When it exists two licenses as prolific in terms of heroes as Marvel and DC Comics, it is understandable that the good ideas of one are picked up by the other. Before going any further, it is better to understand the context and know that Batman is A LOT compared to many, many characters from Marvel. In fact, we can say thatIron Man is Marvel’s Batman, because he’s rich and uses gadgets. This is also the case for the Black Pantheror even Daredevil since the two hunt down criminals at night. Moon Knight has often been mocked for this resemblance elsewhere, and well today, we are not going to drive the point home. We are going to straighten it out by completely assuming the side similar to Batman, with these eight commonalities that will serve us later to highlight the differences of each of them.
#1 money
We’ve talked about it before, but Moon Knight Shares With Batman That He’s A Rich Character By Day And Masked Vigilante By Night. The series version on Disney+ shows Steven Grant as just a shy, mild-mannered museum worker, but the comics portray him as a successful billionaire who also works night shifts. The difference is that where Batman battles gangsters, crime lords, and hulking big baddies, Moon Knight prefers to hunt down those with a really big bounty on their heads.
#2 the biased vision of justice
Batman is known for “never killing his opponents”, so much so that it has become a running joke and character gimmick. Moreover, it is often by sparing them that Batman creates other enemies a few films later. Moon Knight doesn’t have this problem, since as a mercenary it’s better if the person is alive, but it’s okay if they’re not. He doesn’t hesitate to torture, tear off faces (yes yes) or kill in cold blood. He even killed a dolphin once.
#3″i am the night“
The use of the night as a recurring motif for the two characters is indisputable. Both use the spring of the night to create emotion in their opponents. Batman blends into the darkness to create a sense of fear in Gotham’s criminals, but Moon Knight feels more powerful on a full moon and his appearances are more brutal, dazzling even. The two also share the motifs linked to the lexical field of the night, between bat and crescent moon.
#4 bullying first
One of the greatest tools in their arsenal is the fear they instill in their weaker adversaries. Whether it’s a giant bat or a hefty horse-like Egyptian avatar of the moon, they’re scary and it shows. Moreover, if their adversary surrenders, they accept. For Marc Spector, he has already been very frustrated, to the point of venting on … Deadpool.
#5 gadgets above all
The tools, they have plenty. They even regularly show a certain dependence on certain concepts that sometimes border on the ridiculous, such as the famous anti-shark spray. Many of their gadgets are very similar and have the same uses. Grapples, gliders, smoke screens… Even if the influence of Konshu also has its small effect on Moon Knight’s side, by giving him real powers, or at least perfect psychological control of his body. Speaking of gadgets…
#6 a passion for boomerangs?
Go figure why, but the boomerang is one of the favorite weapons of both characters, regularly highlighted in the works of the two protagonists, and almost always positioned on the latter’s torso. It is also important to note that batarang and crescent moon are used by moon knight and batman as ninja stars. If Thor has a big hammer (and an ax now since avengers endgame and whose presence is confirmed by a recent leak) and Wonder Woman her lasso, the favorite weapon of the night is the boomerang. Very practical in close combat as well as at a distance, it is the essential tool for catching the fleeing criminal, and it makes for cheap merchandising.
#7 the use of the supernatural
This point is a bit more debatable. Batman knows he represents the night and uses his springs to scare, as explained above. But he also used the supernatural long before his white-robed counterpart. It is also visible in the adaptation of 89, with the presence of ancient myths, masks, ears, gargoyles… Moon Knight has his god and his eyes which shine with a pale light. Like Mysterio, all artifices are good to no longer appear human, but to become a real monster : an embodiment of justice and terror. Who wants to face a 2-meter bat burly like an ox or an Egyptian God?
#8 Gothic Hearts Love
Fans who only read the comics might not understand this, but without exaggerating too much, in the films and in the character series, every time they strike a pose, they set off a powerful music of gothic hearts, remembering the best times from the movie Batman by Burton. For our greatest hearing pleasure.
Did you like this article? Do not hesitate to tell us if you see other points in common between the twoand in the meantime, you can find our second ranking dedicated to the character on the ten most powerful opponents he has ever faced.
