Moon Knight vs. Spider-Man: Who Would Win? (MCU & Comics)

When it comes to personality and fighting style, you can hardly find a pair of superheroes that are more polar opposites to one another than Moon Knight and Spider-Man. One is aggressive, violent, and never holds back, while the other is kind and always holds back his true strength. The question is, if the two ever fought, who would end up winning?

Spider-Man’s powers are far superior to Moon Knight, so he would likely win in almost every battle. He is stronger, more agile, and has better reflexes, intelligence, and powers overall. However, Moon Knight is extremely unpredictable, powerful, and violent, making him a big threat to Spidey.

I’m trying to say that it wouldn’t be a one-way street. Moon Knight has his advantages against Spidey, and you better believe he wouldn’t hold back before utilizing those advantages. Surely, Peter Parker is the superior superhero, but there are things he wouldn’t dream of doing to somebody, while Moon Knight does them all the time. Let’s break down this fight in detail.

Superhuman physiology

Both Spider-Man and Moon Knight have superhumanly enhanced physiology despite starting off as regular humans. Spider-Man got his powers after being bitten by a radioactive spider, which changed his molecular structure and DNA, whereas Moon Knight got powers after getting killed in Egypt, and being resurrected by Khonshu, the Egyptian Moon God of Vengeance.

Once Marc Spector was resurrected and became Khonshu’s Avatar – aka the Fist of Khonshu – his already damaged mind was fractured beyond repair, developing multiple personalities and insanity so profoundly that it could only be described as magic, as it was in ‘Moon Knight’ #12.

To go along with a fractured mind, however, Moon Knight gained superpowers that largely depended on the lunar cycle. The closer we are to the full moon, the more powerful Moon Knight becomes. Hence, depending on the moon’s phases, his strength varied from being at peak human condition (lifting about 450 lbs/200 kg) to easily lifting 2 tons.

He also had superhuman speed (in the MCU, for instance, he could easily outrun jackals), stamina, balance, reflexes, and pain resistance so strong that it allowed Spector to ignore gunshot wounds and keep fighting. He is also self sustaining and can survive without a breathable atmosphere, and much more.

On the other hand, Peter Parker’s powers might’ve made him physiologically superior. He also gained superhuman strength, speed, stamina, balance, reflexes, and agility, but every single one of those things goes just a level beyond Moon Knight.

For instance, he once lifted a 40-ton chunk of the Daily Bugle skyscraper with relative ease. He’s fast and agile enough to dodge bullets and has a natural ability to find equilibrium and balance on even the tiniest surfaces, such as the tip of a flagpole. 

I’m trying to convey that Moon Knight’s physiology with Khonshu is awesome, but Spidey is just another level beyond. Also, there were times when Marc had had enough of Khonshu and abandoned him, leaving Spector without any powers – only his amazing combat skills. Still, Spidey takes the cake in this category.

Point: Spider-Man (1:0) Moon Knight

Stamina & Durability

Spider-Man has absolutely incredible stamina – to the point where he almost never gets tired, and when he does, he can still keep going. I’ve read that some spiders can go weeks, even months, without feeding, so perhaps that’s why Spidey’s stamina is so great, but it’s just an assumption.

What’s not an assumption is that his durability is incredibly impressive. Spider-Man can go at it with some of the strongest Marvel characters in existence. He once ate a punch – not a tap, a real power punch – from the Hulk, and although he flew far away from the impact, he was left almost unharmed.

He is also great at avoiding damage due to his Spider-Sense – an almost precognitive ability to sense danger and act instinctively before it arrives. It saved him a million times, allowing him to dodge bullets and even lightning. Yes, he’s that quick.

However, believe it or not, I’d still give this category to Moon Knight, and I’ll tell you why.

Spider-Man can get hurt. Although he can resist more physical damage than Moon Knight – like, I doubt Moon Knight could survive a punch from the Hulk – he doesn’t have the same level of insanity to just keep pushing forward.

That’s where Marc Spector’s true durability lies. Even when he gets shot multiple times, he just keeps going at you. That’s his fighting style, making him incredibly unpredictable. And, the best part? Even if he dies from fatal wounds, Khonshu can just resurrect him, as he did multiple times in the comics.

So, even if Spider-Man can take more damage, he can die, but Moon Knight can die ten times in a single fight and get resurrected every single time. That’s why he certainly deserves the upper hand in this particular category.

Point: Moon Knight (1:1) Spider-Man

Intelligence

One can’t argue that Marc Spector is a smart guy. From his CIA and military training to his amassing a fortune out of modest life savings, he clearly has high intelligence on his side.

However, his mind was fractured immensely after becoming Moon Knight – so much so that it’s too hard to classify his mental disorder into any diagnosis. Sure, he is intelligent, but his mind is unpredictable, even to Moon Knight himself.

On the other hand, Spider-Man is one of the most brilliant young minds in the world. He was known as a ‘nerd’ in high school, with a knack for science, engineering, and technology. Peter Parker might not be on Tony Stark’s or Bruce Banner’s level, per se, but he actually isn’t far off.

So, Moon Knight certainly isn’t a dimwit, but Spidey is yet again on a higher level than him in terms of intelligence.

Point: Spider-Man (2:1) Moon Knight

Combat skills

Spider-Man’s combat skills mainly come instinctively. He uses his Spider-Sense to just let go and let loose in combat. He’s insanely acrobatic and smart when fighting, but he tends to hold back his strength with almost every strike because he knows that, if he uses his full strength, he’d likely kill anyone that comes in his way.

That being said, Spidey might be highly skilled in combat, but he doesn’t have formal martial arts or weaponry training. On the other hand, Marc Spector is one of the best – if not the best – combatants in the world. His hand-to-hand combat skills are unmatched, and it has a lot to do with his insane but indomitable will.

The fighting style of Moon Knight allows you to hit him in order to open yourself up for a counter-attack. He could beat almost anybody in hand-to-hand combat – even the infamous Taskmaster is afraid of the Fist of Khonshu, and for a good reason.

To add to that, Marc’s training as a boxer, a CIA agent, and then a mercenary allowed him to perfect the usage of almost every weapon you can imagine, from nunchucks and Crescent Darts to pistols, rifles, explosives, etc.

Spidey is an incredible combatant, but the unpredictability and unmatched skill of the Moon Knight gives him an advantage here if we remove everything else and talk solely about combat skills.

Point: Moon Knight (2:2) Spider-Man

Additional powers & abilities

This is where I reckon Spidey takes the cake. Moon Knight’s most prominent powers come from his enhanced physiology, and we have already concluded that Spider-Man beats him in that department.

There were storylines – mainly during the Age of Khonshu – where Marc Spector could absorb other superhero’s powers, control every moon in the universe, etc. However, that isn’t in his regular power set. I’d say the only real ‘superpower’ Moon Knight has along the superhuman physiology and nigh-immortality is his insatiable, indomitable will.

He does have numerous abilities up his sleeve, though. Marc Spector mastered dozens of martial arts and is an expert with almost every weapon imaginable, along with being an expert pilot, a multilinguist, one of the world’s best detectives, and more.

On the other hand, Spider-Man, along with his incredible physiology that is superior to Moon Knight, has Spider-Sense (“Peter Tingle”) as one of his main superpowers. It’s an almost precognitive ability to sense incoming danger before it arrives and react instinctively. The higher the danger, the stronger the Spider-Sense goes off.

There’s also the wall-crawling, web-slinging, and accelerated healing that allows Spidey to stay ready even after serious injuries.

As for his skills, Peter is a gifted engineer, capable of inventing and creating awesome gadgets (such as his web-shooters). He’s also an amazing acrobat, a skilled photographer, and an awesome martial artist. He might not be as skilled in martial arts as Marc Spector, but the guy stalemated Captain America (Amazing Spider-Man #534) and Shang-Chi (Amazing Spider-Man #666).

If you remove Spidey’s glaring physiological advantage, this category is a close call, but still, I’d give the web-slinger an advantage over Moon Knight in this category.

Point: Spider-Man (3:2) Moon Knight

Most powerful versions

The most powerful version of Moon Knight came during the ‘Age of Khonshu’ storyline. He was given mystical ankhs that allowed Moon Knight to absorb the powers of other superheroes. It also allowed him to control any moon rune in the universe, including uru – the material from which Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, was made of.

Moon Knight absorbed the powers of Ghost Rider, Doctor Strange, Thor’s hammer (despite being unworthy), the Phoenix Force, and others, allowing him to defeat the entire Avengers team with Captain Marvel single-handedly and basically become one of the most powerful beings in the universe.

Spidey’s most powerful version, however, was the Cosmic Spider-Man. During the ‘Acts of Vengeance’ storyline, Peter Parker absorbed a mysterious cosmic power/entity known as the Enigma Force. He became nearly omnipotent – the physical form of Uni-Power – the power of the universe itself manifesting in a single being.

Not only did he obtain new powers, such as matter manipulation, but the powers he already had were dramatically enhanced. For instance, the Spider-Sense now gave Peter cosmic awareness, while his speed was enhanced to allow him to travel at a fraction below light speed.

So, although Moon Knight, at his most powerful, was one of the most powerful beings in the universe, Spider-Man, at HIS most powerful, was the manifestation of the universe itself. He takes the cake here, no doubt.

Point: Spider-Man (4:2) Moon Knight

Aggression

One reason why you can never, ever write Marc Spector off is his insane violence and aggression. I can’t think of another superhero (or antihero) other than the Punisher that is willing to deliver that kind of violence. Murder is nothing to Moon Knight if he feels like the person on the receiving end deserves his vengeance.

He chopped Deadpool into tiny pieces, and he absolutely never holds back in a fight. That could be Spider-Man’s downfall in this fight. Spidey ALWAYS holds back because he knows that his punches are lethal should he unleash his real strength. 

There were moments when Spider lost it and used his ‘Mark of Kaine’ – the ability to use his wall-crawling ability to literally rip someone’s skin off, but it was not something he’d regularly do, and he regretted it ever since.

So, should these guys fight, Marc Spector would go all out and not care even slightly about the violence behind his attacks, whereas Peter Parker might hesitate to hurt Spector – and that could be his biggest mistake.

Point: Moon Knight (3:4) Spider-Man)

Moon Knight Vs. Spider-Man: Who wins?

In the end, Spider-Man would, or should, win most of the fights against Moon Knight. That is if the writers don’t decide otherwise. He is stronger, smarter, has better reflexes, and has more powers. Even if their most powerful versions squared off, Parker still has the upper hand.

However, you can never write Moon Knight off due to his indomitable will, insane stamina and durability, unmatched combat skills, and a level of aggression and violence that Spidey can’t – or won’t match.

So, Spidey wins most of the time, but Moon Knight certainly has a chance against anybody, including Spider-Man.

Who do you think would win in this fight? Let us know in the comments!

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