Warning! Spoilers ahead for Moon Knight #5
In Marvel’s new Moon Knight, Marc Spector proves that there’s one way in which he’ll always be superior to Peter Parker’s Spider-Man. While there have been times in past comics where Peter has wished to simply be himself and live a life without his responsibilities as Spider-Man, Spector would never even attempt to leave his role as the Fist of Khonshu behind even while being at odds with his god. However, his reasons are incredibly tragic as Marc explains to his therapist in this new issue.
In previous issues of Moon Knight from writer Jed MacKay and artist Alessandro Cappuccio, Marc Spector has returned to New York, protecting his territory and those who live in the area near his Midnight Mission. However, this has come after a major conflict with the Avengers that saw Marc blindly serving the Egyptian moon god Khonshu who ordered him to take the primordial powers of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. However, Marc eventually began to resist his god, and he’s likewise done nothing to liberate Khonshu from his captivity in Asgard after the Avengers took him down. That being said, Marc is still operating as Moon Knight despite no longer serving his god in this new series and Moon Knight #5 reveals why.
In past comics, Peter Parker has at times explored the possibility of no longer being Spider-Man, the most famous time being in 1967’s Amazing Spider-Man #50 when Parker put his suit in the garbage, declaring “Spider-Man no more” as he walked away. However, Marc Spector reveals in this new issue that that’s something he won’t be doing anytime soon considering how little he actually likes being Marc. As Moon Knight, he can forget about the man who lives behind the mask with all of his problems, flaws, and regrets. Furthermore, Marc has sacrificed too much to be Moon Knight to ever hang his cape even with circumstances change (like rejecting Khonshu).
Naturally, this is very tragic reasoning for why Marc has no desire to stop being Moon Knight. He also goes on to say that it’s no wonder he developed Dissociative Identity Disorder with all of his other personas residing within his psyche. In his mind, why would he ever want to just be Marc? While his commitment and dedication could be seen as an advantage over a hero like Spider-Man, that doesn’t mean there’s not a steep cost.
Given Moon Knight and Spider-Man’s shared status as New York-based heroes, it’s always fun to compare and contrast just how different/similar they are. In this case, Marc is better than Peter Parker on the level of commitment. It’s unlikely Spector could ever imagine saying the words “Moon Knight no more” at this stage in his vigilante career, having given and sacrificed too much to ever quit being Moon Knight in the Marvel Universe.
