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The Death of Doctor Strange has just brought Marvel’s latest Arthurian heroes together for the very first time, and they might have unlocked a whole new kind of power for themselves.
WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for The Death of Doctor Strange: X-Men/Black Knight #1, available now from Marvel.
The Death of Doctor Strange has seen the world fall prey to some of the most horrifying mystic forces that the Marvel Universe has ever known. In the wake of Strange’s gruesome murder, it seems as though there is no corner of the globe that isn’t under attack. Luckily, the world still has plenty of other magically inclined heroes to protect it, and two of them have just discovered the most shocking way to do just that. Putting away one of the world’s most powerful mystic weapons on its own sounds counterintuitive, but that doesn’t begin to describe the shock of seeing Excalibur left deep in the Black Knight’s torso on purpose.
When the demonic Necromon broke free in London, the X-Men were the first heroes to fall to his dark influence. Once Jacks Chopra, aka the Black Knight, and her Excalibur wielding counterpart Dr. Faiza Hussain joined forces, however, the invading Nethergod was almost immediately disposed of. Despite the impossible odds they were up against, Jacks and Faiza proved to be capable of defeating Necromon with a single strike. Specifically, one that saw the Black Knight stabbed in the chest with the legendary Excalibur in the pages of The Death of Doctor Strange: X-Men/Black Knight #1 by Si Spurrier, Bob Quinn, Israel Silva, and VC’s Cory Petit. Thanks to Faiza’s powers, Jacks was miraculously able to survive with the sword still lodged in her torso. Not only that, but putting the sword back in the stone so to speak has just kicked off a whole new era for both of Marvel’s Arthurian heroes.
When Faiza pulled Excalibur from the stone it had been left in back in 2008’s Captain Britain and MI-13 #4 by Paul Cornell and Pat Olliffe, her life took an abrupt turn from that of a medical professional to professional hero. In the time since then, she has also come to understand the relationship between the Ebony Blade and her own. When Excalibur was created, the Ebony Blade was made as a way to remove all mystic impurities from it. While that has made the Ebony Blade a magnet for dark forces, it also means that when combined with Excalibur, the two become one of the most potent mystic weapons there is. Now that Excalibur is buried within the Black Knight herself, Jacks and Faiza have no choice but to work together as the Marvel Universe’s next incredible team-up.
Faiza’s past is already tied to both Captain Britain and the X-Men thanks to her previous adventures with MI-13, and fighting alongside the Black Knight to free them from Necromon’s control has only brought them closer. That coupled with the upcoming Knights of X promising to bridge the gap between Krakoa and Otherworld once more would imply that both sword wielding heroes will have an even larger role to play going forward. Assuming Faiza and Jacks do step back into the spotlight in the near future, the nature of powers could put them in prime position to reshape their corner of the Marvel Universe entirely.
On the other hand, Excalibur and the Black Knight taking center stage of the Marvel Universe doesn’t bode especially well for anyone. With Otherworld, Avalon, and the Arthurian figures who inhabit them having become more prominent in recent years, the chances of Faiza and Jacks being dragged into another major conflict are all but assured. Merlyn’s recent attacks on mutant kind and the ramifications of them are also certain to become a point of interest in the coming months, and with his own history tied so closely to that of Excalibur and the Ebony Blade, it’s hard to imagine the three won’t be crossing paths sooner than later. Having Faiza, Jacks, and Dane Whitman on their side in their upcoming conflicts might be the best help that the mutants of Krakoa could ask for. At least, as long as long as the fact that it was Merlyn who forged their powers doesn’t become a liability.
Hopefully, the unsettling events that brought them together won’t also be what tears them apart. Jacks seems fine for now with a sword sticking out of her back, but becoming the living “stone” for Excalibur has got to be weighing on her or her powers, if not both, in some serious ways. With any luck, whatever changes this has in store for the rest of the world won’t be more than the heroes at the heart of it can handle. If not, Earth might be in greater need of a Sorcerer Supreme than ever before.
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