If Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was all about stones, Phase 4 is shaping up to be all about swords. No, there isn’t some grand plan to collect all of the most powerful swords in existence and use them to conquer the known universe, but there have already been several references or debuts from the greatest swords and sword-wielders from the pages of Marvel Comics. Jack Duquesne is likely to be a major player in Hawkeye. Dane Whitman and his mighty Ebony Blade made their debut in Eternals, the same film that name-dropped the most iconic sword in history in what could potentially set up yet another character down the line.
When Makkari first appears in Eternals in the present day, she is sitting in her library in the Domo, surrounded by artifacts from throughout human history. There’s a stunning sword in the room and Makkari is asked if it’s the Ebony Blade, which belongs to the Black Knight. She responds by saying that the sword is actually Excalibur, which was famously pulled from a stone and wielded by King Arthur.
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This seemed like nothing more than a throwaway joke, a way for the writers to hint at the Ebony Blade being even more powerful and exciting than the most recognizable sword of all time. However, when you dig a little deeper, there could be more to it than that. Excalibur is not only a sword that exists in the world of Marvel Comics, it’s actually the name of a hero that ends up using it.
Captain Britain wielded Excalibur at one point to help defeat Skrull forces during an invasion. The hero returned Excalibur to the stone after the battle, where both the sword and Merlin called out to a new host. Dr. Faiza Hussain was led to Excalibur and pulled it straight of the stone. She then joined MI-13 and fought under the moniker Excalibur.
Nothing in that Eternals scene directly references Faiza Hussain, save for the mention of the sword itself, but that’s enough of a seed to plant for a character debut later on. Eternals confirms that not only did Arthur and Excalibur exist in the MCU at one point, but that the sword is still around and able to be used as a weapon.
Do you think the hero known as Excalibur could appear in the MCU going forward? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Eternals is now playing in theaters.
