How Strong Is Moon Knight? Powers and Abilities Explained

Moon Knight is a powerful mercenary in Marvel Comics, soon to get his introduction in the MCU. The fan-favorite character has awesome powers when connected to the Fist of Khonshu. Although Moon Knight mostly uses skill instead of brute strength when fighting his enemies, many fans want to know how strong Moon Knight really is?

Normally, Moon Knight has no superhuman strength, but due to his lifestyle and intense training, he’s near peak human strength and physical condition for a man of his age, size, and build. However, some storylines had Spector’s strength increased to superhuman levels, depending on the lunar cycle.

Moon Knight empowered with the Fist of Khonshu gets stronger depending on how close to a full moon we are. That version had been thrown away later, though, leaving Marc Spector as a regular human in great physical shape. Let’s break down all the aspects of Marc Spector to determine just how strong Moon Knight is.

Does Moon Knight Have Superhuman Strength?

The official Marvel handbook states that Moon Knight has no superhuman powers but is an “Olympic level athlete with extraordinary strength,” capable of lifting around 450 lbs (204 kg). However, knowing how to utilize that strength makes Marc Spector seem much stronger than he really is.

Even before becoming Moon Knight, Spector was a highly-skilled and experienced mercenary. He’s prolific in numerous martial arts, including weapons training and hand-to-hand combat. His fighting style, indomitable will, and incredible endurance help Moon Knight beat multiple enemies simultaneously despite not having superhuman strength.

Still, that’s not the strongest version of the character. In Moon Knight’s earlier days, Marc Spector had some level of superhuman capabilities. It all started when Marc Spector became Moon Knight in the first place.

Spector worked as a mercenary. During one mission in Egypt, Spector had been left for dead, but an Ancient Egyptian god named Khonshu felt pity upon him and saved him. The god turned Spector into Moon Knight, his right hand on Earth, bestowed upon with incredible powers depending on the lunar cycle.

The personality taking over when Marc Spector presented superhuman powers was called the fist of Khonshu. Due to Spector’s deteriorated mental health, it became unclear at one point if the Fist of Khonshu even existed, or was it all just a figment of Marc’s imagination.

As it turned out, Khonshu was very much real but later separated from Marc Spector. He continued operating as Moon Knight, using his wealth and high-tech equipment instead of the superhuman powers he once had as the Fist of Khonshu. In the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Vol. 1 #7, it’s said he can lift up to two tons under a full moon.

He is still quite strong for a human without the Fist of Khonshu and makes up for the lack of super strength with technology and equipment, but still, one can’t call his strength level superhuman in any way. If anything, Spector is at peak human strength & condition.

What’s The Strongest Version Of Moon Knight?

So, the powerless version of Moon Knight can lift around 450 lbs – probably even more now, since he regularly engages in intensive exercise. While he had the superpowers depending on the lunar cycle, Marc Spector could lift up to two tons under the full moon. However, that’s not nearly the strongest version of the character.

The strongest version of Moon Knight came in The Age of Khonshu storyline, created by Jason Aaron and Javier Garron. In the story, Moon Knight single-handedly dismantled most of the Avengers team. How, you might ask?

Well, in addition to the Fist of Khonshu powers, Marc Spector also received magical, divine ankhs that allowed him to absorb the superpowers of other heroes. He used them to power up using Ghost Rider’s, Iron Fist’s, and even Doctor Strange’s powers. 

To add to it, he revealed to Thor what Mjolnir really is – Thor knew his hammer was made of Uru but had no real clue what Uru is. Moon Knight revealed that Uru is actually a piece of a moon that was millions of years old. That fact, on top of Spector’s newfound powers, allowed Moon Knight to wield Mjolnir along with all other powers he already absorbed.

He would’ve taken the powers from the Black Panther as well, but due to the source of Panther’s powers stemming from within his body (his blood, to be precise), Spector would have to kill him to absorb his powers. Luckily, Spector chose not to go that far.

Still, The Age of Khonshu version of Moon Knight is not just the strongest version of the character to date – during that storyline, Spector was one of the most powerful mortals in the universe.

Moon Knight Strength Features In Comics

Now you know how much Moon Knight can lift with and without the Fist of Khonshu powers. You also know what his strongest version is. So, how does it translate to practice? Let’s break down some of the strengths features Marc Spector had presented in the comics.

Without Khonshu’s powers, Marc Spector is still quite strong. He could knock a door out of the hinges with one solid strike. On another occasion, Spector kicked a hole through a brick wall with a single strike, albeit only after loosening up the surrounding bricks around the stop where he hit the wall.

During some training sessions (like in the Moon Knight #4, 1985 series), he presented the strength to lift twice his body weight in the gym.

If the Fist of Khonshu works, things get even more awesome. In the 1985 series, particularly Moon Knight #1 and #2, Spector once easily bent steel bars when trying to break into Harrow’s lab. A big leopard attacked him when they got in, and Moon Knight easily overpowered the wild cat, throwing it into a wall and tying it up.

After finding a hollow point in a wall, Moon Knight easily lifted a table and threw it, cracking a hole in the wall. Finally, they arrive at a huge, locked steel door. Spector struggles a bit but then rips out the door, lifts it, and throws it to the side, displaying just how amazingly strong he can be physically when Khonshu’s powers are there.

Finally, we’ve already mentioned his greatest strength feature – Moon Knight was able to lift Mjolnir despite not being worthy. Not only that, but he could control Mjolnir to a larger extent than Thor himself – using the hammer to beat up the God of Thunder with it. Yeah, even Thor was baffled.

In the end, there’s more to the Moon Knight character than meets the eye. When he has no additional superpowers, he’s still at a peak physical condition, an expert detective and a wealthy vigilante using incredible high-tech equipment.

With the Fist of Khonshu, Marc Spector is all that, but with even more brute strength, lifting up to two tons. But, at his strongest, Moon Knight can even lift Mjolnir, punch like the Iron Fist, and move moons across the universe, as well as objects made out of them.

I can’t wait to see which powers will get featured in the new Moon Knight TV series and which the writers will choose to leave out.