Rearuh

This article may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience. Please help by spinning off or relocating any relevant information, and removing excessive detail that may be against Wikipedia's inclusion policy. (September 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Moon Knight
Textless cover of Moon Knight #1. Art by David Finch and Frank D'Armata.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Werewolf by Night #32 (August 1975)
Created by	Doug Moench Don Perlin
In-story information
Alter ego	Marc Spector
Species	Human
Place of origin	Earth
Team affiliations	Secret Avengers Avengers West Coast Avengers Defenders Marvel Knights Heroes for Hire United States Marine Corps
Partnerships	Jean "Frenchie" DuPaul-Champ
Notable aliases	Steven Grant, Jake Lockley, The Fist of Khonshu, Yitzak Topol, Mr. Knight
Abilities	Expert detective Proficient in martial arts and armed combat Formerly: Increased strength, endurance, and agility depending on the lunar cycle
Moon Knight
	Cover art for Marc Spector: Moon Knight #1 (1989) Art by Carl Potts, Sal Velluto and Kevin Nowlan
Series publication information
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Ongoing series
Genre	Superhero
Publication date	(vol. 1) November 1980 – July 1984 (vol. 2) June – December 1985 (Marc Spector: Moon Knight) June 1989 – March 1994 (vol. 3) June 2006 – December 2009 (Vengeance of the Moon Knight) November 2009 – September 2010 (vol. 4) July 2011 – April 2012 (vol. 5) March 2014 – August 2015
Number of issues	(vol. 1): 38 (vol. 2): 6 (Marc Spector): 60 (vol. 3): 30 (Vengeance): 10 (vol. 4): 12 (vol. 5): 17 (vol. 6): 14 (Legacy): 13
Creative team
Writer(s)	(vol. 1) Doug Moench, Alan Zelenetz, Tony Isabella (vol. 2) Alan Zelenetz (Marc Spector) Chuck Dixon, J. M. DeMatteis, Terry Kavanagh (vol. 3) Charlie Huston, Mike Benson (vol. 4) Brian Michael Bendis (vol. 5) Warren Ellis, Brian Wood, Cullen Bunn (vol. 6) Jeff Lemire (Legacy) Max Bemis
Penciller(s)	(vol. 1) Bill Sienkiewicz, Kevin Nowlan, Bo Hampton (vol. 2) Chris Warner (Marc Spector) Sal Velluto, Ron Garney, Gary Kwapisz, James Fry, Stephen Platt (vol. 3) David Finch, Mark Texeira, Mico Suayan, Javier Saltares, Jefte Palo (vol. 4) Alex Maleev (vol. 5) Declan Shalvey, Greg Smallwood, Ron Ackins (vol. 6) Greg Smallwood (Legacy) Jacen Burrows, Ty Templeton, Paul Davidson
Inker(s)	(vol. 2) Mark Farmer, Tom Palmer (vol. 4) Danny Miki

Moon Knight (Marc Spector) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin, the character first appeared in Werewolf by Night #32 (August 1975).

Publication history

The character debuted in Werewolf by Night #32 (August 1975), written by Doug Moench with art by Don Perlin, as a villain hired by the Committee to capture the title character for them in a two-part story continuing in #33. He finds out that the Committee wanted to use him as a weapon and helps the Werewolf escape, briefly fighting alongside him. Moon Knight later returned in the form of a demonic apparition taking on his appearance in #37 (March 1976) to battle the Werewolf once again. Editors Marv Wolfman and Len Wein liked the character, prompting them to grant him a solo spot in Marvel Spotlight #28–29 (June/August 1976),^[1] again written by Doug Moench with art by Don Perlin. The story, along with the Bill Mantlo-penned Spectacular Spider-Man #22 and #23 (September/October 1978), recast Moon Knight as a hero and his villainous first appearance as a cover to infiltrate the Committee. Subsequent appearances came in Marvel Two-in-One #52, written by Steven Grant with art by Jim Craig and The Defenders #47–51, which had him briefly join the Defenders during their war against the Zodiac Cartel.

Moon Knight then gained a backup strip in Hulk! Magazine #11–15, #17–18, and #20, which saw the character first drawn with artist Bill Sienkiewicz on issues #13-15, 17-18, and #20 as well as a black and white story in the magazine publication Marvel Preview #21. Sienkiewicz's Neal Adams-influenced art style helped cement the early perception of Moon Knight as a mere Batman clone.^[2] The Hulk backups and Marvel Preview issue, which were all written by Doug Moench, provided Moon Knight with a partial origin story and introduced one of his most notable recurring villains: Randall Spector, who would later become Shadow Knight.

Moon Knight received his first ongoing series in 1980, with Doug Moench and Bill Sienkiewicz as its main creative team. The character received a complete origin story, and most of his notable recurring villains were introduced; particularly his arch enemy Bushman. Early sales were good for the book, leading to Marvel, as of issue #15, moving the title from newsstand distribution and making it one of its flagship titles for a group of books only available in comic shops. A companion mini-series was also released, Moon Knight: Special Edition, which reprinted the Hulk and Marvel Preview Moon Knight stories in color and in comic format, as opposed to their original magazine format. Sienkiewicz left the series after issue #30, though continued to contribute covers until the final issue (#38).

In 1985, Marvel followed up the series with Moon Knight – Fist Of Khonshu by Alan Zelenetz and Chris Warner, a six issue mini-series that established Moon Knight as suffering from schizophrenia due to the stress of his various aliases. Moon Knight appeared in Marvel Fanfare for two issues (#30 and #38) and in the pages of West Coast Avengers (#21–41 and Annuals #1–3), with the character written by Steven Englehart.

With the arrival of John Byrne onto the title, Moon Knight was written out of the West Coast Avengers and after a guest spot in Punisher Annual #2 (part of the "Atlantis Attacks" storyline), the character was given a new ongoing title in 1989, Marc Spector: Moon Knight. The series was originally written by Chuck Dixon, who left the title after issue #24. Dixon left the book with several storylines unresolved (most notably, the fate of Moon Knight's errant sidekick, the second Midnight) and the plotline with the sidekick was resolved in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man #353–358, written by Al Milgrom.

The series was canceled with #60 (March 1994), with four of the last six issues drawn by Stephen Platt, who was hired by Image Comics based on the strength of his work on the series. Two one-shots, Marc Spector: Moon Knight Special Edition #1 and Moon Knight: Divided We Fall, were published during the run of the title.

In 1998, writer Doug Moench, artist Tommy Edwards, and inker Robert Campanella brought the deceased hero back in a four-part mini-series called the Resurrection Wars.^[3] In 1999, Moench and artist Mark Texeira worked together on another four-part mini-series called "High Strangeness" which was nominated for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Limited Series. The title of the story was mistakenly given as "High Strangers" on the covers of the mini-series. The correct title of the story, "High Strangeness", appeared on the title page of each issue.^[4]

A Moon Knight ongoing series was launched in April 2006, written by Charlie Huston with art by David Finch.^[5][6][7] As of #14 of this series, Mike Benson took over writing duties^[8][9] with Huston acting as story-outline adviser according to Benson in an interview with Marvel published as a one-page excerpt in various Marvel comic books throughout late 2007 and early 2008.^{[citation needed]}Peter Milligan also wrote a 2008 seasonal one-shot titled "Moon Knight: Silent Knight" with artist Laurence Campbell.^[10] The 2006 series ended with #30 (July 2009), and only one Annual in the series was printed in 2008.

That series was followed by a ten-issue maxi-series titled Vengeance of the Moon Knight, beginning in September 2009, written by Gregg Hurwitz and drawn by Jerome Opena.^[11] After Vengeance of the Moon Knight was canceled, Moon Knight was placed in the team book Secret Avengers (appearing for the title's first 21 issues), in the Shadowland three issue storyline and in a 2010 relaunch of Heroes for Hire.

It was announced at the New York Comic Con that 2011 would see the launch of a new Moon Knight series by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev. The series, which saw Moon Knight replace his multiple personalities with heroes such as Spider-Man, Captain America, and Wolverine, was canceled after 12 issues due to poor sales.

In March 2014, Marvel launched a new ongoing series as part of the Marvel NOW! initiative that introduced a new suit-and-tie costume for the character, with a revolving door of creative teams that included Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey for issues #1-6, Brian Wood and Greg Smallwood for issues #7-12, and Cullen Bunn and Ron Ackins for issues #13-17.^[12]

The series was relaunched as part of the "All-New, All-Different Marvel" initiative. The new series, written by Jeff Lemire and artist Greg Smallwood (returning from his run with Brian Wood), debuted in April 2016 and saw Marc Spector waking up in a mental institution, told that his life as Moon Knight was a hallucination.^[13] The series ended on May 31, 2017 after 14 issues before being relaunched with the corporate-wide initiative called Marvel Legacy.

The new "Marvel Legacy" volume launched in January of 2018, starting with issue number 188 and continued through issue 200. The initial issue was written by Max Bemis (who also suffers from mental health disorders) and was drawn by Jacen Burrows.^[14]Ty Templeton then steps in as the primary artist for issue 194, with Paul Davidson on issues 195, 196, and 199, and Burrows returning for 197-198.^[15] Issue 200 had several artists from Moon Knight's run contributing art.^[16]

Fictional character biography

Origin

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Marc Spector is a Jewish-American rabbi's wayward son. As an adult, Spector had been a heavyweight boxer before becoming a U.S. Marine, afterward, he left the United States military to become a mercenary. He later becomes a strong and skilled combatant and befriends the French pilot Jean-Paul DuChamp, whom he affectionately calls "Frenchie". While working for the African mercenary Raoul Bushman in Egypt, the group stumbles upon an archaeological dig whose crew includes Dr. Peter Alraune and his daughter Marlene Alraune. The dig had uncovered an ancient temple where artifacts included a statue of the Egyptian moon god Khonshu. Intent on looting the dig, Bushman kills Dr. Alraune. In response to Alraune's murder, Spector challenges Bushman to personal combat and is defeated by Bushman and left to die in the sub-zero temperatures of the desert night.

The Egyptians who worship the ancient gods find Spector and carry him to their temple. Helpless before the statue of Khonshu, Spector's heart stops. Khonshu appears to him in a vision, offering Spector a second chance at life if he becomes the god's avatar on Earth. Spector awakens, wraps himself in the silver shroud that covers Khonshu's statue, and again confronts Bushman. He defeats Bushman and returns to America with Marlene, Frenchie, and the statue of Khonshu. Deciding to become a crimefighter, Spector creates a silver cloaked costume, based on the silver shroud, and becomes Moon Knight aka "The Fist of Khonshu".

After his return to the United States, Spector invests the money that he had accumulated as a mercenary and develops a small fortune. To distance himself from his mercenary past, he creates the identity of millionaire entrepreneur Steven Grant, using this identity to purchase a spacious estate. To remain in contact with the street and criminal element, he also creates the identity of taxicab driver Jake Lockley and has acquired civilian allies such as Bertrand Crawley and Gena Landers and her sons.

In the character's first appearance, the criminal organization the Committee supplies Marc Spector with the name Moon Knight, his costume and weapons (using silver) to hunt down Jack Russell. In Los Angeles, Moon Knight captures the Werewolf for the Committee, but then frees him and halts the Committee's plans, fighting Russell again.^[17] He battles Conquer Lord,^[18] teams up with Spider-Man to fight Cyclone,^[19] and fights Lupinar,^[20] and his brother Randall, the Hatchet-Man.^[21]

His origin of being "created by The Committee" is explained as a ruse set up by Frenchie so Marc can shut the Committee down.^[22] He then encounters the Midnight Man^[23] and returns to Chicago to prevent the poisoning of its water supply by a group called the Werewolves,^[24] encounters Morpheus^[25] and teams with Daredevil to fight the Jester.^[26] It is around this time that he first encounters Stained Glass Scarlet.^[27] Later, he battled the Werewolf once again,^[28] battled Bora, and met the X-Men, the Fantastic Four,^[29] and Doctor Strange.^[30]

Volume 2: Fist of Khonshu

Spector abandons his Moon Knight, Grant, and Lockley identities after the effects of Russell's bite (lunar cycle-based strength)^[31] fade away, and functions as an independently wealthy man opening art galleries around the world, with the help of art historian Spence. Spector's estranged relationship with Marlene ends when she finally leaves him for her ex-husband when he becomes Moon Knight again.

The cult of Khonshu telepathically summons Spector to Egypt and supplies him with a new arsenal of moon-themed projectile weaponry, originally designed by a time-traveling Hawkeye in ancient Egypt. Khonshu himself appears to Spector and enters his body, giving him the same lunar abilities he previously had.^[32]

As the agent of Khonshu, he aids the West Coast Avengers, but at the cost of alienating Frenchie and further distancing Marlene.^[33] He time travels to 2940 BC to rescue the Avengers, where he learns of his weapons' design by Hawkeye.^[34] He officially joins the West Coast Avengers^[35] and enters a relationship with Tigra for the remainder of his tenure on the team.

While investigating the Phantom Rider with Daimon Hellstrom, Moon Knight and the Avengers are attacked by soldiers working for Khonshu's rival, Seth, who is invading Asgard. Khonshu abandons Moon Knight to battle Seth after explaining it was his wish to join the team, not Spector's. Moon Knight resigns from the team,^[36] and reunites with Marlene and Frenchie,^{[volume & issue needed]} only to die and be resurrected by Khonshu once more.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Marc Spector: Moon Knight

Marc Spector: Moon Knight #39
Art by Gary Kwapisz.

This volume introduces Moon Knight's teenage sidekick Jeff Wilde, also known as "Midnight", the son of Midnight Man, a member of Moon Knight's rogues gallery. At this time, Moon Knight first encounters the Black Cat.^[37] Midnight is turned into a cyborg by the Secret Empire, then is seemingly killed in a battle with Moon Knight, Spider-Man, Darkhawk, the Punisher, Nova and Night Thrasher.^[38]

Teaming up with the Punisher, Moon Knight defeated ULTIMATUM,^[39] and during the "Acts of Vengeance", fought Killer Shrike, Coachwhip, and the second Ringer.^[40] He then encountered Silver Sable and her allies Sandman and Paladin.^[41] As Marc Spector, he was tried for murder in Bosqueverde, South America.^[42] Moon Knight teamed up with the Punisher again, as well as Spider-Man against the Secret Empire.^[43]

While fighting with his brother Randal Spector over who is destined to carry the mantle of Moon Knight, Marc discovers Khonshu is not the god of vengeance but the god of justice.^[44]

Moon Knight eventually upgrades his armor to adamantium armor rather than his original Kevlar costume.^[45] This upgrade is critical since Moon Knight needs the armor to hold his body together after being infected by the then-possessed Hobgoblin. The disease is revealed to be the villain known as Demogoblin trying to possess him.^[46] With the help of Doctor Strange and Mister Fantastic, the Demogoblin parasite is removed. Moon Knight seemingly severs his ties to the Avengers by burning his membership ID card after being brought in by Thor to answer charges in regard to his illegal actions against Doctor Doom.^[47] By the end of the series, Moon Knight is killed violently, sacrificing himself to save his loved ones from a computerized villain called Seth and his "Zero Hour" program.^[48]

Resurrection Wars and High Strangeness

Moon Knight was resurrected in two separate limited series in 1998 and 1999.

Minor appearances

In 1998 Spector uses his Ka to help a critically injured Black Panther through the Kingdom of the Dead.^[49]

In 2001 and 2002 Moon Knight joins the "Marvel Knights" non-team to capture The Punisher.^[50] After making a brief appearance in the "Avengers Disassembled" story-arc, he makes a minor return in the 2005 Marvel Team-Up miniseries, fighting alongside Spider-Man, Daredevil, and the Punisher. He later appears in issue #2 of the Great Lakes Avengers mini-series where Doorman offered to recruit him in the GLA, but he immediately rejects the offer.^[51]

Moon Knight Volume 3 (2006)

This volume opens with Marc Spector's early retirement which comes after a brutal battle with Bushman. Although his body is broken after a tremendous fall and both knees shattered, Moon Knight finally defeats his nemesis Bushman by carving off his face with a crescent moon dart. Spector is then haunted by a spiritual apparition of Khonshu, who chose a faceless Bushman as his ethereal representation. Marc Spector's background is updated, so he fought in the Gulf War and that his time as a mercenary was during the 1990s. It is also revealed that Frenchie is a homosexual and in love with Marc Spector; which is why he stuck around for so long.

The new Secret Committee then hires The Profile, an amoral character who can analyze a persona past and future habits with a glance, to help them entrap Moon Knight. He escapes after the plan collapses because they authorized a mugging of Frenchie too soon. Profile then becomes a reluctant source of information for Spector himself, even giving him advice on rekindling his relationship with Marlene.

Moon Knight eventually gets drawn into the Superhero Registration Act as he investigates a string of murders perpetrated by Midnight, his former sidekick. Other Marvel heroes take notice of his violent return to vigilantism. Spider-Man attempts to contact Moon Knight but is rebuked.^[52]Captain America pays him a visit to deliver a warning and they quarrel.^[53] The Punisher and Moon Knight have a lengthy conversation about the nature of their vigilantism and their shared past.^[54] Moon Knight is forced into a final confrontation with his cybernetically enhanced former sidekick Midnight, seemingly killing him for good.^[25]

Iron Man also investigates Moon Knight's activities by placing him under close surveillance. Finding his mental condition unstable, Iron Man decides that arresting Moon Knight under the Registration Act might make his mental instability worse. Moon Knight begrudgingly applies for registration after much prodding from Khonshu, not wanting the law to keep him from his work. The new law requires him to submit to a psychiatric exam. The psychiatrist controlling the exam, along with the government and Tony Stark, has no intention of granting Marc Spector approval for registration. After speaking with Spector's repressed alter egos Jake Lockley and Steven Grant, the psychiatrist begins the process of officially turning him down, suggesting possible future imprisonment. Subconsciously Spector breaks the doctor's will by speaking in the voice of Khonshu and pointing out the doctor's own antisocial tendencies, as told to him earlier by the Profile. The psychiatrist not only approves his application but bows to worship him as well. However, later on, Marc meets the Profile with their dialogue suggesting that the personalities above were just an act to be approved for registration.^[26]

Moon Knight shows little regard for his newly licensed superhero status or any passion to the people around him, further alienating himself. His former nemesis Black Spectre returns. Carson Knowles, recently released from prison, attempts to frame his murders on Moon Knight. He steals some Stark nanotechnology and plans to unleash it on the city. Moon Knight pushes Knowles off a building apparently to his death. Tony Stark, as the head of the Initiative, revokes his superhero registration, but buries the fact that Spectre had stolen Stark Tech.^[55]

The Thunderbolts, led by Norman Osborn, are now on the hunt for Moon Knight. Tony Stark and second-in-command Maria Hill argue with former Avengers government liaison Raymond Sikorsky, now a representative of the Commission on Superhuman Activities, who desperately wants for Moon Knight to be apprehended with extreme prejudice.^[56] Marc Spector himself busts up a drug deal while wearing an entirely black costume while going through an internal monologue about how crime-fighting is much easier without the burden of his reputation and 'costume recognition'.^[57]

Several weeks later, after barely surviving an altercation with the Thunderbolts, Spector pleads for Khonshu's forgiveness for turning his back on him and for the god's renewed assistance. Khonshu appears and informs Spector he doesn't need him anymore, as he now has other worshipers. Spector returns to his Moon Knight costume to aid Frenchie DuChamp in gaining revenge on the Whyos gang for attacking his restaurant and injuring Frenchie's lover Rob, only to find the Whyos' attack was designed to draw Spector into another conflict with the Thunderbolts when he is ambushed by Venom.^[58] After a brief fight Moon Knight is captured, but escapes when S.H.I.E.L.D. shows up. Frenchie agrees to help Spector, and Ray joins the reformed team as well. Bullseye is released to kill Moon Knight, as Spector prepares to go out with a bang.^[59]

Moon Knight is next seen battling Bullseye on the streets of NYC. He eventually leads Bullseye to a bunker/warehouse where he has planted several explosives. Bullseye narrowly escapes as Moon Knight ignites the explosives. Later that day two press conferences are held: one by Norman Osborn to announce the Thunderbolts' success and Moon Knight's death and the other held by Tony Stark who denounces the methods used by the Thunderbolts. At the end of the issue, it is revealed that Moon Knight has faked his death, escapes from the warehouse through a secret passage in the floor, and is hiding in Mexico. It is also revealed that the Marc Spector persona has "died" and that Jake Lockley is now in control.^[60]

Now living as Lockley, the Moon Knight escaped to Mexico.^[61] Laying low to avoid attracting the attention of the Registration Act any further, Lockley gets roped into a mission involving drug cartels, two boisterous sibling luchador assassins, and a murderous Toltec avatar. During this stint in Mexico, Moon Knight learns he was being shadowed by The Punisher from the moment he crossed the border. Frank Castle's reasoning was that he knew Moon Knight would find himself somehow involved with the very cartel Frank had been pursuing; however, the Toltec god's avatar made quick work of the cartel.^[62]

Eventually, the super-hero Civil War ended with Norman Osborn as director of H.A.M.M.E.R. and with him replacing S.H.I.E.L.D.. Lockley knows that Osborn had been behind the group of Thunderbolts sent to kill him and that a deranged psychotic was not fit to run the U.S.A.'s national security agencies, so using some spoils from the Cartel, Moon Knight decided it was time for a comeback.^[62]

Vengeance of the Moon Knight

Moon Knight returns to New York after faking his death with Jake Lockley as his dominant personality, but still struggles against his violent nature and is hounded by Khonshu in the form of a small imaginary tormentor resembling a man in the Moon Knight costume with a bird skull who goads him to kill. While trying to walk the path of a hero he makes a bold return taking on many criminals but killing none of them; now the people of New York begin to see him as a hero and not a murderous vigilante much to Norman Osborn's disdain. Jake's personality has been one of struggle against the inner demon trying to get him to kill while juggling sobriety.^[63]

Later, the Sentry takes Moon Knight across the city while he saves people and stops crimes telling Lockley that eventually he will be tested and that he will fail, to which Moon Knight replies "So will you". They stare each other down for a moment before Moon Knight eventually leaves.^[64]

Norman Osborn summons the Hood and Profile to take down Moon Knight. The Hood uses Dormammu's powers to bring Moon Knight's longtime foe Bushman back to life. Bushman gathers an army by enlisting Scarecrow to break into Ravencroft Asylum, where they lobotomize the prisoners to make them more compliant.^[65]

Jake Lockley tries to make amends to Marlene and Frenchie for his previous behavior and mental breakdown. Under the Jake Lockley persona, he is regarded as saner; Marlene mentions that his "eyes are clear". Bushman's army and the Scarecrow soon attack New York, but Moon Knight defeats them. Bushman manages to escape, only to later be confronted and subdued by Moon Knight. A growing Khonshu screams for vengeance, yet Moon Knight manages to defy him and spare Bushman's life. At the conclusion, Bushman winds up in a mental institute and Jake Lockley begins to start a new life with Marlene.^[66]

Moon Knight then notices an attack on a hospital and confronts Deadpool, who is about to kill an elderly man. Moon Knight prevents the murder but learns that the man was a Ukrainian mobster who kidnapped kids of families who didn't sell their properties to his real estate firm. The mother of a missing child hired Deadpool to kill the mobster before he succumbs to cancer.^[67] Moon Knight is able to find the boy but isn't able to prevent the mother from injecting the mobster with Potassium Chloride.^[68]

Moon Knight then bumps into Spider-man and helps him defeat Sandman, thanks to Frenchie using the jet engines of fighter jet from the USS Intrepid tied in Spider-man's web to blow away Sandman.^[69] Commander Steve Rogers acknowledges his mental stability and teamwork, so he asks him to join the Secret Avengers to rescue an oil freighter from terrorists. During the skirmish on the deck, Moon Knight is able to secure the hostages, without killing any terrorists. The terrorists then use a magic conch to summon sea monsters as the ship is sinking. Moon Knight then locks his armor and secures himself to a large plate and Valkyrie's winged horse Aragorn, so she can fly them away.^[70]

Secret Avengers

Moon Knight became a supporting member of Secret Avengers, beginning in May 2010. The new team features Steve Rogers, War Machine, Valkyrie, Beast, Nova, the new Ant-Man, as well as the redemption thirsty Moon Knight.^[71] He remained with the Secret Avengers until the line-up was reshuffled by Hawkeye.^[72]

Shadowland

During the Shadowland storyline, Moon Knight has given up the Marc Spector personality and only goes by Jake Lockley. Daredevil, who has been possessed by The Hand, hires Profile to take down Moon Knight.^[73] During an assault on the Shadowland fortress with Iron Fist, Ghost Rider, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, and Elektra, Daredevil almost kills Moon Knight, but Khonshu appears and asks him to spare his life. Daredevil is apparently able to see the apparition and leaves him. Khonshu reveals that he spared Moon Knight's life in order to kill the second avatar of Khonshu and deliver the ancient Sapphire Crescent. It turns out the impostor is Moon Knight's brother Randall Spector in the alias of Shadow Knight. Shadow Knight then attacks Spector's house and almost kills Marlene, who earlier revealed she was pregnant.^[74] They both end up in New Orleans tracking down the Sapphire Crescent. They fight until a standoff, with Randall keeping a hostage and Moon Knight out of throwing crescents. Moon Knight then uses the Sapphire Crescent to kill his own brother before he could kill any more hostages. This causes him to have a mental breakdown and resurface the Marc Spector personality again.^[75]

Moon Knight Volume 4 (2011–12)

Moon Knight Volume 4, #1
Art by Alex Maleev.

In this series, Spector is shown in Los Angeles as the creator of a TV show based on his origin and superheroics dubbed "Legends of the Khonshu". Later on, as Moon Knight, he intercepts a delivery of an Ultron robot body. Spector has also developed three new multiple personalities based on Spider-Man, Wolverine, and the original Captain America who help guide him.^[76] Moon Knight gets the head of the Ultron and attacks a strip club as Spider-Man to get to the mysterious L.A. Kingpin. Moon Knight beats the club leader Snapdragon, but gets shot by a guard before getting answers. It was the superhero Echo who saved him, but she lost her cover in the process.^[77] Moon Knight and Echo then decide to team up against the Kingpin.^[78] Meanwhile, it is also revealed that Spector hired ex-SHIELD agent Buck Lime to design his weapons while posing as a soldier of fortune consultant for his TV show.^[78] After a fight with the Night Shift sent by Snapdragon; Moon Knight and Echo formally team up against the Kingpin. Buck, however, informs the Avengers of Ultron's head, and they visit Spector who convinces them (and later Buck) that he knows what he is doing.^[79][80] Together with Buck and Echo, Moon Knight beats the Kingpin who turns out to be Count Nefaria, but they capture Snapdragon and Count Nefaria escapes.^[80] But Moon Knight and Echo keep targeting and attacking Nefaria's bases of operations.^[81] Soon, however, Nefaria strikes back, and Echo is killed. This sends Moon Knight's Wolverine personality into berserker mode and it seemingly kills the Captain America and Spider-Man personalities.^[82] Moon Knight proceeds to violently attack Nefaria who gets beaten up badly. Nefaria, however, survives and sends his daughter, Madame Masque to retrieve the Ultron head, who succeeds.^[83] But Moon Knight and Buck retaliate and attack her. Madame Masque is about to beat Moon Knight, but just then he develops an Echo personality, who tells him to not let her die in vain. Moon Knight fights back, and defeats Madame Masque.^[84] Meanwhile, the police have Snapdragon testify against Nefaria, and get a warrant for his arrest. Nefaria angrily attacks the police station and is about to kill Snapdragon, but Moon Knight intervenes again. In the ensuing battle, Moon Knight is beaten, and Nefaria orders him to return the Ultron head, and work for him. Moon Knight tells Nefaria that the head is outside, but the tables were turned as Moon Knight had called the Avengers, and Nefaria was defeated. The next day, Tony Stark commends Marc Spector for a job well done and tells that Ultron is waiting and planning a robot holocaust. After Stark leaves, it seems that Spector developed an Iron Man personality as well. In the epilogue to the series, Spector leaves Hollywood.^[85]

Avengers vs. X-Men

During the events of Avengers vs. X-Men, Moon Knight is partnered with Falcon and She-Hulk as part of a small team of Avengers assigned to watch over the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.^[86] During the ensuing skirmish initiated by Frenzy, Moon Knight tricks Gambit into damaging his armor, allowing Moon Knight to grab Rogue with his bare hand and drive her insane with his multiple personalities.^[87] He is last seen at Stark Tower as one of the many former Avengers celebrating the return of Janet Van Dyne.^[88]

Moon Knight Volume 5

New "Mr. Knight" Persona
Art by Declan Shalvey.

Spector has returned to New York and now utilizes two costumed personas. The first is Moon Knight, using a plethora of high-tech equipment such as a voice-controlled glider/drone,^[89] alongside magical trinkets such as an enchanted skull helmet and other shamanic dressings.^[90] As Moon Knight, Spector deals with unfamiliar territory, often delving into the supernatural. The second persona is Mr. Knight, dressed in an all-white business suit, gloves, and mask, who consults with the New York Police Department and deals with common thugs and crimes such as kidnapping.^[91]

Moon Knight Volume 6

A sixth volume was released as part of All-New, All-Different Marvel with author Jeff Lemire and artist Greg Smallwood.^[92] In this series, Marc Specter wakes up in a mental institute with no recollection of his past or how he got there. The staff, led by Dr. Emmit, seems to have supernatural powers and thwart Marc's attempts to recover his past. He meets fellow inmates Gina, Marlene, Frenchie, and Bertrand Crawley, but sees Moon Knight on TV, then begins to question his sanity.^[93]

Marvel Legacy

After re-appropriating Khonshu, Marc Spector resumed his normal life and his Moon Knight alias despite breaking up with Marlene Alrune. Meanwhile, Raoul Bushman collaborates with a mysterious mental patient only referred to as "Patient 86", who becomes an avatar of Ra and calling himself the Sun King. Together they come up with a plot to kill Moon Knight.^[94] To accomplish the plans to kill Moon Knight, Bushman, and Sun King went to Marlene's house and discovered that she and Jack Lockley's aspect of Moon Knight had a child together, much to the shock of Marc Spector and Steve Grant.^[95] Raoul and Sun King kidnap Marlene and force Moon Knight to visit an island dedicated to Ra. Moon Knight is given psychedelic drugs and eventually is forced to face off with Sun King. Khonshu suggest to Moon Knight that maybe Sun King only believes he is the avatar of Ra and if Marc Spector is truly the avatar of Khonshu he should be able to manifest powers. Moon Knight is able to overpower Sun King and Bushman escapes.^[96]

Comparisons to Batman

Charlie Huston, writer of the 2006 re-launch of Moon Knight, attempted to answer the criticism that Moon Knight is an ersatz Batman in an interview with Comixfan.^[97] The interviewer noted that the comparison is not baseless, as both Moon Knight and the Dark Knight are wealthy, "normal" humans that use gadgetry to fight crime.

Huston accepted that the two characters had their similarities, but went on to contrast the two by noting in particular differences in origin, motives, and personality. "Bruce Wayne", he said, "fights crime to avenge the murders of his parents", whereas Moon Knight "beats up whoever has it coming because he believes he is the avatar of the Egyptian god of vengeance and it helps him to feel better about all the people he killed when he was a mercenary." Thus, while Batman is motivated by vengeance for the wrong done to his parents, Marc Spector is motivated by vengeance as a concept. Huston further notes that Bruce Wayne, Batman's alter ego, takes on other personalities merely to aid in his fight. However, Moon Knight has three alter egos which aid him as much in dealing with personal demons as fighting law-breakers, and which have taken a further psychological toll of causing dissociative identity disorder. In the question of his sanity, Spider-Man remarked "Mooney. Rhymes with loony."^[98]

Powers and abilities

Skills and training

Over the course of his life as a boxer, U.S. Marine, mercenary, and costumed superhero, Marc Spector has become an expert at hand-to-hand combat techniques and martial arts such as Boxing,^[99]Kung Fu, Eskrima, Judo,^[100]Karate, Ninjutsu, Savate,^[101] and Muay Thai. He is an Olympic-level athlete and a skilled acrobat and gymnast and excels as a combat strategist. He employs a variety of weapons over the course of his career, including throwing darts, nunchaku, bo staff and a truncheon. He is skilled with most weapons and an expert with throwing weapons. Spector is a superb driver and can pilot a helicopter.

Taskmaster, who has the ability to copy and replicate anyone's fighting style, has stated that he prefers not to copy Moon Knight's style, as Moon Knight would rather take a punch than block it.^{[citation needed]}

Superpowers

Promotional art of Moon Knight descending from the Mooncopter
Art by David Finch

Spector gained his superhuman powers as a result of a visitation by the Egyptian moon god Khonshu. Moon Knight's strength, endurance, and reflexes are enhanced depending upon the phases of the moon.^[102] The fuller the moon, the more strength Moon Knight derives from it, though even during a new moon, he can lift several hundred pounds. It's not known how much of this strength is mystical and how much is simply the result of self-hypnosis due to his psychological instability.

At some unspecified point in time Moon Knight is thought to have lost these powers (he is last seen using his lunar superstrength while in the West Coast Avengers, a team he leaves in 1989 ^[103]), with his loss of powers officially confirmed in 2007 during the Midnight Sun arc of Moon Knight, where he confesses to Frenchie's boyfriend that he no longer has increased strength or reflexes depending on the phases of the moon, with Khonshu (or Marc's imagining of him) claiming that this loss of power is punishment for his disobedience. ^[104]

Due to his multiple personalities, he is also resistant to some psychic attacks and sometimes receives prophetic visions. Moon Knight is shown to possess a very high tolerance for pain such as ignoring a bullet wound through his leg while only letting off a slight grunt of pain.^{[volume & issue needed]}

During the Charlie Huston run of Moon Knight, The Profile, an amoral profiler-for-hire with the possibly mutant power to instinctively analyse and predict the actions of anyone he observes, claims that his abilities do not function correctly on "supernaturals" and that Marc is physically painful for him to look at while wearing the "vestments" that make up his costume. He offers the explanation that either Khonshu is real (though he cannot confirm whether Khonshu is a god or merely a being claiming to be) and his presence interferes with the Profile's abilities or Marc is so crazy that it is tantamount to magic and his sheer belief in Khonshu is enough to disrupt the Profile.^[105]

Technology and equipment

At one point, Moon Knight is given special weapons by the cult of Khonshu, including bolas, golden throwing crescent-darts shaped like scarabs, an ivory boomerang, throwing irons, and a golden stick in the shape of an ankh that glowed in the presence of danger that can be used as a throwing weapon or bludgeon. These items are later replaced with duplicate weapons crafted by Hawkeye. He later retires these items to his personal museum after abandoning the "Egyptian" motif in favor of updated versions of his original styled-gear, including a truncheon/staff/nunchuck combo, and a compound bow. He has also used an axe-shaped lasso-grapple.

During the third series, Moon Knight's silver-white costume includes adamantium, and he acquires an array of high-tech weaponry including an adamantium staff, a truncheon capable of firing a cable line, and gauntlets that fire crescent darts. He has also been depicted using spiked knuckles, worn on the left hand. When he vows never to murder again, he hires Tinkerer to upgrade his gear. He uses a gun that shoots a grappling hook and bolas to knock out villains.

Later on, Moon Knight's costume uses carbonadium as armor, and has joint-locking functions, allowing him to support weights far greater than what he can normally lift.^[106] Moon Knight uses this feature to support a building from collapsing, then leaves the armor to battle villains in his underwear.^[107] Additionally, Moon Knight can 'suit up' by use of a remote control device which assembles the individual pieces of his armor onto his body, similar in fashion to Iron Man.^[106]

For transportation, Moon Knight employs a variety of sophisticated aircraft. These include the Mooncopter and Angelwing, featuring VTOL (vertical take-off and landing), a rope ladder, and 20 mm cannons. Later, Moon Knight utilizes a remote controlled white limousine when acting as "Mr. Knight", and a similarly remote controlled crescent-shaped drone/glider when acting as Moon Knight.^[108] He has been seen using a white motorcycle.^[109]

Rogues gallery

While Moon Knight fights villains of other heroes such as Bullseye and Taskmaster, he has also accumulated his own rogues gallery. Moon Knight's enemies include:

• Black Spectre


• Bluebeard


• Bora


• Raoul Bushman


• Committee


• Conquer Lord


• Crossfire


• Killer Shrike


• The Hellbent


• Midnight Man


• Morpheus


• The Profile


• Princess Nephthys


• Shadow Knight


• Stained Glass Scarlet


• The Werewolf

Reception

Moon Knight was ranked by Wizard magazine as the 149th greatest comic book character of all time.^[110]IGN also listed Moon Knight as the 89th greatest comic book character stating that the Moon Knight is more or less the concept of what would happen if the Batman were to suffer a multiple personality disorder,^[111] and as #49 on their list of the "Top 50 Avengers".^[112]

Other versions

2099

The one-shot 2099: Manifest Destiny (March 1998) introduced a female Marvel 2099 version of Moon Knight, fighting crime in the lunar city of Attilan.

House of M

Moon Knight appears in House of M as part of Luke Cage's Sapien Resistance against Earth's rulers, the House of Magnus (Magneto and his children, Quicksilver, Polaris, and the Scarlet Witch), although he is not wearing his costume in this timeline.^[113] He also appears in House of M: Avengers wearing his costume. A little more of his backstory is uncovered as well, still following Khonshu and still suffering from multiple personalities.^[114]

The Infinity War

In the Infinity War crossover, the alien double of Moon Knight uses Franklin Richards' powers to become the multi-dimensional Moon Shade. He then murders the majority of the Multiverse's alternate versions of Moon Knight.^[115]

Marvel Zombies

In Marvel Zombies, Moon Knight is one of the superheroes infected by the zombie plague. Previously he had been part of the resistance organized by Nick Fury, but presumably turned into one of the zombies in a later battle.^[116] He is attacked by 'Deadites', reanimated versions of many of the dead humans, which seemingly tear Moon Knight apart.^[117] (he presumably escapes, as he is seen in the first issue of the regular Marvel Zombies series, which is set after Army of Darkness) He is later killed by Deadpool, who appears on the Marvel Zombies Earth and cuts his head off.^[118]

Old Man Logan

In the pages of Old Man Logan, a flashback was seen where Moon Knight assisted Daredevil and She-Hulk in fighting Enchantress and Electro in Manhattan. In his fight against Electro, Moon Knight was electrocuted into a state of unconsciousness.^[119]

S.H.I.E.L.D.

In April 2010 S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 features an ancient Egyptian version of Moon Knight. This version is similar in appearance to the Khonshu statue that Marc Spector worshiped in the past. He can be seen holding a staff that has a crescent moon at the top.^[120]

Ultimate Marvel

The Ultimate Marvel incarnation of Moon Knight is a former Navy SEAL that is the product of a Super Soldier experiment gone wrong. Prior to becoming Moon Knight, he worked for the Roxxon Corporation as Paladin. It is also noted that he has a form of dissociative identity disorder. Within the comic, the "personalities" of Steven Grant, Marc Spector, Moon Knight, an unnamed red-headed little girl, and Ronin interact through internal monologue. He lives with his girlfriend Marlene. She displays knowledge of his Moon Knight identity.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Ultimate Moon Knight first appears in Ultimate Spider-Man #79 during the Warriors story-arc. He is an active participant of a gang war waged by the Kingpin and newcomer Hammerhead.^{[volume & issue needed]}

During the battle, he is impaled by the assassin Elektra. Although gravely wounded, Moon Knight subdues Elektra with a moon-blade to her head before slipping into a coma. Upon waking up, Moon Knight escapes from custody and engages in a fight with the Punisher, Spider-Man, and Daredevil. After the battle, Daredevil invites Moon Knight to join an organization of superheroes with the goal of bringing down the Kingpin.^{[volume & issue needed]}

As part of this group, Spector adopts the identity of Ronin to infiltrate the Kingpin's ranks. The idea of turning 'Ronin' into the main persona is made by the Steven Grant and Marc Spector personalities, who oppose the Moon Knight persona and the concerns of the small girl persona. In doing so, they create a far more ruthless personality who the Kingpin would find suitable. Moon Knight himself is angered by this decision, but is seemingly destroyed by the Ronin personality.^{[volume & issue needed]}

The Kingpin discovers that Ronin is working for Daredevil and orders his execution. He survives, however, and after regaining consciousness goes to the police claiming that the Kingpin ordered his execution. This provides a charge for the police to arrest the Kingpin, but he has to reveal his secret identity for a charge to be placed. It also seems that the Moon Knight persona is still alive after the Ronin persona decides to wake him up.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Universe X

In Universe X, Moon Knight is locked in a never-ending battle with the Sons of Set, over the statue of Khonshu. It's actually stated that Marc Spector has been dead from the beginning, and just as the moon reflects light, Spector has been "reflecting" the form of a living man, making him effectively immortal.^{[volume & issue needed]} Moreover, it is also suggested that the original inspiration for the moon god Khonshu was the Watcher Uatu who watches the Earth from his base on the moon.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Secret Wars

In the battleworld Egyptia, Spector is a member of the Moon Knights. He tricks several mutant assassins into thinking he'll lead them to Knonshu, but instead turns into a werewolf. Knonshu appears and turns the mutants into werewolves, who then turn on their allies back at base.^[121]

Apocalypse Wars

In the Extraordinary X-Men Apocalypse Wars crossover, a female version of Moon Knight is one of the Horsemen of Apocalypse.^[122] She is killed by Nightcrawler, who teleports her into a spiked pit trap.^[123]

Infinity Warps

Peter Spector (Moon Knight's story with elements of Spider-Man's life) was attacked by Goblin by Night, who killed his Uncle Ben and aunt May. In near death is revived from the Master Weaver by a Spider to be his avatar and is given spider-powers, but splitting his personality into four. With his newfound powers he fights the crime with the name ArachKnight and is president of his company with his girlfriend Marlene Jane.^[124]

In other media

Television

• Moon Knight was planned to appear in Blade: The Series but the show was cancelled. Marc Spector is mentioned.^[125]
  

• 
  Marvel Studios and No Equal Entertainment announced their intentions to release a live-action Moon Knight TV series in 2006.^[125] Writer Jon Cooksey confirmed in 2008 that he would be developing the Moon Knight television series.^[126] In 2018, Kevin Feige confirmed that he instead plans to eventually have Moon Knight in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. ^[127]
  

• Moon Knight appears in the Ultimate Spider-Man vs. The Sinister 6 Christmas special episode "The Moon Knight Before Christmas,"^[128][129] voiced by Diedrich Bader. This version is shown to follow the advice of the Moon. He is first seen chasing after Frances Beck when Spider-Man saves her while house-sitting for Doctor Strange. After figuring out that Frances Beck is the daughter and would-be-successor of Mysterio and recalling Strange's "The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend" quote, Spider-Man works with Moon Knight in order to take out the female Mysterio. Using a special wand from a restricted room in the Sanctum Sanctorum at the Moon's advice, Moon Knight impales the Mysterio helmet with it. After Spider-Man extracts Quentin and Frances from the helmet before they are doomed, Moon Knight joins Spider-Man, Aunt May, and the Becks into having dinner.

• Moon Knight appears in Avengers Assemble, voiced by Gideon Emery.^[130] He makes a cameo in the episode "Avengers World" among the heroes the Avengers planned to recruit in their expansion program. Moon Knight fully appears in the episode "Beyond" where the pyramid he is guarding ends up in the Battleworld domain of Egyptia. When Captain America and Black Widow enter the pyramid and reunite with Iron Man, they fight a mind-controlled Moon Knight and an army of sand-powered mummies to claim a certain orb that he is guarding. After a lengthy battle, Iron Man destroys the device controlling Moon Knight as he helps to finish off the remaining mummies. When Captain America thanks him for his help and states that they would need more soldiers in battle, Moon Knight states that he has to keep the evils locked in the pyramid from being freed. Before leaving with Iron Man and Black Widow, Captain America states that the offer still stands when he is ready.

Film

• In January 2017, director James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) tweeted that he pitched a Moon Knight film to Marvel Studios.^[131]
  

Video games

• Moon Knight is one of the playable characters who were exclusive to a certainprimary Ravensoft gameplay version's console ports of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, voiced by Phil LaMarr. He is playable by default in Wii, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 versions. He can wear his Classic, Ultimate, and Khonshu costumes. A mod available for the PS2, PSP, Xbox, and original PC versions of the game unlocks him as a playable character, adding a fourth costume which is labeled as 'Modern' which closely resembles his action figure costume with the arm and leg gauntlets, as seen on his the game loadscreen, previously black body suit 'Retro'.^[132] He is also playable by default in a remastered edition of PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with the mod which can add his fourth costume can still be transferred from the older edition's version of the mods.^{[citation needed]}
  


• Moon Knight appears in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, voiced by Robin Atkin Downes. Spider-Man first encounters him in his Mooncopter at the top of Spector Tower when Black Cat makes her escape and Spider-Man defeats Kingpin's forces. He and Vulture later argues about the idea of Spider-Man busting Tinkerer out of Ryker's Island when it came to the symbiotes invasion, yet still gives Spider-Man a ride to the facility if he chooses the Red Suit path. He later helps S.H.I.E.L.D. in fighting the symbiotic invasion. After the defeat of Symbiote-Vulture, Moon Knight flies Spider-Man to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier that Venom and his symbiotes are attacking if the player has a Red Suit path. Artwork shown on the end credits of the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii versions depict a Symbiote-Moon Knight, but this concept was not used in the actual game. In the Amazing Allies Edition released for the PlayStation 2 and PSP, he is an assist character who will use his lunar attacks on enemies.^[133]
  


• Moon Knight appears in Hawkeye's ending for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 as a member of his West Coast Avengers.


• Moon Knight has a table in the Marvel Pinball: Virtue & Vengeance table pack for Pinball FX 2, and Zen Pinball 2. Developed by Zen Studios, the player controls the Moon Knight character into the world of crime fighting on the streets of New York City. The table pits the player against four of Moon Knight’s traditional enemies: Morpheus, Midnight, Bushman and Black Spectre. It also features characters such as Moon Knights love interest Marlene Alraune and allies Frenchie and Bertrand Crawley. It culminates in a battle with the god of evil and death Khonshu.^[134][135]
  


• Moon Knight appears in Lego Marvel Super Heroes^[136] voiced by Troy Baker.^{[citation needed]}
  


• Moon Knight appears in Lego Marvel's Avengers^[137] voiced by Keith Silverstein.^{[citation needed]}
  


• Moon Knight appears in Marvel Future Fight.^[138]
  


• Moon Knight is a playable character in the Facebook game Marvel: Avengers Alliance.^[139]
  


• Moon Knight is a playable character in Marvel Heroes,^[140] again voiced by Robin Atkin Downes.^[141]
  


• Moon Knight appears in Marvel: Contest of Champions.^{[citation needed]}
  

Sculpture

Numerous commercially released sculptures have been created of the character Moon Knight. The first was a mini bust created by Bowen Designs in the late 1990s. It features him in his white costume from the waist up. The second rendition was another mini bust from Diamond Select in 2006. It depicted only his torso and head and featured a darker costume and white cape. In 2006 Bowen Designs released a full body statue of Moon Knight sculpted and designed by the Kucharek Brothers. This statue came in two versions. The first was painted a dark silver, and the second, which was far rarer, was painted white. In 2013 Gentle Giant released yet another mini bust of Moon Knight.^[142] This sculpture featured a waist up depiction of moon knight with his arms prominently displayed.

Collected editions

References

External links

• 
  Moon Knight at Marvel.com


• Comic Foundry – The Conversation: Doug Moench + Charlie Huston


• 
  Moon Knight at the Grand Comics Database
  


• 
  Moon Knight at the Comic Book DB


• 
  Moon Knight at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016.


• 
  Marc Spector at Marvel Wiki