With Disney+ finally bringing Moon Knight to TV screens, it's time to ask:
what do you really know about the avatar of Khonshu? Whether it's his origins as a
villain or the TV show his alter-ego developed for himself, here is the untold truth of Moon Knight.
Moon Knight suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder, once known as Multiple Personality
Disorder. Rather than the usual hero/everyman dichotomy we're used to with Superman and Clark
Kent or Spider-Man and Peter Parker, Moon Knight has at least three "civilian" names.
"The voices in your head…There's chaos in you."
There's taxi driver Jake Lockley, millionaire Steven Grant, and finally the mercenary Marc
Spector. While he plays at using the personas simply as covers and tools,
it's clear even in the very beginning of "Moon Knight" that they're much more. The three
identities not only speak and act differently, but different people in Moon Knight's life also choose
who they believe is the dominant persona. Moon Knight's love interest Marlene, for example, is
in love with Steven Grant and always refers to him as Steven whether he's wearing his mask or not.
But the name co-creator Doug Moench saw as marking Moon Knight's dominant persona was Marc Spector,
and Spector's name came from an employee in a Manhattan comic book shop. Moench couldn't
remember the name of the store when he told the story, but he did say it was the best comic book
shop in Manhattan. At the time, Moench said, he often used the names of people in his life
for new characters, and a comic shop employee named Marc Spector asked him when Moench was
going to name a character after him. At the time, Moench was working on an issue of "Werewolf by
Night" with a villain he needed a name for, and so the real-life Spector got his wish.
Moench and artist Don Perlin first brought Moon Knight to life in 1975's "Werewolf by Night" #32,
and he was no selfless defender of the innocent or avatar of Khonshu.
Marc Spector was a mercenary hired by a clandestine group
known only as the Committee to capture Jack Russell, the man cursed to transform into a
werewolf on nights of the full moon. It was The Committee who gave Spector his name, his costume,
and even silver gauntlets and a silver truncheon specifically designed to hurt the savage werewolf.
By the end of "Werewolf by Night" #33, Moon Knight showed at least a hint or two of the hero
he would become. While he fulfills his contract by capturing the werewolf and bringing him to the
Committee, the accusing pleas of Russell's friends and the desperation of the captive werewolf
convince him he's on the wrong side. He frees the werewolf from his cage and helps him escape.
Still, he doesn't exactly come off like Superman. The last time we see
him in "Werewolf by Night" #33, Moon Knight is crouched on a roof ledge and
triumphantly holding up a stack of cash he lifted from the Committee.
To Moench's surprise, Marvel editors kept asking him to do more with Moon Knight.
So the character he'd created as nothing more than an antagonist for a werewolf comic,
started turning up in guest appearances in "Spectacular Spider-Man," "Defenders," and "Marvel
Two-in-One." Then Moench was tapped for writing duties on the black-and-white "Hulk!" magazine,
which eventually included a seven-page backup feature starring Moon Knight.
Ultimately Moench and artist Bill Sienkiewicz, who had jumped aboard
during the "Hulk!" backups, were assigned the first monthly "Moon Knight" title.
Moench wrote a new, more heroic origin story for the hero,
connecting him to Egyptian myth and solidifying Marc Spector as a mercenary seeking redemption.
While the first volume was cut after 38 issues, it enjoyed the honor, along with "Ka-Zar," of
being one of Marvel's first Direct Sales comics. In 1982, more comics were appearing in comic book
specialty shops and fewer were being sold in newsstands, grocery stores, pharmacies, gift
shops, and toy stores. There was a push to cut out distributors and sell directly to specialty
retailers, and "Moon Knight" and "Ka-Zar" were Marvel's flagship titles for that push.
Comic book fans still argue whether the move to the direct market was a good one. But for Moench
and Sienkiewicz, it meant more royalties because they didn't need to sell as many copies for the
comic to turn a profit. It also meant more work, since the comics were printed with only in-house
ads and the creative team had to turn in 25 pages of story every issue instead of 19.
Artist Bill Sienkiewicz, whose unique style is as recognizable as it can be jarring,
began his comic book career drawing "Moon Knight."
Sienkiewicz was a second-year art student when he brought a portfolio to the offices of DC Comics,
but he'd unknowingly picked precisely the wrong time to try and join the DC
team. The comics company was going through rough times and was about to cut loose many of
the artists it already had. Still, Sienkiewicz's talent was evident, so "Batman" artist Neal Adams,
whose art Sienkiewicz readily admits he based his early work on, called Jim Shooter
at Marvel Comics and told the controversial Editor-in-Chief he had a new artist for him.
Both Sienkiewicz and Moench guessed it was at least in part the comparison to Adams and to
the enduring industry opinion that Moon Knight was "Marvel's Batman" that paired Sienkiewicz
and Moench. Regardless, Sienkiewicz proved his talent, and "Moon Knight" readers watched the
artist's work evolve into something closer to the distinct style that made the artist
such an integral figure in franchises like "Daredevil," "New Mutants," and "Legion."
According to Moench, Sienkiewicz had trouble meeting deadlines on "Moon Knight."
Editor Dennis O'Neil's solution was to tell Moench to write a seven-page
backup story that O'Neil would give to another artist. Then that backup would
be ready for some month when Sienkiewicz absolutely needed it to meet the deadline.
According to Moench, once he wrote the backup called "Hit It!," O'Neil screwed up.
Instead of sending the backup to a different artist, he sent it to Sienkiewicz.
Sienkiewicz told Moench "Hit It!" was the best thing he'd written, and the artist was
convinced that — using larger panels and other methods — he could stretch it into a full-length
story. He succeeded and submitted "Hit It!" as the main story for "Moon Knight" #26.
Unfortunately, he turned in the pages so late that O'Neil called Moench into the Marvel offices from
his home in Pennsylvania to script the pages in a closet-sized room with a typewriter.
"Hit It!" was about a man randomly attacking every person he meets,
and readers eventually learn the criminal's violence stems from severe childhood abuse.
Sienkiewicz suffered his own trauma from childhood, which at least in part explained
his drive to turn what was supposed to be a seven-page story into something else.
"Moon Knight" #26 marked the emotional end of the series for Sienkiewicz,
though he stayed on for four more issues and drew the covers for the remainder of the series.
Before a Moon Knight series was announced as part of "Phase 4" of
the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there had been noise about an adaptation for years.
The name Marc Spector was mentioned on an episode of the short-lived "Blade: The Series."
Then, Marvel Studios partnered with No Equal Entertainment to develop a show based on the hero.
The series never came to fruition, however, nor did long-running rumors
claiming Moon Knight would be added to the list of critically acclaimed Marvel Netflix shows.
"I'm not seeking penance for what I've done, Father.
I'm asking forgiveness, for what I'm about to do."
Similarly, key players of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Netflix Marvel
shows toyed with the idea of getting a Moon Knight adaptation made. One such
person is "Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn. He tweeted in January 2017 that,
while his workload prevented him from making a Moon Knight film, he floated a premise for
it past Marvel Studios. Additionally, Netflix "Daredevil" showrunner Steven S. DeKnight told
IGN in 2018 that he'd be interested in working on a Moon Knight show if his schedule allowed for it.
Moon Knight may be the first Jewish superhero, though the matter is up for debate.
Moench told Charlie Huston he created the first Jewish superhero,
though he also says he didn't begin with that in mind. After naming Moon Knight's mercenary alias
after a comic book shop employee, Moench later learned the real-life Marc Spector was Jewish.
So, he reasoned, Spector must be a Jewish name.
Whether or not Moon Knight is the first Jewish superhero depends on several things, including how
you define "first Jewish superhero." Ben Grimm, also known as The Thing of the Fantastic Four,
predates Moon Knight by a decade, though it wasn't revealed he was Jewish until a 2002
issue of "Fantastic Four." There's also Doc Samson, who first appeared in a 1971
issue of "Incredible Hulk," but his Jewish heritage wasn't discussed until a 1990 issue
of the same series. Then there's Magneto and his more heroic children Scarlet Witch,
Quicksilver, and Polaris. Those characters and a whole host of other superheroes in and outside of
Marvel were created without their heritage being mentioned but were later confirmed to be Jewish.
Whether he's the first Jewish superhero is a matter of debate,
but the notion that he's the first openly Jewish superhero is solid.
In a very interesting retcon regarding the origins of Moon Knight's weapons and equipment,
it turns out that the "West Coast Avengers" gave
the superhero a crucial early lift by a member of the team, Hawkeye.
In 1987's "West Coast Avengers" #23, the L.A.-based team went back in time to ancient
Egypt. Once there, they found worshippers of the moon god Khonshu, the god Moon Knight serves,
under siege. Determined to help the Egyptians defend themselves, Hawkeye designed weapons
for them like darts and boomerangs. The issue ends with a cut back to modern times, where we see Marc
Spector finding the same weapons his fellow Avenger designed. The origin of the weapons
is another example of how different writers and artists helped shape the history of Moon Knight.
Hilariously, one person who actually has gotten a Moon Knight adaptation off the ground where many
others have failed is none other than Marc Spector himself. Issue #1 of Brian Michael
Bendis and Alex Maleev's 2010 "Moon Knight" comic book series debuted "Legends of the Khonshu," a
television series within the comic developed by Spector. The show very loosely adapts his
adventures as a mercenary, along with some of his exploits as Moon Knight. He wasn't overly
concerned about getting all the facts right, which leads the show to take some major liberties.
That included naming the fictionalized Spector after Marc's cab driver personality,
Jake Lockley . Neither the Moon Knight costume nor name was used at all,
presumably to keep Marc's superhero life a secret from the public.
While some characters had high expectations from the series, the majority of the people
working on "Legends" seemed to hate it. The big exception to this was Marc himself,
though even he became frustrated by the show's numerous production issues. Despite itself,
however, "Legends of the Khonshu" became a success, for a short while anyway. At the end
of Bendis and Maleev's 12-issue series, Spector learns from his assistant Annie that "Legends"
has been canceled after a very short time on the air. Ultimately, it just wasn't profitable enough.
Luckily, the winding road to a Moon Knight adaptation has finally ended, thanks to Disney+,
Debuting on March 30th, 2022's "Moon Knight" limited series brings the Fist of Khonshu
smashing into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios has made it clear that faithfully
adapting the character is a priority. This is represented in the series' trailers, TV spots, and
posters confirming Spector's dissociative identity disorder and ties to Khonshu as major elements.
"Am I like, some kind of secret agent?"
"It's a little more complicated than that."
Similarly, the series' central villains, Arthur Harrow and Anton Mogart,
are also straight out of the comics. Harrow is a physician obsessed with studying pain.
Mogart is the Midnight Man, an art thief who dresses similarly to Moon Knight.
Headlining the Disney+ series is Oscar Isaac, who assumes the role of Marvel's
moon-themed vigilante. Isaac is, of course, no stranger to big franchises or comic adaptations,
having played Poe Dameron in the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy and En Sabah Nur in "X-Men:
Apocalypse." Furthermore, Isaac is a comic book fan. A graphic novel he's collaborated on,
"Head Wounds: Sparrow," premieres June 21st, 2022. He has expressed a deep affection for
the Disney+ "Moon Knight" series, and is quoted as saying that it's his "baby."
Of course, once any major new hero enters the Marvel Cinematic Universe,
it's only natural to ask if they'll join Earth's Mightiest Heroes?
While Kevin Feige has called "Avengers Endgame" the final Avengers movie,
the team is still clearly active. They even approached Shang-Chi during the credits of
"Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings." Moreover, Jeremy Slater, showrunner of the "Moon
Knight" series, has said he'd love to see Marc Spector's costumed alter ego join the Avengers.
As fans of Moon Knight's comic appearances know, the character has been on multiple Avengers teams,
starting with the fan-favorite West Coast Avengers. Could he be part of
a new Avengers team based out west? Or will Spector's time as one of the
Secret Avengers be adapted into Marvel Cinematic Universe history instead?
Alternatively, he could simply become a part of the already-existing Avengers team.
That is if Valentina Allegra de Fontaine doesn't come to him first to recruit her
for her mystery super-team. Suffice to say, Moon Knight is not short on options.
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