Marvel gave Moon Knight’s god pal Khonshu roots in real Egyptian myth
Moon Knight on Disney Plus has plenty of characters making their first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — and not just because the superhero has multiple personalities. The audience is also getting to know a Marvel Comics favorite, the bird-headed Khonshu.
Moon Knight may have a chic look with his all-white costume, but that fashion sense comes straight from his patron, the god of the moon.
Introduced in Moon Knight #1, Khonshu has been a part of Marc Spector’s story since the moment he was given a proper origin. In Marvel Comics, Khonshu and the rest of his pantheon live in an extra-dimensional realm where they cannot affect Earth directly. So, for millions of years, he has chosen mortal avatars — Moon Knights — to enact his will.
His godly portfolio includes the moon, as you might have guessed, and he has also, in different periods of Egyptian history, had purview over fertility, healing, and time. But in Marvel Comics, after the moon, his godly mission is vengeance, and being a guardian of “travelers in the night,” a very convenient mandate to give to a vigilante who is usually seen patrolling the dark streets of New York City.
Also, as you’ve probably noticed, Khonshu has a bird head. What kind of bird? Well, in ancient Egyptian iconography, the deity Khonshu was sometimes depicted with the head of a falcon. But the Khonshu of modern Marvel comics often has a particularly huge raven-like beak (just like the one in Moon Knight on Disney Plus), probably because it looks cool and creepy. Sometimes the Khonshu of Marvel Comics appears in robes and wrappings, and sometimes just in a nice modern suit — but he always has the bird skull head, floating free above his shoulders.
Mohamed Diab, director of Moon
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