Warning: Contains spoilers for Avengers Assemble Alpha #1Marvel has confirmed that Moon Knight is destined to join the Avengers. In Avengers Assemble Alpha #1, the Avengers of the present day encounter their Stone Age counterparts. Among the ranks of the Stone Age Avengers is that era’s Fist of Khonshu–proving that the modern day’s Moon Knight is set to become one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. The issue is on sale now in print and digital.
The issue opens with a guide to the members of each Avengers team; among the Prehistoric Avengers is that era’s Moon Knight. The 21st century Avengers, including Captain America, Captain Marvel and Nighthawk, are brought to Earth’s distant past and immediately meet the Avengers of that time. The two teams fight each other, and Nighthawk engages the prehistoric Moon Knight. Surmising that his opponent is the Fist of Khonshu, Nighthawk asks if he is “more reasonable” than his successors and Moon Knight replies by nailing Nighthawk with his club. Realizing that this Moon Knight is indeed as unhinged as the rest, Nighthawk quips, “Way to set the bar low.” The issue is written by Jason Aaron, illustrated by Bryan Hitch, inked by Andrew Currie, colored by Alex Sinclair and lettered by Cory Petit.
Moon Knight Belongs on the Avengers
A hallmark of Jason Aaron’s Avengers run has been the introduction of other teams of Avengers throughout Earth’s history, such as the Stone Age incarnation. This team includes many firsts: the first Iron Fist, the first Ghost Rider, the first Star Brand and so on. Led by Odin, the team safeguards the infant Earth from those who would, in the words of the first Sorcerer Supreme Agamotto, “throttle the babe before it grows.” This team is the ur-Avengers, influencing every version since and shaping the destiny of the Marvel Universe. And with this in mind, Moon Knight joining the team makes perfect sense.
In the “Age of Khonshu” storyline that ran through Avengers #33-37, Moon Knight, empowered by his patron god, took on the entire team and nearly defeated them. After the dust settled and Khonshu’s manipulations ended, the team offered Moon Knight a spot, but he turned it down; instead, he decided to go it alone, opening the Midnight Mission and returning to his original mandate of protecting travelers at night. Yet as seen in Avengers Assemble Alpha, his Stone Age counterpart is very much a team player and if the team’s influence across time holds, then it will not be long before Moon Knight encounters the Avengers once again, and this time he may not refuse their offer. It is also worth noting that this prehistoric Moon Knight seems to have a reputation for unpredictability, much like the modern day incarnation.
Moon Knight Was Once an Avenger—And He Will Be Again
If Moon Knight accepts the Avengers' offer this round, it will not be his first time with the team. In the mid-1980s, Moon Knight migrated out West, and briefly joined the West Coast version of the team. However, his tenure did not last long and he returned to New York. Part of the reason Moon Knight did not stay with the Avengers the first time was because he is not a team player; yet now Moon Knight is in therapy, working on resolving his long-standing mental health issues. It is possible that Moon Knight could emerge as a new person, and rethink his position on joining teams. His prehistoric counterpart is an Avenger, meaning that he could join the team as well.
Avengers Assemble Alpha #1 is on sale now from Marvel Comics!