Moon Knight Powers – Moon Knight (Marc Spector) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin, the character first appeared in Werewolf by Night #32 (August 1975).
The son of a rabbi, Marc Spector was a former Marine and CIA operative who became a mercenary, despite his conflicted feelings about violence and morality. During a job in Sudan, Spector was appalled when ruthless fellow mercenary Raoul Bushman attacked and killed archeologist Dr. Alraune.
After saving the archeologist’s daughter and colleague, Marlene Alraune, Spector was then mortally wounded by Bushman before finding himself drawn to a recently unearthed tomb for shelter and placed before a statue of the Egyptian moon god Khonshu. Spector dies, but is then suddenly revived, fully healed. He claims Khonshu wants him to be the “moon’s knight”, redeeming his life of violence by now protecting and avenging the innocent.
While early stories imply Spector is merely insane, it is later revealed Khonshu is real, one of several entities from the Othervoid (a dimension outside normal time and space) who were worshipped as gods by ancient Earth people. On his return to the United States, Spector invests his mercenary profits into becoming the crimefighter “Moon Knight”, aided by his colleague Jean-Paul “Frenchie” DuChamp and Marlene Alraune, who becomes his lover and eventual mother of his daughter. Along with his costumed alter ego, he primarily uses three other identities to gain information from different social circles: billionaire businessman Steven Grant, taxicab driver Jake Lockley and suited consultant Mr. Knight.
Powers and Abilities
Moon Knight Powers
Enhanced Brain Function: After being brought back to life by the moon god Khonshu, Marc’s brain structure was fundamentally changed, due to being in brain-to-brain contact with him.[30] He states that his brain was “rebuilt as a god’s weapon”. While the full extent of the changes to Marc’s mind are unknown, he has displayed a mental resistance to telepathic attacks. When Hawley had entered Moon Knight’s mind, he was instantly overwhelmed, due to its supernatural nature. Moon Knight had complete control over his mindscape and was able to attack and smother Hawley, leaving him catatonic in the real world.
Immortality
Moon Knight’s pact with Khonshu granted him the advantages of immortality. He has been brought back to life by Khonshu on three occasions.
Moon Knight Abilities
Over the course of his life as a boxer, U.S. Marine, mercenary, and costumed superhero, Marc Spector has become an expert at hand-to-hand combat techniques and various martial arts. He is an Olympic-level athlete and a skilled acrobat and gymnast, and excels as a combat strategist.
Expert Pilot
He is an excellent pilot and aviator due to his years as a U.S. Marine and a mercenary.
Expert Detective
Spector is a good detective/private investigator with broad skills, knowledge and understanding of the criminal underworld. He also knows many of the streets of New York very well due to being a cab driver in the alias of Jake Lockley.
Interrogation Expert
He is an expert at interrogation often employing military secret police methods of torture.
Master Marksman
He is capable of hurling all types of projectiles with great aim and pin point accuracy as well as an excellent sharpshooter/marksman. He is able to slice a bullet in half with a crescent disc.
Weapons Master
Spector is adept with nearly every weapon ever invented ranging from many types swords, combat knives, batons, chains, brass knuckles, thrown projectiles such as shuriken, longbows, bolos, boomerangs to use of all types of firearms such as pistols, sniper rifles, automatic assault rifles, submachine guns, machine guns, grenade launchers, anti-tank bazooka, and even electronic remote firing stations such as 20/30mm anti-aircraft full auto chain guns, Gatling cannons, mechanized mortars, missile launchers etc.
Master Martial Artist
Spector is a former heavyweight boxing champion who underwent intense training as a commando, intelligence operative and mercenary. He is skilled in armed and unarmed combat with training in Boxing, Judo, Krav Maga, Silat, Dambe, Savate, Escrima, Karate, Muay Thai and Kung Fu.
Multilingual
In addition to English, Spector is fluent in Symkarian[139] and Arabic.[140]
Pain Resistance
Insanity, torture, spiritually gifted, or simply numb from all the years of damage to his body, Moon Knight has an incredibly high tolerance and strong threshold for pain.
Telepathic Resistance
Spector’s multiple personalities give him some protection against certain psychic powers such as possession or mental control.
Physical Strength
Currently, Spector has the strength of a normal human male of his age, height, and build who engages in intensive regular exercise. He could formerly press lift twice his bodyweight; 450 lbs, but since losing his powers he has been routinely weightlifting and is likely stronger.
Moon Knight Weaknesses
Brain damage/mental illness
It has been stated that Marc suffers from “a madness so powerful it can only be described as magic”. While it was initially believed Marc suffered from dissociative identity disorder, it was determined that the different personas he has developed throughout his life are a consequence of having become Khonshu’s avatar. Khonshu is said to have four aspects; Pathfinder, Embracer, Defender, and the Watcher of overnight travelers. Spector cycles through these aspects, and his brain applies identities to them in order to explain them. In essence, Marc’s mind has been “colonized” by Khonshu, and the different personalities Marc displays are a way to cope with the damage.
Moon Knight Paraphernalia
Moon Knight’s Suit
Spector’s original costume included Kevlar armor. It had a built-in two-way radio system so that Spector could summon du Champ, who typically provided backup in a helicopter. Spector later upgraded the Kevlar to Adamantium, and du Champ added dart launchers to the gauntlets.
Glider Cloak
Although Spector cannot fly, he can spread his cloak and slow his descent from great heights. To a slight extent he can steer his fall. Because it must be flexible, the cloak is not armored. Du Champ created the cloak.
Carbonadium Armored Vestment
Before he moved to the West Coast to operate there, he was wearing a costume that was made of carbonadium which he claimed was almost as tough as adamantium but more flexible. The suit had several features identified: Crescent Dart Launchers in his wrist, Crescent Cable line used for swinging or for grappling, jump jets, laser cutting torch, and a few other features.
Moon Knight’s Weapons
Ankhs
This Egyptian symbol made of gold lit up in the face of imminent danger. Like the truncheon above, it could serve as a thrown or hand-held club.
Crescent Darts
Most likely his favorite weapon, these symmetrical throwing blades function as “calling cards” as well as weapons. Spector keeps a dozen of them in protective holsters spaced around his belt.
Truncheon
This ingenious device functions as a simple club, nunchaku, and a grappling hook.
Crescent Launcher Pistols
He also used 2 pistols which fired crescent darts with cables that allowed him to grapple, trip or pin his enemies to surfaces.
Energy Shield
Buck Lime built him an energy shield similar to Captain America’s Vibranium shield..
Silver Cestus
On his first mission as Moon Knight (bringing in the Werewolf By Night for the Committee), Spector wore two silver cesti on his arms.
References
