Warning: Spoilers for Phases of the Moon Knight #4!Marvel has long had a problem with vampires, but recently, the lore has been stretching deeper into history, and it’s all thanks toMoon Knight. With exciting updates in both comics and the MCU, as well as stories spinning out of the Blood Hunt event, vampires have a greater sway in the Marvel Universe than ever before. The very first vampire, however, is revealed to have a surprising connection to Moon Knight.
The many phases ofMarvel’s Avenger Moon Knightare being explored inPhases of the Moon Knight#4.In the story “Blood Moon, Blood Brothers” by Tom Waltz, Ken Lashley, Brian Level, Antonio Fabela, Erick Arciniega, Dono Sánchez-Almara, and Cory Petit, the Moon Knight of ancient Mesopotamia is revealed.
This phase of justice from the deep past comes from one of the first battles between moonlight and darkness asMoon Knight fights the very first vampire in Marvel history: Varnae, a demon associated with the mythological deity of Ba’al, and he’s perfect for the MCU Moon Knight’s next big bad.
Varnae Is Marvel’s First Vampire: a Historical God in a Fight with Moon Knight
Vampire Lord Varnae’s History Runs Across Many Platforms
Varnae is Marvel’s very first vampirebut also a part of “true” vampire history. During the events ofBlood Hunt#4 by Jed MacKay, Pepe Larraz, and Marte Gracia,Varnae was revealed to not only be the source of the plot against the world but the source of all Marvel vampires. His name is a reference to a penny dreadful novel,Varney the Vampire, which was the major influence for Bram Stoker’s iconic novel,Dracula. InPhases of the Moon Knight,however, his history is even further detailed, showing how he was named Ba’al, a dark god of sacrifice said to be like the devil himself.
The history of vampires in Marvel Comics goes back to the very beginning: to elder gods and the power of the villainous Chthon.
Outside of his far-reaching, cross-platform influences,the history of vampires in Marvel Comicsgoes back to the very beginning: to elder gods and the power of the villainous Chthon, author of the Darkhold, who is the reason for Varnae’s original curse. Seeing as howChthon and Mephisto are making their MCU debut, the timing is perfect for Varnae to fight his way onto the silver screen and television to the list of ways he’s been present in media. And there isno one more capable of defending humanity from Varnae than Moon Knight.
Sorry, Blade. Moon Knight Is Marvel’s Best Vampire Hunter
The MCU Needs This Version of Moon Knight
In fact,Moon Knight might be a better vampire hunter than Blade. Just as Blade is getting more updates about his MCU movie, the time is ripe for these mythological stories to jump out of comics. The television showMoon Knightwas already a twist away from the MCU’s grounded realism by delving into the worlds of gods.The next step would be to introduce vampires into the MCU, which fit in perfectly with the atmosphere thatMoon Knightcreated. After all, Moon Knight already has a history of killing vampires, fromBlood Huntto as early as the 9th century BCE.
Moon Knight Officially Admits His “Addiction” (Why He Isn’t Worthy to Be an Avenger)
Following his resurrection, Marc Spector has returned to life with a revitalized devotion to Khonshu, delivering a brutal new form of justice.
This look into the past inPhases of the Moon Knight#4 is one of Moon Knight’s most important stories, because it doesn’t just show a superhero fighting criminals. It shows the original purpose of Moon Knight as the light in the darkness and the only bastion against ancient evil - like the Vampire Lord Varnae. This is the Moon Knight of comics, and the MCU would only be better off by allowing Oscar Isaac’sMoon Knightto reach this apotheosis, like a shining full moon.
Moon Knight
Cast
Moon Knight stars Oscar Isaac as Steven Grant, a gift-shop employee in London who discovers he has dissociative identity disorder. He shares a body with Marc Spector and together, they travel to Egypt to uncover a deadly mystery surrounding the gods.Moon Knightconsisted of six episodes and was the fifth live-action TV show in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 4. Also starring in the series is Ethan Hawke as the villainous Arthur Harrow and May Calamawy as Layla El-Faouly.
