:
(The following summary is based on the 2002 rewrite.) In a rundown apartment in
New Jersey,
Morgan Le Fay has finally decided to
end her own life. Although kept immortal by magic, she has become
apathetic, elderly, and corpulent, and sees no point in continuing with her life. Before cutting her wrist with a steak knife, she decides to look in on her old
nemesis,
Merlin's prison, one last time, and is surprised to see that he has escaped. Given a reason to live again, she laughs triumphantly. In
Manhattan,
King Arthur appears on the streets in full medieval armor, which he quickly divests in favor of a tailored suit (thanks to an
American Express card that appears in his pocket by magic). He then walks into
Central Park, where the
Lady of the Lake rises from the pond and gives him
Excalibur. Setting up an office under the name "Arthur Penn" (short for
Pendragon), Arthur reunites with
Merlin, who advises him that the world needs a leader like him, so Arthur decides to enter politics, beginning with announcing his candidacy for Mayor of New York City. As he is setting up his campaign headquarters, he hires the first applicant for an executive secretary,
Gwen DeVere Queen, despite Merlin's disapproval. Arthur also "acquires," as hangers-on, two petty thugs, Buddy and Elvis, who crossed his path in Central Park and became awed by him. After collecting the requisite number of signatures to run as an independent candidate, Arthur begins his campaign with impromptu speeches on street corners in New York, where his medieval, yet chivalric views fascinate random passers-by. His campaign alarms his illegitimate son
Modred, who is immortal thanks to his mother Morgan's sorcery, but now works as a campaign manager for the Republican mayoral candidate. ==Two versions==