Silent Knight

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This article is about the DC Comics character. For other uses, see Silent Knight (disambiguation).
Silent Knight
Silent Knight as depicted in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #21 (November 1986). Art by Irv Novick (penciller) and Bruce Patterson (inker).
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceThe Brave and the Bold #1 (August 1955)
Created byRobert Kanigher (writer)
Irv Novick (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoBrian Kent
Team affiliationsKnights of the Round Table; Knights Inc.
AbilitiesNo superpowers
All the skills and abilities of a fully trained knight

The Silent Knight (Brian Kent,

medieval hero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #1 (August 1955) and was created by Robert Kanigher and Irv Novick.[1] He was one of three historical fiction characters to premiere in the first issue (the other two being Golden Gladiator and the Viking Prince
).

Fictional character biography

The Silent Knight is a young handsome man named Brian Kent, living in sixth-century Great Britain. At a jousting tournament, the evil Sir Oswald Bane kills Brian's feudal lord father Sir Edwin, claiming it to be an accident. Before he dies, Edwin instructs Brian to continue his rule and look after the people. Sir Oswald hears this and sets Brian under the knightly training of Sir Grot, a friend of Edwin's. Brian excels at his lessons, but fearing that Sir Oswald will kill him if the boy becomes too good, Grot publicly derides the boy as an oaf.

While looking for one of Sir Oswald's prize hawks in the Forest Perilous, Brian finds a trunk with a suit of silver armor, a sword, a red helmet, and shield. He puts the armor on and discovers that it is a perfect fit. He hears travelers being threatened by Sir Oswald's men-at-arms, and comes to their aid, defeating the soldiers without uttering a word. When asked his name, he stays silent to prevent the soldiers from identifying him to Sir Oswald. Hence, he becomes known as "the Silent Knight".[2] He keeps the armor hidden in the Forest Perilous and hides his secret even from Sir Grot.

The Silent Knight also fought outlaws and had adventures involving

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. He also met the evil Morgaine le Fey
. Lady Celia who loved the Silent Knight suspected he was seemingly dull Brian, and even after being made to believe he couldn't be, was constantly troubled by similarities between the pair.

Current status

The Silent Knight made a minor appearance during a time travel storyline.[3]

In the 1990s

retcon in the 2000s Hawkman implied he was a past incarnation of Hawkman Carter Hall.[4]

The version of

Sir Gawain in Ystina's "Ur-Camelot" is referred to in a caption as "the silent knight, attended by his wondrous hawks".[5]

The Silent Knight assists a time-traveling

Kent. This, and an "inexplicable kinship" felt by Brian imply that he is an ancestor of Superman's adoptive father, Jonathan Kent.[6]

Powers and abilities

The Silent Knight is a master of the knightly skills of

hawking, fencing, archery and chivalry
. In his origin story, Brian's talent for swordfighting enables him to out-fight some of the king's soldiers. In another story, "The Sword in the Lake", Brian demonstrates great strength when he dives to the bottom of a lake in full armor to retrieve a necklace and resurfaces. He shows loyalty to the knightly code of conduct by never taking unfair advantage of an opponent. For that reason, he never uses a weapon with a greater reach than his adversary's.

References

  1. ISBN 978-1-4654-8578-6
    .
  2. ISBN 9780313397516
    .
  3. ^ All-Star Squadron #55.
  4. ^ Brightest Day #0. DC Comics.
  5. ^ Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight #1. DC Comics
  6. ^ The Brave and the Bold #10. DC Comics.
  • Adventure Heroes: Legendary Characters from Odysseus to James Bond, page 236-237
  • Who's Who The Definitive Directory of The DC Universe Volume XXI, page 3
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