Moon Knight's Midnight Mission, Explained

Some of the most effective Marvel heroes are part of the communities they defend. Daredevil has Hell's Kitchen, Luke Cage has Harlem, but Moon Knight doesn't define his community by traditional neighborhood lines. Instead, he finds his place among the misfits and monsters of the Marvel Universe that often feel like outsiders themselves. 

To provide this neglected community with a physical safe haven, Moon Knight founded the Midnight Mission, which also serves as his New York City base of operations. Here is the origin of Moon Knight's Midnight Mission, the important people behind the organization, and its current and evolving role in the Marvel Universe.

THE CREATION OF THE MIDNIGHT MISSION

After deciding to reject the influence of Khonshu, the Ancient Egyptian God of Vengeance and source of his powers, Moon Knight decided to help travelers of the night in his own way. So, in MOON KNIGHT (2021) #1, he founded the Midnight Mission. In its first official act, he protected a group of recently turned vampires who were preyed upon by a rampant coven in Manhattan. After this, Moon Knight expanded the scope of the Midnight Mission to help other neglected individuals and communities in New York City, not just the wayward undead.

While running the day-to-day operations of the Midnight Mission, Moon Knight dons his Mister Knight persona and dresses in a white business suit rather than his usual caped outfit. The personnel working at the Midnight Mission filter requests for his assistance across New York, with Moon Knight deciding which to follow up on in his usual brutal way. Some of those helped by the Midnight Mission have since sought safe haven there. Moon Knight also defends many of the neighbors, who—in turn—provide him with vital information.

THE MIDNIGHT MISSION'S MEMBERS

The most prominent figure within the Midnight Mission is its founder and leader: Moon Knight, the former Fist of Khonshu. However, he isn't the only major hero active within the Midnight Mission. The feline super hero Tigra, a former West Coast Avenger, is also part of the Midnight Mission's ongoing mission. 

To help Moon Knight and Tigra from becoming overwhelmed, the undead Fists of Khonshu offer their support as well. Together, they form a small army composed of the souls of former avatars of Khonshu, who join forces with Marc Spector in battle. Additionally, Hunter's Moon—Khonshu's other avatar—became a convert of the Midnight Mission following a confrontation with Moon Knight.

On an administrative level, a recently turned vampire named Reese—one of the first people Moon Knight saved through the Midnight Mission—became Mister Knight's assistant and right-hand woman. Freed of his twisted mental programming by Leonard Hawley, the no-nonsense enforcer and former Hydra agent Soldier became another fixture within the Midnight Mission, going as far as to pose as Mister Knight when the mission was threatened.

Though not explicitly part of the mission, Moon Knight's psychiatrist Andrea Sterman has also been linked to its activities. Reformed super villain 8-Ball also joined Moon Knight and his associates late in the game, but just in time to help the heroes defend the Mission from the combined forces of Zodiac and the Black Spectre.

THE MIDNIGHT MISSION'S PROMINENT APPEARANCES

The villainous mastermind Zodiac became determined to destroy the Midnight Mission after he developed a grudge against Moon Knight, as he felt the hero was wasting his natural potential. Zodiac dispatched Hunter's Moon to attack the Mission, and the vengeful antihero nearly killed Reese and the other vampires seeking refuge there until Moon Knight drove his rival away. Eventually, Hunter's Moon saw the error in his ways. He ultimately joined the Midnight Mission to take a stand against Zodiac and his continued vendetta against Moon Knight.

In MOON KNIGHT (2021) #5, Zodiac succeeded in destroying the original Midnight Mission site with a bomb; Moon Knight and his allies barely got the inhabitants to safety in time. Undeterred, Moon Knight set up the Midnight Mission at the House of Shadows as the mystical structure entered the same leasing space in MOON KNIGHT (2021) #8.

THE CURRENT STATE OF THE MIDNIGHT MISSION

In an effort to drive the citizens of New York insane, Black Spectre turned the ground under Manhattan into a massive resonator capable of producing a madness-inducing frequency. Identifying Moon Knight and the Midnight Mission as a threat to these plans, Black Spectre launched an all-out assault on the Mission. Moon Knight and his allies took the fight back to the villain, attacking Black Spectre's headquarters: the Mount. 

Gravely wounded in his showdown with Black Spectre, Moon Knight managed to stop the resonator from proceeding as planned. However, he lost his life in the Mount's destruction in MOON KNIGHT (2021) #30.

Since then, Reese has taken point as the head of the Midnight Mission, even going as far as to wear Marc Spector's stark white suit—but she is quick to point out that she doesn't consider herself Moon Knight or in service to Khonshu. In VENGEANCE OF MOON KNIGHT (2024) #1, Tigra, Hunter's Moon, Soldier, and 8-Ball joined her in running the Mission. However, the Mission continues to face new threats, including a mysterious Moon Knight who is fueled entirely by an insatiable thirst for vengeance.

The Midnight Mission carries on in VENGEANCE OF MOON KNIGHT #1, now on sale!

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