Black Knight
The Black Knight, born Nathan Garrett, is an American villain and erstwhile member of the Masters of Evil. He is known for wearing a medieval suit of black armor and wielding a powerful, technologically enhanced lance atop his flying horse. Before his life of villainy, Garrett worked as a professor and research scientist.
Biography
Early conflicts and the Masters of Evil
In early 1964, Nathan Garrett was caught by Giant-Man after attempting to sell scientific secrets to communist China. He was bailed out by communist allies and fled to Europe with a fake passport. There he plotted his revenge against Giant-Man, becoming inspired to develop a new villain persona known as the Black Knight. He donned a suit of black armor, developed a series of ballistic weapons to fit into a lance, and gave a horse wings by injecting it with eagle DNA. Several weeks later, he made his presence felt in the skies of New York, robbing an armored car to get Giant-Man's attention, and did exactly that before long. The Black Knight proved a formidable foe for Giant-Man and his sidekick the Wasp, but their ability to quickly and repeatedly change their size put him off his guard and forced him to retreat, vowing to finalize his revenge one day.[1] A few months later, he was recruited by Baron Zemo to challenge the Avengers, of which Giant-Man and Wasp were members. He would join Radioactive Man and the Melter in a team called the Masters of Evil to spread Zemo's heretofore-unbreakable Adhesive X across New York. The Avengers arrived as expected, and though the adhesive proved to be an effective weapon against them, they soon rebutted with a "super-dissolver" courtesy of imprisoned villain Paste-Pot Pete. This gave them the upper hand against the Masters, defeating them and bringing them all to justice.[2]
After a few months in prison, Black Knight called his trusty steed to bring him his "Dissolvo-Ray," which he used to melt through the bars and escape, flying off on his winged horse. Naturally, he desired revenge against the Avengers, and began by seeking out Iron Man. He attacked the main plant of industrialist Tony Stark in Flushing, knowing that Iron Man was Stark's bodyguard (though in secret, Iron Man in fact was Tony Stark). Once the Knight's attack began, it didn’t take long for Iron Man to respond in full combat, and the two fought. Iron Man gained the upper hand and defeated the Black Knight, returning him to custody once more.[3] Several months later, Zemo attempted another assembly of the Masters of Evil, enlisting Enchantress and Executioner to spring Black Knight and Melter out of prison. The four confronted the Avengers while Zemo observed from his South American base, but wound up defeated. Black Knight and Melter were returned to prison, but the Asgardians escaped. Captain America traveled to South America and confronted Zemo, who misfired his weapon and accidentally killed himself.[4][5]
Black Knight and Melter got out of prison within a few months, and they were soon coerced by Doctor Doom's emotion machine into attacking the Baxter Building on the day of the wedding of Reed Richards and Sue Storm. Enchantress and Executioner were similarly present, resulting in a small reunion of the Masters of Evil sans Zemo. A veritable legion of villains fought a similarly powerful force of heroes defending the Baxter Building. In the end, Reed Richards used a device provided by Uatu to transport all of the villains back slightly in time and wipe their memories of these events. Reed and Sue Storm were thus successfully and peacefully married.[6]
Seeking vengeance
The Black Knight set his sights on getting revenge against the Avengers who defeated him, beginning with Iron Man. Iron Man's ally Happy Hogan was in a coma after being injured during Iron Man's battle with Titanium Man, and Black Knight decided to use him as bait. Knight used his flying horse to kidnap Hogan from his 3rd-floor hospital room and lead Iron Man to a castle he occupied there in Washington, D.C. The castle had been gradually moved from England by a baron who died before actually moving in. When Iron Man arrived, Black Knight used a special machine to confuse him with projected clone images of himself, allowing him to get the upper hand and strike Iron Man with an ionic blast from his lance. The concussive energy wreaked havoc on Iron Man's transistors, leaving him in intense pain and nearly helpless. Iron Man desperately feigned unconsciousness as the Black Knight took him upon his horse high into the sky and dropped him, attempting to defeat Iron Man with a fatal fall. As he fell, Iron Man grabbed the Black Knight's leg, just managing to unhorse him and force him to fall as well. Knight managed to land safely in the woods nearby.[7]
References
- ↑ Tales to Astonish #52a: "The Black Knight Strikes!" (February 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Ayers, Dick (art), Simek, Artie (let).
- ↑ The Avengers #6: "Masters of Evil!" (July 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Stone, Chic (i), Rosen, Sam (let).
- ↑ Tales of Suspense #59a: "The Black Knight!" (November 1964) Lee, Stan (w), Heck, Don (p), Stone, Chic (i), Simek, Artie (let).
- ↑ The Avengers #15: "Now, by My Hand, Shall Die a Villain!" (April 1965) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (art), Heck, Don (p), Demeo, Mickey (i), Simek, Artie (let).
- ↑ The Avengers #16: "The Old Order Changeth!" (May 1965) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Ayers, Dick (i), Simek, Artie (let).
- ↑ Fantastic Four Annual #3a: "Bedlam at the Baxter Building!" (October 1965) Lee, Stan (w), Kirby, Jack (p), Colletta, Vince (i), Simek, Artie (let).
- ↑ Tales of Suspense #73a: "My Life for Yours!" (January 1966) Thomas, Roy and Flo Steinberg (w), Austin, Adam (p), Michaels, Gary (i), Severin, Marie (col), Simek, Artie and Ben Oda (let).