Moon Knight

Overview

Moon Knight was created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin. He made his first appearance in the 1970s briefly as a villain mercenary stalking Werewolf By Night. After this first encounter, Moon Knight was portrayed in a slightly more heroic light, but still a mercenary.

Moon Knight also appears as one of his alters Mr. Knight, trading his cape and tights branding him as a warrior of Khonshu for a fancy expensive suit. This change does not alter his state of mind or affect his powers given to him by Khonshu.

His civilian identity is Marc Spector, a seasoned mercenary and archeologist. Because he suffers from dissociative identity disorder, he has also created alternate personalities to help him understand the world around him. Two of the most notable alters are Steven Grant, a lavish millionaire playboy, and Jake Lockley, a hardened and gritty taxicab driver.

Origin

Born in Chicago to a rabbi who escaped Hitler's invasion of Czechoslovakia, Marc Spector dedicated himself to being a heavyweight boxer, serving his country as a Marine Corpsman, and eventually a mercenary. He became a strong-minded and and very skillful fighter, and found friendship with a pilot named Jean-Paul DuChamp, whom he affectionately nicknamed "Frenchie". During an archaeology stint under the warlord Raoul Bushman, the group stumbled upon an ancient temple of the Egyptian god Khonshu. Bushman killed the archaeology crew and then pillaged the temple of its artifacts. Alone and left for dead in the cold night of the Egyptian desert, Marc was eventually discovered by cultists who worshipped Khonshu and carried back into the temple where they laid him before his statue. In his rapidly fleeting state, Marc had a vision of Khonshu offering him another chance at life if he would become his avatar. Spector agrees and then wakes up, taking a silver shroud that was on the statue and wearing it. He then again confronts Bushman who is now no match for the resurrected Spector. Returning to America with the statue, he decided to become a costumed crime fighter and fashions a costume with the foundation of the silver shroud he obtained back in Egypt, calling himself Moon Knight.

With all the money he obtained through his mercenary work, he uses it create a millionaire persona called Steven Grant. His other alter, Jake Lockley, is a taxicab driver that he uses to gather information while working the streets of New York City.

Fist Of Khonshu

During this six-issue mini-seires, Spector left all three of his identities and was summoned to Egypt by the cult of Khonshu. They gave him a new arsenal of weapons that had a moon-themed to them. Such weapons were throwing discs and cresent-shape blades. Originally designed by Hawkeye when he was time traveling in ancient Egypt. Khonshu then appears to Spector and enters his body, Giving him effects such as superhuman strength based on the status of the moon.

He later then helps the West Coast Avengers, but also looses his friendship with Frenchie. He ends up time traveling to 2940 B.C. to rescue the Avengers, where he discovers that his weapons were designed by Hawkeye. Then eventually joining and becoming a member of the West Coast Avengers. As well as starting a relationship with Tigra, which last through is his time spend on the team

At a time, Khonshu is forced out of Spector's body by the Demon Hellstrom during a battle with the Phantom Rider. Spector talks to Khonshu, learining that it was he and not Moon Knight who wanted to joing the team and soon resigns. Going back he reunites his frienships with Frenchie and sets a new adventure of his own.

Villain Gallery

Notable villains Moon Knight encounters

• Black Spectre

• Bluebears

• Bora

• Bullseye

• Raoul Bushman

• The Committee

• Midnight Man

• The Profile

• Taskmaster

• Stained Glass Scarlet

• The Werewolf