Warning: spoilers ahead for Moon Knight #2!
Ahead of Moon Knight's MCU, his most problematic powers are finally being addressed in the comics. Moon Knight has dissociative identity disorder (DID) and over the years, it has been handled in differing ways - some highly problematic. However, in Moon Knight #2, on sale now in print and digital, Marvel tackles this issue head on, revealing how his DID interacts with his powers.
Moon Knight has several distinct identities. He is Marc Spector, a mercenary; Jake Lockley, a taxi driver; and Steven Grant, a successful businessman. Finally, there is the enigmatic Mister Knight, a vigilante who's a little less extreme than Moon Knight himself. When Marc became Moon Knight, his brain was touched by the Egyptian god Khonshu, altering it, but different creative teams have taken different views of how this interacted with Marc's DID. Where this has been most problematic is in the rendering of Moon Knight's mental landscape, which is so hostile that it tends to injure any psychic being who makes contact. In some stories, there's been the implication that this is just because of his DID, creating the problematic implication that a real-life condition essentially makes the superhero's brain toxic to others. Moon Knight #2 clarifies to what extent this is the case in an issue written by Jed MacKay, with art by Alessandro Cappuccio and colors by Rachelle Rosenberg.
The clarification comes as Moon Knight, in his Mister Knight persona, confronts Hawley, a janitor who is enslaving the building's residents through a special formula in his sweat. This sweat also allows him access to a victim’s mind, giving him the chance to live through them. Moon Knight explains his mind will break Hawley, but is very clear that it's not due to his dissociative identity disorder, which he assumes is "old hat" for someone with the villain's powers. Moon Knight proceeds to take Hawley on a journey through his mind, calling it "truly alien." Moon Knight makes repeated references to the staggering influence Khonshu had on his mind, saying it is "cratered with a god’s fingerprints." He confirms his brain has been permanently altered by Khonshu, making it clear that his mental landscape is so hostile because it was reshaped by a god, not because of his DID, which actually helped him survive Khonshu's influence.
The scene, as illustrated by Cappuccio, is awe-inspiring and shows just how powerful Moon Knight is on the psychic plane. But it also shows just how his DID interacts with Khonshu’s influence; the DID was already there, and while it's part of his life, Khonshu’s alterations are what made Marc's mind actually dangerous to others (when he wills it.) Even then, Moon Knight has weaponized Khonshu's meddling, which he uses to defeat Hawley.
First created in 1975, Moon Knight's various titles and appearances have shown varying sensitivity and insight in dealing with his DID. With Marc set to make his MCU debut in Disney +'s Moon Knight next year - played by Oscar Isaac - it's good to see Marvel clearly delineate the line between his DID and Khonshu's influence, making it clear that Moon Knight's dangerous psychic landscape and startling brutality are due to his interactions with a godlike entity, not a real-life condition.