The Death & Resurrection of Moon Knight, Explained

In WEREWOLF BY NIGHT (1972) #32, Marc Spector emerged from the shadows as Moon Knight, a mercenary turned mystically powerful vigilante. Imbued with strength and immortality through the Egyptian Moon God Khonshu and trained by the CIA, Spector is no stranger to darkness or death.

As a Fist of Khonshu, Spector can't die; however, he also can't escape a lifetime of servitude to the vengeful god. Following Khonshu's constant demands, Spector enacted violent retribution against all who the god deemed unfit.

However, Jed MacKay, Alessandro Cappuccio, and Federico Sabbatini's MOON KNIGHT (2021) saw the tortured character find a new kind of balance between crimefighting, saving lives, and protecting super-powered outcasts. Throughout the run, Spector pieced together a life to match his skills while rejecting outside influences (namely, Khonshu) that escalated his aggression.

This run asked if the former West Coast Avenger could find retribution—even after attempting to destroy the Avengers to take over the world on Khonshu's behalf in AVENGERS (2018) #33-#37. In the end, Spector made the ultimate sacrifice, proving himself to be the hero New York City needed while paving the way for his redemption and resurrection in BLOOD HUNT (2024).

MOON KNIGHT AND THE MIDNIGHT MISSION

After Khonshu was locked away in an Asgardian prison where he could no longer influence Marc, Spector formed his own team of the night, the Midnight Mission, with a group made up of other lost travelers: Reese, a young wayward vampire; Hunter's Moon, a doctor and a fellow Fist of Khonshu who resents Marc's decision to abandon the Egyptian God; 8-Ball, a former villain; Soldier, an ex-mercenary turned vampire; and Tigra, a former West Coast Avenger who struggles with her feline form's bloodlust. Since each member of the Midnight Mission has psychological trauma and something to atone for, the team also added a group therapist, Andrea Sterman, to their ranks in MOON KNIGHT (2021) #11. 

The Midnight Mission worked as a safe haven and detective agency of sorts. The Mission accepted jobs that helped keep the streets safe at night through a variety of means, from sourcing vital intel from neighbors to discouraging criminals' escalations to giving those souls on a downward path guidance and light—including even vampires struggling with their hunger for blood and their desire to retain their humanity.

THE DEATH OF MOON KNIGHT

The Midnight Mission faced a devastating tragedy in "The Last Days of Moon Knight" arc in MOON KNIGHT (2021) #28-#30, which resulted in the death of Marc Spector. As the Midnight Mission tried to stop Black Spectre from driving all of Manhattan insane with a resonator, Moon Knight destroyed the villain's base, the Mount, with the understanding that Khonshu's connection couldn't resurrect him. 

Throughout the pages of VENGEANCE OF MOON KNIGHT (2024), Marc's teammates mourned him. Soon, though, a Moon Knight imposter was spotted running amok and cleaning up the streets in ways that the Midnight Mission vowed to never do: through brutish and murderous means. When Tigra and Hunter's Moon investigated further, they discovered that the Moon Knight out in the streets is none other than the Shroud, AKA Max Coleridge.

THE RESURRECTION OF MOON KNIGHT

In VENGEANCE OF MOON KNIGHT (2024) #4, the Shroud confessed to his former West Coast Avenger teammate Tigra that he felt consumed by grief and fear after Marc's death. As a person who also struggles to control the Darkforce energy inside him and the mental instability it triggers, he admitted he felt some affinity towards Marc, which helped him believe he could change.

Without Marc, he didn't think he could grow to control the darkness inside him. Unfortunately for everyone, this conversation ended when Max exploded, unleashing the unyielding Darkforce energy inside of him as he became an unwitting part of the vampires' BLOOD HUNT plot to take over the world.

When Tigra realized Max was only one of many Darkforce users that had become involuntary vessels for this plot—thereby blocking out the sun's energy and light—she and Hunter's Moon realized there was only one way left to protect the night. As a result, they freed Khonshu from his Asgardian prison, which allowed him to resurrect Marc, inhabit his body, and shed some moonlight on the situation.

While the pair successfully accomplished this, it remains to be seen how Marc will feel about being a vessel again for such destruction as he helps turn the tide of Varnae's plan to take over the world in BLOOD HUNT (2024) #5.

Behold Moon Knight's resurrection in BLOOD HUNT #4 and see him back in action in MOON KNIGHT: FIST OF KHONSHU #0, on sale now!

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