Moon Knight in the MCU

It was 1980 and I found myself at my weekly visit to the comic rack at the Food 4 Less store while my parents shopped for groceries. I went in looking for the latest Uncanny X-Men, Amazing Spider-Man, or Captain America issue, but those Marvel heroes would soon see their favored status put in jeopardy by the first issue of a new comic.

There on the metal spinner rack was with its 50 cent price tag and yellow title, sat Moon Knight issue number one. The Premiere Issue, as was printed on it! I was drawn to this character dressed all in white who seemed to be busting off the cover ready to do justice to any ne'er do well who opposed him. This creation of Doug Moench, and accompanied by the incredible artwork of Bill Sienkiewicz, became my number one must read comic each month. Over the years Moon Knight solidified his position as a favorite Marvel character.

Flash forward forty years later and the news that Disney Plus plans to launch a Moon Knight series that takes place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe fills me with elation. Much to the annoyance of my wife and kids, who were regaled with all the amazing details about Moon Knight, I spent the next few days all encompassed by this news. The more people I talked to, the more I realized this amazing Marvel character was not as well known as I felt he deserved to be.

With the introduction of Moon Knight, who will be played by acting superstar Oscar Issacs, to a wider audience I thought it would be beneficial for people to get some background of the Fist of Khonshu. A little feel for the character from the comics who may see his status as a second tier hero be catapulted into top tier status, much the same as what happened with Iron Man with his Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.

The character-

Former Marine and CIA agent, Marc Spector, was working as mercenary in Sudan when he had a run in with another mercenary, Raoul Bushman. Spector and Bushman fight after Raoul kills an archaeologist, and Marc saves the archaeologist’s daughter. Bushman defeats Spector and his dying body is carried into a newly unearthed tomb. In the tomb he is laid before the statue of Khonshu, the Egyptian moon god. Khonshu revives Marc Spector and tasks him to be the moon’s knight and he must redeem himself from his past violence by protecting and avenging the innocent.

Marc returns to the United States and becomes the crime fighter known as Moon Knight. He uses two different alter egos to gather information- businessman Steven Grant and taxicab driver Jake Lockley. He is also aided by a former colleague “Frenchie” DuChamp and Marlene Alraune, the daughter of the archaeologist he saved in Sudan.

Marc is an Olympic level athlete and an expert in multiple combat fighting techniques. His fighting style is very unorthodox because of his high pain level tolerance. In a fight he would rather take a punch then try to dodge or block it. This left many of his opponents at a disadvantage. His costume has built in armor protection and he carries a variety of handheld weapons, none cooler than the silver crescent-darts he would unleash on his enemies.

Over the years different writers undertook various changes to the character, but at the core Moon Knight has remained the ultra cool hero I first found in 1980. As I wrap this part up I need to clarify a couple of points. First, the number one issue I found in 1980 wasn’t the first appearance of Moon Knight, that came in Werewolf by Night #32. I would later go back and track down these early appearances that came before he got his own series. Second, I have to admit that maybe a large part of the appeal of Moon Knight came from the comparison one could make with Batman. One of my older brothers had a severe dislike, for a reason unbeknownst to me, of DC comics and for many years of my youth, DC comics were not welcomed in our home. This was my chance to secretly rebel against his anti-DC establishment rule.

Reading order-

Thanks mostly in part to the excellent Marvel Unlimited app I have been able to be reunited with the character leading into his debut on the Disney Plus show. There is a new interest in the character in Marvel comics with a recent story arc in The Avengers and a brand new solo series for Moon Knight. I will close this out with what I have been able to piece together as a good order to read about the Fist of Khonshu- Moon Knight.

Here are a couple of good websites that have reading orders for you catch up with this marvelous character-

https://marvelguides.com/moon-knight

https://comicbookreadingorders.com/marvel/characters/moon-knight-reading-order/

“Told him I don't wear white to hide myself. I wear it so they'll see me coming. So they'll know who it is. 'Cause when they see the white, it doesn't matter how good a target I am. Their hands shake so bad, they couldn't hit the moon” ~ Marc Spector