Merlin's Training

The tests that decide who becomes a Kingsman.

The induction process for new Kingsman operatives centers on Gary "Eggsy" Unwin's transformation from a troubled youth into a secret agent. Recruited by Harry Hart (Galahad) seventeen years after his father Lee sacrificed himself in 1997, Eggsy was nominated to replace the recently killed Lancelot. Under the supervision of Merlin, the agency's technical support operative, he underwent a series of demanding tests. The last of them involved a puppy: Eggsy refused to shoot the dog he had raised and so failed the final test, Roxy became the new Lancelot, and the bullets turned out to be blanks.

Quick Facts

Subject: Gary "Eggsy" Unwin
Mentor: Harry Hart (Galahad)
First appearance: The Secret Service

Reader's Guide

To join Kingsman, one must be nominated by an existing agent following a vacancy. Candidates then enter a training phase supervised by Merlin, the technical support operative. The regimen includes demanding physical and mental tests. The final test asks the candidate to shoot a puppy they have raised; the gun is loaded with blanks. The codenames derive from Arthurian legend, such as Galahad for Harry Hart and Lancelot for Roxy. Agents must maintain secrecy while operating in plain sight.