Marc Spector is perhaps Honshu’s favorite and most experienced Moon Knightbut he, of course, is not the first in Honshu. Readers have had a brief glimpse of Mark’s predecessor before, but the newest Fist of Vengeance series has revealed a slew of never-before-seen Moon Knights. Each Moon Knight has their own special talent, something noticeable in the designs of Mark and his alters, but these newly revealed Moon Knights are something else entirely.
Marvel’s new Moon Knight series. Moon Knight Phasesis an anthology miniseries in which creative talents such as Benjamin Percy, Erica Schultz and Jed McKay explore a new world of stories about Marc Spector and a number of different Moon Knights of Honshu, including two new redesigns that featured variant covers by Rod Reis, Andrei Bressan, Declan Shelvey, Woo-Chul Lee, and the main cover by Matheus Manhanini.
Issue #1 presents a powerful devotee of the God of Vengeance, a holy crusader forged in the heat of the Old Crusades. Meanwhile, the second issue of the series introduces readers to a new Moon Knight, who may prove to be a more familiar figure than many expected.
The Moon Knights served Khonshu for over a billion years
Moon Knight Phases #1 Main cover by Matheus Manhanini
For over a billion years, the Fists of Vengeance of Khonshu have been patrolling the Earth, protecting night travelers and carrying out the will of Khonshu. Originally created out of jealousy at being excluded by the Ancient Avengers, the Moon Knights of Khonshu are often pliable outcasts themselves, easier to manipulate by the Moon God. During the era of the Christian Crusades across Egypt and North Africa, Cassian, one of the newly discovered Moon Knights, fought the war as a contractor in the English army. Almost left for dead in the desert heat, Honshu gave his next champion a second life.
Moon Knight’s costume reflects his key character traits.
As with the other Avatars of Khonshu, a deal to spare Cassian’s life was reached at the cost of Khonshu’s eternal service, and the former crusader soon became a powerful warrior dedicated to driving away the influence of other gods, even Apocalypse. Jumping forward almost 1000 years into the future, The series introduces a new Fist of Vengeance from a harsher, more violent future.
Marvel’s new Moon Knight may have a familiar face
A tougher Marvel Universe requires a tougher Moon Knight
Unlike their representation in the MCU, Mark’s alters do not necessarily have different costumes; Specifically, Mr. Knight is simply an identity that Moon Knight uses during official investigations. However, this does not mean that Moon Knight’s costumes do not change depending on the wearer; As seen with Cassian, Moon Knight’s costume reflects his key character traits. When Lockley is present, he is usually seen wearing a leather coat and the iconic newsboy cap, qualities that seem familiar in the new Moon Knight’s costume.
Connected
Jake Lockley, Mark’s gruff colleague with deep underworld connections, will likely feel right at home in the crime-filled future of the series’ second installment. While this version of Khonshu’s avatar may just be a new variant, it wouldn’t be the first time the God of Vengeance has secretly hunted Mark’s alters. We hope that as this series continues, readers will continue to be introduced to new Moon Knights and reveal new chapters in the billion-year relationship between Khonshu and his Fists of Vengeance.
Moon Knight Phases No. 1-2 available now from Marvel Comics.