Moon Knight Vs. Spider-Man: Who Would Win And Why?
Spider-Man: No Way Home was an epic movie that saw the first MCU appearance of Charlie Cox’s Daredevil. Naturally, fans wondered who’d win that fight, but as the Moon Knight TV show approaches its premiere, the fan focus is shifting to a potential battle between Peter Parker and Marc Spector. So, if Moon Knight and Spider-Man fought, who would win, and why?
Spider-Man would win against Moon Knight almost every time they fought. Moon Knight might have better chances under a full moon and being the Fist of Khonshu. However, Spidey’s superpowers are simply superior in almost every aspect.
Still, you simply cannot write off Moon Knight, regardless of who he’s going up against. There was a storyline – The Age of Khonshu – where he beat the entire Avengers team. Sure, it was a unique storyline, but it proves that nobody knows what Marc Spector is really capable of. Let’s go through some categories to get a better perception of the matchup.
Physiology
Marc Spector was a highly-skilled mercenary before dying on a mission and getting resurrected by Khonshu, an ancient Egyptian god. Upon his resurrection, Marc became the Moon Knight, a vigilante seeking vengeance upon all those who deserve it, mostly villains and criminals.
While Marc had the Fist of Khonshu within himself, it affected his mental state drastically. However, Spector also gained superhuman powers that depended on the phases of the Moon – when the Moon is full; Moon Knight is at his most powerful self. His powers included superhuman strength, stamina, and durability.
He could lift around two tons when at his strongest self, while his usual strength is around peak human (450 lbs/204 kg). His durability allowed him to take multiple shots and continue fighting, while his agility and speed remained about the same – at peak human level.
On the other hand, Peter Parker was also just human before being bitten by a radioactive spider, which changed his DNA sequencing and gave him incredible superpowers. He obtained superhuman strength, speed, agility, balance, reflexes, precognitive senses, durability, and an array of additional powers resembling a spider.
We’ll get to the additional powers later – let’s focus on the physiological traits first.
Spidey usually has to hold back his punches because he knows that if he went full-force, Peter would likely kill anyone he strikes. In a fit of rage, Parker once lifted a huge part of the Daily Bugle skyscraper. It had to weigh at least 40-50 tons.
Lifting a bus and throwing it across the street is an everyday thing for Spidey. He’s fast enough to dodge not only bullets but laser beams and has reflexes that allow him to react in a split second. Also, we’ve seen Spidey take a punch from the Hulk and survive almost undamaged. Finally, his agility and acrobatics are almost unmatched in the entire Marvel universe.
I think that’s more than enough – in fact, all you need to do is compare their strength – 40 tons to 2 tons maximum capacity – to see that Spidey takes the physiology category, and it’s not even close.
Point: Spider-Man (1:0) Moon Knight
Durability
The durability category is arguable because it depends on what you consider durability.
Spider-Man can go toe-to-toe with some of the Marvel universe’s true powerhouses. He took punches from the Hulk, survived an entire building crashing on top of him – and a lot more. As far as physical durability goes, Spidey is near the top of the rankings.
That being said, he CAN get physically hurt – even killed. His recovery period is amazing at times, though. For instance, Peter once healed a broken arm overnight.
Now, I’d say he is certainly more durable than Moon Knight in terms of taking a beating and surviving. I mean, I’m not sure Marc Spector could survive a punch from the big green guy like Spidey.
However, Moon Knight’s fighting style is unprecedented. He is insane, yes, but did you know that Moon Knight deliberately gets hit just to get the upper hand on you.
I mean, there were situations where the guy let himself get shot, just to get close enough to be as brutal as he wants to be on you. Sure, he can’t recover overnight, but Spector usually just keeps fighting long after getting injured. His durability lies in his indomitable will to cast vengeance upon those he believes deserve it.
And then, even if Spector ends up getting killed – Khonshu just resurrects him. Moon Knight died at least a couple of times over the years, but Khonshu brought him back to life every time. Sure, they have their differences sometimes, and Marc even abandoned the ancient god, but when push comes to shove, Khonshu saves his life.
So, Spider-Man is more durable in terms of resisting physical damage, but Moon Knight is more durable in terms of absorbing and fighting through damage. Plus, Spidey can’t resurrect if he dies, whereas Marc Spector came back to life several times. Both characters get points for durability.
Point(s): Spider-Man (2:1) Moon Knight
Intelligence & Mental State
One incredible aspect of our beloved web-slinger that usually gets overshadowed and forgotten is his incredible intelligence. Spider-Man is one of the most brilliant young minds on the planet that eventually develops into one of the most brilliant intellects in general, especially regarding technology, engineering, and physics.
Peter Parker was a “nerd” in his school before the spider bite – and, after the bit, his mind started to work even faster, making Spidey even smarter. On top of that, Spidey never had challenges with his mental state – apart from occasional grief in certain storylines (for instance, after losing Gwen Stacy, Uncle Ben, etc.).
On the other hand, Moon Knight is as insane as they get. His disorder caused Marc Spector to develop several different personalities that are often conflicted. The voices inside his head tend to cause hallucinations. When Spector falls off the wagon into madness, there’s no prediction about what he’s capable of doing.
Be that as it may, you have to give him credit – Moon Knight is not some dumb vigilante, running around and punching people in the face. He’s a great tactician, a brilliant detective, and obviously, some of his personalities – read, Steven Grant – are pretty good in business, turning a modest life-saving into a huge fortune.
Although Moon Knight is no slouch, he’s not close to Spidey’s level of intelligence. Plus, his deteriorated mental state couldn’t possibly grant Marc Spector a point in this category. Spidey takes it, hands down.
Point: Spider-Man (3:1) Moon Knight
Combat Skills
Now, here’s where things get tricky again. Spider-Man is more agile and has unfathomable superhuman instincts in combat, borderline precognitive. He uses incredible acrobatics mixed with martial arts skills to make himself one of the most prolific hand-to-hand combatants in the world. However, Moon Knight might just be – the best.
When it comes to hand-to-hand combat, almost nobody can match Moon Knight. From his experience as a boxer, CIA agent, and a mercenary to all those skills being amplified after becoming Moon Knight, Marc Spector is as skilled of a combatant as anyone. Even the Taskmaster fears the Moon Knight – and for a good reason.
Also, Spector is very skilled with all kinds of weaponry, whereas Spidey usually sticks to his web-shooters.
So, Moon Knight might even be more skilled than Spider-Man as a combatant, but Spidey’s reflexes, speed, strength, agility, and acrobatics have to be considered, making this category a tie, at least – if not an advantage for Parker.
Point(s): Spider-Man (4:2) Moon Knight
Additional Powers
Moon Knight’s superpowers depend on the lunar cycle. The closer the cycle is to a full moon, the stronger Marc Spector becomes. His superpowers include enhanced strength, stamina, and durability, as well as resurrection – if Khonshu decides to do so.
However, Khonshu and Spector often had their differences, leading to their separation at least a few times, leaving Marc completely without superpowers. On the other hand, in the Age of Khonshu storyline, Moon Knight was given mystical ankhs, allowing him to absorb the powers of other heroes, making him one of the most powerful beings in the universe.
However, we can’t take that one storyline as a measuring stick of his true powers. The truth is, Moon Knight often has no superpowers, and when he does, they are limited to enhanced speed, durability, stamina, and (possible) resurrection.
On the other hand, Spidey has much more powerful superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, reflexes, and balance. He can cling onto just about any surface, allowing Peter to crawl walls, ceilings, etc.
But, the thing that takes the cake is the Spider-Sense, aka the “Peter Tingle.” It’s somewhat of a precognitive mental ability that warns Parker of any imminent danger coming his way. If he lets the Spider-Sense lead the way, it works so incredibly well that it allows Spidey to dodge multiple bullets from point-blank range, lasers, and even electricity that travels at lightspeed.
Even when Moon Knight is at his strongest self – during a full moon – he comes nowhere near Spider-Man’s superhuman powers and abilities.
Point: Spider-Man (5:2) Moon Knight
Spider-Man Vs. Moon Knight: Who Wins?
The winner is pretty obvious. Spider-Man would beat Moon Knight almost every time. He’s way stronger, faster, more agile, durable, and more intelligent than Marc Spector. Parker also has more additional superpowers. It’s hard to believe Moon Knight would ever stand a chance.
That being said, their combat skills are on a similar level, and there are a few things that go into Moon Knight’s hand – he’s insane, unpredictable, and extremely ruthless. There are no ends to what he would be willing to do if he sets his mind on ending Spidey.
On the other hand, Spider-Man tends to be friendly and hold back, which might be his downfall in a fight against such a dark, aggressive opponent.
In conclusion, they would most likely bicker for a minute and then team up instead of fighting each other, just like they did in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #22, the 2011 Moon Knight run, Infinity Wars #3, etc.