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

 

How Moon Knight Gets His Powers

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