History ComicBook / MoonKnight

As Spector lay dying, Khonshu appeared to him in a vision and offered to bring him back to life if he became the god's avatar on Earth. He did. After repaying his new ArchEnemy Bushman, he went back to America with Frenchie and the late Dr. Alraune's daughter, Marlene. Deciding to become a crime-fighter, Spector created a silver-cloaked costume and became the Moon Knight.

Marc Spector, also known as the Moon Knight, is a Creator/MarvelComics superhero who debuted in ''ComicBook/WerewolfByNight'' vol. 1 #32 (August, 1975). He was created by Creator/DougMoench and Don Perlin. Spector was once a U.S. Marine, but quit and became a mercenary when he went to Egypt. There, he befriended French pilot Jean-Paul [=DuChamp=], often referred to simply as "Frenchie", while working for Raoul Bushman. The trio soon found an archaeological dig that unearthed a temple to the moon god Khonshu, with a statue of Khonshu within. Bushman decided to loot the site, and in so doing, killed the lead researcher, Dr. Alraune. In response, Spector picked a fight with Bushman that [[CurbStompBattle did not go as well as planned]].

Later incarnations have given him dissacociative identity disorder (DID) [[SplitPersonality which made Jake and Steven separate alters rather than secret identities]], though Steven and Jake being written as separate people has been a thing since his first run. Other identities of his have also been treated as alters. He's commonly seen as a CaptainErsatz of Franchise/{{Batman}}, due to the "millionaire playboy" Steven Grant and cape-wearing, overly-thematic nighttime vigilantism. Strictly speaking, he has a lot more in common with Radio/TheShadow, also the chief inspiration for Batman, but writers have often used him for a sideways commentary and {{deconstruction}} of DC's greatest [[TheCowl Cowl]], usually as a contrast -- people may ask if Batman is as troubled as the villains he fights, but Moon Knight ''definitely'' is.

** [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Of another "knight",]] but with DivergentCharacterEvolution leading to some heavy shades of {{Deconstruction}} and {{Foil}}. Both are [[TerrorHero Terror Heroes]], but Batman fights from darkness, while Moon Knight wears white so people see him coming. While Batman has his entire (Bat-)family, as well as his [[TrueCompanions friends]] in the Justice League, Moon Knight is a perennial D-lister with virtually no friends, and a third-string Avenger. And while ([[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation most]]) writers portray Batman to be (in the context of his weird universe) actually entirely sane and rational, Moon Knight is the cape-wearing vigilante if his sanity were ''legitimately'' unstable.

** Often referenced in his own series. He even recalls his time as an Avenger: "Sent me to the [[Comicbook/WestCoastAvengers West coast B team]]." He finally made it to the A-List as a member of the Secret Avengers. The only problem is that nobody else knows he's A-list now. In his 2011 series, he finds himself unwittingly up against [[spoiler:Count Nefaria, a man who has taken on the Avengers in the past (as in: all of them, at once, by himself)]], who is more than a little irate his plans are being tripped up by someone he didn't even ''recognise'' at first.

* CorruptedCharacterCopy: Moon Knight is basically what ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' would be if Bruce Wayne wasn't ''possibly'' an insane masochistic TripleShifter but a flat out delusional, incurably [[AxCrazy violent]] KnightTemplar with only a few token nods taken towards [[CombatSadomasochist his own self preservation]], to the point he has no concept of stealth. Moon Knight's still an ultimately good, if needlessly dangerous crime fighter [[DownplayedTrope however]], motivated by what he sees as [[TheAtoner past moral failings]] as a mercenary.

* HunterOfMonsters: Is known as this for supernatural and street level enemies. His first ever appearance had him battling against Comicbook/WerewolfByNight, and the 2014 series seems to have restored him going up against street level violence as well as supernatural and just strange threats.

** One storyline in the 1990s series had Moon Knight encountering multiple alternate Moon Knights, many of whom were references to other heroes ("Mr Spector" is Comicbook/TheSpirit; Moon Man is Golden Age Comicbook/{{Batman}}; Dark Moon is ''Comicbook/TheDarkKnightReturns'' Batman; Moon Ghost is WesternAnimation/SpaceGhost.)

* WalkingArmory: His arsenal is pretty unstable, having used a spiked gauntlet, a bow, guns that fire bolas, and a whole bunch of other weapons. His main weapons, however, are a truncheon that can become a grappling hook or nunchuks, and "crescent darts", shurikens shaped like a crescent moon. In the Secret Avengers, he uses a gun that shoots crescent shocktoxin darts. At one point in the Secret Avengers he uses an [[Comicbook/CaptainAmerica energy shield]], [[ComicBook/SpiderMan web-shooters]], and [[ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} metal claws]].

* ''Vengeance of the Moon Knight'' vol 1 (2009) #1-10

* ''Vengeance of the Moon Knight'' vol 2 (2024) #1-present (direct follow-on from Volume 9)

In 2021, a new series spun-off of Moon Knight's appearance in ''ComicBook/TheAvengersJasonAaron'', written by Creator/JedMacKay with art by Alessandro Cappuccio. In this incarnation, Moon Knight now runs a "Midnight Mission" that helps those who travel by night, while Khonshu sits imprisoned in Asgard. Still, "Marc Spector, in whichever guise he dons, is back on the streets, a renegade priest of an unworthy god."

* ''Vengeance of the Moon Knight'' (2009) #1-10

* ''ComicBook/{{Moon Knight|2021}}'' vol 9 (2021) #1-present

* TheAtoner: In the series ''Vengeance of the Moon Knight'', he genuinely tries to become a true hero, who doesn't kill, disable or mutilate his opponents.

* CommutingOnABus: Moon Knight's supporting characters were largely confirmed to have been phased out in Ellis's run, explained as them having grown sick of Marc's instability and moving on with their lives. This doesn't stop Jeff Lemire, Max Bemis and Jed [=MacKay=] from bringing back the likes of Marlene or Frenchie for more adventures with him, though Lemire's usage of them is [[MindScrew extremely ambiguous]]. Bemis brought Marlene back long-term, while [=MacKay=] brought her back for a one-off as she needed Marc's help.

* CorruptedCharacterCopy: Moon Knight is basically what ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' would be if Bruce Wayne wasn't ''possibly'' an insane masochistic TripleShifter but flat out delusional, incurably [[AxCrazy violent]] KnightTemplar with only a few token nods taken towards [[CombatSadomasochist his own self preservation]], to the point he has no concept of stealth. Moonknight's still an ultimately good, if needlessly dangerous crime fighter [[DownPlayedTrope however]], motivated by what he sees as [[TheAtoner past moral failings]] as a mercenary.

* {{Deconstruction}}: Usually viewed as one to TheCowl archetype heroes. As it turns out, spending almost every waking hour beating up criminals, pushing your mind and body to its limits, and getting into life or death scrapes with superhumans ''really'' does a number on your psyche - though Moon Knight's was troubled to begin with. His stories often make note that the only way anyone could go through with this kind of lifestyle is by being unstable to begin with. Ol' Moonie has no interests outside of crime fighting, and Steven Grant being a seperate alter can be easily interpreted as an extreme version of Batman's idea of "Brucie Wayne" being seemingly a seperate person. In essence, Moon Knight is every joke about the mental instability of Batman, Daredevil, The Phantom and Spawn played dead straight. [[HorrifyingHero And it sure]] [[MindScrew as hell]] [[NightmareFuel isn't funny.]]

* EvilCostumeSwitch: [[spoiler:His sidekick, Midnight.]] Oddly enough, it hasn't happened to Moon Knight himself in the 616-universe. In the Ultimate universe, at one point he creates a fake villain persona known as Ronin in order to work his way into the Kingpin's organization and ends up BecomingTheMask.

* JerkassGods: In the arc "The Bottom", Khonshu is revealed to be something of a Jerkass God, as well as a BloodKnight. He continues to be this for the rest of the book, and the following ''Vengeance of the Moon Knight'' series both make a running theme of Marc (and Jake) having to resist Khonshu's demand for blood.

* RetCon: Marc's mental illness goes through this back and forth between Warren Ellis' revamp and later Jeff Lemire's relaunch. Ellis openly disliked Marc apparently 'catching' DID by pretending to be other people and so explained this as the result of Khonshu's influence. Lemire, who found the mental illness aspect interesting, brought it back, explaining that Marc had DID ''before'' he became Khonshu's avatar, with 'Steven Grant' first emerging while he was in school (thus, ''not'' the result of him 'catching' it ''or'' the result of Khonshu). It's not quite reached ArmedWithCanon yet, though.

* SherlockScan: A minor enemy of Moon Knight called The Profile specializes in this, literally to the point of it being a superpower. He is eventually defeated due to Moon Knight being an agent of a god. While the Knight himself could be analyzed, the god could not due to not being present.

* SplitPersonality: DependingOnTheWriter, Marc has DID and his system has two other alters - millionare Steven Grant and cabbie Jake Lockley. Moon Knight and Mr. Knight are also occasionally treated as seperate alters.
** In ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'', Moon Knight has 5 different alters, including a little girl. With no eyes.

* {{Thememobile}}: While Moon Knight's Jake Lockley persona ''is'' a cab driver, Moon Knight typically travels by way of a ''moon-shaped helicopter'' piloted by Frenchie and named the Mooncopter.

* TragicVillain: Both Black Spectres, who turn to villainy to be noticed and respected, only to lose everything because of it.

* CorruptedCharacterCopy: Moon Knight is basically what ''Batman'' would be if Bruce Wayne wasn't ''possibly'' an insane masochistic TripleShifter but flat out delusional, incurably [[AxCrazy violent]] KnightTemplar with only a few token nods taken towards [[CombatSadomasochist his own self preservation]], to the point he has no concept of stealth. Moonknight's still an ultimately good, if needlessly dangerous crime fighter [[DownPlayedTrope however]], motivated by what he sees as [[TheAtoner past moral failings]] as a mercenary.