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Moon Knight is often called Marvel's Batman - he's got a fortune, a stately country manor, and a secret cave where he and his European manservant tend to his arsenal of high-tech, themed weaponry. Of course, there's more to him than just that. Like the Shadow, he's cultivated different identities to help him blend in with different facets of society. Unlike the Shadow, he actually has multiple personality disorder.
Wounded in battle, mercenary-for-hire Marc Spector was mystically restored to serve as the moon's knight of vengeance! Using his skills to wage a war on crime, Moon Knight's natural abilities in combat are enhanced by the light of the moon - granting him superhuman strength, speed and agility. Employing an array of sophisticated weaponry and specialized vehicles, Moon Knight prowls the city in search of the one thing the night demands of him - justice!
Moon Knight, like Blade, was originally just a supporting character in someone else's book - in this case, he was invented as an enemy for Werewolf by Night. But his two-parter proved popular with fans, so he was shuffled into Marvel Spotlight, the company's try-out book, and eventually got his own series. Now he's one of those perennial guest stars who gets dusted off every so often.
The figure is based on the Bullseye body, which we've been seeing a lot of,
lately. It's their new generic "skinny" body. In fact, the only thing we've seen used as much is the Black Panther body - and at least Bullseye doesn't have a fuzzy texture. He stands 6¼" and moves at the toes, ankles, boots, knees, thighs, hips, waist, torso, fingers (all four on each hand), wrists, gloves, elbows, biceps, shoulders, pecs and neck. Between the generic body and the smooth, masked face, this will probably be the base for a lot of customs.
Moony has a few accessories to help him in his war on crime. He's got a pair of nunchucks (re-used from Daredevil) and a bo staff
(re-used from Gambit). The nunchucks fit in a slot on the back of his belt. The way his hands are articulated make it hard for him to hold the weapons, sadly. You can get him to do it, but it's not the easiest thing. His big white cloak is removable - and surprisingly, it is a new sculpt. They probably could have gotten away with re-using Taskmaster's hood and cape. There's a hole in the cape to accommodate a Doop stand, for high-action poses.
Most of the figures in ML15 have a variant, and Moon Knight is part of that trend. Fortunately, his is just a costume change, not a new character. The standard version sees him in a dark grey costume, while the variant is in a light silver suit. The contrast on the standard version is better - the white elements really stand out against the graphite. If you want a silver Moon Knight, you're better off getting the Marvel Select version. It's the right color, and it has a really cool statue of Khonshu, the Egyptian god who gives him his powers.
The figure comes with a reprint of Marvel Team-Up #7, which not only features the grey costume, but was also the story that kick-started his current popularity. The book has great art, and you even get to see Moony kicking butt with Spider-Man.
The figure's MODOK piece is the Build-A-Figure's left side. We get the golden/bronze carapace, and an articulated blue arm. The included backdrop is the hangar for his Moonplane or Mooncopter or whatever.
Moon Knight's powers wax and wane with the moon - and his popularity seems to, as well. It seems that every five years or so, he's brought back into the spotlight with a big push, but soon fades back into obscurity to await his next revival. His moon is full right now, so buy this figure before he's eclipsed again.
-- 12/26/06
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