Moon Knight Vs. The Punisher: Who Would Win And Why?
Moon Knight TV series is almost out, and we can’t wait to see who the merciless vigilante will go up against. Rumors started circling the Internet that Jon Bernthal will return as the Punisher and either team up or go up against Oscar Isaac’s Moon Knight in the show. So, if Moon Knight and Punisher ever fought, who would win, and why?
Moon Knight would win against the Punisher more often than not. The additional superhuman powers granted to Marc Spector by Khonshu would eventually put the odds in his favor. However, it would be a pretty close fight, and the Punisher would certainly have his chances.
Frank Castle is better at long-range combat and has a wider variety of weapons. However, almost nobody can beat Moon Knight if the fight comes within hand-to-hand range. Plus, if they fought within the Moon Knight TV show, the Fist of Khonshu would have the upper hand, to begin with, simply being the titular character. Let’s dissect the fight to see the outcome.
Combat Skills
Both Moon Knight and the Punisher rely on their phenomenal combat skills to beat their enemies. However, they focus on different aspects of combat. To learn how they operate, all you need to know is their brief background.
Marc Spector was a highly-skilled mercenary and assassin. Before that, he was a professional boxer, a soldier, and a former CIA special agent. Spector’s combat skills and experience are spectacular, and they go from detective work to all-out brawls and shootouts.
After being betrayed by a fellow mercenary and left for dead, Spector got resurrected by an ancient Egyptian god called Khonshu. Khonshu was a moon god of vengeance who bestowed superhuman powers upon Spector, which Marc vowed to use for good and cast vengeance upon criminals and others who deserved it. However, it also rendered him completely insane.
He doesn’t hide in the shadows. Instead, Moon Knight wears an all-white costume so that his enemies would see him coming. He willingly takes punches, strikes, and even shots just to get his hands on you. And, when he does – he is bonkers. I mean, cuckoo for cocoa puffs bonkers. I mean, carve out your face and wear it as a mask bonkers.
While he has long-range weapons and knows how to use them, Moon Knight’s fighting style is much more close and personal.
On the other hand, Frank Castle, aka the Punisher, is a former Captain of the US Marine Corps. He was one of the best soldiers ever to wear the uniform, surviving missions that even his superiors thought were impossible to survive. And then, Frank witnessed his entire family – wife and two kids – get brutally murdered by the mafia while walking in Central Park.
The rage, grief, despair, and desire for vengeance turned Frank Castle into the Punisher. He vowed to kill everybody who had anything to do with his family’s death.
But, when he cleaned the slate, Frank discovered a much deeper conspiracy leading down to the criminal roots of New York City. So, the Punisher decided to Punish all the criminals in NYC and beyond, if necessary.
The Punisher uses his indomitable will and combat experience to destroy anybody in his path. Unlike the Moon Knight, he likes to use his huge array of guns and keep the battle at bay. Long-range is his bread and butter.
Therefore, if the fight remains at a distance, the Punisher takes it, hands down. However, if the Moon Knight can get close – which he almost always does – it would be a much closer fight, but Marc Spector would win as one of the most prolific hand-to-hand combatants in Marvel Comics.
Frank gets the point for long-range, while Marc gets the point for close-range combat.
Point(s): Moon Knight (1:1) Punisher
Equipment
The Punisher has guns. I mean – a LOT of guns. From pistols, shotguns, rifles, snipers, to rocket launchers and miniguns – Frank has it all, and most importantly, he knows how to use it.
After a while, he also obtains an entire arsenal of cosmic weaponry. However, I can’t take that as his standard equipment because then I have to take Moon Knight’s special equipment into account as well, such as his magical ankhs that absorb others’ power and energy, etc. We’ll stick to the regular character equipment.
Moon Knight has an identity called Steven Grant. Steven took Marc Spector’s modest life savings to Wall Street and made a fortune. Like, Bruce Wayne type of fortune. He then used that fortune to develop unfathomable equipment, such as high-tech weaponry, suits, armor, vehicles, and other stuff.
While you usually see Moon Knight use his moon-shaped crescents and darts, the guy has some of the best high-tech equipment around – and all the money in the world to get even more. I mean, the guy owns a private spaceship.
Regardless of the Punisher’s weaponry, his resources are limited – and you can’t argue against a high-tech spaceship. Moon Knight takes this category by a landslide.
Point: Moon Knight (2:1) Punisher
Mental State
This is where the odds get even again. Everybody knows Deadpool as Marvel’s awesome but crazy superhero. Well, what if I told you that Moon Knight is even crazier than him?
Moon Knight has a dissociative personality disorder, along with having the voice of an ancient Egyptian god of vengeance inside his head the entire time. There have been numerous occasions where Marc Spector completely lost it, and Khonshu took over, doing horrifying stuff like slicing off people’s faces and stuff like that.
Spector has presented at least ten different personalities throughout the years, each having its own unique problems. Some are more violent, while some tend to be more compassionate and ethical. Whatever the personality may be, one fact remains – Moon Knight’s mental state is incredibly unpredictable, even to himself.
On the other hand, Frank Castle is a man struck by incredible grief, pain, and rage. He also has severe PTSD, not just from the trauma of witnessing his family’s death but being a war veteran who’s seen the worst missions one can see in warfare. Be that as it may, the Punisher is not crazy. At least not as crazy as Moon Knight.
Castle is a pure strategist. Calm, composed, and focused, even in the most stressful situations. That’s why he is so deadly – nothing shakes him, and nothing breaks his focus. Where Marc Spector’s identity shatters into several personalities, Frank Castle knows who he is and what he wants at all times.
The Punisher doesn’t go around killing blindly. He has a strict moral code he adheres to. For instance, when Captain America attacked him and urged Castle to fight back, he refused because he had the utmost respect for Cap, and the strong moral code strictly forbade Frank from harming him.
Sure, the Punisher has issues, but they are as soft as Charmin if you compare them to Moon Knight.
Point: Punisher (2:2) Moon Knight
Will & Persistence
Indomitable will and undying persistence are traits that both Moon Knight and the Punisher possess. In fact, both of them operate successfully solely because their will is stronger than anyone else’s.
As I said, Moon Knight wants you to see him coming. And then, no matter what you do or what you throw at him, Marc will keep coming until you’re gone. His fighting style is so brutal that even the Taskmaster refused to copy it. In fact, Moon Knight frightened him so much that he literally begged for his life.
Spector will let you shoot him if it gives him a second where he can expose your vulnerabilities and make stew out of you. The guy is crazy, and he’ll never stop coming at you.
The same goes for Frank Castle. Sure, he has a strict moral code, but he’s a man on a mission. If you stand in the Punisher’s way, trying to prevent him from completing that mission, you’re toast. His will and lust for vengeance are as strong as it gets – nobody gets away if the Punisher sets out to end them.
It’s impossible to say which of the two have stronger will and persistence, so both characters get points in this category.
Point(s): Moon Knight (3:3) Punisher
Additional Powers
Finally, the incredibly close fight tips slightly into Moon Knight’s favor due to his superhuman powers.
The Punisher is incredibly skilled, ruthless, violent, and persistent. However, Frank is still just a human. Sure, there are storylines where he gains superpowers – even becomes one of the most powerful versions of the Ghost Rider – but generally, the character has no superhuman powers.
On the other hand, Marc Spector is the Fist of Khonshu. When Khonshu resurrected him in Egypt, he gave Marc superhuman strength, stamina, durability, agility, and reflexes. In one particular storyline, Moon Knight single-handedly unhinged a two-ton steel door in a lab and tossed it to the side.
He had been shot and killed several times, but every time it happened, Khonshu was there to resurrect him.
Even if Marc Spector only had slight superhuman strength without the resurrections or extreme durability, it’s still more than what Frank Castle has. It’s only fair to give him a point in this category.
Point: Moon Knight (4:3) Punisher
Moon Knight Vs. Punisher: Who Wins?
Overall, Moon Knight wins over the Punisher 4:3. The point score is about the same number of fights I’d give them – Marc Spector winning four out of seven times.
They are pretty evenly matched in combat skills, persistence, will, and even equipment (Moon Knight’s is high-tech, but the Punisher has more). However, the slight advantage that tips the scales in Moon Knight’s favor is the additional powers, including superhuman strength, durability, and stamina. Regardless of how tough Castle is, he’s only human.
If the fight is kept at bay and Frank keeps it long-range, he has a big chance to win. He’s a spectacular marksman and knows how to use every weapon you can think of. That being said, many have tried keeping Moon Knight at bay but failed. And, if you let him get close, you’ll have a bad day.
In the end, the two have fought several times in the comics but always seemed to settle their differences and eventually work together, like in Marc Spector: Moon Knight Vol. 1 #36 or Punisher Annual Vol. 1 #2.
It’s an extremely close matchup between two amazing characters, but I’d give Moon Knight 4 out of 7 fights against the Punisher.
