Today, learn how Khonshu once took over Moon Knight’s body so that the hero would join the West Coast Avengers.
In every installment of Abandoned Love we will be examining comic book stories, plots and ideas that were abandoned by a later writer without actively contradicting an earlier story (so the more passive definition of retcons as being anything that is retroactively added to continuity, even if there is no specific conflict with a past story). Feel free to e-mail me at brianc@cbr.com if you have any suggestions for future editions of this feature.
Perhaps one of the oddest periods in Moon Knight’s comic book career was when the urban New York City-based vigilante suddenly found himself serving as a member of the West Coast Avengers. However, when it was time for his membership to end, it was revealed that Khonshu’s control of the hero was a good deal greater than it first appeared.
HOW DID MOON KNIGHT JOIN THE WEST COAST AVENGERS?
As I noted in a recent post, In Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #1 (by Zelentz, Chris Warner and E.R. Cruz), Marc Spector comes out of retirement to become Moon Knight again, being given special new Egyptian weapons and a new Moon Knight costume from some mysterious priests of Khonshu…
At the same time, Spector not only gained these magical weapons, but he also gained superpowers. Now, depending on how much moonlight there was on Earth at any given moment, Moon Knight would have increased strength.
After that series ended, Moon Knight was fighting crime in New York City in West Coast Avengers #21 (by Steve Englehart, Al Milgrom and Joe Sinnott) when he was suddenly contacted by Khonshu (who Spector had only recently realized was definitely real and not just a figment of Spector’s imagination)…
Hawkeye, meanwhile, had been in communication with Khonshu, as well, while the Avengers were trapped in the past (in an amusing coincidence, it was Hawkeye who actually designed Moon Knight’s new weapons back in the past). Moon Knight arrived at West Coast Avengers’ headquarters in the next issue (Kim DeMulder replacing Sinnott on finishes) on his mission from Khonshu to let the two heroes there, Hank Pym and La Espirita, know that Hawkeye had sent them a message from the past…
Moon Knight, Pym and La Espirita visited the Fantastic Four in the next issue (Romeo Tanghal replacing DeMulder on finishes) to get their help getting their time machine working so that they could rescue the Avengers. Moon Knight surprised the others by deciding to go on the mission to the past with the other heroes, even though he wasn’t an Avenger himself (and didn’t even really KNOW any of them)…
In the next issue (Mike Machlan replacing Tanghal on finishes), Moon Knight’s multiple personalities helped save the day (as covered in a recent CBR article) and he joined the Avengers at the end of the issue…
In a story arc involving the Zodiac, the team’s former leader, Taurus, convinced the Avengers that he wanted to help them take down the others, and he swore on the moon to Moon Knight. At the end of the story, though, Taurus escaped, revealing it was all a scam by him to get revenge on his former teammates. Moon Knight did NOT approve of someone swearing on the moon and then not following through, so he hunted Taurus down in West Coast Avengers #29 (by Englehart, Milgrom and Machlan)…
During his pursuit of Taurus, Moon Knight suddenly found himself talking to Khonshu directly in his mind…
At the end of his pursuit of Taurus, the villain seemingly crashed his plane and died, with Moon Knight feeling it just that he got his vengeance (luckily for him, the Avengers showed up to break his fall, but they also yelled at him for being willing to kill a bad guy)…
Moon Knight began to talk to Khonshu even more, as the god also increased his strength with moons involved in West Coast Avengers #30 (by Milgrom and Machlan)…
Moon Knight also started a romance with his teammate, Tigra, in West Coast Avengers #31 (by Englehart, Milgrom and Machlan)…
As I wrote about earlier this year, the West Coast Avengers then split into two over the question whether Avengers should be willing to kill if necessary. The heroes who believed that they SHOULD if necessary included Mockingbird, Tigra and Moon Knight, so they split off and formed their own team of rogue Avengers.
WHEN DID MOON KNIGHT REALIZE THAT KNOSHU HAD TAKEN CONTROL OF HIM DURING HIS WEST COAST AVENGERS MEMBERSHIP?
John Byrne was taking over the West Coast Avengers with issue #42, though, and he was not going to continue this splinter group idea, so in West Coast Avengers #41, Tom DeFalco, Ralph Macchio and Tom Morgan resolved the story by making a major revelation. While on a mision with Damion Hellstrom, the heroes learned that Knonshu had actually POSSESSED Moon Knight’s body!!
Khonshu had made it SEEM like he had just requested for Marc to join the Avengers, but in reality, it was Knoshu who had possessed his body and was in control during this whole time, using Marc as his puppet to get to experience being part of the Avengers, who fascianted Khonshu…
After they had a fight finished against the minions of Set, Khonshu and Marc parted ways for now…
And since Marc had not actually decided to join the Avengers OR started a relationship with Tigra, he was just DONE, so he left the team (and Tigra in tears)…
It was an interesting way to resolve this odd period in Moon Knight’s history as a member of the West Coast Avengers, with this abandoning of his Avengers career as being “just” Khonshu possessing him.
Thanks to the many people who noted this when I mentioned Moon Knight’s lunar superpowers. If anyone has a suggestion for a future edition of Abandoned Love, drop me a line at brianc@cbr.com!
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