Proctor

• In one bolded sentence, Proctor is a tragic and malevolent alternate-reality version of the Avenger Dane Whitman, the Black Knight, who travels the multiverse hunting down and executing every incarnation of the Eternal, Sersi, he can find.
• Key Takeaways:
• Role in the Universe: As the leader of the The Gatherers, Proctor served as the primary antagonist for the avengers during the landmark “Gatherers Saga” of the 1990s, acting as a dark, cautionary reflection of the heroic Black Knight.
• Primary Impact: His elaborate, multi-year campaign of terror and manipulation nearly destroyed the Avengers from within, drove Sersi to the brink of madness, corrupted the Vision, and culminated in a plan to collapse the entire multiverse into a singularity.
• Key Incarnations: Proctor is a foundational villain from the Earth-616 comic book continuity (specifically, he originates from the now-destroyed Earth-374). He has no current appearance or direct counterpart in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), though the introduction of his heroic alter-ego, Dane Whitman, in the film Eternals (2021) provides a clear narrative foundation for a potential future adaptation.

Proctor made his first, shadowy appearance in Avengers Vol. 1 #343, published in January 1992. He was co-created by writer Bob Harras and penciler Steve Epting, who defined the visual and narrative tone of the Avengers during this era. His introduction marked the beginning of the “Gatherers Saga,” a sprawling, long-form storyline that would become the central focus of the Avengers title for over three years. The creation of Proctor was indicative of a broader trend in early 1990s superhero comics, which often favored more complex, morally ambiguous, and “edgier” characters. Proctor was not a simple megalomaniac; he was a fallen hero, twisted by grief and a messianic complex. Harras crafted a slow-burn mystery around the character's true identity, dropping clues for years before the ultimate reveal that he was an alternate Dane Whitman. Steve Epting's dynamic, shadow-heavy art style was instrumental in establishing Proctor's menacing presence long before his full motivations were understood. This extended narrative arc allowed for deep character development and raised the personal stakes for the Avengers, particularly Black Knight and Sersi, to an unprecedented level.

The origin of Proctor is a multiversal tragedy, a tale of love corrupted into an obsessive, destructive crusade. It is fundamentally tied to the fate of his own world and his relationship with his reality's Sersi.

Proctor is, in fact, the Dane Whitman of Earth-374. In his reality, he was a respected member of his world's Avengers and, like his Earth-616 counterpart, fell deeply in love with his teammate, the Eternal Sersi. Their bond was so profound that they underwent an Eternal ceremony to become “Gann Josin,” a process that creates a permanent, powerful psionic link between two individuals. For a time, their union was a source of great strength and happiness. However, the Gann Josin bond proved to be a curse. His Sersi, afflicted by the Eternal-specific mental illness known as the Mahd Wy'ry, was driven completely insane. The psychic link amplified her madness and power, turning her into a world-ending threat. She unleashed her unstable molecular and psychic powers across their planet, slaughtering millions, including their fellow Avengers. In a final, desperate act to save what little remained of his world, this Dane Whitman was forced to kill the woman he loved. The trauma of this event shattered him. Consumed by an unbearable grief and a twisted sense of righteousness, he came to a horrifying conclusion: Sersi, in every reality, was a ticking time bomb. He believed the Gann Josin bond was not the cause of the madness, but merely a symptom of an inherent flaw within all versions of Sersi. He appointed himself the multiversal “proctor,” a judge and executioner tasked with a sacred duty: to hunt down and kill every Sersi across all timelines to prevent them from suffering his fate. He began traveling the multiverse, arriving on worlds just as they faced their final moments. There, he would “save” a single survivor, a being of great power or skill, indoctrinating them into his nihilistic worldview. This cadre of broken souls became his Gatherers. With his new army and a new name, Proctor set his sights on Earth-616, viewing its Sersi as his ultimate prize and its Dane Whitman as a naive fool who needed to be taught the same brutal lesson he had learned.

As of the current date, Proctor has not appeared, nor has he been directly referenced, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The character remains exclusive to the comic book continuity. However, the film Eternals (2021) and its post-credit scenes have laid significant groundwork that could facilitate a future introduction.

While Proctor himself is absent, his heroic counterpart and the key elements of his backstory have been firmly established, creating a fertile ground for a future adaptation.

• Dane Whitman and Sersi's Relationship: The film establishes a budding romance between Sersi (played by Gemma Chan) and Dane Whitman (played by Kit Harington). This relationship is the absolute cornerstone of Proctor's origin. An MCU sequel could explore their deepening bond, potentially introducing a cinematic equivalent of the Gann Josin bond, which could serve as the catalyst for conflict.
• The Ebony Blade: The post-credit scene of Eternals shows Dane Whitman about to claim the Ebony Blade, a cursed sword with a corrupting influence. In the comics, the Blade's curse preys on the wielder's negative emotions. The immense grief and rage of a Dane Whitman who loses his Sersi would be a perfect trigger for the Blade's curse to take hold, transforming him into a darker, more violent figure—a potential “proto-Proctor.”
• Multiversal Storytelling: With the MCU's full embrace of the multiverse in projects like Loki, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the concept of a villainous variant of a hero is no longer a fringe idea. Proctor could easily be introduced as a Dane Whitman from a destroyed timeline, arriving to warn or terrorize the MCU's heroes. This would align perfectly with the overarching themes of the Multiverse Saga.

An MCU Proctor would likely be adapted to fit the cinematic narrative. His motivation might be simplified, perhaps focusing more on the direct corruption of the Ebony Blade rather than the specific Mahd Wy'ry illness. He could serve as a powerful and deeply personal antagonist for a future project involving Sersi, Blade, and the Black Knight, presenting a dark mirror to Dane Whitman and forcing him to confront the potential for darkness within himself.

Proctor is a formidable threat, combining the skills of a knight with the cosmic power of a god, all driven by a broken and obsessive mind.

Proctor's psyche is a complex tapestry of grief, arrogance, and zealous conviction. He is not a mustache-twirling villain; he is the protagonist of his own tragic epic. He genuinely believes his multiversal genocide is a merciful act, a necessary evil to prevent infinite suffering. This self-righteousness makes him utterly ruthless and incapable of seeing the horror of his actions. He is incredibly manipulative, preying on the weak and broken to build his army of Gatherers. He exudes a charismatic, almost regal authority, but beneath it lies a deep well of pain and rage. His interactions with the Earth-616 Black Knight are filled with condescending pity, as he sees Dane as a naive child who has yet to experience the “truth” of the world. His obsession with Sersi is the core of his being—a twisted fusion of lingering love for the woman he lost and pure hatred for the threat she represents.

Proctor's power levels far exceed that of the standard Dane Whitman, augmented by his experiences and the tools he has acquired.

• Superhuman Physiology: Through the Gann Josin bond with his Sersi, he gained a measure of Eternal physiology, granting him superhuman strength, speed, stamina, and durability far beyond peak human levels.
• Energy Manipulation: He can project powerful blasts of concussive energy from his hands and eyes.
• Psionic Powers: The Gann Josin link granted him formidable mental abilities, including telepathy, the ability to cast powerful illusions, and a degree of mind control. He used this to subtly manipulate Sersi over a long period, exacerbating her own mental instability.
• Molecular and Reality Manipulation (Via Power Source): Proctor's most devastating power came from his use of a captive Watcher, Ute, as a living battery. By tapping into Ute's cosmic power, Proctor could manipulate matter and energy on a vast scale, allowing him to teleport his massive citadel, create powerful constructs, and ultimately attempt to collapse all of reality into a single point.
• Genius-Level Intellect & Master Strategist: Proctor is a brilliant tactician and long-term planner. His plot against the Avengers was a masterclass in psychological warfare and infiltration that unfolded over years. He successfully outmaneuvered Captain America, Vision, and the entire Avengers roster for an extended period.
• Master Swordsman & Combatant: At his core, he is still Dane Whitman. He is one of the finest swordsmen in the multiverse and a highly experienced hand-to-hand combatant.

• The Ebony Blade (Alternate): Proctor wields his own version of the Ebony Blade from his home reality, a powerful enchanted sword capable of cutting through nearly any substance.
• Armor: He wears a suit of durable, lightweight armor that provides protection and evokes a darker, more menacing version of the Black Knight's classic look.
• The Gatherers' Citadel: His mobile base of operations was a colossal fortress situated within a null-space dimension at the heart of a black hole, making it nearly impossible to locate or assault.
• Ute the Watcher: His most powerful asset was the captured, dying Watcher from Swordsman's reality. Ute was imprisoned within the Citadel and used as an unwilling power source for Proctor's grandest ambitions.

As Proctor does not exist in the MCU, his abilities and equipment are purely speculative, based on an adaptation of his comic counterpart and the established rules of the MCU.

• Source of Power: An MCU Proctor's power would almost certainly be tied to the Ebony Blade. Rather than a Gann Josin bond, his superhuman abilities could stem directly from the sword's vampiric curse, which could grant him enhanced strength, a healing factor, and perhaps some form of dark energy manipulation, visually represented as shadowy tendrils or blasts.
• Skills: His core skills as a master swordsman and historian, as established for Dane Whitman in Eternals, would remain. His strategic genius would be shown in how he hunts his targets or manipulates events from the shadows.
• Psychology: The psychological aspect would be key. The MCU could portray him as a man consumed by the Blade's bloodlust, which has latched onto his grief over losing Sersi, turning his love into a murderous obsession. He would be a chilling vision of what Kit Harington's Dane could become if he fully succumbs to the sword's influence.
• The “Gatherers”: Instead of a multiversal army, his MCU “Gatherers” might be a smaller, more intimate group of individuals also corrupted or empowered by cursed artifacts, all brought together by Proctor's charismatic and commanding presence.

Proctor's relationships are defined by manipulation, mirrored identity, and obsessive hatred.

Proctor's “allies” were more accurately his disciples, a collection of broken individuals he “saved” from their dying worlds and bound to his will.

• Magdalene: A warrior from an alternate Earth, Magdalene was Proctor's fiercely loyal second-in-command. He saved her as her world was destroyed by the Blastaar, and she viewed him as her savior, blindly following his orders with ruthless efficiency.
• Swordsman (Philip Jarvert): Hailing from an alternate reality (Earth-921) where he was in love with his world's Mantis, Philip Jarvert was a noble warrior manipulated by Proctor. He eventually saw through Proctor's lies and the horror of his crusade, defecting from the Gatherers to become a heroic member of the Earth-616 Avengers. His betrayal was a significant blow to Proctor's authority.
• Anti-Vision: A perfect physical duplicate of the Earth-616 Vision, taken from another reality. Proctor used this Anti-Vision to infiltrate the Avengers, replacing the original for months. This duplicate was loyal only to Proctor and served as his ultimate spy, sowing discord and confusion from within the team's own ranks.

• Sersi (Earth-616): Proctor's ultimate obsession. He projected all the love and hate he felt for his own Sersi onto the Earth-616 version. He orchestrated a long-term campaign to drive her mad, attempting to force a repeat of his own history to prove his twisted philosophy correct. The conflict was deeply personal, a psychological war as much as a physical one.
• Black Knight (Dane Whitman, Earth-616): His heroic counterpart and the living embodiment of everything he had lost. Proctor viewed Dane with a mixture of contempt and jealousy. He saw Dane's optimism and love for Sersi as weakness and naivete. Their battles were charged with personal significance, as Dane was forced to fight a literal dark reflection of himself, a vision of what he could become if consumed by grief and despair.
• The Avengers: Proctor held a deep-seated hatred for the concept of the Avengers. He blamed his own world's team for failing to help him when his Sersi went mad. He projected this failure onto the Earth-616 Avengers, viewing them as incompetent obstacles to his righteous crusade and taking sadistic pleasure in dismantling their team from the inside out.

• The Gatherers: Proctor was the founder, leader, and messianic figurehead of the Gatherers. This was his only true affiliation. The group was structured as a cult of personality, with Proctor as its absolute authority. They were not just a team, but a congregation of survivors bound by shared trauma and a singular, nihilistic purpose dictated by their master.

Proctor's existence is inextricably linked to one of the longest and most complex narratives in Avengers history.

This sprawling epic is Proctor's defining story, running for over two years and fundamentally reshaping the Avengers roster and status quo.

• Premise: The storyline begins subtly, with a series of seemingly unrelated attacks on the Avengers and the mysterious appearance of new heroes and villains. Unbeknownst to the team, Proctor is pulling the strings, beginning a campaign of infiltration and psychological warfare.
• Proctor's Arc:
• Infiltration: Proctor's first major move is to kidnap the original Vision and replace him with the loyal Anti-Vision. For months, this spy operates within Avengers Mansion, feeding Proctor information and subtly undermining the team's trust in one another.
• Psychological Warfare: Proctor's primary target is Sersi. He uses his psionic abilities to subtly influence her mind, exacerbating her existing mental instability. This causes her to act erratically and violently, leading her teammates—especially her lover, Dane Whitman—to believe she is a growing threat. Proctor's goal is to isolate her and prove to Dane that she must be destroyed.
• The Reveal: The conflict escalates until the Avengers are forced to confront Proctor directly. The truth is finally revealed in Avengers #373: Proctor is an alternate Dane Whitman. He explains his tragic origin and his multiversal crusade, framing his genocide as a noble cause.
• The Climax: In the final arc, Proctor brings his Citadel to Earth-616's solar system and begins his endgame: using the cosmic power of the captive Watcher, Ute, to collapse all of reality into a single point—the “Gathering.” The combined forces of the Avengers and a repentant Ute confront him. In the final battle, it is Sersi and the Black Knight who defeat him. Using the Ebony Blade, Sersi turns Proctor's own devastating energy against him, seemingly vaporizing him. The essence of the dying Ute is drawn into the Blade, which Dane Whitman is then forced to wield to contain the cosmic energy, once again binding himself to the cursed sword.
• Aftermath: The saga had a lasting impact. The Vision was eventually restored, but the trauma of his replacement lingered. Sersi, mentally scarred, was forced to leave Earth with the Black Knight to find stability. And Dane Whitman was once again the wielder of the cursed Ebony Blade, a direct result of his battle against his darker self.

The very concept of Proctor is rooted in the idea of variants, making him one of the most significant “evil variants” in Marvel Comics long before the concept became mainstream.

Proctor is not just a variant; he is the definitive dark mirror to Dane Whitman. His existence explores the “what if” scenario central to all alternate reality tales: what if a hero experienced a tragedy so profound it shattered their moral compass? He represents the potential for darkness that lies within the heroic Black Knight, a path of grief and obsession that the Earth-616 Dane narrowly avoids. While there are no other known “Proctors” from other realities, his crusade implies a horrifying possibility. If his Earth-374 was not unique in Sersi's potential for madness, then other Dane Whitmans across the multiverse could have suffered similar fates, potentially becoming Proctors in their own right. His story suggests that in the infinite multiverse, the fall of a hero is not an anomaly, but a recurring tragedy. His methodology—gathering the sole survivors of destroyed worlds—also created a unique team of variants, such as the Swordsman and Magdalene, who were defined by being the last remnants of their respective timelines. This concept predated similar ideas explored in modern stories like the Exiles comic series or the MCU's Time Variance Authority. Proctor, therefore, can be seen as a narrative forerunner to the multiversal, variant-focused storytelling that is popular today.

• Dane Whitman (Black Knight)
• sersi
• avengers
• the_gatherers
• ebony_blade
• vision

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