Black Knight

A member of the super-hero team the Avengers published by Marvel Comics.

Dane Whitman is a decendent of the first Black Knight, Sir Percy of Scandia, an ally of King Arthur. Fighting as Arthur's ally, Sir Percy was given his ebony sword, forged from a fallen meteorite by Merlin. Sir Percy was eventually killed by Arthur's son, Mordred.

Dane's uncle, Nathan Garrett, used the name the Black Knight as a costumed identity for his criminal career. He was a foe of Iron Man and died during one of their battles. His paraphernalia came into the possession of his nephew, who decided to use the identity of the Black Knight to make up for his uncle's misdeeds.

Dane rescued the Avengers from Kang and was granted membership to the team. Instead, the Black Knight chose to be a reserve member as he was currently living at his ancestral estate, Garrett Castle.

Later, the Black Knight was transported to the past by the Enchantress where he inhabited the body of his ancestor, Eobar Garringtonb, during the time of the Crusades. The Black Knight fought for King Richard until Garrington's body was killed, sending Whitman back to the present.

The Black Knight became a full member of the Avengers for a time, but succumbed to the the curse of his ebony blade, which turned him to stone. He later was restored, and abandoned the blade, fearing it to be to dangerous.

He served as a member of the Avengers again for a time and eventually, left Earth with the Eternal Sersi for exile in another dimension. He was eventually brought back to Earth. He was contacted by the Lady of the Lake and told that he was the champion of Avalon. He was given by her a magical winged steed and weapons.

The Black Knight has also been a member of Heroes for Hire.

Model number: 500
Production run: 13075
Theme: Historical - Knights
Features: Magna-Save, Split Level, Bonus Ball
Design: Steve Ritchie
Art: Tony Ramunni
Software: Larry DeMar

A pinball game released by Williams in 1980.

Playfield Description

Tons of stuff on two playfields.

Flippers: Four of them. Two on the lower playfield above the drain, and two more above the center and right ramps on the upper playfield.

Ramps: Three ramps, all which feed to the upper playfield. The left ramp feeds the ball to the upper left corner of the upper playfield. The center ramp goes in between the flippers on the upper playfield, and a hard shot from the lower left flipper can put a ball into the lock. The right ramp can send a ball directly into the upper left bank of drop targets.

Drop Targets: 4 sets (two red and two blue), located on both the upper and lower playfields. Each bank of targets is on a timer, and when the timer times out, the bank will reset.

Bumper: Just one, located between the left and right drop target banks.

Spinner: One, located at the bottom of the left ramp. When lit, the spinner is lit for 2500 points per spin. Points here can add up quick.

Magna-Save: Lit by completing any drop target bank before the targets reset. To activate, use the button above the flipper button on the side of the machine the ball is about to drain on.

Loop shot: Just one to the right of the left ramp. A shot here will advance the bonus multiplier. The end of ball bonus and multipliers are displayed on the sword in the center of the lower playfield.

Outlanes: Nothing spectacular, unless you have a ball locked. Both outlanes are lit for Last Chance, which will release the locked balls and keep the game going.

Strategies

• GO FOR MULTIBALL: Your biggest points are scored during multiball. With three balls in play, the playfield values of everything are tripled. Two-ball multiball doubles everything.
• Light the spinner: Try to send balls down the right inlane to light the spinner, then shoot the left ramp. Use the Magna-Save if you have to.
• Go for Extra Balls: Extra balls can be lit by dropping the target banks repeatedly. One is lit by dropping the upper banks three times, and a second can be lit by dropping all the banks three times.

Black Knight was followed up by the immensely popular Black Knight 2000 in 1989.