Why Moon Knight Isn't a Mystical Batman Knockoff
Moon Knight makes his small-screen debut on Disney Plus and the Batman comparisons heat up.
- Though Kourtnee hasn't won any journalism awards yet, she's been a Netflix streaming subscriber since 2012 and knows the magic of its hidden codes.
Marvel's Moon Knight lands on Disney Plus. He's not really like that knight who patrols Gotham.
Whenever Marvel decides to bring one of its darker, more obscure comic book characters into a live-action adaptation, it ignites discussion. Moon Knight is in the spotlight this time. He's been heating up social media not only for his arrival on Disney Plus in a new series, but for comparisons to another masked crusader: Batman.
You may have seen the headlines that say Moon Knight (played by Oscar Isaac) is Marvel's Batman or that he's a rip-off of Bats with a supernatural flair. Nocturnal crimefighter? Check. Penchant for vengeance? Check. On-brand weaponry? Check. But if you dig a little deeper, you'll note that Moon Knight's story is more complex than it seems on the surface, and he's not just some otherworldly version of the Dark Knight.
The two have some people in common
Let's get this out of the way. On paper, Batman and Moon Knight share a little comic book DNA. How? Doug Moench is a prominent comic writer who's done work for both Marvel and DC. He co-created Moon Knight and penned a series of Batman stories in the '80s before giving life to Bane in the '90s. But Moench is responsible for first introducing Moon Knight in the early '70s and keeping the character's storylines alive well into the '90s.
Moench isn't the only one with ties to Moon Knight and Batman. The late Dennis O'Neil tapped into Batman's dark side as a writer for DC during the '70s. When Moon Knight earned a solo series at Marvel in the '80s, it was among the titles that O'Neil edited when he returned to the publisher.
One other name you'll see thrown in the Moon Knight and Batman mix is Frank Miller. The renowned writer authored a few issues for both characters between the '80s and 2000s, including hugely influential The Dark Knight Returns.
Where the characters are alike
The brooding. Nighttime vigilantism. The caped attire. The suffering from past trauma. Batman and Moon Knight share these similarities, and both are willing to go to the "dark side" to take someone down. We know Batman is capable of aggressive beatdowns, but Moon Knight can dish out bloody violence in a way that rivals the Punisher's brutal assaults.
Like Bruce Wayne, Marc Spector has dead parents. Both men are extremely wealthy and use their money to fund their arsenal of weapons and gadgets -- like moon darts or bat darts. One received his fortune through inheritance, the other through smart investments. Though both are cloaked and masked up to strike fear into their adversaries, one wears a dark suit while the other prefers the light, white shade of the moon.
On the inside, however, Batman and Moon Knight are cut from different cloths.
Who is Lunar Legionnaire Moon Knight? Read up on Marc Spector and his (many) personas with our new #MarvelUnlimited comics reading list! Start here for your perfect intro to the Stalker of Night: https://t.co/TIA7DbmhVu pic.twitter.com/soygEAdKcX
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) September 12, 2019
Moon Knight's human, mystical sides set him apart
Longtime fans know that Moon Knight has multiple personalities. Though his real name is Marc Spector, the Disney Plus series kicks off with one of his four alter egos: Steven Grant. Spector spent his adolescent years resenting his father's stance on being passive toward violence. As a teen, he learned how to box and then went on to become a mercenary and CIA agent. Unlike Batman, Spector did this type of work professionally.
Skilled in artillery use, martial arts and other forms of combat, Spector is a force to be reckoned with. It's obvious Batman has no supernatural abilities, but the major difference between the two heroes is Moon Knight's mental state. His dissociative identity disorder runs deep and gradually gets worse, and Marvel even describes him as "unhinged." In the show, we meet Steven and Marc, but in the comic there's also Jake Lockley, Mr. Knight, and a handful of times when Spector's taken on the identity of certain Avengers. To top it off, when have you known Batman to see weird, trippy visions of the Egyptian deity who controls his lunar powers?
With hallucinations, confusing views of his reality, and a tendency to move between even-keeled justice crusader and disturbed rogue, Spector's actions aren't predictable, nor do they come from a balanced mental space. He has carved the crescent moon symbol into his targets without a second thought and hasn't shied away from murder. Even without the mystical aspect, and his mind alone makes him a much more complex character than Batman.
All of which means, even if you've only heard of him mentioned as Marvel's Batman, Moon Knight is an intriguing subject for a TV show. Watch Isaac take on Moon Knight's journey on Disney Plus each Wednesday.
