Batman Vs Moon Knight — Differences Explained

DC Comics tends to feature darker, grittier heroes and stories than Marvel, which means that whenever Marvel does introduce a brooding crusader into its universe, comparisons to DC abound. Moon Knight just might be the darkest and broodiest character in the entire Marvel universe, so he's often referred to as "Marvel's Batman." On the surface, Moon Knight and Batman do appear to be quite similar. Both work in major metropolitan areas, hunting down criminals in the dead of night. Both rely more on their physical capabilities than any kind of special powers. Both even struggle with understanding their identity as a person, separate from their identity under the mask.

Contrary to popular belief, though, that's where the similarities end, and to be honest, even some of those points are a stretch. Moon Knight and Batman are two unique characters, and with a closer look at their backstories and lore, it becomes hard to see how anyone might think they're the same. Combined, the two of them have more than 100 years of comic book history for fans to dig through and obsess over, but you don't need to break the bank on back issues to gain a deeper understanding of either character. Here are the differences between Moon Knight and Batman, explained.

After the death of his parents, Bruce Wayne swore an oath to rid Gotham City of its criminal underbelly. He dedicated his life to training for that exact purpose. His years of training took him around the world, as he worked to become an expert in every discipline that a master crimefighter might require. Perhaps most importantly, he trained in martial arts and as a ninja, learning how to use stealth and darkness to his advantage.

Marc Spector's superhero training came via less virtuous motivations. Early in his life, Marc was a boxer, despite his father's insistence on a life of nonviolence. As a young adult, Marc enlisted with the Marines, and gained some true military expertise. After that, he worked for a time as a CIA agent before going his own way and becoming a mercenary for hire. Moon Knight is perfectly accustomed to brutal fights and making difficult decisions when battling his enemies, because Marc had been doing just that long before he became a hero.

One of Batman's defining features is his lack of powers. Anyone can be Batman, provided they have a lifetime's worth of combat and tactical training, as well as billions of dollars at their disposal. Batman may not be a regular person, but he is more grounded than many of the gods and speedsters that populate DC's universe. Batman uses his intelligence and gadgets to overcome the gap between himself and some of his friends and foes.

By contrast, Moon Knight actually does have some special abilities in addition to the increased physical prowess he gained from years of mercenary work. His relationship with Khonshu gives him access to the supernatural. Sometimes he receives dreams of the future from the deity; at other times, Moon Knight has increased strength, depending on the phase of the moon. Despite his occasional burst of god-powered abilities, Moon Knight tends to rely on his human strengths and personal training more than anything else. That comes in handy for him, because Moon Knight's fractured personality sometimes leaves him without the knowledge he has any powers at all.

The struggles that both Batman and Moon Knight face regarding their identities does them little favor when it comes to their relationships. Bruce Wayne rarely has time for romance because he's so busy fighting Gotham's bottomless criminal underbelly. Through the years, he's had a string of girlfriends, and even the occasional engagement, but his life under the cowl always gets in the way (via DC Comics). In recent years, Batman has made strides in love. He proposed to Catwoman in "Batman #32," and though the engagement later broke off, their relationship is still being explored in the comics.

One would think that Moon Knight, with his violent background and volatile personality, would struggle to find love even more than Batman does. Over the years, though, Marc Spector and his various personas have maintained an on again, off again relationship with Marlene Alraune (via Marvel). Marlene is always ready to support Marc, but sometimes the stresses of his superhero lifestyle and dissociative identity disorder are too much for the relationship to bear. 2017's "Moon Knight #190" revealed that Marc's alter, Jake Lockley, had fathered a child, Diatrice, with Marlene. His relationship with Marlene and Diatrice is still a work in progress.

Few superheroes' brainpower can stand up to Batman's intelligence. He's earned the title "World's Greatest Detective," and it's frequently Batman's careful planning and detective skills that help him get out of a sticky situation. Batman isn't just able to think his way through criminal investigations, he's also more than capable of designing all sorts of high-tech gadgetry that aids him in his crime fighting. If any Marvel superhero compares, it's Tony Stark, who also builds his own technology and tends to think his way out of problems.

Moon Knight is by no means unintelligent, but he doesn't have the same level of thoughtfulness that Batman so often relies on. Marc Spector has the street smarts of someone who's been in and out of every kind of combat situation imaginable. All of his other personalities are equally crafty, but none of them are going to be designing futuristic tech anytime soon. That said, when there's a need for serious tactical know-how, Moon Knight is someone that people want to have around.

Batman and Moon Knight have incredibly different fighting styles. Batman prefers to attack from the shadows. He's known for silently taking out enemies, ramping up the tension and fear for everyone else in the room waiting to be attacked. While he certainly has some weapons knowledge, Batman usually fights with his fists, and takes down bad guys with his superior hand-to-hand technique and pure strength

Moon Knight also likes to use fear to his advantage when fighting baddies, but he prefers to let them see him coming. Moon Knight's white costume is meant to make him easily visible, so whoever he's hunting down knows their time is just about up. Due to his extensive combat training, Moon Knight is an expert with most weapons. He can use just about anything in a fight, but fittingly, the Fist of Khonshu's signature weapons are special crescent moon-shaped throwing knives. The knives are effective in combat, and leave Moon Knight's mark on the scene, which helps to boost the menace of his persona and instill terror into anyone he faces.

The single biggest difference between Batman and Moon Knight is their ideas of morality. Each hero's morals come from his background, and inform just about every decision he makes while fighting crime. Young Bruce Wayne saw his parents gunned down in an alley. Since then, he's been determined to fight evil, but he's also been committed to not using guns, and not killing his enemies. There have sometimes been exceptions to Batman's rules — usually in spin-offs and alternate realities — but for the most part, Batman's refusal to kill is the single most important aspect of his character.

Moon Knight has no qualms about killing. Though his father always preached nonviolence, Moon Knight has spent his entire life embroiled in one kind of fight or another. As a boxer, Marine, and mercenary, violence was his trade. As the Fist of Khonshu, Moon Knight has an obligation to strike down evil wherever he finds it. In many ways, Moon Knight is a more vicious and brutal fighter than Batman, because he doesn't even try to hold back his rage. Most of the time, Moon Knight is openly trying to kill his opponent. Don't let the white clothes fool you: If anything, Moon Knight is an even darker character than the Dark Knight himself.