The next phase of Moon Knight has begun. Years after the mercenary Marc Spector died and was reborn as the Fist of Khonshu, the Egyptian god of the moon, Marc served dutifully as the defender of all those who traveled at night. That was until Marc’s Midnight Mission ended with the death of Moon Knight in Moon Knight #30: Marc sacrificed himself to save Manhattan from being driven mad by the super villain Black Spectre. And there will be no resurrections. After rejecting Khonshu, the god of the moon and vengeance was powerless to save his former avatar from his fate.
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Marc Spector — and his personas Steven Grant and Jake Lockley — died a hero. He entrusted his closest allies with continuing Moon Knight’s Midnight Mission: Reese, his vampire assistant; Hunter’s Moon, a fellow Fist of Khonshu; Soldier, an ex-mercenary; 8-Ball, a reformed criminal; and the feline super hero Tigra. In a full-circle moment to Moon Knight (2021) #1, writer Jed MacKay and artist Alessandro Cappuccio’s Moon Knight #30 concluded with Reese taking Mr. Knight’s seat at the head of the Midnight Mission.
This week’s Vengeance of the Moon Knight #1 reveals that Reese and the Midnight Mission never recovered Marc’s body after he perished in the explosion that destroyed Black Spectre’s base of operations, the Mount. With the help of fellow Jewish superhero Ben Grimm of the Fantastic Four, the Midnight Mission sat shiva for Marc, Steven, and Jake. “This is about the Mission. This is what he wanted to live on, what he charged me with, all of us. The Midnight Mission means something to the people who live around here, Mr. Grimm,” Reese tells Ben of their corner of New York City. “The travelers at night need a place to grieve. And to know that the Mission goes on. That they’re still safe.”
There was no shemira or funeral, but superheroes Captain America, Hawkeye, Bobbi Morse, Stephen Strange, and Clea attend the gathering to help the Midnight Mission mourn Marc Spector. In his absence, the Avengers “picked up the slack” the seven days that the Midnight Mission sat shiva. Speaking with Moon Knight’s psychiatrist, Dr. Andrea Sterman, Reese clarifies that she’s not the new Moon Knight.
“I don’t think I’m a Fist of Khonshu. I don’t think I’m a superhero,” says the 19-year-old immortal vampire. “But I’ve got a job to do. One I’ve inherited.” Reese and Soldier defend Midnight Mission territory from the demonic duo of Mr. Sulk and Mr. Smile, who are exorcised and sent to the Dungeon Dimension by Hunter’s Moon, Khonshu’s second high priest. A traveler of the night asks the trio a question: “Which of you is Moon Knight?”
As Tigra tracks down the Black Spectre to avenge Marc, Reese confides in Dr. Sterman: she saw Marc Spector die four times. She saw Hunter’s Moon die. Only for them to return. But as she told Black Spectre’s accomplice, Zodiac: “There’s no more resurrection. If the Black Spectre kills Marc, he’s not coming back.”
“Marc Spector is Moon Knight. And Moon Knight is a Fist of Khonshu,” Reese tells Dr. Sterman. “And the Fists of Khonshu don’t die.” Khonshu has been imprisoned on Asgard since Avengers Vol. 8 #38, making Marc’s resurrection impossible. “We’ll kick down Asgard’s doors and take him back, if that’s what it takes,” Reese says.
She then tells the doctor about 8-Ball, the reformed super villain who was given his second chance by Marc Spector. 8-Ball is brutally beaten by a mysterious assailant who reveals himself to the Midnight Mission with the words: “Vampires. Super villains. In my territory. In my house.”
In her session, Reese confesses to Dr. Sterman that she’s not there for grief counseling. “I came to you because I’m afraid,” she admits. When Dr. Sterman asks if she’s afraid that Marc won’t come back, Reese responds, “No. I’m afraid that he may already have. But wrong. Because I didn’t recognize the Moon Knight I saw that night.”
“I’m Moon Knight,” says the black-clad, bloody-fisted Moon Knight who may or may not be the specter of Marc Spector. “Get out of my house.”
Vengeance of the Moon Knight #1 is on sale now from Marvel Comics. Issue #2 is on stands February 14.
