Known Powers:

Black Paladin is an ancient knight who uses magical equipment. His armor has the ability to teleport Black Paladin and up to four others short distances. The shield is capable of deflecting all types of ranged attacks while the mace will return to the dark knight's hand when thrown at distant foes. Evil magic rituals have granted Black Paladin physical abilities to near superhuman status. Currently, Black Paladin is in possession of one of the Lesser Emerald Eyes of Azog, an evil artifact.

Notes:

There were many great heroes during the Age of Chivalry. Daring knights whose deeds have gone down in myth and legend. Heroes who would strive to uphold justice by strength of arms and with the courage of their convictions. Mighty armored warriors who upheld the tenets of chivalry and honor. Sir Giles de Morphant was not one of these knights.

The Knight of the Crow reveled in darker powers and was the absolute ruler of a cult dedicated to forgotten deities, demonic powers and the rulers of hell. Ruling by his side was the witch Elspeth, one of the most capable practitioners of sorcery in all of Europe. Together with their fanatical followers they cut a bloody swath across all of Europe.

Such despicable deeds of evil as performed by the Black Paladin did not go unnoticed. After the slaughter of all the nuns at an abbey, a Knight of the Round Table known as Launcelot was dispatched to deal with this menace. The Black Paladin struck first, ambushing Launcelot and his retainers. The battle was fierce and bloody. Launcelot was wounded before the Knight of the Crow even took the field.

The Black Paladin severely underestimated the resolve of Launcelot however. In spite of his wounds, Launcelot battled on, slaying the Black Paladin and his vile followers. Only Elspeth escaped, taking the body of her dead lover with her.

But Sir Giles' story did not end there. Elspeth made a pact with the dark gods that they worshiped in exchange for the revival of the Black Paladin. Elspeth made the necessary sacrifices and cast her dark spell. The magic worked, but only to a point. The Black Paladin lived once more, but was seemingly trapped in an eternal sleep. Unable to awaken her lover and despondent over the failure of her spell, Elspeth prepared for the day upon which Sir Giles would awaken. She placed him in a tomb with a special incantation inside the lid of the coffin. Elspeth would never see her one true love again.

Centuries later, an American archeology student by the name of John Black uncovered the tomb of the Knight of the Crow. He found a remarkably well preserved corpse. As he wiped the dirt away from the man's face, John noticed the writing on the inside of the coffin. Innocently he mumbled the words, activating Elspeth's final spell. The Black Knight finally rose from his endless slumber.

The magic of Elspeth's spell had worked, only not in the manner she had anticipated. The powers of evil rested their champion until they could make use of him once again. That day was now, in the present. The spell had prepared Sir Giles for this day. He was aware of the events that had transpired over the centuries. He could speak perfect English and would not be totally out of place in the modern world.

After torturing John Black to learn all about the man before slaying him, the Black Paladin placed the body in his former coffin. Sir Giles de Morphant was no more. John Black was now the Black Paladin and woe be to the modern world.

The Black Paladin greatly enjoyed the modern world, for there were new knights to battle. Heroes of a new age in armor of colorful skintight cloth. Superheroes. They quickly learned that the Black Paladin was the deadliest of foes.

Recently, the Black Paladin took part in the Crimson Claw's Great Supervillain Contest, capturing among others Silver Arrow, American Eagle, and Morning Star. Later, Black Paladin allied himself with Lady Bale, a witch of this modern day whom he suspects shares the bloodline of his beloved Elspeth. The duo participated in a daring raid to steal the Emerald Eye of Azog, only to encounter numerous other villains who had the same idea. The Black Paladin secured one of the Lesser Eyes of Azog for himself and used the artifact to resurrect Lady Bale who had been killed by Shadow Demons. The power of the Eye bound Lady Bale to him and she obeys his every whim without question.

Since the contest, the duo have remained mostly out of sight. Black Paladin and Lady Bale did ambush Blizzard and the Empress in an attempt to steal that heroine's Crown of the Elements. However, Lady Bale discovered that the Crown no longer held any magical power as it had been transferred into the Empress. Unknown to the general public, Black Paladin has usurped control of the Los Angeles branch of DEMON by slaying Lady Bale's co-ruler Lord Abyss.

In a desire to avenge themselve for past defeats at the hands of the Sorceress and the Superior Six, Black Paladin, Lady Bale, and a squad of his finest knights traveled to Dallas, Texas. During the Cinco de Mayo celebration, Paladin and his forces managed to capture the Sorceress, Titan, and Captain Lightning. Using the power of the Lesser Emerald Eye, Paladin ripped the location of the Sorceress' magic cache from her mind. However, before they could reach it, Black Paladin was struck down by Captain Lighthning. Lady Bale escaped with her master before they could be captured.

Black Paladin was originally created by Steve Peterson in Enemies 2. He was upgraded for Classic Enemies by Scott Bennie. Modifications for our campaign were by Spectrum.

Appearances:

Avengers # 19
Muskateer # 4
Spectrum # 20
Troubleshooters # 8, 9, 11, 12, 22-24
X-Factor # 1, 4, 9, 15

Awards:

Voted Best Villain for 1999, 2000, & 2002