Black Knight (Nathan Garrett)

Nathan Garrett, also known as the criminal Black Knight, is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. He was a supervillain and descendant of the original Black Knight, and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Dick Ayers.

Publication history
Sir Percy's descendant, Professor Nathan Garrett, debuted as the modern-day supervillain Black Knight in Tales to Astonish vol. 1, #52 (Feb. 1964). This villainous Black Knight appeared in The Avengers vol. 1, #6, 14-15 (July 1964, March-April 1965), and in the feature "Iron Man" in Tales of Suspense vol. 1, #73 (Jan. 1966), in which he was mortally wounded.

Fictional character biography
Professor Nathan Garrett is the distant direct descendant of Sir Percy, and was born in London, England. He becomes a biologist, research scientist, and university professor. He then became the head of an espionage ring, and was captured by the hero Giant-Man. Garrett fled to Europe, where he found Sir Percy's tomb and the Ebony Blade. Garrett's evil tendencies make him unworthy of wielding the sword, and he is shunned by Sir Percy's ghost. An embittered Garrett then devises an arsenal of medieval weapons that employ modern technology (including a lance that fired bolts of energy) and genetically engineers and creates a winged horse called Aragorn. Calling himself the Black Knight, Garrett embarks on a career as a professional criminal to spite his ancestor. He battled Giant-Man again and the Wasp but is defeated.

Garrett joins the supervillain team the Masters of Evil at the request of master villain Baron Zemo, and spread Adhesive X over the city. However with the help of jailed villain Paste-Pot Pete, the Avengers find an antidote and the Teen Brigade apply it to the containers, causing it to free people. The Black Knight is defeated by Thor, as Captain America had decided to catch the Masters off guard by the Avengers 'switching' foes. He later attacked Stark Industries' plant to lure the hero Iron Man into battle, and was defeated. Alongside the Master of Evil, he again battled the Avengers and is captured. The Black Knight was among the villains assembled by Doctor Doom to destroy the Fantastic Four.

Garrett kidnaps Happy Hogan, and falls from his winged horse while trying to kill Iron Man. Mortally wounded, a dying Garrett summons his nephew, Dane Whitman, to their family estate and reveals his secret identity and repents for his life of crime. Whitman then decides to adopt the identity of the Black Knight himself.

After his death, Garrett is resurrected by Immortus as a member of the Legion of the Unliving. He battled Doctor Pym once more, and "dies" again. His horse became the property of the villain Dreadknight.

Powers and abilities
Nathan Garrett was a normal man with gifted intelligence. He had a Ph.D. in genetics, and was a brilliant biologist specializing in genetic engineering, and was a skilled electrical engineer as well.

Garrett created a power-lance which fired heat beams, electrical charges, concussive electromagnetic force beams. He also used a rope as a lasso, steel cables as bolas, red-hot spinning metal discs, and electrical energy-drainers which resembled doughnuts. He carried a paralyzer pistol which fired nerve gas which could paralyze or kill an opponent. He wore body armor made of an unknown steel alloy.

He was a skilled equestrian, and rode a winged flying horse that he created by genetic engineering.

Heroes Reborn
In the Heroes Reborn universe, created by Franklin Richards, the Black Knight appeared as a member of Loki's Masters of Evil.

Television

 * Nathan Garrett as the Black Knight appeared in the Marvel Super Heroes television series.
 * The Nathan Garrett version of Black Knight appears in Iron Man: Armored Adventures episodes "Pepper Interrupted", "Line of Fire", and "The Hammer Falls", voiced by Alistair Abell as a silent Maggia enforcer for Count Nefaria.

Miscellaneous

 * Nathan Garrett appears in The Avengers: United They Stand comics where he attempts to steal a device from the organization AIM.