Beheaded Knight

The Beheaded Knight is a character from The Haunted Mansion.
==History==
===Background===
This man is believed to have been a chivalrous knight (likely of British or German descent) during the medieval era. At some point in time, he was executed via beheading by an executioner and subsequently became a ghost. The knight would come to befriend the ghost of his executioner, and the two came to reside in the Haunted Mansion.
==Appearances==
===The Haunted Mansion===
The knight appears towards the end of the graveyard scene, singing Grim Grinning Ghosts alongside the executioner and Gus the prisoner (who may have some affiliation with them). They also appear nearby a pair of opera-singing phantoms with the knight's proximity to them being a gag on the expression, "A (k)night at the opera".
==Other Appearances==
===Film===
====The Haunted Mansion====
In this film, the knight appeared in the graveyard scene nearby the executioner beheading an unidentified ghost. He waves at Jim Evers as their hearse goes by.
====Haunted Mansion (2023 film)====
The Beheaded Knight appears in this movie, played by Bryan McClure. He is seen among several other ghosts forced to do the Hatbox Ghost's bidding before being turned around by Father Kent.
In a deleted scene, he is walking down the halls accompanied by The Executioner attempting to look for a portal. The Executioner is about to tell the Knight not to lose his head, but is stopped before he can finish the quote, though he finishes it once he leaves. This version of the knight speaks with an English accent. 
===Printed-Materials===
====The Ghost Gallery====
In the 1990s, cast-members of the Haunted Mansion in Walt Disney World created a backstory for the attraction as a means of answering guest questions. All of this backstory was recorded on paper and while unofficial, has since influenced both the original Haunted Mansion's official and semi-official features as-well as adaptations based on the Haunted Mansion.
In this created storyline, the executioner was named Giovanni Jones and was part of a family of opera-singers. In 1937, they put on a performance for the Gracey Family in the graveyard of Gracey Manor based on an original script called Don Juan in the Underworld. In this performance, Giovanni played a knight, his brother Rocco played an executioner, while his siblingsl Carmen and Antonio (the opera ghosts) played vikings.
During the performance in a mock execution scene, Master Gracey's deranged relative Gus Gracey (the prisoner) activated a trap-door beneath Rocco's feet. Due to this, Giovanni was inadvertently decapitated while Rocco was beaten to death by Gus with an iron ball & chain in the chamber below. The other siblings were murdered by Gus with a gas canister he used to create a fire.
====The Haunted Mansion (comic book)====
In this comic-book series, the knight was given the name of Fred and is shown to harbour a crush on Madame Leota.
===Video-Games===
====The Haunted Mansion (video game)====
In this video-game, the knight is explained to have been killed by an executioner (who does not appear) but the method was done via guillotine rather than an axe (which is odd considering the guillotine wasn't invented until the 18th century). He is an ally to Ezekiel Holloway, the main player character of the game, and speaks with a strong British accent. 
====Kinect: Disneyland Adventures====
The knight is an enemy in this video-game, while he is headless in concept-art he has his head intact in the game. He is summoned to attack the player by Madame Leota with the ghost of Phineas entering the suit of armour from the ride. The knight is defeated when the player drops a grandfather clock on him.
====Disney Crossy Road====
The knight is a playable character in this video-game where when being played as, all of the suits of armour in the stage is replaced by the executioner.
==Trivia==
*In the original Haunted Mansion, he has a German accent, while in Haunted Mansion Holiday, he has a British accent.
*His appearance might be a play on the Beheading Game, a famous story affiliated with English Christmas practices which regards King Arthur's nephew Sir Gawain entering a game of life-and-death with a, "Green Knight" who aims to behead him.
*In the book, "Build your own Haunted Mansion", he was given the name of Gawain. Gawain is a name also coming from Arthurian myth, being affiliated with Lancelot's son, Sir Gawain, who is affiliated with holiness and found the Holy Grail.
==Gallery==
Hauntedmansion23-movie-screencaps.com-12833.jpg
==External links==
*
<tabber>
|-|The Haunted Mansion=
|-|Disney Crossy Road=
</tabber>
Category:The Haunted Mansion characters
Category:Theme park characters
Category:Knights
Category:Spirits
Category:Deceased characters
Category:Swordsmen
Category:Disney Crossy Road characters
Category:Kinect: Disneyland Adventures characters
Category:Males
Category:Characters in video games
Category:Comic characters
Category:Disney characters