It appears to Steven Grant first, then to Marc Spector, as a tall, half-mummified creature with a hooked skeleton beak floating over a cloak. In the second episode of Marvel’s Moon Knight, we are given a name: Khonshu, the Egyptian god of the moon.
“We protect the vulnerable and deliver Khonshu’s justice to those who hurt them”—is how Marc explains things to Steven.
Steven: “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
But as an Egyptian expert (of sorts), Steven has heard of Khonshu.
Moon Knight, like the comic, draws from Egyptian mythology and iconography, naming many of its characters after ancient Egyptian deities.
The origin story for the Moon Knight, Marc Spector, entails a desert resuscitation by the god Khonshu. Spector then becomes Khonshu’s avatar, serving as a nocturnal protector.
That origin story isn’t far afield from the stories of Egyptian mythology, where the Moon God Khonsu is a protector, creator, and destroyer. There are several different sides to the deity, making Marvel’s choice of its representative having disassociative identity disorder also somewhat in keeping with his namesake’s mythology.
Here’s what to know about the Moon God both in the comics and in ancient history.
Who Is Khonsu in Egyptian Mythology?
Khonsu (also, “Khons” and “Chons”) was an ancient Egyptian moon god, appearing in texts as far back as 2350 BCE. The deity’s primary city of worship seems to be Thebes (currently about 400 miles south of the capital, Cairo).
Khonsu’s significance seems to have shifted throughout time. At one point, Khonsu was something of a fertility god. He was also considered to be a violent and bloodthirsty god, as well as a being thought to rule over evil spirits. Many scholars agree his name is derived from a word meaning “to cross” or “to travel.” He was also thought to be a protector of kings and the common people—the meaning most relevant to Marvel readers.
Marvel Comics
Who Is Khonshu in the Marvel Comics?
In the comics, Khonshu is a night guardian and protector for travelers. Khonshu, however, cannot enter the Earthly plane, requiring him to act through an Earthly avatar.
Khonshu is the son of Amon Ra, the Sun God. The two have been battling for millennia, each choosing successive Earthly avatars to battle one another. A Moon Knight comic run written by Max Bemis (best known as frontman of the band Say Anything) depicts this relationship, with Ra taking on the avatar of a person calling himself “The Sun King.”
Khonshu’s modern day vessel is Marc Spector, the mercenary with whom Khonshu bestows superhuman powers. Their relationship is fraught, with Khonshu occasionally intervening to help Spector and occasionally possessing him. They are also able to communicate directly.
In the comics, they interact with everyone from Hawkeye, Doctor Strange, and Ant Man to the Fantastic Four.
Which leaves plenty of possible crossover for future Moon Knight episodes.
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