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Moon Knight is a
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
appearing in
American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...
s published by
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
. Created by writer
Doug Moench Douglas Moench (; born February 23, 1948, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American writer of comics, novels, short stories, newspaper feature articles, weekly newspaper comic strips, film screenplays and teleplays. He is notable for his ''Batman'' wo ...
and artist
Don Perlin Donald David Perlin (; August 27, 1929 – May 14, 2024) was an American comic book artist, writer, and editor. He is best known for Marvel Comics' ''Werewolf by Night'', ''Moon Knight'' (a character he co-created), '' The Defenders'', and ''Ghos ...
, the character
first appeared In comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first issue to feature a fictional character. These issues are often highly valued by collectors due to their rarity and iconic status. Reader interest in fir ...
in ''
Werewolf by Night The Werewolf by Night (also known as the Werewolf) is the name of two Werewolf, werewolves appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first incarnation of Werewolf by Night, Jack Russell, first appeared in ''Marvel Spotlig ...
'' #32 (August 1975). The son of a
rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...
, Marc Spector served as a Force Recon Marine and briefly as a
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
operative before becoming a
mercenary A mercenary is a private individual who joins an armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rather t ...
alongside his friend Jean-Paul "Frenchie" DuChamp. He is killed by Raoul Bushman, but the god Khonshu resurrects him as his avatar. After returning to the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, Spector becomes the crimefighter Moon Knight, aided by Frenchie and Marlene Alraune, who becomes his lover. Along with his costumed alter ego, he uses three other identities to gain information: billionaire businessman Steven Grant, taxicab driver Jake Lockley, and suited detective and police consultant Mr. Knight. It is later revealed Moon Knight has dissociative identity disorder and that the Grant and Lockley alters emerged during his childhood. In most depictions, Moon Knight has no abilities beyond his athleticism and detective skills. For a time, he had superhuman strength and durability derived from the phases of the moon, but this ability later vanished. The character has made appearances in various media outside of comics, including animated series and video games.
Oscar Isaac Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada (born March 9, 1979) is an American actor. Recognized for his versatility, he has been credited with breaking stereotypes about Hispanic and Latino Americans, Latino characters in Cinema of the United States, H ...
portrays the character in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
series ''
Moon Knight Moon Knight is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin, the character first appeared in ''Werewolf by Night'' #32 (August 1975). The son of a rabbi, Marc S ...
''.


Development

In an interview,
Doug Moench Douglas Moench (; born February 23, 1948, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American writer of comics, novels, short stories, newspaper feature articles, weekly newspaper comic strips, film screenplays and teleplays. He is notable for his ''Batman'' wo ...
recalled the character's genesis: "Somebody mentioned in the office and suggested using The Committee, and that I should bring The Committee back, and then I found out who The Committee were and thought, well they're really boring, I don't wanna use them. And then I thought, well wait a minute, how about if The Committee hires a mercenary to kill the Werewolf. And I thought, yeah that's a good idea, then I create this new character and it won't be these boring guys in business suits, it would be a flashy character. So, I said who is best to kill the Werewolf? Well, someone who uses
silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...
weapons because silver hurts the Werewolf. And tied to the night, because the Werewolf only comes out at night, and I'll base this character on the
Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...
, because the Moon makes the Werewolf change, and this is going to be the opposite of the Werewolf, and as soon as I said the Moon I said, ooh I'll have a costume that's just like the Moon, just black and white, jet and silver, no color on the costume."
Don Perlin Donald David Perlin (; August 27, 1929 – May 14, 2024) was an American comic book artist, writer, and editor. He is best known for Marvel Comics' ''Werewolf by Night'', ''Moon Knight'' (a character he co-created), '' The Defenders'', and ''Ghos ...
also commented on the creation of the character, "We were told we needed a costumed character in the book. So Doug and I created Moon Knight. I wanted the costume to be just black and white. Since he'd be on a color page, that would make him a little bit different. He had a silver baton he could use when he battled werewolves. See, he was hired to track down to kill the Werewolf."


Publication history

The character debuted in ''
Werewolf by Night The Werewolf by Night (also known as the Werewolf) is the name of two Werewolf, werewolves appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first incarnation of Werewolf by Night, Jack Russell, first appeared in ''Marvel Spotlig ...
'' #32 (August 1975), written by
Doug Moench Douglas Moench (; born February 23, 1948, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American writer of comics, novels, short stories, newspaper feature articles, weekly newspaper comic strips, film screenplays and teleplays. He is notable for his ''Batman'' wo ...
with art by
Don Perlin Donald David Perlin (; August 27, 1929 – May 14, 2024) was an American comic book artist, writer, and editor. He is best known for Marvel Comics' ''Werewolf by Night'', ''Moon Knight'' (a character he co-created), '' The Defenders'', and ''Ghos ...
and
Al Milgrom Allen L. Milgrom (born March 6, 1950) is an American comic book artist (penciller and inker), writer, and editor, primarily for Marvel Comics. He is known for his 10-year run as editor of '' Marvel Fanfare''; his long involvement as writer, penci ...
, as a mercenary hired by the Committee to capture the title character. The creative team gave Moon Knight moon-related symbols and silver weapons (a metal poisonous to a werewolf) to mark him as a suitable antagonist for the werewolf hero. The two-part story continues into #33, when Moon Knight realizes Russell is a victim rather than a monster and decides to help him. A demonic vision of Moon Knight then appeared in ''Werewolf by Night'' #37 (March 1976). Editors
Marv Wolfman Marvin Arthur Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an American comic book and novelization writer. He worked on Marvel Comics's ''The Tomb of Dracula'', for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade (character), Blade, and DC Comi ...
and
Len Wein Leonard Norman Wein (; June 12, 1948 – September 10, 2017) was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine (character), Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel sup ...
liked the character and decided to give him a solo story in ''
Marvel Spotlight ''Marvel Spotlight'' is a comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics as a try-out book. It stood out from Marvel's other try-out books in that most of the featured characters made their first appearance in the series. The series or ...
'' #28–29 (June/August 1976), again written by Doug Moench with art by Don Perlin. The story, along with ''
Spectacular Spider-Man ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' is a comic book and magazine series starring Spider-Man and published by Marvel Comics. Following the success of Spider-Man's original series, ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', Marvel felt the character could support ...
'' #22–23 (September/October 1978) written by Bill Mantlo, recast Moon Knight as a more heroic character. His association with the evil Committee during his first appearance was retconned to be an undercover mission he undertook to learn more about the villains. Moon Knight acted as a hero again in ''
Marvel Two-in-One ''Marvel Two-in-One'' is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics featuring Fantastic Four member the Thing in a different team-up each issue. Publication history Original series The concept of teaming the Thing with a differen ...
'' #52, written by
Steven Grant Steven Grant (born October 22, 1953) is an American alternative rock and comic book writer best known for his work with ''Trouser Press'' and his 1985–1986 Marvel Comics mini-series '' The Punisher'' with artist Mike Zeck and for his creator-o ...
with art by Jim Craig. In '' The Defenders'' #47–51, Moon Knight briefly joined the Defenders during their war against the Zodiac Cartel. Moon Knight appeared in recurring backup stories in '' Hulk! Magazine'' #11–15, #17–18, and #20, as well as a black and white story in the magazine publication ''Marvel Preview'' #21, all written by Doug Moench. Artist
Bill Sienkiewicz Boleslav William Felix Robert Sienkiewicz ( ; ; born May 3, 1958) is an American artist known for his work in comic books—particularly for Marvel Comics' ''The New Mutants (comic book), The New Mutants'', ''Moon Knight,'' and ''Elektra: Assassi ...
drew Moon Knight in ''Hulk! Magazine'' issues #13–15, 17–18, and #20, creating a new look for the character heavily influenced by the art of
Neal Adams Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a Creator ownership, creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and re ...
, who at that time was most popular for his work on ''Batman'' and ''Green Lantern/Green Arrow'' for DC Comics. This, along with Moon Knight's methods and the atmosphere of his stories, cemented a perception among some readers that he was Marvel's version of
Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
. The ''Hulk'' backups and ''Marvel Preview'' issue provided Moon Knight with a partial origin story and introduced his brother, recurring villain Randall Spector (who would later become Shadow Knight).


Volume 1

Moon Knight received his first ongoing series in 1980, with
Doug Moench Douglas Moench (; born February 23, 1948, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American writer of comics, novels, short stories, newspaper feature articles, weekly newspaper comic strips, film screenplays and teleplays. He is notable for his ''Batman'' wo ...
and Bill Sienkiewicz as its main creative team. The character received an expanded origin story in issue #1, including Spector's "resurrection" in the tomb of Khonshu, suggested by editor Denny O'Neil), which also introduced several supporting characters as well as recurring enemy
Bushman The San peoples (also Saan), or Bushmen, are the members of any of the indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures of southern Africa, and the oldest surviving cultures of the region. They are thought to have diverged from other humans 100,000 to 200 ...
. Though many characters doubted the moon god Khonshu was real and believed Marc Spector only experienced a hallucination while near death, it was never explained why others, such as Spector's lover Marlene, concluded this when there was no other explanation for Marc's spontaneous recovery from his wounds and a death-like state. After early sales were good, Marvel made the ''Moon Knight'' series a flagship title available in comic shops starting with issue #15. The companion mini-series ''Moon Knight: Special Edition'' reprinted the ''Hulk'' and ''Marvel Preview'' Moon Knight stories in color and standard comic format, adapted from their original magazine format. Sienkiewicz stopped penciling the series after issue #30, though he continued to contribute covers until the series ended with issue #38.


Volume 2

In 1985, Marvel retooled the character with a new 6-issue mini-series ''Moon Knight'' by
Alan Zelenetz Alan Zelenetz is an American film producer and comic-book writer best known for co-creating the series '' Alien Legion'' for the Marvel Comics imprint Epic Comics and a founder of Ovie Entertainment. Zelenetz also wrote several issues of Marvel's ...
and
Chris Warner Christopher Alexander Warner is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera '' Shortland Street'' who has been portrayed by Michael Galvin since the show's first episode. Other than a 4-year gap as a result of Galvin's resignation in 1 ...
. The mini-series was titled "Fist of Khonshu". Only the first 4 issues were written by Zelenetz, the final two issues were each written by a different author. Along with giving Moon Knight new Egyptian-themed weaponry, this mini-series reveals that Marc Spector's strength now increases in accordance to the phases of the moon.


Marvel Fanfare and West Coast Avengers

Following the "Fist of Khonshu" mini-series, Moon Knight appeared in ''Marvel Fanfare'' for two issues (#30 and #38) and became a regular cast member in ''
West Coast Avengers The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in ''The West Coast Avengers'' #1 (Sept. 1984), created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall (comics), Bob Ha ...
'' (#21–41 and ''Annual''s #2–3), written by
Steve Englehart Steve Englehart (; born April 22, 1947) is an American writer of comic books and novels. He is best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s and 1980s. His pseudonyms have included John Harkness and Cliff Garnett. Early li ...
. When John Byrne became the series writer, Moon Knight was written out of the
West Coast Avengers The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in ''The West Coast Avengers'' #1 (Sept. 1984), created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall (comics), Bob Ha ...
team.


Marc Spector: Moon Knight

After a guest spot in ''Punisher Annual'' #2 (part of the "
Atlantis Attacks "Atlantis Attacks" was a comic book superhero crossover storyline which ran through most of the summer annuals published by Marvel Comics in 1989 and 2020. The storyline is a complicated, multi-layered crossover regarding the return of the sev ...
" storyline), the character was given a new ongoing title in 1989, ''Marc Spector: Moon Knight,'' originally under the direction of writer
Chuck Dixon Charles Dixon (born April 14, 1954) is an American comic book writer, best known for his work on the Marvel Comics character the Punisher and on the DC Comics characters Batman, Nightwing, and Robin in the 1990s and early 2000s. Early life D ...
. Two one-shots, ''Marc Spector: Moon Knight – Special Edition'' #1 and ''Moon Knight: Divided We Fall,'' were published during the run of the title. Dixon then left the series after issue #24, leaving several storylines unresolved such as the fate of Moon Knight's errant sidekick, the second Midnight, who was seemingly killed by the terrorist organization known as the Secret Empire. Midnight II's fate and plotline were later resolved in the pages of ''
Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American superhero American comic book, comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of t ...
'' #353–358, written by
Al Milgrom Allen L. Milgrom (born March 6, 1950) is an American comic book artist (penciller and inker), writer, and editor, primarily for Marvel Comics. He is known for his 10-year run as editor of '' Marvel Fanfare''; his long involvement as writer, penci ...
. ''Marc Spector: Moon Knight'' ended with #60 (March 1994). Marc Spector seemingly dies in the issue, sacrificing himself while battling a villain called Seth the Immortal. His body is recovered and then buried by his allies. The final storyline was written by Terry Kavanagh and with art by Stephen Platt, who was then hired by
Image Comics Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...
based on the strength of his work during several of the series' final issues.


Volume 3

In 1998, the 4-issue mini-series ''Moon Knight'' vol. 3 was published under writer
Doug Moench Douglas Moench (; born February 23, 1948, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American writer of comics, novels, short stories, newspaper feature articles, weekly newspaper comic strips, film screenplays and teleplays. He is notable for his ''Batman'' wo ...
, artist
Tommy Edwards Thomas Jefferson Edwards (February 17, 1922 – October 23, 1969) was an American singer and songwriter. His most successful record was the multi-million-selling song " It's All in the Game", becoming the first African-American to reach No. 1 ...
, and inker Robert Campanella. The four part story "Resurrection Wars" shows Marc Spector resurrected again by Khonshu, materializing alive and well in his home while experiencing a vision of himself rising from the grave as Khonshu summons him. Witnessing Marc's sudden manifestation in his home, and noting that the Statue of Khonshu explodes only to then repair itself, Marlene finally believes Khonshu is real and not a delusion. Despite this, the story mentions the possibility that Marc was not dead but somehow and inexplicably was put into a "death-like" state for months as a result of his previous injuries.


Volume 4

In 1999, Moench and artist
Mark Texeira Mark Texeira () is an American comic book artist. Classically trained as a painter, he broke into the comics field in the early 1980s. Career Mark Texeira was born and raised in New York City. He attended Manhattan's High School of Art and ...
produced ''Moon Knight'' vol. 4. This four-part mini-series was nominated for the
Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award The ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' (''CBG'') magazine administered the annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards from 1982 to circa 2010, with the first awards announced in issue #500 (June 17, 1983). Upon taking over as ''CBG'' editors, Don and Maggie ...
for Favorite Limited Series. The title of the story was mistakenly given as "High Strangers" on each issue cover, while the correct title "High Strangeness" appeared on the interior title page of each issue.


Volume 5

A new ongoing series, ''Moon Knight'' vol. 5, was launched in April 2006, written by
Charlie Huston Charlie Huston is an American novelist, screenwriter and comic book writer. His twelve novels span several genres from crime to horror to science fiction. His books have been published in English by Ballentine, Del Rey, Mulholland and Orion, and ...
with art by David Finch. The series revises Marc Spector's history by saying he fought in the
Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
. Starting with issue #14 of this series, Mike Benson took over writing duties while Huston acted as a story/plot adviser according to Benson. The 2006 series ended with #30 (July 2009), and only one Annual issue for the series was printed in 2008.
Peter Milligan Peter Milligan (born 24 June 1961) is a British comic book writer who has written extensively for both British and American comic book industries. In the UK, Milligan has contributed to numerous anthology titles including '' 2000 AD'', ''Revol ...
wrote a 2008 seasonal one-shot titled ''Moon Knight: Silent Knight'' with artist
Laurence Campbell Laurence Campbell is a British comics artist best known for his work in ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'', but he has also recently received attention from his work for Marvel Comics, Marvel. Biography Campbell started evening courses at the London ...
.


''Vengeance of the Moon Knight''

In September 2009, a new series titled ''Vengeance of the Moon Knight'' began by writer
Gregg Hurwitz Gregg Andrew Hurwitz is an American novelist, screenwriter, and comic book writer. Most of his novels are in the thriller fiction genre. His script writing work includes a film adaptation of his book '' Orphan X'', a TV adaptation of Joby Warri ...
and artist Jerome Opena. ''Vengeance of the Moon Knight'' ended with issue #10. Moon Knight became a regular team cast member in ''
Secret Avengers ''Secret Avengers'' is an American comic book Ongoing series, series published by Marvel Comics featuring a fictional black operation, black ops superhero team of the same name. The series started with Ed Brubaker on writing duties, depicting a b ...
'' #1–21. In ''Secret Avengers'', writer Warren Ellis introduced the idea that Moon Knight sometimes operates without a costume and instead wearing a simple white suit and full white mask. Moon Knight also appeared in the ''Shadowland'' crossover and in the 2010 relaunch of ''
Heroes for Hire Heroes for Hire are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in ''Power Man and Iron Fist'' #54 (December 1978), and was created by Ed Hannigan and Lee Elias. The team continued to appe ...
''.


Volume 6

In 2011, the series ''Moon Knight'' vol. 6 was launched by
Brian Michael Bendis Brian Michael Bendis (; born August 18, 1967) is an Americans, American comic book writer and artist. Starting with crime fiction, crime and hardboiled, noir comics, Bendis eventually moved to mainstream superhero fiction, superhero work. While a ...
and
Alex Maleev Alex Maleev (Bulgarian language, Bulgarian: Алекс Малеев) is a Bulgarian comic book illustrator, best known for the Marvel Comics' series ''Daredevil (Marvel Comics series), Daredevil'' (vol. 2) with frequent collaborator Brian Michael ...
. The series depicted Moon Knight once again experiencing four alters, though now three of his alters were imitations of
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
,
Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...
, and
Wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...
. Due to poor sales, the series was canceled after 12 issues.


Volume 7

In March 2014, the
Marvel NOW! Marvel Now! (stylized as Marvel NOW!) is a comic book branding for the relaunch of several ongoing comic books published by Marvel Comics, that debuted in October 2012 with new #1 issues. The relaunch also included some new titles, including ''Un ...
initiative launched ''Moon Knight'' vol. 7. The series involved rotating creative teams that included
Warren Ellis Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is an English comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of several original comics series, including ''Transmetropolitan'' (1997–2002), ''Global Frequency'' ...
and
Declan Shalvey Declan Shalvey (born 11 January 1982) is an Irish comics artist and writer. He has worked for Marvel Comics, drawing titles like ''Moon Knight'', '' Thunderbolts'' and ''Deadpool''. For Image Comics, he has collaborated with writer Warren Ellis ...
for issues #1–6, Brian Wood and Greg Smallwood for issues #7–12, and
Cullen Bunn Cullen Bunn is an American comics writer, novelist, and short story writer, best known for his work on comic books such as ''Uncanny X-Men'', '' X-Men: Blue'', ''Magneto'' and various '' Deadpool'' miniseries for Marvel Comics, and his creator-own ...
and Ron Ackins for issues #13–17. The series brings back the white suit and tie outfit first seen in ''Secret Avengers'', and now has Moon Knight adopt this outfit when working as a police consultant, answering to "Mr. Knight." With issue #1 of this series, writer Warren Ellis confirmed that Khonshu is a real god or extraterrestrial entity and that Marc Spector indeed died and was resurrected years ago in the tomb in Egypt. Issue #1 of this series depicted a psychologist confirming that stress and the use of multiple cover identities cannot cause someone to suffer from DID if they did not already suffer from the condition and that Marc's symptoms do not correspond to actual DID. Marc Spector's different alters are now said to be due to "brain damage," alterations to his brain made by the alien entity Khonshu that connect their minds. These alterations also cause Moon Knight to sometimes shift his personality to match one of the moon god's four distinct roles and facets. These four roles are described as: "pathfinder", "embracer", "defender", and "watcher of overnight travelers." These four roles can manifest in different ways, either with original names or borrowing names and personality traits of people Marc has observed (such as when he briefly acted as if he were Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Captain America).


Volume 8

In April 2016, the "
All-New, All-Different Marvel All-New, All-Different Marvel (ANADM) is a 2015–2019 branding for Marvel Comics' entire main line of comics. Taking place after the crossover storyline "Secret Wars", it details the new Marvel Universe, with nearly 60–65 titles relaunched wi ...
" initiative included the new series ''Moon Knight'' vol. 8. Written by
Jeff Lemire Jeff Lemire (; born March 21, 1976) is a Canadian comic book writer, artist, and television producer. He is the author of critically acclaimed titles including the '' Essex County Trilogy'', '' Sweet Tooth'', and '' The Nobody''. His written work ...
and artist Greg Smallwood (returning from his run with Brian Wood), the series began having rotating artists with issue #6. After fourteen issues, the series numbering changed to acknowledge it was a continuation of the Moon Knight volumes published before, so issue #15 was instead given the designation #188. This renumbering was done as part of the company-wide
Marvel Legacy Marvel Legacy is a 2017–18 relaunch of a line of American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is concurrent with All-New, All-Different Marvel and Marvel NOW! 2.0. Publication history On April 22, 2017, Marvel Comics announced Marvel ...
initiative. The series ended with issue #200, which involved contributions from several previously established Moon Knight artists. In 2019,
Cullen Bunn Cullen Bunn is an American comics writer, novelist, and short story writer, best known for his work on comic books such as ''Uncanny X-Men'', '' X-Men: Blue'', ''Magneto'' and various '' Deadpool'' miniseries for Marvel Comics, and his creator-own ...
wrote and Ibrahim Mustafa and Matt Horak drew ''Moon Knight Annual'' #1. Lemire's stories revised Marc's history to show he had first exhibited symptoms of DID and assumed the identity of his alter Steven Grant while still a young boy. The series also showed Khonshu creating a psychic connection between himself and Marc Spector when the latter was still a boy, indicating the moon god may still be responsible for Marc's DID-like condition. In the series, Khonshu claims he influenced Marc at times over the years, waiting until years later to fully reveal himself. Khonshu then reveals he intends to use Marc as a host body, fully dominating his personality, but Marc refuses. The series has Marc acknowledge that he had exhibited DID symptoms long before assuming the mask of Moon Knight and that his previous claim that his alters were nothing more than cover identities was simply denial of his condition.''Moon Knight'' vol. 9 #9–10 (Marvel Comics, 2016). In ''Avengers'' vol. 8 #33–38 (Marvel Comics, 2020), Khonshu attempts to dominate Earth to save it, compelling Moon Knight to help him. A battle with the Avengers results in Khonshu being imprisoned by the Asgardians. The story was produced by
Jason Aaron Jason Aaron (born January 28, 1973) is an American comic book writer, known for his creator-owned series '' Scalped'' and '' Southern Bastards'', as well as his work on Marvel series '' Ghost Rider'', ''Wolverine'', '' PunisherMAX'', ''Thor'', a ...
, Javier Garron, and Jason Keith.


Volume 9

In 2021, the series ''Moon Knight'' vol. 9 launched under writer
Jed MacKay Jed MacKay is a Canadian comics writer mainly known for his work at Marvel Comics, writing characters such as the Black Cat, Moon Knight, and Doctor Strange. Career Jed MacKay's first professional comic was an eight-page story in 2011's ''X-Men: ...
, and artists Alessandro Cappuccio and Rachelle Rosenberg. The new series has Marc Spector not only acting as the crimefighter Moon Knight but also (despite his Jewish background) adopting the role of high priest of "the Midnight Mission," a congregation dedicated to Khonshu. In discussing his connection to Khonshu, Marc Spector now describes his four aspects as "the traveler," "the pathfinder," "the embracer," and "the defender of those who travel at night." Once again, Marc Spector is depicted as being in regular therapy with a psychologist to help manage his psychological issues. The series also offers that Marc Spector may be immortal, as he has now been literally resurrected on multiple occasions and could be resurrected again in the future. The volume concluded with issue 30 in December 2023 with the storyline "The Last Days of Moon Knight".


''Moon Knight: Black, White, and Blood''

In April 2022 an anthology series ''Moon Knight: Black, White, and Blood'' was released alongside the Disney+ series with various stories by creative teams Jonathan Hickman and Chris Bachalo; Marc Guggenheim and artist Jorge Fornes; and writer
Murewa Ayodele Murewa Ayodele (born June 15, 1994) is a Nigerian comics writer who has worked for small press and Marvel Comics. He often works with Nigerian artist Dotun Akande, with whom he co-founded Collectible Comics NG, a Nigerian comic book studio. Their ...
and Dotun Akanda.


''Vengeance of the Moon Knight'' vol. 2

In September 2023, it was announced that MacKay and Cappuccio would be continuing their Moon Knight saga with ''Vengeance of the Moon Knight'', with a new Moon Knight emerging following the death of Marc Spector. The series debuted in January 2024.


''Phases of the Moon Knight''

In August 2024, Marvel released an anthology series called ''Phases of the Moon Knight'', which is an anthology series that follows previous Fists of Khonshu, including during the
Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...
and other historical periods. Writers and authors change each issue, like with Red, White, and Blood''.


Fictional character biography


Origin

Born in
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, Marc Spector is the
Jewish-American American Jews (; ) or Jewish Americans are Americans, American citizens who are Jews, Jewish, whether by Jewish culture, culture, ethnicity, or Judaism, religion. According to a 2020 poll conducted by Pew Research, approximately two thirds of Am ...
son of
Elias Spector Elias ( ; ) is the hellenized version for the name of Elijah (; ; , or ), a prophet in the Kingdom of Israel (Samaria), Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC, mentioned in several holy books. Due to Elias' role in the scriptures and to ...
, a
rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...
who survived Nazi persecution. In the Othervoid, a realm outside of normal time and space, the entity Khonshu (once worshipped as a moon god by the people of Ancient Egypt) becomes interested in Marc. Khonshu and those like him cannot leave the Othervoid without great difficulty but can create psychic connections with hosts and avatars in the physical universe of Earth. Believing Marc Spector to have a "weak mind" that makes him vulnerable to psychic connection, Khonshu chooses the boy to one day act as his knight and avatar. After Khonshu chooses Marc, the boy discovers by chance that Rabbi Yitz Perlman, a close friend of his family, is really a Nazi named Ernst who continues to target and murder Jews. Marc fights Perlman and escapes. Perlman then disappears without a trace. Soon afterward, Marc Spector begins showing signs of dissociative identity disorder. Marc believes he meets and befriends a boy named Steven Grant, not realizing he himself is acting as Steven at times. In a vision, Marc sees Khonshu promising to one day heal the boy's mind. Khonshu, being an entity who has multiple aspects to his personality and exists out of phase with normal time and space, later claims that Marc's alters are the result of his mind trying to echo the moon god's own multi-faceted nature. As a teenager, Marc exhibits another alter in addition to Steven named Jake Lockley. The appearance of this third alter leads Marc's parents to send him to live at Putnam Psychiatric Hospital. Released to attend his father's funeral, Marc escapes and joins the
U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...
, where he becomes a formidable combatant and a trained heavy-weight boxer. After Marc serves three years in
Force Recon Force Reconnaissance (FORECON) are United States Marine Corps reconnaissance units that provide amphibious reconnaissance, deep ground reconnaissance, surveillance, battle-space shaping and limited scale raids in support of a Marine Expeditiona ...
,''Moon Knight'' vol. 5 #3 (Marvel Comics, 2006). the Marines discover he lied on his paperwork and conclude his history of mental illness makes him "unfit for duty".''Moon Knight'' vol. 9 #11 (Marvel Comics, 2017). He is discharged and earns a living as an underground boxer and fighter in Baghdad until he is recruited by
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
and mercenary Jean-Paul "Frenchie" DuChamp. The two work together on several assignments. During this time, Spector encounters CIA operative
Jason Macendale Jason Philip Macendale, Jr. () is a fictional character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history The character first appears in ''Machine Man'' #19 (Feb. 1981), created by writer Tom DeFal ...
, who later becomes the costumed mercenary Jack O'Lantern and then becomes the second villain to adopt the name
Hobgoblin A hobgoblin is a household spirit, appearing in English folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in his '' A Midsummer Nigh ...
.''Marc Spector: Moon Knight'' #33 (Marvel Comics, 1991). Marc's brother Randall Spector becomes a mercenary as well, but is driven by bloodlust. In Italy, Randall kills Marc's girlfriend Lisa. After a violent confrontation, Marc leaves Randall for dead. Randall later recovers from his injuries. ''Rampaging Hulk!'' #17–18. Marvel Comics. Eventually, Frenchie and Marc meet mercenary Raoul Bushman, who is impressed by their work and recruits them to help with certain jobs. Spector considers that morally he exists in the center between Frenchie, a good man with a firm moral center, and Bushman, a ruthless, often amoral man who takes pride in his ability to kill. Spector and Frenchie accept a contract with Bushman helping a local warlord in the Sudan quell a rebellion. One of the rebels they shoot down is Marc's own brother Randall, though Marc is unaware of this and does not even know that Randall is in the area. Despite his bullet wounds, Randall survives, convinced Marc recognized him and deliberately tried to kill him.''Marc Spector: Moon Knight'' #35–38 (Marvel Comics, 1991). Marc Spector is appalled at Bushman's bloodlust and that he targets civilians as well as enemy combatants. Bushman kills Dr. Peter Alraune, an archeologist whose team (which includes his daughter Marlene Alraune) recently unearthed a hidden tomb. Bushman intends to loot the tomb and kill any witnesses. Spector scares off Marlene, saving her life, and then engages Bushman in combat. Defeated, Spector is injured and abandoned in the desert without food or shelter, suffering in the freezing temperature of the night. Despite this, he makes his way back to civilization before collapsing, near-death. Locals carry him into the tomb and leave him before a statue of Khonshu, moon god and protector of travelers at night. Marlene realizes Marc saved her life earlier and prepares to mourn him as his heart stops. Moments later, Marc Spector revives, fully healed. He claims to have seen the moon god Khonshu and been chosen to now act as the moon's "knight of vengeance", the "fist of Khonshu". Marlene believes this was a dream or delusion. Marc takes a silver, hooded cloak from the statue of Khonshu, adopting it as his own. Randall watches this all from nearby. As soon as Marc leaves, Randall presents himself to the same statue of Khonshu, hoping to also be blessed with power and have his wounds healed. When nothing happens, he resents Marc for winning the moon god's favor instead.


''Werewolf By Night, Hulk!'' Magazine'', Moon Knight'' vol. 1 (1975–1984)

After confronting and defeating Bushman, Spector returns to America with Frenchie, now joined by Marlene and determined to become a crimefighter called Moon Knight, adopting a white and silver kevlar bodysuit coupled with Khonshu's hooded cloak. When asked why he would wear white and silver while operating at night, Moon Knight answers he is meant to be a light in the darkness and that he and Khonshu want their enemies to know he is coming. To fund his activities and gain influence in business, Spector uses his Steven Grant identity to start a business and make some careful investments, turning his mercenary profits into a small fortune. Buying a mansion for his home base, Spector/Grant then funds the creation of crimefighting equipment and weaponry, including the "Moon Copter." To help gain knowledge from street criminals and civilians, Marc becomes a
taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...
cab driver as Jake Lockley. Lockley quickly makes friends with diner manager Gena Landers, and her sons Ray and Rick. Ray, a pilot, later becomes an ally of Moon Knight, piloting the Moon Copter when Frenchie is unavailable. Moon Knight also befriends Bertrand Crawley, a former textbook salesperson who is now homeless and operates as a street informant.''Marvel Spotlight'' #28. Marvel Comics. Learning of the criminal network known as the Committee, Moon Knight accepts an assignment from the group and pretends to agree with their agenda. Armed with silver weaponry, Moon Knight is sent to fight the werewolf Jack Russell in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. After capturing the werewolf, Moon Knight later frees him and together they halt the Committee's plans. Moon Knight then battles a variety of enemies and criminals, some on his own, some while teaming-up with heroes such as Spider-Man, Daredevil,''Moon Knight'' #13. Marvel Comics. Dr. Strange, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four. His own brother Randall, having recovered from their last fight, embarks on a career as the Hatchet-Man, an axe-wielding serial killer who targets women. Moon Knight fights the Hatchet-Man, who seemingly dies during their battle. Years later, Moon Knight learned that the Hatchet-Man who died was an impostor. Randall had used drugs and psychological manipulation to convince the impostor he was the real Randall Spector, even having him undergo plastic surgery so they would be identical. Having faked his death, Randall hides and plans his next move against Marc. During one adventure, Spector encounters the Midnight Man, a thief named Anton Mogart who steals for the thrill and wears a black costume resembling Moon Knight's own suit. During his battle with Moon Knight, Midnight Man falls into the New York River, seemingly to his death. In truth, he survives but his face is deformed by acidic sewage. Swearing vengeance, Midnight Man joins forces with Bushman and lures Moon Knight into a trap. Moon Knight survives and Midnight Man escapes again. Later, after gaining a greater sense of peace with his past and his deceased father, Marc Spector decides to largely retire his Moon Knight identity and focus on living a quieter life with Marlene at his side.


''Moon Knight'' vol. 2 ''"Fist of Khonshu"'' and ''West Coast Avengers'' (1985–1989)

Marlene and Marc Spector set up Spector International Galleries, an art business that curates and organizes collections and exhibits. When Marc Spector has visions of Khonshu summoning him, he decides to return to Egypt and investigate. Convinced Marc is delusional and only thinks he sees visions and hears voices, Marlene leaves him. In Egypt, Spector meets priests of Khonshu who supply him with a new arsenal of
moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...
-themed weaponry and declare he will now be a true vengeance avatar, the Fist of Khonshu. The moon god then blesses him with increased strength depending on how much moon light shines down on Earth. With his new power and weapons, Moon Knight defeats a villainous priest of Anubis, god of death. After returning to America, Moon Knight works with the newly formed West Coast Avengers, although this distances him even further from Frenchie and Marlene. He time travels to 2940 BC to rescue the Avengers, where he gains replacement weapons designed by fellow Avenger Hawkeye. He then officially joins the West Coast Avengers and enters a brief romantic relationship with
Tigra Tigra (Greer Grant Nelson) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Roy Thomas and artist Wally Wood (Marie Severin was then brought in to help layout the art), with her early adventur ...
. Moon Knight and the Avengers are later attacked by soldiers working for Khonshu's rival,
Seth Seth, in the Abrahamic religions, was the third son of Adam and Eve. The Hebrew Bible names two of his siblings (although it also states that he had others): his brothers Cain and Abel. According to , Seth was born after Abel's murder by Cain, ...
, who is invading
Asgard In Nordic mythology, Asgard (Old Norse: ''Ásgarðr''; "Garden of the Æsir") is a location associated with the gods. It appears in several Old Norse sagas and mythological texts, including the Eddas, however it has also been suggested to be refe ...
. Khonshu abandons Moon Knight to battle Seth. He then explains it was his wish that Spector join the Avengers and so he influenced Moon Knight's mind to do so. Following Seth's defeat, Moon Knight resigns from the team. Moon Knight also gives up the Egyptian themed replacement weapons designed by Hawkeye. This act of independence, and his defiance to remain in the Avengers simply because Khonshu wishes it, evidently causes Marc to lose his lunar-based superhuman strength as punishment.Moon Knight #9 – Midnight Sun, Chapter 3: For The Occasion
, Marvel, May 1, 2007


''Marc Spector: Moon Knight'' (1989–1994)

After reuniting with Marlene and Frenchie, Marc Spector sets up a new home in a mansion in South Hampton, Long Island, NY, expands his business into Spector Enterprises, and resumes his activities as Moon Knight. Soon afterward, he and the Black Cat cross paths with a new thief
Midnight Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours. ...
who wears the costume of the Midnight Man. Moon Knight learns the thief is 18-year-old Jeffrey Wilde, son of Anton Mogart. Wilde reveals Mogart discovered he had contracted cancer due to the same chemicals that disfigured him and spent his final days in a hospice, where Wilde tracked him down. The two bonded and learned from each other. Following Mogart's death, Wilde adopted his father's costume and performed dynamic thefts to impress Moon Knight, hoping to convince the hero to let him become his sidekick. As Midnight, Wilde hopes to make up for his father's criminal past while finding his own purpose in life. Despite Moon Knight's protests that he does not need a sidekick, Midnight follows him into new adventures and is able to gain some training during adventures with the
Punisher The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher ma ...
and with the mercenaries
Silver Sable Silver Sable (Silvija Sablinova) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz, Silver Sable first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #265 (June 1985). She is usually depicte ...
,
Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character originating in Germanic and Scandinavian folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The San ...
, and
Paladin The Paladins, also called the Twelve Peers (), are twelve legendary knights, the foremost members of Charlemagne's court in the 8th century. They first appear in the medieval (12th century) ''chanson de geste'' cycle of the Matter of France, wh ...
. Over time, Wilde concludes that Moon Knight's ethics and methods are too much responsibility and that he prefers to pursue excitement. He grows to resent Moon Knight, believing the hero owes him more respect and is responsible for the death of his father (since their battle indirectly led to Mogart being exposed to toxic chemicals). Marc Spector is kidnapped and brought to the country of Bosqueverde in South America. He is put on trial for his actions while acting as a mercenary during a previous regime change, including causing the death of Ricardo Dominguez, the previous president whom Spector instinctively shot in self defense when the man reached for a gun. Marlene leads a rescue effort with Frenchie. Left alone in New York City, Jeff Wilde performs thefts using Moon Knight's costume and equipment and stumbles onto a meeting between members of the Secret Empire terrorist cult. He barely escapes. In Bosqueverde, Spector is found guilty but is able to bargain with the new regime and have his sentence overturned. Wilde runs into Spider-Man, who realizes he is an impostor. Panicking, Wilde tries to escape only to then be hunted by the Secret Empire. He is saved by Spider-Man and the real Moon Knight. Angry that he panicked and determined to prove himself, Wilde challenges one of the Secret Empire leaders, Number VI, to attack him. Number VI strikes Wilde with an energy blade that burns his body instantly. The Secret Empire then takes Wilde away, leading Moon Knight to pursue, aided by Spider-Man and the Punisher. After facing several Secret Empire agents, the heroes are told that Jeff Wilde died from his injuries and computer records confirm it. In truth, the Secret Empire rebuilds Wilde as a cyborg so he can be their living weapon. Blaming Moon Knight for his injuries and abandoning him, as well as for his father's death, Wilde swears revenge. Meanwhile, Moon Knight resumes his activities, feeling guilty that he may have been able to prevent Wilde's death if he had acted differently or had been a better influence on the boy. Moon Knight encounters members of the Knights of the Moon, soldiers of a rogue faction of the Cult of Khonshu. This particular cell of the Knights of the Moon are led by Plasma, a mutant terrorist they believe to be the true chosen champion of Khonshu. Plasma is determined to convince different groups and cults she is their messiah, chosen by various gods, so she can then use her new followers to achieve global domination. Together with
Ghost Rider Ghost Rider is the name of multiple superheroes or antiheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider. The first s ...
, Moon Knight defeats Plasma's soldiers. Plasma inadvertently causes her own death when she does not heed Moon Knight's warning. The experience shakes Moon Knight, leading him to question if he is also misguided in his belief that he follows the will of Khonshu. While fighting the lethal vigilante Stained-Glass Scarlet, Moon Knight is seriously injured and then falls into New York's
East River The East River is a saltwater Estuary, tidal estuary or strait in New York City. The waterway, which is not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island, ...
from the top of the
Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge is a cable-stayed suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River. It w ...
. After making impact with the water, Marc experiences visions of both Khonshu and his father, leading him to realize Khonshu is not limited to vengeance and is also a god of justice, offering people redemption just as he was offered the chance to be a hero after years of being a mercenary. Emerging from the water, Marc has already partially recovered from his knife wound. He believes he died from his injuries and the fall but that Khonshu resurrected him once again. Seeing himself now as a light in the darkness rather than simply a warrior, Marc shares his personal story with Scarlet, offering sympathy and redemption if she gives up her crusade and turns herself into the authorities. Believing she has failed God and is unworthy of redemption, Scarlet leaps to her death. Moon Knight learns from Spider-Man that Jeff Wilde AKA Midnight is alive, now operating as a cyborg warrior for the Secret Empire. Believing Wilde is not in his right mind and can be redeemed, Moon Knight tries to rescue him, fighting the Secret Empire alongside the heroes Spider-Man,
Darkhawk Darkhawk (Christopher Powell) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in ''Darkhawk'' #1 (March 1991), and was created by writer Tom DeFalco and artist Mike Manley. The character a ...
, the
Punisher The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher ma ...
,
Nova A nova ( novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white ...
and Night Thrasher. Encouraged by his nurse Lynn Church (whom he is now in love with), Wilde attempts a coup so he can lead the Secret Empire. During a final climactic battle, Wilde realizes that Lynn Church has been manipulating him and sees him as a weapon. Once again feeling betrayed by those he put faith in, Wilde destroys the Secret Empire's main base in New York City, seemingly killing himself and Church in the process. Moon Knight once again mourns Wilde, regretting that he did not know how to reach the young man. Moon Knight encounters Jason Macendale (Hobgoblin) while the mercenary is possessed by a demon (an entity later called
Demogoblin Demogoblin is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history Demogoblin first appeared as Demogoblin in ''Web of Spider-Man'' #86 (March 1992), and had previously appeared as an unnamed d ...
). During the encounter, the demon infects Moon Knight with a demonic parasite. Unaware of the infection, Moon Knight continues his crime-fighting activities. He and the Punisher encounter the renegade branch of the Cult of Khonshu again and its new leader Sandal Swarn, a former CIA operative who now calls herself Princess Nepthys, a former CIA operative and the lover of Randall Spector. Using mind-control techniques she learned in the CIA, she was able to convince an impostor to assume Randall's identity as the Hatchet-Man and fight Moon Knight, leading to the man's death. Assuming a leadership role in the Cult of Khonshu following Plasma's death, Nepthys declares that Randall will be Khonshu's true knight of vengeance. Randall and Nepthys destroy Moon Knight's house in a bombing that leaves Frenchie paralyzed. Calling himself ShadowKnight, Randall undergoes experimental treatment by Nepthys that gives him superhuman resiliency to injury thanks to a shell over his skin. During their battle, Moon Knight sees an ancient scroll that seems to confirm Khonshu is dedicated to justice rather than vengeance. Moon Knight is able to crack ShadowKnight's shell with an adamantium weapon. Punisher executes Nepthys and later unleashes heavy gunfire on ShadowKnight, who suffers extensive internal injuries before then suffering a seemingly fatal fall. Following the destruction of his home, Marc Spector sets up a new "ShadowKeep" lair in the Lower West Side of Manhattan, nearby SpectorCorp headquarters. To advise him on his operations, his council "the Shadow Cabinet" meet at the ShadowKeep via holographic transmission and use codenames. The Shadow Cabinet includes tech expert Stash, business woman Penny Annie, low-level crime boss Don G, and psychologist Sigmund, who also acts as Marc's therapist. Soon afterward, the demonic parasite in his body causes Marc's strength to steadily increase even as his health and physical form deteriorate. To compensate for his health problems, he exchanges his kevlar Moon Knight armor for a new suit of light-weight
adamantium Adamantium is a fictional metal alloy, most famously appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is best known as the substance bonded to the character Wolverine's skeleton and claws. First mention in Marvel comics It was ...
armor right before he illegally enters the consulate of Latveria to confront the country's monarch
Doctor Doom Doctor Doom is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' The Fantastic Four'' #5 in April 1962, and has since endured as the arch ...
.''Marc Spector: Moon Knight'' #38 (Marvel Comics, 1992). The Avengers, a team that relies on cooperation with the US government and the United Nations, learn Moon Knight gained help in invading the consulate by showing his credentials as an Avengers reservist and implying he was on an official mission. During the ''Infinity War'' event, Moon Knight fights an alien-created doppleganger called Moon Shade who then absorbs the life force of different Moon Knights from parallel realities. This leads Moon Knight to meet a few of his multiversal counterparts, including the crime-fighting dynamic duo known as MoonMan and MoonBoy. Following the Infinity War,
Doctor Strange Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...
and
Mister Fantastic Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The character is a founding member and the leader of the Fantastic Four. Richards has a mast ...
operate on Moon Knight and remove the parasite. Moon Knight is warned it will not be certain until 48 hours have passed whether or not the damage done by the parasite is fatal. Marc Spector contemplates who could be the new Moon Knight if he dies. After deciding two candidates chosen by his "legacy quest" program are not suitable, Spector tries to recruit photojournalist Peter Parker, not realizing the young man is also Spider-Man. After Parker declines, Moon Knight gives up finding a successor. He is relieved when the 48 hour mark passes and his health remains stable. A side effect seems to be that his eyes now have a crescent-moon mark over the irises (though this mutation vanishes in later stories). Afterward, the Avengers confront Moon Knight about his abuse of his team reservist status to confront Doctor Doom. The hero decides to simplify matters by resigning his membership and burning his Avengers ID card. A technological villain called Seth the Immortal and his "Zero Hour" program threaten Moon Knight and all his allies. During a desperate battle, Moon Knight defeats Seth by blowing up his office with both of them inside, sacrificing himself in the process. Marlene is present and holds him as he dies. He is buried by his friends on the grounds of the estate he purchased as Steven Grant.


''Moon Knight'' vol. 3 – "Resurrection Wars"; ''Moon Knight'' vol. 4 – "High Strangeness"

When the god Seth selects his own avatar to act on Earth and perform acts of destruction, Khonshu responds. Marc Spector wakes up in his grave and has a vision of being tasked with resuming his life as a champion of the moon. In the mansion of Steven Grant, Marlene and Frenchie witness a statue of Khonshu seemingly explode, revealing a living and fully healed Marc Spector. Marc's latest resurrection (his third) and the fact that the Khonshu statue magically returns, fully repaired, finally convinces Marlene that Moon Knight does not suffer delusions and is in fact the chosen avatar of the moon god. For a time, Moon Knight decides to allow the world to continue believing Marc Spector is dead and chooses instead to focus on his other identities of Moon Knight, Steven Grant, and Jake Lockley. Despite this, news surfaces that Marc Spector is alive, leading to assassination attempts.


''Moon Knight'' vol. 5 (2006–2009)

For reasons unexplained, Moon Knight abandons his belief that his role includes understanding his enemies and offering redemption and now acts with greater violence and brutality. Defeating Bushman after a vicious battle, Moon Knight goes further by carving off the villain's face. Spector is then haunted by Khonshu, who chooses a faceless Bushman as his representation. Frenchie reveals he is
homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...
or
bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...
and that he has been so loyal to Marc in part because he is in love with him, though he knows these feelings are not felt in return. The new Secret Committee hires the Profile, who has superhuman analytical skills, to help trap Moon Knight. After the plan fails, Profile becomes a reluctant confidante and source of information for Spector himself. Around this time, some heroes take notice that Moon Knight is now more violent and ruthless and attempt to speak to him about it. Moon Knight discovers his would-be sidekick Midnight may still be alive. Moon Knight is later forced into a final confrontation with Midnight. No longer attempting reconciliation, Moon Knight seemingly kills him for good. The new
Superhero Registration Act Superhero fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction examining the adventures, personalities and ethics of costumed crime fighters known as superheroes, who often possess superhuman powers and battle similarly powered criminals known as sup ...
, enforced by registered heroes such as
Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
, requires superhumans and costumed champions to register as agents of the government agency S.H.I.E.L.D. or be imprisoned. After prodding from Khonshu, Moon Knight reluctantly registers, not wanting authorities to interfere with his agenda. To be approved for registration requires a psychiatric exam. Believing Moon Knight to be mentally unstable and thinking he could become worse if he finds himself in conflict with the Registration Act or its enforcement, Tony Stark and the government have no intention of granting Marc Spector approval. The psychiatrist agrees and is about to make the decision official, even suggesting possible future imprisonment. Spector then seems to speak in the voice of Khonshu and points out the doctor's own antisocial tendencies (as told to Moon Knight earlier by the Profile). The psychiatrist gives Moon Knight a pass on his exam and literally bows in deference to Khonshu. Moon Knight shows little regard for his registration status or his registered colleagues. Carson Knowles, the Black Spectre, steals Stark nanotechnology and attempts to frame him for murder. Moon Knight later confronts Knowles and pushes him off a rooftop, apparently causing a fatal fall. Iron Man revokes Moon Knight's registration and buries the fact that Black Spectre stole his technology. Rather than be imprisoned as an unregistered vigilante, Marc Spector gives up his role as Moon Knight but continues to fight crime clandestinely while wearing an entirely black costume. He considers that crimefighting is easier without the use of an alias or "costume recognition." After realizing this change in methodology means he no longer has the insight and protection of Khonshu, he pleads for the moon god's forgiveness only to be told in a vision that he is no longer needed when Khonshu has other, more faithful followers. Despite having seemingly retired from vigilante activities, Moon Knight is targeted by the Thunderbolts, former villains led by Norman Osborn (the
Green Goblin The Green Goblin is the alias of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, the first and best-known incarnation of the Green Goblin is Norman Osborn, ...
) who now act as enforcers of the Registration Act. To lure Moon Knight into resurfacing, the Thunderbolts arrange for the
Whyos The Whyos or Whyos Gang, a collection of the various post–Civil War street gangs of New York City, was the city's dominant street gang during the mid-late 19th century. The gang controlled most of Manhattan from the late 1860s until the earl ...
gang to attacks Frenchie's restaurant, resulting in his lover Rob being injured. As hoped, Spector becomes Moon Knight again to avenge his friend. Spector fights the villain
Bullseye Bullseye or Bull's Eye may refer to: Symbols * ◎ (Unicode U+25CE BULLSEYE), in the Geometric Shapes Unicode block * (Unicode U+0298 LATIN LETTER BILABIAL CLICK), the phonetic symbol for bilabial click Animals and plants * Bull's Eye, '' Eury ...
, an operative of the Thunderbolts at this time. Moon Knight lures the assassin into a warehouse where he then sets off explosives. While Bullseye escapes, it is believed Moon Knight was killed, leading Iron Man to publicly denounce the Thunderbolts and its methods, blaming the group for the explosion. Jake Lockley, having now resurfaced and become the dominant alter, relocates to Mexico. After hiding for a time, Lockley crosses paths with local Mexican criminal cartels and encounters the Punisher again, as well as an avatar of
Toltec The Toltec culture () was a Pre-Columbian era, pre-Columbian Mesoamerican culture that ruled a state centered in Tula (Mesoamerican site), Tula, Hidalgo (state), Hidalgo, Mexico, during the Epiclassic and the early Post-Classic period of Mesoam ...
.''Moon Knight'' vol. 5 #30. Marvel Comics. In the U.S., the organization S.H.I.E.L.D. is shut down and replaced by H.A.M.M.E.R., led by Norman Osborn. Concerned about Osborn now being in charge of enforcing, imprisoning, and controlling registered superheroes, Lockley decides to adopt the Moon Knight identity again and return to NYC.


''Vengeance of the Moon Knight'' (2009–2010)

Returning to New York, Lockley regrets Moon Knight's recent acts of ruthlessness. He tries to make amends to Marlene and Frenchie for his recent behavior. Determined Moon Knight must again be more heroic, he decides never to kill enemies or cause more injury than necessary in the future. Khonshu, now taking the form of a man in the Moon Knight costume with a bird skull, tests Lockley's resolve by repeatedly goading him to kill his foes. Moon Knight's efficient crimefighting and non-lethal tactics quickly gain favor with New York's population, angering Norman Osborn who resents failing to capture and imprison the hero before. Osborn hires the villains the
Hood Hood may refer to: Covering Apparel * Hood (headgear), type of head covering ** Article of academic dress ** Bondage hood, sex toy * Hoodie, hooded sweatshirt Anatomy * Clitoral hood, a hood of skin surrounding the clitoris * Hood, a flap of ...
and
Profile Profile or profiles may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Music * ''Profile'' (Jan Akkerman album), 1973 * ''Profile'' (Githead album), 2005 * ''Profile'' (Pat Donohue album), 2005 * ''Profile'' (Duke Pearson album), 1959 * '' ''Profi ...
to take down Moon Knight. Using power borrowed from the demonic sorcerer
Dormammu Dormammu () is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #126 (November 1964). He is the extra and inter-dimensional demonic e ...
, the Hood resurrects Raoul Bushman. Bushman and the villain
Scarecrow A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin that is often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops. ...
break into Ravencroft Asylum where they perform brain surgery on several patients, then manipulate them into attacking New York City. After quelling the attack, Moon Knight subdues Bushman. Despite Khonshu demanding lethal vengeance, Moon Knight spares Bushman's life, satisfied the villain will be incarcerated.


''Secret Avengers'' (2010–2012)

After ordering an attack on Asgard and having his corruption and insanity exposed, Norman Osborn is removed from power. In the wake of H.A.M.M.E.R. being dissolved, the Registration Act is undone, meaning Moon Knight and other unregistered heroes are no longer fugitives.
Steve Rogers Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in ''Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely Comics ...
, the original Captain America, recruits Moon Knight to the new team
Secret Avengers ''Secret Avengers'' is an American comic book Ongoing series, series published by Marvel Comics featuring a fictional black operation, black ops superhero team of the same name. The series started with Ed Brubaker on writing duties, depicting a b ...
, with Steven Grant becoming the dominant identity. On one mission, Moon Knight adopts a simple white suit and mask rather than his usual body armor and hooded cape. During the events of '' Shadowland'', the hero Daredevil is possessed by the Beast, a demon worshipped by the ninja assassin clan known as The Hand. Moon Knight joins a group of heroes on an assault on Daredevil's Shadowland fortress. Daredevil almost kills Moon Knight, but Khonshu appears and asks Marc's life be spared. Daredevil is able to see the moon god and concedes, leaving Moon Knight. Khonshu then reveals he needs Moon Knight to track down an artifact called the Sapphire Crescent. He must also fight and likely kill Randall Spector, who is still alive and operating as Shadow Knight again. Moon Knight and Shadow Knight track down the Sapphire Crescent in
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
. During another battle, Randall threatens a hostage. Seeing no other choice, Moon Knight uses the Sapphire Crescent against his brother to save the hostage, killing Randall in the process. Jake Lockley suffers a mental breakdown as a result, going dormant as the host, Marc Spector, becomes dominant again.


''Moon Knight'' vol. 6 (2011–12)

Marc Spector relocates to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and creates a TV show based on his own exploits called ''Legends of the Khonshu''. Secretly, he continues fighting crime as Moon Knight. But now, along with existing as Marc/Moon Knight, he also displays three new alters based on imitating the personalities of Spider-Man,
Wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...
, and Steve Rogers. Moon Knight teams up with the superhero
Echo In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with a delay after the direct sound. The delay is directly proportional to the distance of the reflecting surface from the source and the lis ...
against
Count Nefaria Count Luchino Nefaria is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Don Heck, the character first appeared in '' The Avengers'' #13 (February 1965). Count Nefaria is a socialite and crime ...
. Nefaria strikes back and Echo is killed. This sends Moon Knight's Wolverine alter into a berserker rage, seemingly causing the deaths of Marc's alters based on Captain America and Spider-Man. Moon Knight fights Nefaria and his daughter Madame Masque, then shows a new alter based on the personality of Echo, who asks that she not
die in vain In the Sinosphere, a death in vain ( , , ) is a death that is not a death of natural causes, such as a suicide, homicide, or an accident, which is an unjust death. For example, in ''Journey to the West'': "Those people are the ghosts of the 64 ...
. After further battle, Moon Knight summons the Avengers for help and Nefaria is defeated. Iron Man commends Marc Spector. After he leaves, Spector seems to develop a new alter based on Iron Man's personality as well. In the epilogue to the series, Spector leaves Los Angeles.


''Avengers vs. X-Men'' (2012)

During the events of the "
Avengers vs. X-Men ''Avengers vs. X-Men'' (''AvX'' or ''AvsX'') is a 2012 crossover event that was featured in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The event, consisting of an eponymous limited series and numerous tie-in books, involves the return of the Phoe ...
" storyline, Moon Knight is partnered with a small team of
Avengers Avenger(s) or The Avenger(s) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of "The Infinity Sag ...
and battles some members of the X-Men team. At one point, Moon Knight grabs
Rogue A rogue is a person or entity that flouts accepted norms of behavior or strikes out on an independent and possibly destructive path. Rogue, rogues, or going rogue may also refer to: Companies * Rogue Ales, a microbrewery in Newport, Oregon * ...
with his bare hand. Able to absorb the memories, powers, and life force of those she makes skin-to-skin contact with, Rogue experiences temporary madness as she absorbs the perspectives of Marc Spector's different alters. Later, Moon Knight is invited to
Stark Tower The Stark Tower Complex is a high-rise building complex appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, USA, the complex is named after its owner Tony Stark, who is the alter ego of the su ...
to celebrate the return of
Janet van Dyne The Wasp (Janet van Dyne) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Ernie Hart, and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in ''Tales to Astonish'' #44 (June 1963). Janet van Dyne is usu ...
, who had been thought killed in battle years before.


''Moon Knight'' vol. 7 (2014–2015)

Spector returns to New York. His identity and past now a matter of public record, Marc regularly utilizes two versions of the Moon Knight identity. When engaging in battle with high-tech equipment, he dons a new Moon Knight body armor and sometimes uses shamanic tools of Khonshu such as an enchanted skull helmet. When dealing with crime scene investigation and consulting openly with law enforcement, Spector dons only his mask and the white business suit he briefly wore during his time with the Secret Avengers, calling himself Mr. Knight.''Moon Knight'' vol. 7 #1. Marvel Comics. Deciding he needs to manage his mental health better, Marc Spector meets with a psychologist who determines that he does not have dissociative identity disorder (DID) as some have hypothesized in the past or some form of schizophrenia. In truth, he has a form of brain damage due to his brain being physically altered by Khonshu, who is a real entity from another world or dimension and altered Marc to create a conduit between them. Marc's different personalities are a result of his mind adjusting to the four different aspects of Khonshu's nature and aspects. It is why he sometimes has four alters existing simultaneously but never more. Moon Knight encounters another renegade Cult of Khonshu, though this cell targets the homeless and other marginalized people, making them new cult members as well or using them as human sacrifices.


''Moon Knight'' vol. 8 (2016–2017)

Marc Spector wakes up in a mental institute with no recollection of his past or how he got there. The staff, led by Dr. Emmet, seems to have supernatural powers and thwart Marc's attempts to recover his past. Marc is shown evidence that he is a mentally ill man who has convinced himself he is also Moon Knight, a vigilante he has seen on the news. Khonshu contacts Marc and explains that Emmet is an avatar like him, one who is connected to the Othervoid god Ammit. Khonshu decides it is now time for him to completely dominate Marc Spector's body. Marc denies Khonshu and fights him with the help of all of his alters. Marc accepts that whether they are the result of childhood trauma or Khonshu's interference, his alters are a part of him and have been for most of his life. After defeating Emmet and Khonshu, Marc resumes his life as Moon Knight, determined to be a protector and crime-fighter on his own terms rather than as a tool of anyone else. Later, Marc and Khonshu resume their bond.


"Crazy Runs in the Family" (2018)

After re-appropriating Khonshu, Marc Spector resumes his normal life and his Moon Knight activities. Raoul Bushman collaborates with a mysterious mental patient only referred to as "Patient 86", who becomes an avatar of Ra and calls himself the Sun King. Together they come up with a plot to kill Moon Knight. To accomplish their plan, Bushman and Sun King go to Marlene's house and discovered she and Jake Lockley had a child together, a revelation that shocks Marc Spector and Steven Grant. Raoul and Sun King then kidnap Marlene and lure Moon Knight to an island base. With Khonshu's guidance, Moon Knight is able to overpower Sun King, although Bushman escapes.


"The Age of Khonshu"

Deciding to take over Earth to protect it, Khonshu compels Moon Knight to acquire power for him. With enhanced abilities and insight, and convinced that Khonshu's plan is the only way to protect Earth from the demon lord
Mephisto Mephisto or Mephistopheles is one of the chief demons of German literary tradition. Mephisto or Mephistopheles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Méphisto'', a 1931 French film * Mephisto (1981 film), ''Mephisto'' (1981 film), a Germa ...
and others, Moon Knight takes the power of Iron Fist, Ghost Rider's hellfire,
Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...
's hammer Mjolnir, and some of Dr. Strange's magic. With this and more, Khonshu begins to reshape Earth. During a battle with the Black Panther, Moon Knight temporarily becomes a host for the cosmic Phoenix Force. But rather than allow the Phoenix power to "cleanse" the Earth by wiping out humanity, Moon Knight releases the power even while the Avengers defeat Khonshu. The Asgardians imprison Khonshu and Moon Knight is allowed to return to his activities. The Black Panther offers him membership in the Avengers again, but he refuses, preferring to focus on battles he understands and angry at Khonshu's extreme actions.''Avengers'' vol. 8 #33–38 (Marvel Comics, 2020).


''Moon Knight'' vol. 9 (2021)

Despite believing that Khonshu is a god unworthy of his worship, Marc Spector still considers himself to be spiritually connected to the deity, and decides to continue acting not only as a knight of the moon god but also as a priest of his teachings. He creates the Midnight Mission, a religious congregation following the teachings of Khonshu. As its high priest, Marc adopts his Mr. Knight suit and mask as his official religious vestments. Living at the Midnight Mission, he offers aid to listen to anyone who visits and needs his help. As Moon Knight, Spector frees several people who were kidnapped by vampires and unwillingly made into vampires themselves. Rather than condemn them, he offers them sympathy. One of the new vampires, a woman named Reese, takes a job as Marc's assistant at the Midnight Mission. He crosses paths with Dr. Badr/Hunter's Moon, who proclaims himself to be the second fist of Khonshu and believes that Moon Knight's path must be "corrected' after straying from Khonshu's methods of vengeance. After defeating Hunter's Moon in combat, Moon Knight confronts enemies sent after him by the villain Zodiac, leading to a direct confrontation between the two. During the "
Devil's Reign "Devil's Reign" is an American comic book event written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Marco Checchetto, published from December 2021 to May 2022 by Marvel Comics. Premise In a ploy to increase his power, Mayor Kingpin (character), Wilson Fisk has ...
" storyline, Mayor Wilson Fisk passes a law that outlaws superheroes. Moon Knight is the first to be apprehended by Thunderbolts members
Agony Agony may refer to: Concepts * Agony, a terminal state of the body before death *Suffering of intense degree, relating to physical or mental suffering *Agony in the Garden, Christ's agony in the Garden of Gethsemane Comics * ''Agony'' (book), ...
, Electro II,
Rhino A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...
, and U.S. Agent. While incarcerated in the Myrmidon, Marc Spector befriended a revived
8-Ball Eight-ball (also spelled 8-ball or eightball, and sometimes called solids and stripes, spots and stripes, bigs and smalls, big ones and little ones, or rarely highs and lows) is a discipline of pool played on a billiard table with six pocket ...
and took part in its prison fights. During "The Last Days of Moon Knight" storyline, Moon Knight and his allies fought against a resurrected Robert Plesko who was reborn to be the latest incarnation of Black Spectre. Black Spectre badly wounded Moon Knight and revealed his plans to make the city go mad and kill itself. With Khonshu unable to help Moon Knight and vowing to be there for him in the afterlife, Moon Knight sees Steven Grant and Jake Lockley by his side and dies destroying the resonator control panel. The rest of the Midnight Mission plans to carry on without Moon Knight.


''Vengeance of the Moon Knight'' vol. 2 (2024)

Following the death of Marc Spector, a new individual takes up the Moon Knight moniker. After coming into conflict with Spector's allies running his Midnight Mission, he is eventually unmasked and revealed to be the
Shroud Shroud usually refers to an item, such as a cloth, that covers or protects some other object. The term is most often used in reference to ''burial sheets'', mound shroud, grave clothes, winding-cloths or winding-sheets, such as the Jewish '' ...
. During the " Blood Hunt" storyline, Moon Knight is revived by Khonshu after he was freed from his Asgardian prison by Tigra, Hunter's Moon, and Wrecker. He leads some of the Fists of Khonshu to New York to help fight the vampires.


Powers and abilities


Skills and training

Moon Knight is an Olympic-level athlete and a skilled acrobat who excels at combat strategy. Spector is a superb driver and can pilot a helicopter. Thanks to his life experience and training as a
U.S. Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
, boxer, and mercenary, Marc Spector became an expert at hand-to-hand combat,
marksman A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision shooting. In modern military usage this typically refers to the use of projectile weapons such as an accurized telescopic sight, scoped long gun such as designated marksman rifle (or a sniper ri ...
ship,
boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...
,
kung fu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...
,
eskrima Arnis, also known as kali or eskrima/escrima, is the national martial art of the Philippines. These three terms are, sometimes, interchangeable in referring to traditional martial arts of the Philippines ("Filipino Martial Arts", or FMA), whi ...
,
judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...
,
karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...
,
ninjutsu , and are terms for the techniques and skills used by spies and scouts in pre-modern Japan known as ninja. Some of these techniques are recorded in ninja scrolls, some which have been published and translated. The study of these scrolls have c ...
,
savate Savate (), also known as French Boxing (French language, French: ''Boxe Française'') or French Foot Fighting, is a French hybrid martial art and full-contact combat sport that combines principles of boxing, western boxing with a wide variety ...
, and
Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...
. Moon Knight's fighting style combines elements of various combat techniques and relies heavily on adaptability, using the environment to his advantage, intimidating his opponents, and accepting a certain level of pain and injury. The villain and mercenary Taskmaster, who can perfectly replicate fighting styles, has stated he prefers not to copy Moon Knight since the hero would sometimes rather take a punch than block or dodge it. Moon Knight is shown to possess a very high tolerance for pain and torture. Moon Knight is also an expert detective.''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe'' #7. Marvel Comics. Investigation is an important part of his stories, where he is often aided by his other personalities. Jake Lockley gathers information on the street level, Steven Grant among the rich and influential figures, and Mr. Knight works with the
NYPD The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...
investigating police cases.


Technology and equipment

As Moon Knight, Spector typically wears lightweight,
kevlar Kevlar (para-aramid) is a strong, heat-resistant synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed by Stephanie Kwolek at DuPont in 1965, the high-strength material was first used commercially in the early 1970s as ...
body armor and a specially constructed, silver glider-cape that can catch winds and thermal updrafts. He typically wears metal
bracer A bracer (or arm-guard) is a strap or sheath, commonly made of leather, stone or plastic, that covers the ventral (inside) surface of an archer's bow-holding arm. It protects the archer's forearm against injury by accidental whipping from th ...
s on his wrists and calves. Later costumes have added metal plates providing extra protection to his chest and shoulders. Moon Knight employs a variety of weapons over the course of his career, many of which involve or are made of silver. His most commonly used weapons are his silver crescent-darts (some of which are blunt, some of which are blades) and an
adamantium Adamantium is a fictional metal alloy, most famously appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is best known as the substance bonded to the character Wolverine's skeleton and claws. First mention in Marvel comics It was ...
-reinforced truncheon that can fire a
grappling hook A grappling hook or grapnel is a device that typically has multiple hooks (known as ''claws'' or ''flukes'') attached to a rope or cable; it is thrown, dropped, sunk, projected, or fastened directly by hand to where at least one hook may cat ...
and extend into a
A (''pong'' (Korean); ''pang'' (Cantonese); ''bang'' (Mandarin); ''kun'' (Okinawan)) is a staff weapon used in Okinawa. ''Bō'' are typically around long and used in Okinawan martial arts and Japanese arts such as bōjutsu. Other staff-relate ...
staff. At times, he has also used
nunchaku is a traditional East-Asian martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks (traditionally made of wood), connected to each other at their ends by a short metal chain or a rope. It is approximately (sticks) and (rope). A person who has pract ...
and a
compound bow In modern archery, a compound bow is a bow that uses a levering system, usually of cables and pulleys, to bend the limbs. The compound bow was first developed in 1966 by Holless Wilbur Allen in North Kansas City, Missouri, and a US patent w ...
. For a brief time, Moon Knight wore gauntlets with spiked knuckles. At one point, Moon Knight accepted golden and ivory Egyptian-themed weapons created by followers of Khonshu. These included
bolas Bolas or bolases (: bola; from Spanish and Portuguese ''bola'', "ball", also known as a ''boleadora'' or ''boleadeira'') is a type of throwing weapon made of weights on the ends of interconnected cords, used to capture animals by entangling ...
, golden scarab-shaped darts, an ivory boomerang, throwing irons, an axe-shaped lasso-grapple, and a golden
ankh The ankh or key of life is an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol used to represent the word for "life" and, by extension, as a symbol of life itself. The ankh has a T-shape topped by a droplet-shaped loop. It was used in writing as a tri ...
-shaped blunt weapon which glowed in the presence of danger. These items were later replaced with duplicate weapons designed by Hawkeye. In a period while suffering from health issues, Moon Knight adopts thin, lightweight adamantium armor for greater protection. During this time, he acquires an adamantium staff, a truncheon capable of firing a cable line, and gauntlets that fire crescent darts. During the events of " Dark Reign," the
Tinkerer Tinker or tinkerer is an archaic term for an itinerant tinsmith who mends household utensils. Description ''Tinker'' for metal-worker is attested from the thirteenth century as ''tyckner'' or ''tinkler''. Some travelling groups and Romani pe ...
makes Moon Knight carbonadium armor with joint-locking functions, reinforcing his strength.''Vengeance of the Moon Knight'' #5. Marvel Comics. Moon Knight uses this feature to support a building from collapsing, despite a lack of superhuman strength. Additionally, the armor could instantly assemble around his body after being triggered by remote control. For transportation, Moon Knight employs a variety of sophisticated aircraft such as the Mooncopter and the Angelwing, a mini-jet featuring
VTOL A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is one that can takeoff and landing, take off and land vertically without relying on a runway. This classification can include a variety of types of aircraft including helicopters as well as thrust- ...
(vertical take-off and landing) and 20mm cannons. At times, Moon Knight has also used a white, customized motorcycle, a remote-controlled white limousine, and a remote-controlled crescent-shaped drone/glider capable of carrying a single person. During the onset of the "Age of Khonshu" event, Marc was provided by the cult who worships his divinity with magical Ankhs that enabled him to drain away and utilize the primordial powers bestowed upon Earth's Mightiest through their colorful prehistoric ancestry. Taking the powers of The Iron Fist from Daniel Rand, the vengeance spirit Zarathos from The Ghost Rider alongside his hellcharger, and the mystical abilities pertaining to the Sorcerer Supreme
Doctor Strange Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...
. He acquired these with the intent of assimilating those of the
Star Brand The Star Brand is the name of a number of similar objects of power in the world of the Marvel Comics. The name "Star Brand" is also often adopted by the wielders of these objects. Three of these Star Brands have been prominently featured in serie ...
, the
Phoenix Force The Phoenix Force is a fictional entity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum, the Phoenix Force is famous for its central role in ''The Dark Phoenix Saga'' storyline, and is in ...
and the Odin-Force-imbued Mjolnir belonging to All-Father Thor as well.


Superpowers

On more than one occasion, Marc Spector has died and then been resurrected by the other-dimensional entity Khonshu. It is not known if Khonshu will continually do this, making Marc Spector effectively immortal, or if he will only do this until he chooses a new champion. Due to his brain being altered by Khonshu, Marc Spector is more resistant to telepathic and psychic attack than the average person. He sometimes experiences visions of prophecy or enhanced insight. Some initially believed these visions were
delusion A delusion is a fixed belief that is not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence. As a pathology, it is distinct from a belief based on false or incomplete information, confabulation, dogma, illusion, hallucination, or some other m ...
s or inspired simply by Spector inadvertently performing
self-hypnosis Self-hypnosis or auto-hypnosis (as distinct from hetero-hypnosis) is a form, a process, or the result of a self-induced hypnotic state. Frequently, self-hypnosis is used as a vehicle to enhance the efficacy of self-suggestion; and, in such cas ...
, but it is now known that Khonshu is real and grants him these visions. It has been implied in several stories that Marc's connection to Khonshu and this supernatural insight increases when he wears his Moon Knight costume, as it represents "
vestment Vestments are Liturgy, liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christianity, Christian religion, especially by Eastern Christianity, Eastern Churches, Catholic Church, Catholics (of all rites), Lutherans, and Anglicans. ...
s" of the moon god. The villain-for-hire
Profile Profile or profiles may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Music * ''Profile'' (Jan Akkerman album), 1973 * ''Profile'' (Githead album), 2005 * ''Profile'' (Pat Donohue album), 2005 * ''Profile'' (Duke Pearson album), 1959 * '' ''Profi ...
has a superhuman analysis ability that does not function properly on beings with supernatural/magic-based abilities, and remarked that he found it painful to look at Marc Spector whenever the hero donned his Moon Knight costume. Profile was not sure if this was due to Spector's mental illness or if wearing the costume helped Moon Knight tap directly into the moon god's power. During the time that Moon Knight adopted golden and ivory weapons (symbolizing his status as the Fist of Khonshu), his strength, endurance, and reflexes would increase depending on the phases of the moon, operating on a superhuman level during a full moon night. Even during a new moon, he can lift several hundred pounds. Although some believed this superhuman strength had nothing to do with Khonshu and was the result of self-hypnosis, it is now known that Khonshu is real and is directly connected to Marc Spector. Khonshu later removed this power from Moon Knight as punishment for disobedience and has never returned it. After the "Serpent War", Marc's patron deity Khonshu opted to further empower his champion on Earth with all new abilities in preparation for the rise of Mephistopheles. By giving his herald the lion share of the moon supremacy's power; Marc would be endowed with all the abilities of his namesake as the Fist of Khonshu along with a couple others outside of the criteria. He is granted the transformational capability to change to and from his costumed identity at will, on top of powers over lunar effects such as creating astral rock formations consisting of planetary orbital satellites, raising and commanding the dead; mummies loyal to his divinity, lunar empowerment under the supermoon created by Khonshu's will and the ability to survive unaided in the cold recesses of space without life support. These powers gave Moon Knight enough raw might to battle and defeat the world's most powerful heroes, the Avengers. For a brief time, Moon Knight became a host avatar for the immortal Phoenix Force, the cosmological raptor that governs life, death and rebirth throughout the universe and potentially the multiverse. Possessing all the typical skills and abilities of an Avatar to the cosmic entity regarding cosmic pyrokinesis, telekinesis, flight, etc.


Moon Knight's identities

As mentioned above, Moon Knight has dissociative identity disorder. The following are his known identities: * Steven Grant - A billionaire businessman. * Jake Lockley - A taxicab driver who was former U.S. Marine Corps soldier and mercenary. * Mr. Knight - A fully-costumed crime scene investigator and consultant.


Supporting characters

Throughout his different stories, certain supporting characters frequently help Marc Spector in his activities as Moon Knight. * Marlene Alraune – An archaeologist, her father is murdered by Raoul Bushman. She meets and is saved by Marc hours before his first resurrection at the hands of Khonshu. Despite her initial belief that Khonshu is not real, she supports Marc's career as Moon Knight, becoming his advisor and aid as well as his lover, carrying his daughter Diatrice Alraune. Later, she believes Khonshu is real but still encourages Moon Knight to leave violence behind and live fully as either Marc Spector or Steven Grant. The two separate on multiple occasions. * – A homeless man and former textbook salesman who acts as one of Moon Knight's informants regarding unusual activities on the streets. * Jean-Paul "Frenchie" DuChamp – Moon Knight's helicopter pilot and closest friend. The two meet after Marc left the Marines. Frenchie is a mercenary but with moral principles he does not like to compromise, leading him to fully support Marc Spector's choice to protect people and avenge the wronged rather than profit from combat and killing. * Cult of Khonshu – A secret and isolated cult of priests and scholars dedicated to Khonshu. The members are driven to aid Khonshu's avatars on Earth and have provided Marc Spector with special information and weaponry on rare occasions. At different times, rogue factions of the Cult of Khonshu believing Marc Spector is not fit to be the Moon Knight have acted against him. * Gena Landers – A diner manager. She is a friend to Jake Lockley and helps him gain information. * Ray Landers – The son of Gena Landers, he is an expert pilot and mechanic who helps Jake Lockley gain information. He pilots the Mooncopter when Frenchie is unavailable.''Moon Knight'' #2. Marvel Comics. * Ricky Landers – The son of Gena Landers and brother of Ray Landers. * Reese – A vampire aided by Moon Knight. She is his assistant in managing the Midnight Mission and acts as his researcher during different criminal investigations. * Shadow Cabinet – A temporary council of advisors to Marc Spector's business and vigilante activities. Members used codenames and held meetings via video conference or holographic projection. The Shadow Cabinet included tech expert Stash, business woman Penny Annie, low-level crime boss Don G, and psychologist Sigmund (who temporarily acted as Marc's therapist). * Hunter's Moon – Dr. Baldr, another follower of Khonshu and the left fist. * Diatrice Alraune – The Daughter of Marc Spector and Marlene Alraune. * Khonshu – The god who gave Marc Spector his powers and identity as his avatar. While an ally for Marc for his early adventures in recent stories he grew more antagonistic such as when he was the main villain of the 2016 series and The Age of Khonshu story line in Jason Aaron's run on Avengers. * Detective Flint – A detective who acts as Marc's ally from the force. * Nedda – Moon Knight's maid while he was in his Steven Grant persona. * Peter Alraune – The father of Marlene Alraune, he died by Bushman's hands. * Peter Alraune, Jr – His son. Created Morpheus by accident. * Rob Silverman – Frenchie's husband. * Samuels – Moon Knight's butler. *
Profile Profile or profiles may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Music * ''Profile'' (Jan Akkerman album), 1973 * ''Profile'' (Githead album), 2005 * ''Profile'' (Pat Donohue album), 2005 * ''Profile'' (Duke Pearson album), 1959 * '' ''Profi ...
– An informer banker. A mutant with the ability to analyze anything. * Toltec – A vigilante from Mexico.


Rogues gallery

While Moon Knight has fought many famous villains of the Marvel Universe, he has also accumulated his own rogues gallery of villains that have a personal connection to him and/or rarely appear outside of his own stories. Moon Knight's major recurring enemies include: * Agony * Ammut * Arsenal (Nimrod Strange) * Arthur Harrow *
Black Spectre Black Spectre has two meanings for fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first Black Spectre is the name of a fictional organization which first appeared in '' Daredevil'' #108 (March 1974) and was cr ...
* Black Spectre II * The Boogie Man * Bora *
Bushman The San peoples (also Saan), or Bushmen, are the members of any of the indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures of southern Africa, and the oldest surviving cultures of the region. They are thought to have diverged from other humans 100,000 to 200 ...
(his original foe) *
Cobra COBRA or Cobra, often stylized as CoBrA, was a European avant-garde art group active from 1948 to 1951. The name was coined in 1948 by Christian Dotremont from the initials of the members' home countries' capital cities: Copenhagen (Co), Brussels ...
* The Collective * The Committee * The Conquer Lord *
Dansen Macabre Emmanuel da Costa Emmanuel da Costa is a fictional character appearing in American comic book published by Marvel Comics. Emmanuel da Costa is an Afro-Brazilian businessman and the father of Roberto da Costa. Dagger Dagoth Daggoth is a fic ...
* Deadzone * The Deathbringer * The Doctor (War-Same) * Doctor Emmmet * Dracula * Ernst the Nazi King/Yitz Perlman * The Great Wall * Hellbent * Hobgoblin (Jason Macendale) * Ice the Hitman * The Jester *
Killer Shrike Killer Shrike is the name of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history The Simon Maddicks incarnation of Killer Shrike first appeared in '' The Rampaging Hulk'' #1 (January 1977) a ...
* Knights of the Moon (rogue faction of the Cult of Khonshu) * The Living Pharaoh * Lynn Church * Lupinar * Manx * Master Sniper * Midnight Man (Anton Mogart) * Midnight (Jeffrey Wilde) * Mikaboshi * Moon Shade *
Morning Star Morning Star, morning star, or Morningstar may refer to: Astronomy * Morning star, most commonly used as a name for the planet Venus when it appears in the east before sunrise ** See also Venus in culture * Morning star, a name for the star Siri ...
*
Morpheus Morpheus ('Fashioner', derived from the meaning 'form, shape') is a god associated with sleep and dreams. In Ovid's ''Metamorphoses'' he is the son of Somnus (Sleep, the Roman counterpart of Hypnos) and appears in dreams in human form. From the ...
* The Night Shift * The Scarlet Nuns * Plasma (Leila O'Toole) * Princess Nepthys *
Profile Profile or profiles may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Music * ''Profile'' (Jan Akkerman album), 1973 * ''Profile'' (Githead album), 2005 * ''Profile'' (Pat Donohue album), 2005 * ''Profile'' (Duke Pearson album), 1959 * '' ''Profi ...
* The Punk Ghost Gang *
Raptor Raptor(s) or RAPTOR may refer to: Animals The word "raptor" refers to several groups of avian and non-avian dinosaurs which primarily capture and subdue/kill prey with their talons. * Raptor (bird) or bird of prey, a bird that primarily hunt ...
* Razor * Regent * The Ringmaster * Set/Seth the Immortal * Shadow Knight (Randall Spectre) *
Skein Skein may refer to: * A flock of geese or ducks in flight * A wound ball of yarn with a centre pull strand; see Hank * A metal piece fitted over the end of a wagon axle, to which the wheel is mounted * Skein (unit), a unit of length used by weav ...
* The Slasher * The Slayer's Elite *
Slug Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less Terrestrial mollusc, terrestrial gastropod mollusc. The word ''slug'' is also often used as part of the common name of any gastropod mollusc that has no shell, a very reduced ...
*
Sobek Sobek (), also known as Suchus (), was an ancient Egyptian deities, ancient Egyptian deity with a complex and elastic history and nature. He is associated with the Nile crocodile and is often represented as a crocodile-headed humanoid, if not a ...
* Stained Glass Scarlet * The Sun King *
Sunstroke Heat stroke or heatstroke, also known as sun-stroke, is a severe heat illness that results in a body temperature greater than , along with red skin, headache, dizziness, and confusion. Sweating is generally present in exertional heatstr ...
* Toltec * The Truth *
White Dragon The white dragon () is a symbol associated in Welsh mythology with the Anglo-Saxons. Origin of tradition The earliest usage of the white dragon as a symbol of the Anglo-Saxons is found in the ''Historia Brittonum''. The relevant story takes pla ...
* Xenos: first appeared in Moon Knight #15 (January 1982) *
Zaran Zaran is the name of two separate supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Maximillian Zaran Fictional character biography Maximillian Zaran was born in Great Britain. Early in his life, he was an agent of the ...
*
Zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south celestial latitude of the ecliptic – the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. Within this zodiac ...
*
Zohar The ''Zohar'' (, ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work of Kabbalistic literature. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material o ...


Cultural impact and legacy


Critical response

Matt Attanasio of ''
ComicsVerse ComicsVerse was a comics journalism website covering comics news, reviews, analysis, and interviews with artists and writers. In addition to original written content, the site produced podcasts, videos, original webcomics, and covers news related ...
'' referred to Moon Knight as the "excellent example of how anyone can suffer from a mental illness and manage to overcome such an illness," writing, "When you look at Moon Knight’s story as a whole, it appears to be more and more of a story about perseverance, endurance, and coming to grips with who you are. That’s an extremely universal story. That’s something anyone can relate to, in one way or another. It’s a call to believe in yourself, and to never give up. And, really, that’s one of the most heroic tales you can get." '' Syfy'' called Moon Knight an "unusual fan favorite," saying, "For decades, some fans have affectionately called Moon Knight "Marvel’s Batman." But that's not a strictly accurate way to describe the Fist of Khonshu, who's his own man. ..While Spector's public cover as a millionaire is definitely Bruce Wayne-lite, what separates the Moon Knight from the Dark Knight is that he has three secret identities. Chase Magnett of ''
ComicBook.com ''ComicBook.com'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of comic books, television, films, video games, and anime. The site came online in 1996 serving as a holding page for sales links and press releases related to comic b ...
'' stated, "Ever since Moon Knight premiered in the pages of ''Werewolf by Night'' in 1975, he has been a cult favorite among superhero fans. It took until 1980 for the complicated hero and his many personalities to get their own ongoing series. It was a hit from the very start with two of the great talents of the era doing career-defining work (we'll get to who). That high bar has encouraged a lot of others to take similarly distinctive shots at the character ever since." ''
Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...
'' ranked Moon Knight 3rd in their "Marvel: 10 Best Street Level Heroes" list, 5th in their "10 Most Fashionable Marvel Heroes" list, and 9th in their "10 Most Powerful Members of The Secret Avengers" list. Matthew Perpetua Kibblesmith of ''
BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet mass media, media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John Seward Johnson III, John S. Johnson III to ...
'' ranked Moon Knight 48th in their "84 Avengers Members Ranked From Worst To Best" list. Darren Franich ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' ranked Moon Knight 80th in their "Let's Rank Every Avenger Ever" list, calling him a "great character on his own." ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' ranked Moon Knight 49th in their "Top 50 Avengers" list, and 89th in their "Top 100 Comics Book Heroes" list. '' Wizard'' ranked Moon Knight 149th in their "top 200 Comic Book Characters" list.


Comparisons to Batman

Charlie Huston Charlie Huston is an American novelist, screenwriter and comic book writer. His twelve novels span several genres from crime to horror to science fiction. His books have been published in English by Ballentine, Del Rey, Mulholland and Orion, and ...
, writer of the 2006 re-launch of ''Moon Knight'', attempted to answer the criticism that Moon Knight is an
ersatz An ersatz good () is a substitute good, especially one that is considered inferior to the good it replaces. It has particular connotations of wartime usage. Etymology ''Ersatz'' is a German word meaning ''substitute'' or ''replacement''. Altho ...
Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
in an interview with Comixfan writer Remy Minnick. Minnick noted that the comparison is not baseless, as both Moon Knight and the Dark Knight are wealthy, "normal" humans who fight crime with detective skills, cover identities, skilled confidants, and are equipped with high-tech gadgetry, personalized air craft, and personalized throwing items. Likewise, Moon Knight briefly had a teenage would-be sidekick, with the Steven Grant identity becoming a billionaire (similar to Bruce Wayne), using the fortune to fund his career as Moon Knight."Charlie Huston: Shining Light on Moon Knight"
, ''Comixfan'', August 17, 2005
Huston accepted that the two characters have similarities, but went on to contrast them by noting particular differences in origin, motives, and personality. He said, "Bruce Wayne 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, Batman is motivated by vengeance for a personal wrong against his parents, while Marc Spector is motivated by vengeance as a concept. Huston further notes that Bruce Wayne, Batman's alter ego, takes on other identities merely to aid in his investigations, while Moon Knight's three alters aid him as much in dealing with personal demons as fighting law-breakers, and had a further psychological toll by apparently causing dissociative identity disorder. Shawn S. Lealos of ''
Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...
'' wrote, "Too many people call Moon Knight Marvel's version of Batman. There are some similarities, but Moon Knight is a much more complex character than Batman. Yes, both men are wealthy and use their money to front their crime-fighting adventures, but Batman is just a man fighting for good. Moon Knight has a split-personality and struggles to maintain his sanity. He gained the power of super-strength, durability, and stamina from the Moon God Khonshu. He doesn't mind killing, and most superheroes consider him to be completely insane. Sure, some fans compare him to Batman but only on the surface."


Literary reception


Volumes


''Vengeance of the Moon Knight'' (2009)

According to
Diamond Comic Distributors Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. (often called Diamond Comics, DCD, or casually Diamond) is an American comic book distributor serving retailers in North America and worldwide. It transports comic books and graphic novels, as well as other popu ...
, ''Vengeance of the Moon Knight'' #1 was the 73rd best selling comic book in September 2009. Jesse Schedeen of ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' gave ''Vengeance of the Moon Knight'' #1 a grade of 7.5 out of 10, saying, "On the whole, it's simply to early to judge this book one way or the other. I'm not enamored with some of the changes to the Moon Knight formula, but it's clear, if nothing else, that Hurwitz has a handle on his main character. Hopefully this series will strengthen in the coming months and manage to pull in more readers than the last one did. Moon Knight wasn't broken before - it's just that no one seemed to notice it." Chase Magnett of ''
ComicBook.com ''ComicBook.com'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of comic books, television, films, video games, and anime. The site came online in 1996 serving as a holding page for sales links and press releases related to comic b ...
'' called the ''Vengeance of the Moon Knight'' comic book series one of the "greatest Moon Knight runs of all time," asserting "This short-lived version of the series, under a new title, emphasized Moon Knight's incredibly violent nature. There is a constant push-pull effect as the character resists his impulses only to give back into them. Few other iterations play into Moon Knight's prior history as a mercenary quite as well, and how that career has warped his personality every bit as much as the mask has."


''Moon Knight'' (2014)

According to
Diamond Comic Distributors Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. (often called Diamond Comics, DCD, or casually Diamond) is an American comic book distributor serving retailers in North America and worldwide. It transports comic books and graphic novels, as well as other popu ...
, ''Moon Knight'' #1 was the 16th best selling book in March 2014. Doug Zawisza of ''
Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...
'' said, "While I'm not ready to proclaim "Moon Knight" #1 to be this year's "Hawkeye," this is a magnificent debut issue, which raises many more questions asked than answers. Ellis gives readers plenty of incentive to return for more action and intrigue next issue, and his take on the character fits right between Daredevil and Punisher. The debut issue gives readers exactly enough action and mystery translated through brilliant art to hook them until the next installment. With lines like, "I died before," Ellis proves a sliver of humor hiding under the cowl, but not an overwhelming amount. That humor, combined with the ingenuity and intelligence of Khonshu's disciple makes for a compelling and intriguing "all-new" Moon Knight. Thanks to gorgeous art and smart storytelling, "Moon Knight" #1 is an incredibly strong debut." Benjamin Bailey of ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' gave ''Moon Knight'' #1 a grade of 9.9 out of 10, asserting, "''Moon Knight'' #1 is a masterpiece, anyway you cut it. Whether you are a longtime fan or new to the character, this is a comic you need to read. Like, right now. Stop what you are doing and read ''Moon Knight''."


''Moon Knight'' (2016)

According to
Diamond Comic Distributors Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. (often called Diamond Comics, DCD, or casually Diamond) is an American comic book distributor serving retailers in North America and worldwide. It transports comic books and graphic novels, as well as other popu ...
, ''Moon Knight'' #1 was the 17th best selling book in April 2016. Alexander Jones of ''
ComicsBeat Heidi MacDonald (born November 15) is an American writer and editor of comic books based in New York City. She runs the comics industry news blog '' The Beat''. Career MacDonald is a former editor for DC Comics' Vertigo imprint and ''Disney Ad ...
'' stated, "''Moon Knight #1'' does a lot of things right, especially in how the comic characterizes the lead hero while asking some interesting new questions about him. The comic takes the impeccable sense of style and presentation that went into the last run and weaves a new story thread out of it. This comic book does not seem like a brand new take on the character that avoids all previous continuity, but it does shake things up within the context of what came before." Jesse Schedeen of ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' gave ''Moon Knight'' #1 a grade of 8 out of 10, writing, "It's good to have Moon Knight back on the stands. This new series retains much of what made its predecessor so appealing while also shaking up the formula in a major way. Between the moody atmosphere and terrific sense of style, this issue has a lot going for it. It's just a shame the book works against itself by rushing to the big reveal rather than offering a slower and more purposeful build-up."


''Moon Knight'' (2021)

According to ''
Bleeding Cool ''Bleeding Cool'' is an Internet news site, focusing on comics, television, film, board games, and video games. Owned by Avatar Press, it was launched by Rich Johnston in 2009. Avatar Press also publishes an associated magazine, also called ''B ...
'', ''Moon Knight'' #1 was the best-selling comic book in the week of July 25, 2021. ''Moon Knight'' #3 was the best-selling comic book in the week of September 26, 2021. ''Moon Knight'' #1 was the 7th best-selling comic book in 2021. In 2021, the ''Moon Knight'' comic book series won the Golden Issue Award for Best Ongoing Comic. Matthew Aguilar of ''
ComicBook.com ''ComicBook.com'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of comic books, television, films, video games, and anime. The site came online in 1996 serving as a holding page for sales links and press releases related to comic b ...
'' stated, "''Moon Knight'' #1 captures the essence of the character and all the elements that make him stand out from his peers while expanding the character's mythos and supporting cast in exciting new ways, and it does so with flair and wit to spare. If that weren't enough, the stunning artwork from Cappuccio and colorist Rachelle Rosenberg demands your attention with every page. ..''Moon Knight'' #1 pulls together several threads of Knight's complicated history along with fresh new ideas to create something absolutely perfect for the character. The hype was at an all-time high, but Moon Knight manages to deliver on it, and I certainly could not have asked for a better debut." Benjamin Bailey of ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' gave ''Moon Knight'' #1 a grade of 9.9 out of 10, writing, "Moon Knight's books have almost always been good, often they're great, but this new relaunch is on a whole other level. This is more than a re-imaging, it's a brilliant introduction to a character more folks need to be acquainted with. Whether you are a longtime fan or brand new to the character, this is a comic you absolutely must read. ..''Moon Knight'' #1 is a masterpiece, anyway you cut it. Whether you are a longtime fan or new to the character, this is a comic you need to read. Like, right now. Stop what you are doing and read Moon Knight."


''Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood'' (2022)

According to
ICv2 ''ICv2'' is an online trade magazine that covers geek culture for retailers. ''ICv2s main areas of focus are comic books, anime, gaming, and show business products. The site offers news, reviews, analysis, and sales information for retailers ...
, ''Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood'' #1 was the 5th best selling comic book in May 2022. Dustin Holland of ''
Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...
'' asserted, "Each of the three stories in ''Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood'' #1 pushes the character into unfamiliar territory while celebrating the aspects of his personality that make him an engaging piece of the Marvel Universe. Each creative team does a wonderful job crafting believable, self-contained stories that will leave fans wanting more."


Other characters named Moon Knight

Marc Spector is not the only character to be known as Moon Knight. The following are the other known characters who operated as Moon Knight:


1,000,000 BC version

In the year 1,000,000 BC, a
homo erectus ''Homo erectus'' ( ) is an extinction, extinct species of Homo, archaic human from the Pleistocene, spanning nearly 2 million years. It is the first human species to evolve a humanlike body plan and human gait, gait, to early expansions of h ...
became the first person to operate as Moon Knight. After befriending Fan Fei, Moon Knight joined up with the Prehistoric Avengers and was seen when the Avengers from the present arrived in their time.


2620 BC version

There was a Moon Knight who was around in 2620 BC.


2500 BC version

There was a female Moon Knight who was around in 2500 BC.''Moon Knight Annual'' Vol. 2 #1. Marvel Comics.


300 BC version

There was a Moon Knight who was around in 300 BC and operated as
Roman gladiator A gladiator ( , ) was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their ...
.''Moon Knight'' #190. Marvel Comics.


1710 version

There was a Moon Knight who was around in 1710 and operated as a
pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...
.


1776 version

There was a Moon Knight who was around in 1776 and had fought in the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
.


1896 version

There was a Moon Knight who was around in 1896 during the
Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...
and dressed like an English gentleman.


1920s version

There was a Moon Knight who was around in the 1920s and dressed like a
gangster A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''Organized crime, mob'' and the suffix ''wikt:-ster, -st ...
.


1940s version

There was a Moon Knight who was around in the 1940s and fought Hydra during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.


Ancient Mesopotamian version

There was a Moon Knight who was around during the days of
Ancient Mesopotamia The Civilization of Mesopotamia ranges from the earliest human occupation in the Paleolithic period up to Late antiquity. This history is pieced together from evidence retrieved from archaeological excavations and, after the introduction of writ ...
.


Middle Ages version

There was a Moon Knight who was around during the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
.


Old West version

There was a Moon Knight who was around during the
Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...
and operated as a gunfighter.


Viking Age version

There was a Moon Knight who was around during the
Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...
.


1970s version

There was a female Moon Knight who worked with
Blade A blade is the Sharpness (cutting), sharp, cutting portion of a tool, weapon, or machine, specifically designed to puncture, chop, slice, or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they a ...
in 1977.''Moon Knight'' Vol. 9 #20. Marvel Comics.


Other versions


Apocalypse Wars

An alternate universe variant of Moon Knight appears in ''
Extraordinary X-Men ''Extraordinary X-Men'' is a comic series from Marvel Comics and the flagship X-Men title under the All-New, All-Different Marvel re-branding. The story takes place following the conclusion of the Secret Wars crossover event. In this comic serie ...
''. This version is female and one of the
Horsemen of Apocalypse The Horsemen of Apocalypse are a team of supervillain characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Led by Apocalypse (character), Apocalypse, they are loosely based on the Biblical Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse fr ...
before being killed by Nightcrawler.


''Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again''

An alternate universe variant of Moon Knight appears in ''Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again''. He investigates
Deadpool Deadpool is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (December 1990). In his comic book appearances, Deadpool is ...
's murder of several heroes and eventually discovers that he was brainwashed before being killed by him.


Earth-818

An alternate universe variant of Moon Knight from Earth-818 appears in ''
Avengers Forever ''Avengers Forever'' is a twelve-issue comic book limited series published from December 1998 to November 1999 by Marvel Comics. It follows the storyline of Rick Jones and his quest to build a team of Avengers from the past, present, and future. ...
''. This version is Mariama Spector, a member of
Tony Stark Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
's resistance against the
Black Skull KNM-WT 17000 (also known as "The Black Skull") is a fossilized adult skull of the species ''Paranthropus aethiopicus''. It was discovered in West Turkana, Kenya by Alan Walker in 1985. Estimated to be 2.5 million years old, the fossil is an ad ...
.


''House of M''

An alternate universe variant of Moon Knight from Earth-58163 appears in ''
House of M "House of M" is a 2005 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of an eight-issue comic book limited series with a number of crossover tie-in books written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel. Its first i ...
'' as a member of
Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas, and John Romita Sr. in 1972, he was the first Af ...
's resistance against
Magneto A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...
.


''Infinity War''

Moon Shade, a clone of Moon Knight created by
Adam Warlock Adam Warlock is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in ''Fantastic Four'' #66–67 ( cover-dates September 1967 and October 1967) created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, originally ...
, appears in ''
The Infinity War ''The Infinity War'' is a six-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in 1992. The series was written by Jim Starlin and penciled by Ron Lim, Ian Laughlin, Al Milgrom, Jack Morelli and Christie Scheele. The storyline is a d ...
''.


Infinity Warps

Peter Spector / Arachknight, a fusion of Moon Knight and
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
created by the
Infinity Gems The Infinity Gems (originally referred to as Soul Gems and later as Infinity Stones) are six fictional gems appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, named after and embodying various aspects of existence. The gems can grant ...
, appears in ''
Infinity Wars "Infinity Wars" is a 2018 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics as a follow-up to "Infinity Countdown." Premise The premise involves the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe deal with the outcome of the search for the new Infini ...
''.


Marvel 2099

There are different
Marvel 2099 Marvel 2099 was a Marvel Comics imprint, started in 1992, that was originally about one possible future of the Marvel Universe, but later revealed to be the Earth of the main Marvel continuity in the distant future. It was originally announced ...
versions of Moon Knight:


Unidentified Moon Knight 2099

An alternate version of Moon Knight appears in the
one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'', a ...
''2099: Manifest Destiny'' (March 1998). The comic book introduced an unidentified female version of Moon Knight, fighting crime in the lunar city of
Attilan The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features. Places Certain places fe ...
on Earth. She later persuaded the 2099 version of Uatu the Watcher into not disposing of his clones of the
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...
.


Tabitha

An unidentified Marvel 2099 reality version of the character named Tabitha once freed Strange 2099 from a demon possession at the time when the Anti-Powers Act was in play. In the unified reality of Earth-2099, the Tabitha version of Moon Knight was a member of the 2099 version of the Avengers. When they were massacred by the 2099 version of the Masters of Evil, Tabitha respawned in her crypt and formed a 2099 version of the New Avengers who defeated the Masters of Evil and remanded them to a prison on the planet Wakanda.


''Marvel Zombies''

A zombified alternate universe variant of Moon Knight from Earth-2149 appears in ''
Marvel Zombies ''Marvel Zombies'' is a five-issue limited series published from December 2005 to April 2006 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Robert Kirkman with art by Sean Phillips and covers by Arthur Suydam. It was the first series in the ''Ma ...
''.


Old Man Logan

An alternate version of Moon Knight from Earth-807128 appears in ''
Old Man Logan Old Man Logan is an alternative version of the superhero Wolverine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. This character is an aged version of Wolverine set in an alternate future universe in which the supervillains overth ...
''.


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

An ancient Egyptian incarnation of Moon Knight appears in ''
S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism government agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, this agency first appeared in ''Strange Tal ...
'' #1.


''Secret Wars''

Several alternate universe variants of Moon Knight appear in "
Secret Wars ''Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars'', commonly known as ''Secret Wars'', is a 12-issue American comic book Fictional crossover, crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter ...
" as residents of
Battleworld ''Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars'', commonly known as ''Secret Wars'', is a 12-issue American comic book Fictional crossover, crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter ...
. * In
K'un-L'un The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features. Places Certain places fe ...
, Moon Knight is a master of a faction called the Faces of the Moon. He is defeated by
Shang-Chi Zheng Shang-Chi,. also known as the Master of Kung Fu and Brother Hand, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin, debuting in ''Spec ...
in the Tournament of the Thirteen Chambers. * In Egyptia, Moon Knight is a werewolf and a member of the Moon Knights, Khonshu's elite warriors. * In Marville, Moon Knight is among the heroes fighting for the attention of the twins Zach and Zoe.


Ultimate Marvel

An alternate universe variant of Moon Knight from Earth-1610 appears in ''
Ultimate Marvel Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, later known as the ...
''. This version is a
Navy SEAL The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main funct ...
whose abilities are derived from a failed attempt to recreate the Super-Soldier Serum. After leaving the US military, he temporarily becomes Paladin and works for
Roxxon The Roxxon Energy Corporation (also known as the Roxxon Oil Company, Roxxon Oil Corporation, Roxxon Corporation, or simply Roxxon) is a fictional massive petroleum industrial conglomerate in the Marvel Universe appearing in American comic books ...
.


Universe X

An alternate universe variant of Moon Knight from Earth-9997 appears in ''
Universe X ''Earth X'' is a 1999 comic book limited series published by American company Marvel Comics. ''Earth X'' was written by Jim Krueger with art by John Paul Leon. Based on Alex Ross' notes, the series features a dystopian version of the Marvel Univ ...
''. This version is virtually immortal due to his use of the Re-Animator stone. After
Mar-Vell Captain Marvel (real name: Mar-Vell; Earth alias Walter Lawson) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and designed by artist Gene Colan, the character first appeared in '' ...
takes the stone, Spector dies and uses a shard of the
Cosmic Cube The Cosmic Cube is a fictional object appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. There are multiple Cubes in the Marvel Universe, all of which are depicted as containment devices that can empower whoever wields them. Although th ...
to create a personalized afterlife.''Universe X'' Vol 1 #6


In other media


Television

* According to author
Doug Moench Douglas Moench (; born February 23, 1948, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American writer of comics, novels, short stories, newspaper feature articles, weekly newspaper comic strips, film screenplays and teleplays. He is notable for his ''Batman'' wo ...
, a Moon Knight series was licensed by Toei for production in Japan, but was instead serialized as a
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
from 1979–1980. *Moon Knight appears in the ''
Ultimate Spider-Man ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate Ma ...
'' episode "The Moon Knight Before Christmas", voiced by
Diedrich Bader Karl Diedrich Bader (born December 24, 1966) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his comedic and voice acting roles. He has appeared as a series regular in television sitcoms ''The Drew Carey Show'', '' American Housewife'', ...
. This version follows the
Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...
's advice. * Moon Knight appears in '' Avengers Assemble'', voiced by
Gideon Emery Gideon Emery (born 12 September 1972) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Deucalion in '' Teen Wolf'' and for providing voice-over work in video games, television series and films. Early life and education Emery was born to Pau ...
. This version is the guardian of a pyramid that is temporarily transported to the
Battleworld ''Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars'', commonly known as ''Secret Wars'', is a 12-issue American comic book Fictional crossover, crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter ...
domain of Egyptia.
Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...
offers him to join the Avengers, but Moon Knight chooses to stay behind and guard the evils contained in the pyramid. * Moon Knight appears in the ''
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
'' episode "Vengeance of Venom", voiced by Peter Giles. This version became a cynical survivalist after someone close to him was killed, leading to him abandoning the Moon Knight identity until
May Parker Maybelle "May" Parker-Jameson (née Reilly), commonly known as Aunt May, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. Making her first full appeara ...
inspires him to reassume it amidst the
Klyntar The Klyntar (), Colloquialism, colloquially and more commonly referred to as Symbiosis, symbiotes, are a fictional species of extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrial Parasitism, parasitic Outline of life forms, life forms appearing in American co ...
's invasion. * Moon Knight appears in ''Lego Marvel Avengers: Mission Demolition'', voiced by
Scott Porter Matthew Scott Porter (born July 14, 1979) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Jason Street in the NBC television drama '' Friday Night Lights'', as George Tucker in The CW comedy-drama series '' Hart of Dixie'' and as Mayor ...
.


Marvel Cinematic Universe

The character's dissociative identities of Marc Spector / Moon Knight, Steven Grant / Mr. Knight, and Jake Lockley appear in live-action media set in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
(MCU), all portrayed by
Oscar Isaac Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada (born March 9, 1979) is an American actor. Recognized for his versatility, he has been credited with breaking stereotypes about Hispanic and Latino Americans, Latino characters in Cinema of the United States, H ...
, with Carlos Sanchez portraying Grant and Spector as a child while David Rodriguez portrays Spector as a teenager. Spector is depicted as an ex-mercenary who assumes the role of Moon Knight under the
Egyptian god Ancient Egyptian deities are the gods and goddesses worshipped in ancient Egypt. The beliefs and rituals surrounding these gods formed the core of ancient Egyptian religion, which emerged sometime in prehistory. Deities represented natural for ...
, Khonshu to save his life, Grant is a British gift shop employee who assumes the alias of Mr. Knight under Khonshu, and Lockley is depicted as brutal and Khonshu's favored avatar. Isaac was considered for the role in October 2020 and cast by January 2021, before Marvel officially confirmed his casting that May. * The character first appears in the
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
series ''
Moon Knight Moon Knight is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin, the character first appeared in ''Werewolf by Night'' #32 (August 1975). The son of a rabbi, Marc S ...
'', which premiered on March 30, 2022. * In November 2019,
Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
president
Kevin Feige Kevin Feige ( ; born June 2, 1973) is an American film and television producer. He has been the president of Marvel Studios and the primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise since 2007. The films he has produced have a co ...
revealed that Moon Knight is set to appear in future MCU films following his introduction in his Disney+ series. * An alternate universe variant of Marc Spector appears in the '' What If...?'' episode "What If... the Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?".


Video games

* Moon Knight appears as an unlockable playable character in ''
Marvel Ultimate Alliance ''Marvel: Ultimate Alliance'' is an action role-playing game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. ''Ultimate Alliance'' is set within the fictional Marvel Universe and features many of the superhero, superheroes, supervillain, ...
'', voiced by
Nolan North Nolan North (born October 31, 1970) is an American actor best known for his voice acting roles. After his breakthrough role as Dr. Chris Ramsey on the ABC soap opera '' Port Charles'' in 1997, North moved into voice acting when the show ended ...
. * Moon Knight appears as an assist character in '' Spider-Man: Web of Shadows'', voiced by
Robin Atkin Downes Robin Atkin Downes is an English actor. He is known for his work in animation and video games. Early life Downes was born in London. He earned an MFA from Temple University in Philadelphia. Career Downes has voiced characters in animated f ...
. * Moon Knight appears in Hawkeye's ending for ''
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a 2011 crossover fighting game developed by Capcom in collaboration with Eighting. It is an updated version of '' Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds''. The game features characters from both Capcom's video game franchises and comic book ...
'' as a member of the
West Coast Avengers The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in ''The West Coast Avengers'' #1 (Sept. 1984), created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall (comics), Bob Ha ...
. * Moon Knight appears in ''
Marvel Pinball ''Marvel Pinball'' is a 2010 pinball video game developed by Zen Studios. It features Marvel Comics-themed pinball tables. It is available as a standalone game for the PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network, and as downloadable content for ''P ...
'' and the downloadable content for ''
Pinball FX 2 ''Pinball FX 2'' (stylized as ''Pinball FX2'') is a pinball video game for Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows (Windows XP, XP and higher) and is the sequel to ''Pinball FX''. It was developed by Zen Studios and published by Xbox Game Studi ...
'', voiced by
Troy Baker Troy Edward Baker (born April 1, 1976) is an American voice actor and musician. He is known for his numerous roles in video games, including Yuri Lowell in ''Tales of Vesperia'' (2008), Joel Miller in ''The Last of Us'' franchise, Booker DeWi ...
. * Moon Knight appears as an unlockable playable character in ''
Marvel Avengers Alliance ''Marvel Avengers Alliance'' was a 2012 turn-based social-network game developed by American studio Offbeat Creations and published by Playdom. It is based on characters and storylines published by Marvel Comics. The game was available as an Adob ...
''. * Moon Knight appears as an unlockable playable character in '' Marvel Heroes'', voiced again by Robin Atkin Downes. * Moon Knight appears as an unlockable playable character in ''
Lego Marvel Super Heroes ''Lego Marvel Super Heroes'' is a 2013 Lego-themed action-adventure game, action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PlayStation 4, Xb ...
''. * Moon Knight appears in ''
Marvel Avengers Academy ''Marvel Avengers Academy'' was a freemium mobile game for iOS and Android, based on the characters featured in Marvel Comics. It was released on February 4, 2016. The game was shut down three years later. Despite the name, the game was not re ...
'', voiced by Alan Adelberg. * Moon Knight appears in ''
Lego Marvel's Avengers ''Lego Marvel's Avengers'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, for the Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Windows, ...
'', voiced by
Keith Silverstein Keith Silverstein is an American voice actor, known for lending his voice to English versions of Japanese anime and video games. He is best known for his roles as Johan Liebert in '' Monster'', Vector the Crocodile in the '' Sonic the Hedgehog' ...
. * Moon Knight appears as an unlockable playable character in ''
Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 ''Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on 14 November 2017 and ...
''. * Moon Knight appears as an unlockable playable character in ''
Marvel Contest of Champions ''Marvel Contest of Champions'' is a 2014 fighting video game developed and published by Kabam. It was released on December 10, 2014, for iOS and Android. The fighting game is primarily set in the Marvel Universe. The game is strongly based o ...
''. * Moon Knight appears as an unlockable playable character in ''
Marvel Future Fight ''Marvel: Future Fight'' is a 2015 action role-playing game developed and published by Netmarble. Gameplay Players assemble a team of iconic Marvel heroes and villains to engage in thrilling battles. The gameplay revolves around completing mi ...
''. * Moon Knight appears as a downloadable playable character in '' Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order'', voiced again by
Gideon Emery Gideon Emery (born 12 September 1972) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Deucalion in '' Teen Wolf'' and for providing voice-over work in video games, television series and films. Early life and education Emery was born to Pau ...
. * Moon Knight appears as a playable character in ''
Marvel Strike Force ''Marvel Strike Force'' is a turn-based role-playing mobile game by FoxNext (later acquired by Scopely) for Android, iOS, and iPadOS platforms. The game was launched worldwide on March 28, 2018, and is primarily set in the Marvel Universe. Pre ...
''. * Two incarnations of Moon Knight appear in ''
Marvel Future Revolution ''Marvel Future Revolution'' was an action role-playing game developed by Netmarble Monster and published by Netmarble. It was released for Android and iOS on August 25, 2021. The game's storyline is based on the Secret Wars series and is set on ...
'', voiced again by Gideon Emery. One version is a member of Omega Flight while the other hails from Earth-5468, where he became the sole survivor of
Ultron Ultron () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the character first appeared as an unnamed character in ''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers'' #5 ...
's conquest. * Moon Knight appears as an purchasable outfit in ''
Fortnite Battle Royale ''Fortnite Battle Royale'' is a 2017 Battle royale game, battle royale video game produced by Epic Games. It was originally developed as a companion game part of the early access version of ''Fortnite: Save the World'', a cooperative survival ...
''. * Moon Knight appears as a playable character in ''
Marvel Rivals ''Marvel Rivals'' is a hero shooter video game developed and published by NetEase Games in collaboration with Marvel Games. The game was released for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on December 6, 2024. The game is free-to-play with ...
''.


Miscellaneous

The MCU versions of Marc Spector / Moon Knight and Steven Grant / Mr. Knight appear as meet-and-greet characters at
Avengers Campus Avengers Campus is a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)–themed area located at Disney California Adventure and Walt Disney Studios Park in Disneyland Paris, and being developed for Hong Kong Disneyland under the name Stark Expo. The Marvel-t ...
.


Collected editions


References


External links


Moon Knight
at Marvel.com
Comic Foundry – The Conversation: Doug Moench + Charlie Huston
* *

at
Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

Archived
from the original on March 10, 2016.
Marc Spector
at Marvel Wiki {{Midnight Sons Moon Knight Avengers (comics) characters Characters created by Don Perlin Characters created by Doug Moench Comics characters introduced in 1975 Egyptian mythology in comics Fictional American Jews in comics Fictional boxers Fictional Central Intelligence Agency personnel Fictional characters from Chicago Fictional characters with dissociative identity disorder Fictional characters with precognition Fictional fratricides Fictional mercenaries in comics Fictional taxi drivers Fictional United States Marine Corps personnel Fictional vampire hunters Jewish superheroes Khonsu Marvel Comics businesspeople Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds Marvel Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics male superheroes Marvel Comics martial artists Marvel Comics military personnel Marvel Comics superheroes Marvel Comics television characters Marvel Comics titles Midnight Sons Spider-Man characters Superhero detectives Vigilante characters in comics