The Knights of Pendragon are a mystical order of champions bound to the ancient Pendragon Spirit, an essence that has risen throughout history whenever Britain faced corruption, tyranny, or environmental ruin.[2] Guided by the Green Knight, the Pendragons embody archetypes of the legendary Knights of the Round Table, their mortal hosts echoing the spirits of King Arthur, Lancelot, Gawain, and Guinevere.[3][4]
Since the time of Camelot, the Pendragons have stood in eternal opposition to the Bane, parasitic forces of cruelty, greed, and destruction serving the Red Lord.[2][5] Each new era has called new knights: such as Albion in World War I,[6] and later modern champions such as Union Jack,[7] Kate McClellan,[8] and Ben Gallagher.[9] United by visions, mystical armor, and the spirits of Camelot, the Knights defend the natural world while also serving as guardians of the British people and land.[1]
Operating from the Green Chapel in Avalon,[10] the Pendragons combine medieval myth and modern justice, battling both mystical threats and corporate corruption. They have fought poachers and mercenaries,[11] dark entities summoned by the Bane,[12] and even multinational corporations bent on exploiting the Earth.[13] They also stood alongside Earth's heroes during the Mys-Tech Wars, facing techno-occult horrors unleashed by Mys-Tech.[14]
History
Origins[]
The Pendragon Spirit has existed since the time of Camelot, rising whenever Britain faced grave peril. Each host carried echoes of earlier champions, binding them to figures of the Round Table such as King Arthur, Lancelot, Gawain, and Guinevere.[3] Guided by the Green Knight, the Pendragons stood in eternal defiance of the Bane, parasitic entities of cruelty and corruption who served the Red Lord.The Bane twisted mortal hosts toward destruction, while the Green Knight called new Pendragons to resist whenever their influence threatened the world.[2]
12th century[]
Robin Hood, Little John, and the rest of the Merry Men were each chosen by the Pendragon Spirit, their rebellion against the Sheriff of Nottingham and corrupt crown officials marking them as champions of the Green Knight.[15]
World War I[]
In the twentieth century, Peter Hunter became the patriotic hero Albion during World War I, battling Bane-possessed German forces and occult societies across Europe. Though he returned to life as a teacher, his bond to the spirit endured.[12]
Awakening of the Green Knight[]
Modern exploitation of the Earth reawakened the Green Knight's wrath. Ecological criminals such as whaler Thor Karlsen, agribusiness mogul Sir Hugh Beaumont, and corporate fast food chain Tastee Burger were struck down by supernatural punishments, heralding the return of new Pendragons.[1] Former inspector Dai Thomas was chosen as Gawain's vessel, receiving visions of mass slaughter and ecological abuse. His investigations uncovered pesticide poisoning in Kent, poachers allied with the mercenary Jan Van Ocken in Kenya, smugglers trafficking exotic animals in Florida (where an oil-spawned elemental creature rose), and drug-runners in Belize led by the brutal soldier Dolph.[16] Thomas' struggle drew in allies: journalist Kate McClellan and Astra TV, novelist Ben Gallagher whose Holy Grail-obsession linked him to dolphins and marine life, the vigilante Union Jack, and Hunter, reawakened as Albion. McClellan herself inherited Guinevere's mantle, while her son Cam McClellan manifested uncontrolled Pendragon energy and was captured by Omni's director Francesca Grace, secretly a Bane Queen.[17]
The Red Lord[]
Grace and Omni Corporation attempted to resurrect the Red Lord in Joselito, Spain, deceiving Iron Man into aiding their dig.[3] The Pendragons, alongside Captain Britain, battled Omni's mercenary legions. Gallagher was mortally wounded by Dolph but used his power to heal the poisoned caverns, dying as he restored the land. Omni's operations collapsed, and Cam was freed. The team relocated to Camelaird Farm in Wiltshire, which Chapman purchased as their base.[18] Soon after, visions summoned Adam Crown, a youth who drew Caliburn and assumed Arthur's mantle.[19] In the climactic battle, the Green Knight summoned Pendragons of all ages to repel the Red Lord, including Little John, Albion, Captain Britain, and others. Gallagher was briefly resurrected but perished permanently as the Red Lord was banished.[20]
The Green Chapel Era[]
With Crown's leadership, the Knights established themselves in Avalon's Green Chapel, discovering enchanted armor in the Armory that adapted to each bearer.[7] Grace, freed of the Bane, was accepted as a Pendragon, and a robot vessel imbued with Gawain's spirit joined the team. Later, Astra journalist Breeze James inherited Guinevere's spirit.[21] The team defended Britain against the Bane and Mys-Tech's manipulations. They clashed with the manipulator Magpie,[21] confronted Shadow Wing and his apocalyptic Seeds of Winter incantation,[22][23] and foiled a meltdown at Cape Wrath caused by the tormented worker Iain Guthrie, with Gawain absorbing a nuclear blast to save the land.[8] They also traveled to the realm of Arakne, where they fought the Arrakhyl and the sorcerous Spiridkin, confronting Malekyth and even encountering Spider-Man.[24]
Mys-Tech Wars[]
As Omni's masters in Mys-Tech escalated their schemes, the Pendragons allied with the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four during the Mys-Tech Wars, sealing the Un-Earth and battling demonic Psycho-Warriors.[25] They subsequently opposed Baron Blood,[26] and the King of Pain, who slew and corrupted several Pendragons until the Green Knight restored them.[27] Albion was conscripted into the Dark Guard by the Time Guardian, serving alongside Motormouth, Killpower, and other UK heroes against Mys-Tech's off-world agents.[28] He later fought beside G-Force against Die-Cut.[29]
Secret Invasion[]
During the Skrulls' Secret Invasion of Britain, a Super-Skrull decapitated the Green Knight in Avalon, severing his bond to the Pendragon Spirit.The Skrulls redirected the Pendragon Force into their soldiers, empowering them as they attacked London. When the invasion collapsed, the Green Knight was restored and the Pendragon Force returned to its rightful hosts.[30]
Final Campaign[]
The Pendragons' last campaigns brought them into conflict with Lemurians of Earth-313, who accused them of devastating their realm during the Arakne incursion.[31] In Britain, Magpie once more attempted to summon the Red Lord, and Adam Crown sacrificed himself by drawing the entity into exile, vanishing into its dimension.[32]
Revolutionary War[]
Years later, the Pendragons reassembled when Mys-Tech resurfaced. Albion, Union Jack, Dai Thomas, Kate McClellan, and their allies joined forces with Britain's defenders, including Captain Britain, Death's Head II, and Dark Angel, during the Revolutionary War.[33][34] Together they confronted Mys-Tech's revived forces and prevented Mephisto from breaching into Britain, proving that the spirit of Camelot endures whenever the land is threatened.[35]
Members[]
The following individuals have served as Pendragons, bonded with aspects of the Pendragon Spirit echoing the champions of Camelot:
- Peter Hunter — Manifested the spirit of Albion, embodying the will of King Arthur.[12]
- Dai Thomas — Initially received visions of slaughter and resurrection through the spirit of Gawain.[1]
- Kate McClellan — Chosen as the vessel of Guinevere.[13]
- Ben Gallagher — Inspired by the Holy Grail, he embodied empathy and sacrifice through Sir Percival's spirit.[36]
- Union Jack (Joseph Chapman) — Manifested the ferocity and knightly courage of Lancelot.[36]
- Cam McClellan' — Briefly possessed by an uncontrolled Pendragon Spirit, later targeted as a vessel for the Red Lord.[13]
- Adam Crown — Drew the Caliburn, the Sword of the Dawn, inheriting the mantle of Arthur's heir and Pendragon king.[19]
Later Recruits:[]
- Francesca Grace — Once a Bane Queen, later redeemed and accepted as a true Pendragon.[37]
- Sir Gawain (Robot) — An amusement park robot brought to life housing the spirit of Sir Gawain after Dai Thomas stepped down.[37]
- Breeze James — Former Mys-Tech agent who inherited the Guinevere spirit after Kate McClellan's retirement.[37]
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Weapons
Transportation
See Also
- 29 appearance(s) of Knights of Pendragon (Earth-616)
- 2 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Knights of Pendragon (Earth-616)
- 1 minor appearance(s) of Knights of Pendragon (Earth-616)
- 4 mention(s) of Knights of Pendragon (Earth-616)
- 6 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Knights of Pendragon (Earth-616)
- 11 image(s) of Knights of Pendragon (Earth-616)
- 11 member(s) of Knights of Pendragon (Earth-616)
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Knights of Pendragon #1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Knights of Pendragon #2
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Knights of Pendragon #10
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon #12
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon #3
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon #6
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Pendragon #1
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Knights of Pendragon (Vol. 2) #7
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Pendragon #2
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon #14
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon #5
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Knights of Pendragon #8
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Knights of Pendragon #9
- ↑ Mys-Tech Wars #2
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon (Vol. 2) #11
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon #3–4
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon #7–9
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon #13
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Knights of Pendragon #15
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon #18
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Knights of Pendragon (Vol. 2) #5
- ↑ Marvel Comics Presents #122
- ↑ Marvel Comics Presents #125
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon (Vol. 2) #6
- ↑ Mys-Tech Wars #1–4
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon (Vol. 2) #10
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon (Vol. 2) #12
- ↑ Dark Guard #1–4
- ↑ Die-Cut vs G-Force #1
- ↑ Captain Britain and MI13 #4
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon (Vol. 2) #14
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon (Vol. 2) #15
- ↑ Revolutionary War: Alpha #1
- ↑ Revolutionary War: Knights of Pendragon #1
- ↑ Revolutionary War: Omega #1
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 Knights of Pendragon #7
- ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 Pendragon #4