Moon Knight: A different kind of hero
/Growing up as a fan of comic books, I found that I was almost always drawn to stories that centred on dark, brooding vigilante type heroes. But while almost everyone has heard of Batman, Daredevil, and Green Arrow, one character that has remained largely (and undeservedly) unknown for a long time is Moon Knight. With the recent announcement that a live action Moon Knight TV series is coming, what better time to talk about my favourite Marvel character.
Image via Source, image courtesy of feedmecomicart, Art by Greg Smallwood, Colour by Jordie Bellaire, Published by Marvel Comics.
Who is Moon Knight?
To go over the basics, Moon is considered by many to be Marvel’s answer to DC’s Batman. However, while at first glance this might seem true, a look deeper reveals the huge differences between them. To give you a idea of his character, Moon Knight is a vigilante who fights crime at night with an arsenal of high tech gadgets, most of which have a moon or Egyptian theme. He serves the Egyptian god of the moon and vengeance Khonshu. He wears a white costume because he prefers his enemies to see him and be frightened by him, rather than hiding in the shadows, and he isn’t afraid to use lethal force on occasion. A major part of his character is his struggle with mental health which I’ll touch on later.
Origin
To give a brief recount of Moon Knight‘s origin story: Marc Spector is a mercenary who is killed and left for dead in the Egyptian desert. Here he is resurrected by the Egyptian god Khonshu, who in exchange for a second chance at life tells Marc that he must become the moon god’s earthly avatar. Marc accepts, and after being returned to life returns to his home of New York City and establishes himself as Moon Knight, The Fist of Khonshu.
Mental Health
One of the most important parts of Moon Knight as a character is his struggle with Mental Health. Marc Spector suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder. Because of this, a key part of Marc Spector’s character, is that he has 4 personalities. The first is Marc Spector, secret Identity of Moon Knight; the second is Jake Lockley, a New York City cab driver; the third is Steven Grant, a wealthy businessman who runs Spector Corp; and the last is Mr. Knight, a detective/crime fighter for hire and criminal consultant for the NYPD. However, another important part of this facet of his character is that this causes Spector to question whether what he sees is real or just a product of his own fractured mind.
Why He Matters
With the number of superhero movies and TV shows today, I guess it’s worth talking about what makes Moon Knight Important, especially amidst the many other similar characters who are, well, more popular. What sets Moon Knight apart from other comic book characters is that his story is not just his struggle against other villains, it's his struggle with himself to control his disorder and ultimately to just keep himself together. It’s a series and character that takes a look at both being a costumed crime fighter, and dealing with mental health issues in a very compelling and action-packed way. And it is for this reason that Moon Knight stands out in the modern era as hero that matters.
Ryan Trigger
Growing up as a huge fan of comic books, Ryan has read everything from DC and Marvel titles like Batman, Daredevil and Moon Knight to independent titles like Spawn and The Boys. while his knowledge of comic books is vast, he promises to make his posts easy to read.
