Kang is a man of science who relies on advancements in technology to traverse the timestream. Since he knows how it works better than anyone else, Kang can’t be easily outwitted or thwarted, but Black Knight can give the Avengers a solution Kang won’t be able to account for.

Kang’s understanding of time travel is rooted in science, whereas the Ebony Blade would be a weapon of a magical origin. For that reason, it would make sense for the sword to be their best bet at stopping Kang in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. While Kang presumably knows the inner workings of the Quantum Realm and may be fully prepared for any efforts to use it against him, it’s unlikely that he’d have an answer for any mystical methods of time travel. As for exactly how they’ll use the sword’s abilities to their advantage, it’s possible that Black Knight can physically transport himself to any point in the Ebony Blade’s timeline, thus giving the Avengers a way to secretly track down Kang and defeat him when he least expects it.