Game of Thrones star Kit Harington addresses his future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe following his appearance in Eternals. Harington played Dane Whitman in the 2021 Marvel film directed by Chloé Zhao, portraying a character with a mysterious family past. Eternals' post-credits scene teased Harington's potential MCU future by having Dane discover the Ebony Blade, which could lead to him becoming the Marvel Comics character Black Knight. The post-credits scene also introduced Mahershala Ali's Blade in an off-screen speaking role.
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In Marvel Comics, frequent Avenger Dane, aka Black Knight, wields the mystical Ebony Blade. In Eternals, the Ebony Blade was shown, but Whitman's alter ego Black Knight was not seen in action at any point in the film. Even with Harington's post-credits tease, no official announcement has been made about his character returning. This seemingly continues the problem of Marvel not following up on their end-credits sequences, and there is much interest in learning when Harington could make his way back to the MCU.
During a recent interview with Josh Horowitz, Harington is asked about his possible MCU return and if he could appear alongside Ali's Blade or Harry Styles' Starfox – who was also introduced in Eternals' post-credits scenes – in a future Marvel project. Harington answers honestly, though fans might be disappointed by what he has to say. Check out his quote below:
“I, again…and this is true: I don’t know much of what they’re planning. And you know, I hope to be involved in future stuff, with that character, with Dane Whitman, and that he might go on and be the thing that everyone quotes at me in the street. But I honestly don’t know. I don’t know what their plans are. I know they’re going into a kind of Phase 5"
Even with text reading at the end of the credits that "Eternals Will Return", no sequel for Eternals has been announced for the MCU's Phase 5 or 6, and it's unclear when or if Harington will play Dane Whitman again. As he was last seen with his sword in front of Blade, it seemed likely that Harington could join the cast of Ali's upcoming solo film, which is slated for a 2023 release. However, no announcement of his casting has been made. That does not mean he will not appear in the film, though; if Harington is signed on for any future movie, he would not give up that information in an interview before Marvel announced it.
While Harington's return may not be immediately eminent, he will in all likelihood return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Almost all major characters have returned at some point, even despite the passage of time. For example, it once seemed like Disney wanted to entirely avoid The Incredible Hulk, but now General Ross and Emil Blonsky/the Abomination have both returned. Samuel Sterns/The Leader will also be in the upcoming Captain America: New World Order. Even though Marvel has quietly ignored the events of Eternals, Harington will eventually make his return to the MCU, possibly as soon as Blade. Between multiple blockbuster movies per year and numerous streaming series, there are plenty of landing spots for Harington's Black Knight.