What are Moon Knight’s powers?
Oscar Isaac's new Marvel hero has a comic-book history of vague and varying abilities - but what are they?
A brand new hero is about to swoop onto Disney Plus – Moon Knight, also known as Marc Spector, also known as Steven Grant. Played by Star Wars alum Oscar Isaac, the white-robed vigilante is about to expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a very unique way as he works with the ancient Egyptian god, Khonshu.
Spector has dissociative identity disorder, which means he has several different personalities that can take over and live their own separate lives. Spector himself is a mercenary who is a highly skilled fighter, while Steven Grant works in a gift shop and lives a very mundane lifestyle.
The new TV adventure kicks off when Grant realises the truth about his condition and certain trouble Spector has landed him in, as he’s pulled into the world of ancient gods, sinister cults, and the supernatural. Steven isn’t the main personality in the comics, but the show understandably uses him to introduce the audience to the character for the first time.
But when Marc eventually steps into the impressive costume, his skillset gets a little ambiguous. So, what are Moon Knight’s powers?
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Marc Spector is a martial arts expert
The hero made his debut in the comics back in 1975 in Doug Moench’s “Werewolf By Night” #32 where he hunts the titular lycanthrope when working for a group called the Committee. But Moon Knight didn’t get his own ongoing series until 1980, with Moench returning to expand his story.
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On the page, Marc Spector is a former-soldier-turned-mercenary who is left for dead in the Egyptian desert by his future-nemesis Raul Bushman. As he’s dying he crawls into a temple and communes with Khonshu, the God of the Moon, who saves his life in return for becoming his avatar on Earth.
Because of Marc’s time in the Marines, he’s a perfect candidate to be Khonshu’s latest warrior. He’s got an Olympic level of fitness, and he’s trained in different martial arts, which when combined with his skills as a lifelong boxer make him truly formidable in hand-to-hand combat.
Of course, Spector’s also pretty handy with a number of different weapons – and while he tends to favour crescent-shaped throwing knives, he’s a talented marksman with any weapon.
Notably, Marc is much more aggressive with his approach to fighting crime than the likes of Spider-Man or Daredevil. He's racked up a hefty body count over the years, and while he’s not quite as bad as the Punisher he’s not far off either.
Comics readers will definitely remember the time that he carved Bushman’s face off in 2006’s “Moon Knight” #2 by Charlie Huston. Yikes. That’s probably not going to make it into the Disney Plus series.
Still, Moon Knight's violent approach to superheroism definitely makes him more interesting, because his guilt over his actions often impacts his mental state, as well as his relationship with Khonshu.
What abilities does Khonshu grant Moon Knight?
Luckily for Marc, being Khonshu’s avatar on Earth does come with a few perks, like the fact that he’s basically immortal. Anytime Marc is severely injured or even killed, the Moon God resurrects him to fight again. With that said, whenever he’s hovering between life and death, Khonshu often takes the chance to warn Marc about his limitations. Their relationship is strained, because obviously Marc and his various identities would like to live their own lives – but they also realise they have a duty to protect the innocent.
There are a few other abilities that Marc gets as the Fist of Khonshu, including enhanced strength - but only under the light of the full moon. Fandom states that when he’s at full power he can lift up to two tonnes - which is quite impressive for someone who doesn’t have flashy superpowers like some of his fellow Avengers. Moon Knight is also resistant to telepathic attacks thanks to his dissociative identity disorder, with his alternate identities making it a little complicated for telepaths to get inside his head.
The Disney Plus series takes a few liberties with Moon Knight’s powers, mainly when it comes to his costume. In the comics, the suit is a physical thing Marc actually has to put on, but in the series he ‘summons’ it from within himself. The traditional robes are something that Khonshu bestows on someone when he chooses them as his avatar, but it can also change to fit the wearer's needs.
It also appears that any and all of Moon Knight's powers in the show come from the suit itself (including super-healing and strength), rather than being something Marc/Steven has access to at all times.
This is a handy work-around for the globetrotting adventure in the live-action show, as it means Marc/Steven doesn’t have to cart all of the Moon Knight equipment around with him. But it’ll be interesting to see whether he gets an upgrade in future appearances… Come on Kevin Feige, you know you want to give him the giant Moon glider!
Moon Knight releases new episodes on Disney Plus on Wednesdays – sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.
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