Balance Higher Education Thesis

Jude MacLean

Moon Knight

Date

What happens when a superhero battles not just villains, but also his own fractured mind?

Index

04. A commentary on Mental Health

01. Origins

02. Marc Spector

05. Vigilantism and Moral Ambiguity

03. DID and Personalities

How Moon Knight’s Dissociative Identity Disorder shapes his character and creates a new character dynamic

Discussion

• Analysis of DID in Moon Knight
• Comparison with traditional superheroes
• Implications for media portrayal of mental health

01. Origins

Creators

Creation

• Doug Moench
• Writer
• Don Perlin
• Artist

• First Appearance
• A new approach
• Signifigance

02. The Shahow of Khonshu

Marc Spector

• The Origin Personality
• A date with the Devil and a grand resurrection

03. DID

A man with many names

• Marc Spectors Alters
• Whats the Use?
• Defense Mechanisms
• Moon Knight isn’t just battling criminals; he’s battling himself

Effects of DID on Moon Knight

04. A Commentary On Mental Health

Specifics

Psychological Complexity

Emphasis on the internal Struggle with mental illness

Reality vs. Delusion

Marc Spector struggles to find reality

Issues sparked

05. Moral Ambiguity

A Flawed Anti-Hero

MK

Gray areas of Morality

SG

JL

The first anti-hero?

MS

DID affects his moral compass

05. Thesis Recap & Takeaways

• His greatest challenge are the voices in his head
• Shown through struggle with moral compass
• Affects on his relationships

Thank youfor your attention

Any questions?

Citations:

Moench, Doug. Moon Knight (1980) #1. New York: Marvel Comics, 1980. Moench, Doug. Moon Knight (1980) #22. New York: Marvel Comics, 1980. Nathaniel, Routh. Moon Knight Through a Therapist’s Eyes. Chicago: Optimum Joy, 2022. Moench, Doug. Moon Knight (1980) #3. New York: Marvel Comics, 1980. Stewart, Jake. Inside the Mind of Marc Spector. New York: Marvel Unlimted, 2022.