Marc SpectorMoon Knight

Mercenary Marc Spector dies but returns to life in the shadow of Khonshu, the Egyptian god of the moon. Spector becomes Moon Knight, the Fist of Khonshu, to fight evil and defend all those who travel at night.

Moonstruck

Born to a rabbi whose family fled Europe in the 1930s to escape the Holocaust, Marc eschews its history and beliefs, cutting his own path through life by becoming a heavyweight boxer, a United States Marine, and finally a CIA operative. The organization’s practices ultimately disgust him and his brother Randall, AKA Shadowknight’s betrayal cuts deep, so Spector ejects whatever morals he had and falls into mercenary work that takes him around the globe. During this dark time, he makes friends with Jean-Paul DuChamp, AKA Frenchie, one of the only bright spots in the violent profession of a hired gun.

Tiring of overthrowing governments and assassinations, Spector enters into the orbit of an extreme terrorist named Raoul Bushman, AKA Bushman, who turns on him and leaves him to die in the harsh Egyptian desert. Locals drag him to a nearby ancient tomb and into the hands of Marlene Alaurune, the daughter of an archaeologist murdered by Bushman. Near dead, Spector rises up to find a statue of the Egyptian deity Khonshu looming over him and believes it to have saved his life. He proceeds to smash Bushman’s operations with Frenchie’s help and later realizes he’d gained a new outlook on life.

Spector returns to the U.S. with his friends and starts creating not only a costumed identity he dubs Moon Knight, but two other personalities to aid him in his war on crime, millionaire Steven Grant and cab driver Jake Lockley. Marc uses Grant’s personality to purchase a large estate using the fortune he builds as the mercenary Moon Knight. Marc's Lockley personality keeps him in touch with the criminal world, and makes allies such as Bertrand Crawley, a houseless man who lives on the streets of New York, and Brooklyn diner owner Gena Landers and her sons Ray and Ricky, who are all informants to Lockley. With all this support, from his allies and his additional personalities, as well as Frenchie as his pilot, Moon Knight begins to make an impression on the rest of New York City’s heroes.

Moonscape

Marc’s CIA career and mercenary work adds to his boxing skills to endow him with not only strength and endurance, but also with a high degree of tactical and strategic skills, as well as combat and weapons expertise. Beyond boxing, he knows several martial arts, is a talented athlete and gymnast, and can speak several languages. Unfortunately, these abilities are balanced by an uneven mental state that manifests itself in bouts of depression and multiple identity disorder.

Over his years as Moon Knight, Spector exhibits periodic demonstrations of supernatural powers, such as enhanced strength during nights with full moons, prophetic visions, and dreams, and the ability to drain another person’s life energies through physical contact.

Moon Knight’s chief weapons are his truncheons, which can act as a grappling hook or nunchucks. He wields a variety of silver throwing darts shaped like crescent moons and occasionally dons a silver cestus studded with spikes on each arm. His cape can serve as a makeshift glider. He occasionally wields a bow and arrows. When he serves the Priests of Khonshu, Moon Knight wields an ankh as a club as well as an ax, a boomerang, throwing irons and bolas. Most of these Egyptian weapons are designed by the time-displaced Clint Barton, AKA Hawkeye. Moon Knight has been known to wear protective Adamantium armor and wields an Adamantium staff, gauntlets that can fire crescent darts and a number that explode upon impact. He also wields various firearms and explosives.

For transportation, Moon Knight employs a variety of sophisticated aircrafts piloted by either Frenchie or Ray Johnson. His primary vessel is the Mooncopter, and he uses the Angelwing. Each vehicle features a vertical take-off and landing, communications equipment patched to a transceiver in Moon Knight’s cowl, a rope ladder and 20 mm cannons.

Moonflowers

Though Marc Spector’s often-erratic behavior and struggles with multiple identities causes much friction between him and his associates, he manages to form a few close relationships that stand the test of time.

Jean-Paul DuChamp becomes Marc’s almost-constant companion after they meet in Africa, and it was Marc who nicknames the French-born mercenary “Frenchie.” DuChamp is instrumental in helping Moon Knight in his early days as a costumed champion as the pilot of the Mooncopter and a man-at-arms for Marc’s various missions. Though driven away at times by his friend’s mental health issues, Frenchie usually returns to provide support and friendship when Marc needs it the most.

Despite her father’s brutal death and the upturning of her entire life, Marlene Alaurune decides to follow Marc on his path and become not only his lover, but also a stable base for his occasional unhinged psychological state. Like Frenchie, Marlene breaks her ties with Spector from time to time, but realizes the pressures he endures and returns to see them through with him as a confidant and ally. Marc later discovers that he fathers a daughter with Marlene while in his Lockley personality, and her name is Diatrice. 

When needing to track down his serial killer brother Randall, Moon Knight establishes a secret Shadow Cabinet to help him accomplish the task. The cabinet consists of a group of criminals, executives, police officers, doctors, and street kids who all have special skills and act as his informants. 

Mooneyes

The enmity in Marc’s life begins early with the great chasm that grows between him and his brother Randall. During their time together in the CIA, Randall’s double-dealing with foreign powers explodes into an outright war between the brothers, resulting in Randall murdering Spector’s then-girlfriend and receiving a beating so brutal as to psychologically scar him for life. Randall returns at various times to cause more grief for his brother, mostly as the villainous Shadowknight.

Moon Knight’s other defining opponents include the terrorist Raoul Bushman, the corrupt politician who poses as Black Spectre, and the Egyptian deity Seth. In addition, the deity Khonshu himself stands as a polarizing figure in Marc’s life, providing resurrection and new life, but also perhaps a chief component in Moon Knight’s mental disorders.

Moonshines

One of Moon Knight’s first missions involved infiltrating the mysterious criminal organization called the Committee and accepting their assignment to capture the werewolf Jack Russell, AKA Werewolf by Night. Armed with special silver weapons provided by the group, Spector brought Russell in by force, but later freed him to bring the Committee members to ruin. Following that, Moon Knight aided various heroes such as Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man, Ben Grimm, AKA the Thing, and The Defenders, and also squared off against his brother Randall again and left believing he’d killed him.

More missions brought more adversaries for Spector, including rematches with Jack Russell and Bushman, who attempted to take the Khonshu statue Moon Knight brought to New York from Egypt. When the terrorist apparently destroyed the statue, Spector suffered one of his first real mental breakdowns until Marlene revealed she possessed the real one. Spector’s sanity continued to deteriorate through encounters with a villain called Black Spectre and the theft of his father’s corpse by a former student of Elias Spector, and when he debated abandoning all his alternate identities to preserve his mental balance, priests of Khonshu arrived in the city to convince Spector of his status as an avatar of the deity. Now with enhanced strength during full moons, Moon Knight flew off to help the West Coast Avengers on a time-travel mission to ancient Egypt and fell deeper under the power of Khonshu.

The deity’s overwhelming influence led to Spector accepting Avengers membership against his will, but despite a romantic fling with fellow member Greer Nelson, AKA Tigra, he left the team over a disagreement with the Avengers’ code against killing. Later, the so-called “Son of Satan” Daimon Hellstrom, AKA Hellstorm, used his arcane abilities to drive Khonshu from Moon Knight’s body and mind. Returning to New York City, he renewed his relationship with Marlene and met Midnight, a young hero who wanted to become Spector’s partner. After a mission to the country of Bosqueverde with the mercenary Silver Sablinova, AKA Silver Sable, Spector returned to discover Midnight’s adopting of his Moon Knight persona in a battle with the Secret Empire organization. The group transformed the young man into a murderous cyborg, forcing Spector to team up with various heroes to crush them.

Still alive, Randall Spector reappeared as Shadowknight to challenge his brother again, a clash that ended in Moon Knight’s second turn at fratricide. Wanting to start his entire life anew, he created a business called Spectorcorp and adopted new adamantium armor, weapons, and a harder edge to his crime fighting. The Avengers placed Moon Knight on trial for supposedly abusing membership privileges, leading Spector to cut all ties with the team. Soon after, in a fight with the demonic Hellbent and their leader, Moon Knight exhibited the new power to drain others’ lifeforce by simply touching them. Unfortunately, the Hellbent’s computer virus forced Spector to destroy his own headquarters and himself with it to stop the virus’ spread and endangering lives.

Denied the comfort of the grave, Marc Spector returned to life through the power of Khonshu and with Marlene and Frenchie again at his side he revived his Moon Knight persona to enter into war with Seth, an Egyptian deity in direct opposition of Khonshu. Later, Spector financed operations for a group of heroes who sought the Punisher and together they clashed with villains both low and high. In the end, Spector lost much of his fortune in the deal when the team’s headquarters was destroyed, forcing Moon Knight’s retirement from active crime fighting.

Perhaps sadly for Marc Spector, the costumed life called again, but at the expense of serious bodily injury due to a battle with Bushman. With his legs crippled and his mental state once again unbalanced, he forced Marlene and Frenchie away from him as he struggled with visions of Khonshu assailing him. When a new Committee hired Taskmaster to assassinate Moon Knight, Spector regained the use of his legs to beat them. Now even more violent and prone to maim villains in addition to defeating them, Moon Knight came under the scrutiny of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the then-recently enacted Superhuman Registration Act. Spector accepted registration and a role with the super hero Initiative, but when framed for murder by Black Spectre he lost his license and was ordered to retire once more.

Never taking the SHRA seriously, Spector returned to costumed activity almost immediately to hunt down Black Spectre and very publicly kill him. Later, as a fugitive from the law, he faked his own death and took up his Jake Lockley identity again, as well as mercenary work. When he later brought Moon Knight back to New York City and completely rejected Khonshu, Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America, invited Spector to join the Secret Avengers.

Randall Spector returned from the afterlife once more to disrupt his brother’s life by beating Marlene to the extent of ending her pregnancy. Moon Knight accepted Khonshu again to gain the power to beat Randall with the mystical Sapphire Crescent artifact and re-adopted his own Marc Spector persona following yet another mental breakdown. His new path took him far away to Los Angeles where he created not only a Moon Knight television series, but new personas resembling Spider-Man, Captain America, and Wolverine. He teamed with the vigilante Echo to clash with Count Nefaria posing as the criminal Kingpin, but when Echo died in the battle, Spector took on an Echo-like persona to wreak terrible vengeance on his enemies.

Back in New York City in the aftermath, Spector divided his crime fighting time between handling more extreme and often supernatural cases as Moon Knight with a more debonair, police-friendly role as Mr. Knight. Further mental instability drove him into an institution, a renewed relationship with Khonshu, and yet another break-up with Marlene. During a fight with Bushman and the deity Ra posing as the Sun King, Spector recently discovered he’d fathered a child with Marlene while under his Lockley persona, a situation that came as a complete surprise to him.

Resurfacing in Los Angeles as the creator and producer of the “Legends of Khonshu” television show, Marc received a visit from Wolverine, Spider-Man, and Captain America. They needed his help to deal with the criminal activity that migrated from the East Coast to the West, that the people needed protection, and he should get to work. They offered to be at his beck and call, noting that he was an Avenger now and that’s what that means, to not be alone. So he intercepted an illegal delivery of a robot body in the form of Ultron and went head to head with Mr. Hyde but barely escaped. He informed the trio of Avengers, who were actually his new personalities, but Marc did not appear to realize it. Thankfully they were there, Marc and his personalities tried to figure out the mystery together. When these illusions offered to tag in for a fight, Marc would dress up as them and take on their personality traits, suppressing his own personality. While fighting as Spider-Man, and losing, a stripper intervened. He woke up in bed next to her the next day and found that she was actually Avenger Maya Lopez, AKA Echo, who blew her cover to save him. He teamed up with her to clash with Count Luchino Nefaria, AKA Count Nefaria, posing as the criminal Kingpin, but when Echo died in the battle, Spector then took on an Echo-like persona to wreak terrible vengeance on his enemies.

While Moon Knight became known as a dangerous vigilante, New York’s Detective Flint still wanted his help to investigate crimes. As a way to avoid restraining Moon Knight with force, which were his standing orders, Flint began calling him Mr. Knight and ordered his officers to do the same. Mr. Knight was much more debonair, dressed to the nines in a white suit with a coordinated mask. In this persona, he helped solve murders, kidnapping crimes, and supernatural cases. His Moon Knight persona continued to engage in vigilantism. Before this personality emerged, he saw psychologist Dr. Elisa Warsame who determined he did not have Dissociative Identity Disorder, noting that Khonshu had four different aspects, the Pathfinder, Embracer, Defender, and the Watcher of overnight travelers. Plus, in Marc’s more vengeful secret aspect, The One Who Lives On Hearts. She believed that he cycles through those aspects, and diagnosed him with brain damage. She suggested that the ancient consciousness of Khonshu colonized his brain, and his brain struggled to understand what happened to it, responding by applying identities. It wasn’t until much later that Elisa had manipulated him the whole time to take Khonshu from him, including his powers and personalities. Khonshu ultimately left her and returned to Spector and he stopped her from assassinating General Aliman Lor.

Not long afterward, Marc woke up in an insane asylum without powers. It forced him to question his sanity but in reality, the hospital and his experience there was an illusion to cure him. He faced his other personalities and instead of suppressing them, he embraced them, and gained control. His renewed relationship with Khonshu resulted in resuming his Moon Knight persona, and faced yet another break-up with Marlene. He then came up against terrorist Bushman and the deity Ra posing as the Sun King. Spector recently discovered he’d fathered a child with Marlene while under his Lockley persona, a situation that came as a complete surprise to him. Now with a daughter named Diatrice, and Marlene kidnapped by the villains, Marc battled the Sun King and defeated him.

Though their rivalry did not last when the cult Société des Sadiques led by Ernst, AKA Yitz Perlman, wanted Marc to join them and demanded he go through trials, with the final trial requiring him to kill a child. Facing physical and spiritual trials, Marc ultimately slayed Ernst and joined forces with Sun King to take out his acolytes before they killed Diatrice. During this time, he interacted with his other personalities Jake Lockley and Steven Grant.

When a disease from K’un-Lun infected Manhattan, Marc was pivotal in helping to contain the contagion. He worked with other heroes including Jessica Jones and by infecting himself with the virus, it allowed him to free other heroes like Pei who then liberated the other victims. 

Marc then investigated a prophetic dream by order of Khonshu and ended up time traveling back to the late 1500s England after encountering the cult of Set the Elder God. In England, he met Solomon Kane and fought a boat’s crew who had been possessed by Set. Traveling to Italy, Marc discovered their lair and an artifact that transported Marc to Eternal Egypt where he Khonshu faced and defeated Set. Afterward, Marc and Solomon met Conant and Dark Agnes, and they all realized they were being manipulated by Wyrm the whole time and fought him. Khonshu then gave Marc the ability to return to his time.

Marc’s next battle occurred after he had visions about a world-ending event caused by Mephisto. He was assisted by the Cult of Khonshu to absorb powers from Dr. Stephen Strange, AKA Doctor Strange, Robbie Reyes, AKA Ghost Rider, Danny Rand, AKA Iron Fist, and Thor Odinson, AKA Thor. Marc as Moon Knight apparently killed Mephisto and gave his powers to Khonshu who usurped Manhattan, calling it New Thebes City, and prepared for global domination. The Avengers meanwhile became fugitives since they had given the infant Starbrand safe harbor, whom Khonshu sought. While Khonshu’s madness increased, Moon Knight visited the Moon and the Unseen encouraged him to seek out another power. In a battle with T’Challa, AKA Black Panther, he prayed to the Phoenix Force and it answered his call. As its host, Moon Knight defeated Khonshu with the help of the Avengers. When the Phoenix tried to get Marc to destroy Earth, he rejected it and Thor knocked him out which helped free him from the cosmic entity. Black Panther invited him to join the Avengers to avoid the prophesized future, but he refused since they had intervened when he tried to stop Mephisto in the first place.

Moon Knight continued his vigilantism while Spector as Mr. Knight started a church, taking Khonshu’s mission upon himself, and called it the Midnight Mission to protect those that travel at night. He also started seeing psychiatrist Dr. Andrea Sterman, who was requested by the Avengers. Spector took on an assistant, Reese, who struggled to contain her vampirism, and sought to dismantle the organized group of vampires known as the Structure that turned her. Though taking in this vampire attracted Khonshu’s other fist, Dr. Yeha Badr, AKA Hunter’s Moon, who didn’t approve of such blasphemy and attacked him at the mission. Moon Knight defeated the new player by knocking him unconscious. 

Moon Knight also allied with several locals, Terry and a veteran nicknamed Soldier. Though “Terry” turned out to be the Super Villain Zodiac who severely beat Moon Knight and abducted Dr. Sterman. Zodiac replaced her with the shape-shifter Waxman, whom Moon Knight exposed and defeated by sealing him in cement. Moon Knight set out on a rescue mission with allies Tigra and assassin Rutherford Winner, another patient of Sterman’s. They retrieved Sterman but Zodiac and his gang attacked Moon Knight’s Midnight Mission where Reese and Soldier attempted to defend it. Desperate, Moon Knight contacted Khonshu for help in getting there in time in return for a favor owed. Zodiac mortally wounded Soldier and Moon Knight attempted revenge but his Steven Grant persona emerged to stop it. Soldier was revived as a vampire as Moon Knight was pursued by the Structure’s assassins Nemean and Grand Mal on orders from their leader, the Tutor. Meanwhile, Moon Knight convened with his alternate selves, Grant and Jake Lockley and they agreed to work together to achieve their goals. When the assassins attempted to take out Moon Knight, he nearly died but survived thanks to the intervention of Tigra and Hunter’s Moon, though the latter was slain.

Moon Knight retaliated, capturing the assassins, and with Tigra crashed the Structure’s next gathering. A resurrected Hunter’s Moon joined the battle and helped defeat the vampires. Moon Knight and his Shadow Cabinet were soon targeted by a pair of brainwashed assassins known as the Harlequin Hit Men, who successfully killed several members of the cabinet. Moon Knight captured the Hit Men and turned them over to his therapist, Dr. Andrea Sterman. Meanwhile, Moon Knight requested aid from the half-human, half vampire Eric Brooks, AKA Blade, to help his assistant, Reese, navigate her new life as a recently turned vampire.

Moon Knight and his allies were soon attacked by strange and deadly villains from his past. When Moon Knight’s old foe Morpheus was approached by the shadowy mastermind behind the attacks, he refused to cooperate and suffered a mortal wound. Before he died, he revealed his killer’s identity to Moon Knight: a new incarnation of the Black Spectre but their actual identity and ultimate goals remained a mystery.