The Knights Templar were among the wealthiest and most powerful of the Christian military orders in Europe during the Middle Ages. They were officially endorsed by the Catholic Church.[citation needed] The Knights wore distinctive white mantles with a red cross.
History
Origin[]
The Knights Templar existed, in one form of another, since civilization's dawn. By infiltrating all special interest groups - through third-party agents with no traceable connection to their order - all significant information filtered back to them. The Templars functioned as the genuine historians of humanity, cataloguing the true version of history, contradicting and threatening the ruling elite.[2]
The Hellbent and Bloodline[]
In exchange for the secrets of Thoth, the Knights Templar swore to him to protect the innocent Hellbent who had been shunned by their human and inhuman sires. The Templars hid these dark secrets, known as the Arcane Archives and "sheltered" their Hellbent wards by imprisoning them within the Hellhole while tasking them with safeguarding the Archives.[3][4]
The Templars tracked and protected one particular family lineage whose descendants shared a unique genotype unknown to the majority of them, the house of the collective subconscious of all their ancestors. If catalyzed through a method known only to a few, this genotype allowed generation heirs to become the ultimate personification of the Bloodline, with full access to the combined knowledge and singular specialties of their entire family, including the ability to access the Arcane Archives.[2]
Seth the Immortal, one of the founders of the Knights Templar, began plotting against them so that he could access the Arcane Archives for himself. Taking advantage of inter-species racism between the Hellbent, Seth recruited several of them to his cause, seceretly controlling the breeding of several Hellbent and even bred with several of them himself, so that his progeny could develop powers of their own. Seth spent the next several centuries using the Knights Templar to manipulate his heirs into relationships members of the Bloodline in hopes of using them to gain access to the Archives.[5][6][4]
Crusades[]
They were one of the many groups to take part in the invasion of the holy lands in the middle east.[7]
During the Crusades the Knights Templar attempted and invasion of the African nation of Wakanda. They were unable to defeat the tiny African nation as they defeated the European invaders with ease.[8]
The Raven's Eye was part of the Knights Templars' loot. They they were later slaughtered and it moved east into Russia.[9]
Modern Age[]
The Knights Templar were one of the several secret societies recruited by Fu Manchu to be part of the Order of the Golden Dawn.[10] Several knights failed to defend Fu Manchu's Fortress from Shang-Chi and his allies, who were ultimately able to thwart the Golden Dawn's plans for world domination.[11]
Arthur with his sword drawn.
Arthur Blackwood visited his family crypt to meditate on his life. There he had a religious vision of all of his ancestors who devoted their lives to serving God. In this vision he met the spirit of one of his ancestors who served in the Crusades. This spirit seemingly bequeathed to him the combined power of all his ancestors and dubbed him knight. When Blackwood awoke from this vision, he discovered a sword, shield, and knight's raiment had inexplicably materialized nearby. Blackwood decided to take up the sword and use his newfound power to destroy all pagans and infidels. As his first target, he chose the thunder god Thor, whose claims of godhood seemed blasphemous.[12] Calling himself the Crusader, Blackwood attacked Thor at a public assembly. Somehow the strength of his faith granted him sufficient power not only to hold his own in pitched battle with the Asgardian, but also to inflict upon Thor a seemingly mortal wound. When Thor reappeared a short time later, his wound fully healed by the power of Odin the Crusader's belief in his own infallibility was shaken. The Crusader was unable to comprehend how a supposed agent of the devil like Thor could be superior to him, a self-styled messenger of the Lord. When Thor shattered the Crusader’s sword, the Crusader fled, filled with doubts about the righteousness of his cause.[13]
Nineteen years before the present, at the doorstep of an Upstate New York monastery that was associated with the Knights Templar, an unidentified woman left a trio of Hellbent infants. The three Hellbent, Ard, Tia, and Vor played within the monastery, continuing under the supervision of Gregori and Lauria. Once they discovered their powers and became known as the Cadre, they left the monastery heading to Manhattan. In the present day, Seth led a group of his Hellbent followers into the monastery and slaughtered the Templar stationed there. The next day, Templar acolyte Chloe Tran accompanied the Cadre back to their former home, where they found the corpses of Gregori and the rest of the monks stationed there. While Dementia, Shard, and Vortex dealt with their loss, Chloe checked the Archives and was surprised to find that even the back-up files on the trio were incomplete.[14]
At a Templar monastery in Scotland, Seth made his intentions known and his his Hellbent slaughtered the Knights Templar stationed there.[15] He also claimed the Templar stronghold Castle Chaudron in France and used it as a base for his raids against the scattered Templars.[2]
Seth's Hellbent Agony and Basilisk were sent to New York to kill Chloe and her lover Frenchie, who was revealed to be modern day incarnation of the Bloodline.[16] Chloe revealed her ties to the Knights Templar, Seth's plans and the Hellbent's history and Frenchie's lineage to him. When Bramble, Murmur and Network attacked them, Chloe activated Frenchie's Bloodline powers, which transformed him and gave him the abilities of his Templar ancestor, and fought off the Hellbent with the help of his ally Moon Knight, who himself was a Hellbent descendant of Seth.[2]See Also
- 16 appearance(s) of Knights Templar (Earth-616)
- 1 minor appearance(s) of Knights Templar (Earth-616)
- 4 mention(s) of Knights Templar (Earth-616)
- 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Knights Templar (Earth-616)
- 3 image(s) of Knights Templar (Earth-616)
- 6 member(s) of Knights Templar (Earth-616)
- 2 item(s) used/owned by Knights Templar (Earth-616)
Links and References
References
- ↑ Werewolf by Night (Vol. 2) #1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Marc Spector: Moon Knight #50
- ↑ Marc Spector: Moon Knight #59
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #5 ; Hellbent's profile
- ↑ Marc Spector: Moon Knight #57
- ↑ Marc Spector: Moon Knight #58
- ↑ Ares #3
- ↑ Fantastic Four #608
- ↑ Thor #498
- ↑ Master of Kung Fu #85
- ↑ Master of Kung Fu #118
- ↑ Thor #330
- ↑ Thor #331
- ↑ Web of Spider-Man Annual #9
- ↑ Marc Spector: Moon Knight #44
- ↑ Marc Spector: Moon Knight #47