How Moon Knight Gets His Powers & Why His Eyes Glow White

Moon Knight, one of Marvel Studios' Disney+ series, introduces a new character with plenty of mysterious supernatural powers. Here's how they work.

Marvel Studios' series Moon Knight, starring Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke, features a brand-new MCU character, yet the origin of the titular Moon Knight's powers is somewhat mysterious. Moon Knight is Marvel Studios' first MCU release of 2022, and their first TV series to serve as the introduction of a new Marvel hero into the MCU. Oscar Isaac plays the namesake vigilante in what could be Marvel's darkest release to date, as it explores themes of psychological horror coupled with brutal action the like of which has never been seen in a Marvel Studios release.

Moon Knight highlights Marc Spector's Dissociative Identity Disorder and focuses a good deal on the man under the mask in addition to showing off the superpowers he puts on display when donning his white cowl. Thus, a big question at the heart of Moon Knight is inevitably how Moon Knight got his powers. Marvel kept this information largely under wraps during the lead-up to Moon Knight's release, but now audiences are finally getting the chance to learn more about Marc Spector's backstory.

Moon Knight has one of the most unfortunate yet unique histories in Marvel Comics, which is one of the main reasons the character is such an underground fan favorite. The fantastical nature of his origin, paired with his unique powers, sets Moon Knight apart from other MCU releases. Thus far, Marvel Studios' Moon Knight seems to be accurately adapting Marc Spector's dark backstory, which indicates that Oscar Isaac's character also has similar powers to his comic book counterpart.

How Moon Knight Gets His Powers - Marvel Comics Origin Explained

In the source material, Marc Spector was raised by a rabbi on the poor side of Chicago and grew up to become a U.S. Marine. Dishonorably discharged from the army due to his history of mental instability leading to dissociative identity disorder, Marc Spector became a mercenary for hire. Using the skills he picked during his 3 years of service, Spector carried out assassinations and rescue missions across the African Continent. He came face to face with the villain Bushman on his last mission as a mercenary, who mortally wounded Spector in the middle of the Egyptian desert. A gravely injured Marc Spector managed to reach the tomb of Khonshu, the Egyptian moon god, where he seemingly died at the feet of a statue of the deity. Spector's spirit encountered the moon god, who offered to save Marc's life in exchange for his eternal service, to which Spector agreed.

Khonshu imbued Marc Spector with a sliver of his godly powers, which is the source of all of his supernatural abilities and the reason why his eyes glow white in the MCU Moon Knight show. Other than the usual superhuman strength, speed, and durability, Moon Knight displayed a wide array of formidable powers across his 47-year history in Marvel comics. The most prominent ability of Moon Knight is his lunar strength, which makes him significantly more powerful at night under the moonlight, especially on full moons. Additionally, Moon Knight often employs a set of divine ankhs that allow him to absorb the powers of other Marvel heroes, which he used to borrow the powers of Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider, and Spider-Man. Marc Spector is also seemingly immortal; due to his vow of eternal service to Khonshu, the moon god has resurrected Moon Knight on numerous occasions. A lesser-known ability of Moon Knight's, which may not feature in the Disney+ show to keep it grounded, is his "lunakinesis", which allows him to control the universe's moons and any objects made out of them, including Thor's hammer Mjolnir.

Why Moon Knight's Eyes Glow White

Because Moon Knight's powers come directly from Khonshu, without his connection to the diety Marc Spector would just be a skilled mercenary without any special abilities. Moon Knight's suit and his glowing white eyes are thus symbols of his connection to Khonshu, which sets him apart from most other heroes. In the simplest terms, Moon Knight's eyes glow white because he is drawing on Khonshu's supernatural power and his connection to the moon. As the earthly avatar for the moon god, Moon Knight has special abilities that are tied specifically to the lunar cycle, and the moonlight emanating from his eyes is one more manifestation of this power. More than just a detail to make him look more mysterious or intimidating, Moon Knight's eyes glow white because he's drawing on Khonshu's moon magic.

How Moon Knight's Healing Factor Works - Is He Immortal?

Moon Knight's Khonshu connection is also what gives him his impressive healing abilities. The Moon Knight suit makes Marc Spector invulnerable, so that he can be shot, stabbed, bludgeoned, etc, without suffering negative effects. Even more impressively, because his protection and healing powers come from Khonshu rather than the suit, Moon Knight can still heal rapidly from various injuries even when he isn't wearing it. This is how Steven is able to walk away from a fall out of a third-story window without too much concern in Moon Knight episode 1. As for whether Moon Knight is truly immortal, that question could be up for debate - as previously mentioned, Khonshu has brought Marc back from the dead on numerous occasions, which is itself a sort of immortality. Whether Marc could live forever without dying of old age would depend on how long he was actually the earthly vessel for Khonshu's power.

Since the MCU's Moon Knight show seems to be accurately portraying Moon Knight's origin from the comics, it stands to reason that the Disney+ version of the character will continue to have similar powers to his comic book parallel. While certain powers like lunakinesis may be absent from the MCU, Spector's divine connection to the Egyptian god does remain a central part of the character. Thus, the hero's powers in the Disney+ series Moon Knight are carrying on the comics' tradition rather well.

More: Is Moon Knight Marvel's Most Brutal Ever? How Violent & Gory It Is

New episodes of Moon Knight will release on Disney+ every Wednesday.