KHONSHU
Real Name: Chons (Khonshu is the later Greek translation)
Identity/Class: Egyptian God
Occupation: God of the moon and vengeance
Group Membership: The Gods of Egypt/Heliopolitans
Affiliations: Hawkeye, Imhotep,
Moon Knight, the Priests of Khonshu, West Coast Avengers ;
unknown connection, but apparently worshipped by the Cult of Khonshu,
the Knights of the Moon, Nepthys, and Shadowknight.
Enemies: Anubis the Jackal, Dr. Doom (Kristoff Vernard), Rama-Tut, Seth
Known Relatives: Ammon Ra (father), Amaunet (mother, alias Maat), Mut (stepmother), Bes, Khnum, Montu, Ptah (brothers), Seshat (sister), Bast, Sekhmet (Hathor), Tefnut (half-sisters), Shu, Sobek (half-brothers), Taweret, Rat-Taui (sisters-in-law), Nun (Demiurge, grandfather), Neith (Gaea, grandmother)
Aliases: Khons, Khensu;
impersonated Bushman
Place of Birth: Celestial Heliopolis
Base of Operations: Celestial Heliopolis; it also appears to act through the Statue of Khonshu, wherever it may be
First Appearance: Moon Knight I#1 (November, 1980)
Powers/Abilities: Khonshu possesses the conventional attributes of the Egyptian gods such as superhuman strength (Class 25?), stamina and resistance to harm. He has great mystical powers to cure injuries, cross dimensions, attain an immaterial state and bestow his might in mortal champions.
Height: Variable
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: White (no visible iris)
Hair: Unrevealed
History: (Egyptian Myth)- Khonshu is the son of Ammon-Ra, the original ruler of the Egyptian Gods, and Amaunet, the goddess of truth and justice who stood judge upon the souls who passed over to the afterlife.
In ancient times, he posed as a human pharaoh at the Egyptian city of Thebes, the seat of worship for Ammon-Ra, probably at the same time Osiris posed as a mortal ruler. Khonshu was also described as a mentor of Horus the Younger and may have been the sun-god's teacher and protector as Seth overthrew Osiris as pharaoh. The shifts of power in heaven and on earth resulted in Osiris subsequently becoming god of the dead, and Khonshu ascended into the role of god of the moon, ousting Thoth from that role. Thoth then became god of wisdom and magic and vizier to Osiris.
(Moon Knight III#37 (fb) - BTS) - Khonshu allegedly dictated his will on Earth to Imhotep. see comments.
(West Coast Avengers II#20 - BTS) - In the year 2,490 BC, the West Coast Avengers, lost in time, were struck down by Rama-Tut during an attempt to find their way back home. The Avengers' true identities were shielded from Rama-Tut by Khonshu, who wanted the Avengers' aid against Rama-Tut.
(West Coast Avengers II#21-22)- The Avengers were placed in the Temple of Khonshu, which was tended to by the three Priests of Khonshu. Khonshu himself appeared to Hawkeye in a dream, and offered to heal his life-threatening injuries if he would drive out Rama-Tut. Hawkeye agreed, but on the condition that Khonshu would send them home to their own time. Khonshu did so, by contacting his own 20th century agent the Moon Knight, who contacted Dr. Pym and Espirita (aka Firebird), who unknowingly possessed a message Hawkeye had left in her family Bible.
(West Coast Avengers II#23 - BTS) - The Avengers successfully drove Rama-Tut off, and Hawkeye then developed weaponry for the priests. The Avengers were then met by Dr. Pym, Moon Knight and Espirita, who had received Hawkeye's message and come back in time to rescue them. Moon Knight was dumbfounded to discover that the priests he had known in the future had existed that long ago in the past.
(Thor I#240-241 - BTS) - In later years, Seth went on to oust Osiris as god of the dead and imprisoning the ruling family of Heliopolis in a pyramid. Possibly, the gods of Egyptian Thebes remained unaffected from the takeover from beyond the confines of another dimension adjacent to Celestial Heliopolis.
(Moon Knight I#22/2)- In October, 1942, a tomb containing various artifacts, including a statue of Khonshu was discovered by British soldier Ezzie O'Gourke in El Alamein. Later, as O'Gourke went into battle, he seemed to see an image of Khonshu in the sky before him. The Germans there had planted land mines throughout the area, but a fault line opened beneath many of them, detonating them, and thus allowing the British to advance. Khonshu had apparently caused the fault line to open.
(Moon Knight I#21/2)- In recent times, a cop-killer named Herb Russell hid in a museum where a statue of Khonshu stood. Russell hid inside of a mummy's sarcophagus, but Khonshu, meeting out vengeance, closed him inside the case, unable to escape.
(Moon Knight I#1)- Later, the Tomb of Pharaoh Seti was discovered by Peter Alraune Sr., and his daughter Marlene, and within the tomb stood a statue of Khonshu. The mercenary Marc Spector was discovered in the desert by Alraune's servants, and brought within the tomb, where he was set at the foot of the Khonshu statue. Spector was, to all indications, deceased, but he rose again, claiming that Khonshu had restored him to life to serve as his agent. Draping Khonshu's cape about him, he set out to defeat Bushman, the man who had left him to die in the desert.
(Moon Knight III#37 (fb)) - Almost immediately after Marc Spector left the Tomb, his brother, Randall, injured in a recent mercenary struggle, appealed to the statue of Khonshu for similar power--but received no indication or acknowledgement of any kind.
(Moon Knight I#9-10 - BTS) - The statue of Khonshu was stolen from Spector's mansion by his enemies Bushman and the Midnight Man, who smashed it into pieces. Spector was devastated by the loss of the statue, and went insane for a time, but regained his sanity when Marlene showed him that the statue destroyed was only a fake, and that the true statue had been preserved. He returned to defeat Bushman with confidence, only later wondering if Marlene had deceived him. As Marlene observed, it didn't really matter.
(Moon Knight I#25 - BTS) - During his battle with the Black Spectre, Spector suffered a major lapse in confidence when even Marlene lost faith in him. Spector was only able to continue going on by drawing strength from the statue of Khonshu.
(Moon Knight I#28 - BTS) - During Spector and Marlene's visit to Egypt, Marlene was captured by Jellim Yussaf, who brought her to the Tomb of Seti, wanting her to lead him to the hidden treasure of Khonshu he believed the tomb contained. Spector followed him there as Moon Knight, and in the course of their battle, discovered the hidden chamber, falling into the arms of an immense Khonshu statue. Khonshu apparently brought about a gust of wind which flowed into the chamber, allowing Spector enough momentum to glide down and defeat Yussaf.
(Moon Knight II#1)- Spector eventually decided to retire from his life as Moon Knight, and sold off the statue, which was purchased by Anubis the Jackal, an enemy of Khonshu. Spector began to have dreams in which Khonshu appeared to him, attempting to draw him back into his role as Moon Knight. Finally, Spector returned to Egypt, where he met the Priests of Khonshu, who equipped him with the weapons Hawkeye had made thousands of years earlier, along with a new Moon Knight costume. They also told him that he would now receive the supernatural power of Khonshu when the moon rose. Spector set out and defeated Anubis, using the new weapons and powers he had received, and rescued the statue, which protected him from being buried when Anubis' temple collapsed.
(Moon Knight II#2-6, West Coast Avengers II#21-28, 30, 32-34, 36-40, West Coast Avengers Annual#2-3, Avengers Annual#16, Solo Avengers #3, Iron Man I#229, Nick Fury vs. SHIELD#2 - all BTS) - During this time, Khonshu took up residence within Spector's body, as Spector continued in his role as the Fist of Khonshu, which led to him joining the West Coast Avengers at Khonshu's request. Spector would often speak to Khonshu within his head, and benefited not only from his patron's power, but the psychological stability it afforded him as well.
(West Coast Avengers II#29, 31-32)- Khonshu also communicated with Spector as he determined how to deal with his teammate's Mockingbird's preoccupation with death, and took issue with Spector for loving his teammate Tigra, as in his eyes, she worshipped the sun, not the moon.
(West Coast Avengers II#35) - When the West Coast Avengers were captured in Latveria by Kristoff Vernard--then believing himself to be Dr. Doom--Moon Knight was placed in a room of mechanized weaponry to test his abilities. Moon Knight allowed himself to be knocked unconscious, releasing Khonshu, who confronted Kristoff. Khonshu demanded that Kristoff release the Avengers, and Kristoff agreed-- but only because Khonshu acknowledged him as Doom.
(West Coast Avengers II#41) - Daimon Hellstrom released
Khonshu from the Moon Knight for help against the ghosts of the first two
Phantom Riders. His presence on Earth attracted the attention of Seth, who
was then invading Asgard. Attempts to destroy Khonshu as a possible threat
to their invasion were met with resistance from Hellstrom, the current Phantom
Rider, Moon Knight, Tigra and Mockingbird, during which Moon Knight's special
weaponry was destroyed. Khonshu then departed from Marc Spector permanently,
to join in the battle against Seth. (Moon Knight III#28) - Falling into the water after a battle
with Stained Glass Scarlet, Spector was visited by a vision of Khonshu and
his father.(In Moon Knight III#31, Spector stated that he died under the water,
and that Khonshu once again revived him.) Meanwhile, Marlene approached a
statue of Khonshu; it came to life and told her where to find Spector. (At
the same time, a statue of Jesus came to life and told a contrite
Stained Glass Scarlet where to find Khonshu, but Frenchie and Marlene got
there first.)
(Moon Knight III#30) - Khonshu appeared to Spector, telling him to "Believe
in the truth of your vision". (Moon Knight III#35-37 - BTS) - Spector's brother Randall,
aka Shadowknight and the Hatchet-Man, joined forces with the Cult of Khonshu,
including Nepthys and her Knights of the Moon, in a plot to replace Marc
Spector as Khonshu's avatar. They destroyed Spector's statue of Khonshu,
and then used a "Lunar Absorber" and a treatment based on information in
the "The Will of Khonshu" to instill Randall with power from the moon during
a certain celestial alignment. This power was only temporary, and Randall
fled after being wounded by Moon Knight. (Moon Knight IV#2) - In another vision, Khonshu informed
Spector of how Black Spectre served Seth's plans. (Moon Knight IV#3) - Khonshu's statue spoke to Spector "saying
It is the dark god of Chaos, and he is free"-indeed in Egypt, Bushman, under
orders from Morpheus, stole the statue of Seth. Khonshu further stated "Prepare
to face him and his evil servants". Later, the ghost of Simon Darkover visited
Spector in a dream, but was abducted by Seth. (Moon Knight IV#4) - Khonshu again appeared to Spector, saying
"There will soon come a gathering of world leaders whose good intentions
may be perverted by darkness. Unless Set is stopped, efforts towards peace
will result in the opposite. The light of reason will be extinguished under
a pall of chaos, and the world, reduced to Cinder and Ash, will be unfit
to float through the heavens. Believe in me and in the power of my light,
which has once before lifted you from the darkness of eternity. Take strength
from it again, and do not allow Set to destroy"-and then Seth appeared, and
attacked Khonshu. Spector awoke, and realized that his opponents Morpheus
(who received strength from Seth), Bushman, and Black Spectre intended to
use the power of the statue of Seth to curse diplomats, ending peace talks
and bringing about war. Spector confronted Morpheus in his helicopter, and
the statue of Seth came to life. Spector managed to push the statue out of
the wildly careening helicopter, and escaped the crashing helicopter.
(Moon Knight VI#2-6) - Khonshu appeared to Moon Knight in the form of Bushman, and by possessing his friend Bertrand Crawley, driving him to confront the Committee and reclaim his place as his instrument of vengeance. Comments: Adapted by Doug Moench and Bill Sienkiewicz.
The relationship between the Moon Knight and Khonshu is
reminiscent of that of Red Wolf and Owayodata. Doug Moench has said that he intended Khonshu's literal
existence to be ambiguous, but as of the "Fist of Khonshu" series, Khonshu's
existence and effect upon Moon Knight has not been in doubt. Thus, although
the statue of Khonshu may not have been intended to possess any supernatural
qualities, we now know that Khonshu must have been working through it as Spector
claimed. Khonshu is listed as behind-the-scenes for all of Moon
Knight's appearances from Moon Knight II#1 to West Coast Avengers II#41, but
he may well have been acting behind-the-scenes on several other occasions.
Ma'at is an alias of the Elder Goddess Oshtur. Could she be Amaunet? Per Degaton's comments: Snood's comments: According to Robert Gravens, Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology Khonshu only begun to enjoy great popularity as an Exorcist and Healer under the New Kingdom. For unknown reasons the Greeks sometimes identified him with Hercules. Black Panther III#21 also named Khonshu as an avatar
of healing, in addition to his other titles/domains. Khonshu has a profile in the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update#1. by Will Uchtman, Prime Eternal,
Snood, and Per Degaton. CLARIFICATIONS: The Priests of Khonshu should be distinguished from:
Nepthys, Sandahl Swarm, of the Cult of Khonshu, is named
after, but otherwise unrelated to Another statue of Khonshu was later discovered in the Tomb
of Seti. This statue was immense, and depicted Khonshu with his legs crossed,
and his arms cupped. Marc Spector's most recent statue was decapitated and destroyed
by his brother, Randall Spector, aka Shadowknight, during a plot to replace
him as Khonshu's avatar. A later statue served as the vehicle for the apparent resurrection
of Moon Knight. --Moon Knight I#1, 9-10, 21/2, 22/2, 25, 28, Moon Knight
II#1, West Coast Avengers II#21-23, Moon Knight III#28, 35, Moon Knight
IV#1-4 The Priests of Khonshu
--Moon Knight II#1, West Coast Avengers II#21-23
Appearances:
First Posted: 03/26/2003 Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know. Non-Marvel Copyright info Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!
(Moon Knight IV#1) - Marc Spector, in the afterlife,
is confronted by Khonshu, who informs him of the return of Seth. "The ancient
war is now renewed, and you are needed to do battle with this dark force".
Indeed, around this time, after weeks of digging, archaeologist
Simon Darkover unearthed the tomb of Pharaoh Seti III. He found a statue of
Seth. Darkover thought he saw the statue move, but dismissed it as a bit of
imagination. That statue then grabbed him by the throat.
Meanwhile, Frenchie and Marlene returned to Grant Mansion.
They saw the Khonshu statue. Apparently unseen by them, Seth said "Your
knight is dead, Khonshu...and your light, moon god, is eclipsed!". The statue
of Khonshu started to crack, then blew up. Marc Spector emerged alive. However,
the statue then reappeared, undamaged. Marc Spector resumed his identity
of Steven Grant. 
(Black Panther III#22 - BTS) - In the land of the dead, the
spirit of Moon Knight joined with that of T'Challa, the Black Panther, in
a quest to find Khonshu, in hopes that he might restore the damaged link between
T'Challa and the Panther God (Bast). Initially, they were led astray by the
demon Nightmare, posing as Khonshu. Eventually, they did encounter the true
Khonshu, who took the form of the young human male as which he once ruled
in Egypt. Khonshu revealed that T'Challa's healing had been completed, at
that they were free to go back to Earth, although they had since been caught
up in Nightmare's bedevilments. Khonshu told them that in order to free their
spirits, they did have to locate and commune with the Panther God. Khonshu
gave them The Book of the Dead to serve as their guide to the spirit realm.
--Markus Raymond
Moon Knight III#35-38 is a somewhat crazy story, which
I re-skimmed to add the info to this profile. It includes:
I've got no idea whether this will is supposed to be regarded as continuity
or not. Nepthys had her own agenda, and regarded her would-be avatar,
Shadowknight, as a mere pawn, so who knows? It's not compatible with
the Egyptian legend, at least not as far as my limited knowledge of this
goes.
--Gammatotem
Khonshu should not be confused with:
and has no known connection to:
There have been several statues of Khonshu discovered
thus far, chief among them, the one discovered by Marlene Alraune in the tomb
of Pharaoh Seti, from which Marc Spector took his first cape used in his
Moon Knight identity. Spector brought this statue back to the United States
with him, and kept it in his mansion, believing in the supernatural power
Khonshu seemed to manifest through it. It was seemingly destroyed by Bushman
and Midnight Man, causing a major breakdown in Moon Knight's psyche, but
Marlene claimed that this statue was a fake, and that she had preserved the
original, granting Spector the stability he needed. Spector eventually retired
his Moon Knight identity and sold the statue, which fell into the hands of
Anubis the Jackal. Spector ultimately recovered the statue, and returned
it to his home.
Three ancient Egyptian men, all blind, who have served
Khonshu for at least 5,000 years, indicating they have some sort of mystical
longevity. In ancient times, they assisted the time-traveling West Coast Avengers
when they were brought to the Temple of Khonshu by the men of Rama-Tut. They
had Hawkeye construct for them a set of weaponry, which were later enchanted
by Khonshu and passed on to Marc Spector, when he found the priests in a hidden
temple in Egypt. They convinced Spector to resume his fight on behalf of
Khonshu.
Moon Knight I#1 (November, 1980) - Doug Moench (writer), Bill Sienkiewicz (pencils), Bill Sienkiewicz & Frank Springer (inks), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Moon Knight I#9-10 (July-August, 1981) - Doug Moench (writer), Bill Sienkiewicz (artist), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Moon Knight I#21/2-22/2 (July-August, 1982) - Alan Zelenetz (writer), Greg LaRocque (pencils), Dave Simons (#21) & Joe Albelo (#22) (inks), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Moon Knight I#25 (November, 1982) - Doug Moench (writer), Bill Sienkiewicz (artist), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Moon Knight I#28 (February, 1983) - Doug Moench (writer), Bill Sienkiewicz (artist), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Moon Knight II#1-3 (June-September, 1985) - Alan Zelenetz (writer), Chris Warner (pencils), E.R. Cruz (inks), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Moon Knight II#4 (October, 1985) - Alan Zelenetz (writer), Chris Warner & Larry Hama (pencils), Danny Bulanadi (inks), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Moon Knight II#5 (November, 1985) - Chris Warner & Mary Jo Duffy (writers), Chris Warner (pencils), Al Kupperberg (inks), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Moon Knight II#6 (December, 1985) - Jim Owsley (writer), Mark Beacham (pencils), Geof Isherwood (inks), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Avengers Annual#16 (1987) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Bob Hall, John Romita Jr., Keith Pollard, Marshall Rogers, Jackson Guice & Ron Frenz (pencils), Tom Palmer, Bill Sienkiewicz, Al Williamson, Bob Layton, Kevin Nowlan & Bob Wiacek (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
West Coast Avengers Annual#2 (September, 1987) - Steve Englehart (writer), Al Milgrom (artist), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
West Coast Avengers II#20-27 (May-December, 1987) - Steve Englehart (writer), Al Milgrom (pencils), Joe Sinnott (#20-21), Kim DeMulder (#22), Romeo Tanghal (#23) & Mike Machlan (#24-27) (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Solo Avengers#3 (February, 1988) - Roger Stern (writer), Bob Hall (pencils), Stan Drake (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
West Coast Avengers II#28-29 (January-February, 1988) - Steve Englehart (writer), Al Milgrom (pencils), David Hunt (#28) & Mike Machlan (#29) (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
West Coast Avengers II#30 (March, 1988) - Al Milgrom (writer/pencils), Mike Machlan (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Iron Man I#229 (April, 1988) - David Michelinie & Bob Layton (writers), Mark Bright (pencils), Bob Layton (inks)
Nick Fury VS SHIELD#2 (July, 1988) - Bob Harras (writer), Paul Neary (pencils), Kim DeMulder (inks)
West Coast Avengers II#31-35 (April-August, 1988) - Steve Englehart (writer), Al Milgrom (pencils), Mike Machlan (#31, 33-35) & Tony DeZuniga (#32) (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
West Coast Avengers Annual#3 (October, 1988) - Steve Englehart (writer), Al Milgrom (pencils), Gerry Talaoc (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
West Coast Avengers II#36-37 (September-October, 1988) - Steve Englehart (writer), Al Milgrom (pencils), Mike Machlan (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
West Coast Avengers II#38 (November, 1988) - Dan Chichester & Margaret Clark (writers), Tom Morgan (pencils), David Hunt (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
West Coast Avengers II#39 (December, 1988) - Steve Englehart (writer), Al Milgrom (artist), Howard Mackie (editor)
West Coast Avengers II#40 (January, 1989) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Al Milgrom (pencils), Mike Gustovich (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
West Coast Avengers II#41 (February, 1989) - Tom DeFalco & Ralph Macchio (writers), Tom Morgan (artist), Howard Mackie (editor)
Moon Knight III#28 (July, 1991) - J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Ron Garney (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Moon Knight III#30 (September, 1991) - J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Ron Garney (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Moon Knight III#35-37 (February-April, 1992) - Terry Kavanagh (writer), Ron Garney (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Joey Cavalieri (editor)
Moon Knight IV#1-4 (January-April, 1998) - Doug Moench (writer), Tommy Lee Edwards & John Paul Leon (#4) (pencils), Robert Campanella (inks), Mark Bernardo (editor)
Black Panther III#22 (September, 2000) - Christopher Priest (writer), Sal Velluto (pencils), Bob Almond (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Moon Knight VI#2-6 (July-November, 2006) - Charlie Huston (writer), David Finch (penciler), Danny Miki (inker), Axel Alonso (editor)
Last updated: 01/07/2014
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