Marvel's 'New Moon Knight' Controversy Explained & Why It's Wrong - Exclusive
Contains spoilers for "Moon Knight" #30 by Marvel Comics by Jed MacKay, Alessandro Cappuccio, Rachelle Rosenberg, and VC's Cory Petit
The "Death of Moon Knight" has arrived in the Marvel Universe. After his last encounter with the new Black Spectre, the fan-favorite hero reaches his end in a fiery explosion. Still, he goes out on a high note — stopping the villain from activating a broadcast that could disrupt all of Manhattan's sanity. After the dust settles, Moon Knight's closest allies continue their work at the Midnight Mission. The team includes Reese, his vampire assistant, who some fans believe will step into Marc Spector's role to kick off a new era of Moon Knight.
For the uninitiated, Reese has been an integral part of Jed MacKay and Alessandro Cappuccio's run on "Moon Knight" as a supporting hero. But after images of her in an all-white suit in Moon Knight's chair leaked online ahead of "Moon Knight" #30's release, fans assumed her new role and criticized the lineup change. Curious about Moon Knight's future in the pages of Marvel Comics, Looper reached out to Marvel and Jed MacKay for insight. Rest assured, the leaks haven't spoiled anything! The new Moon Knight has not been officially revealed ... And when it is, we know it won't be Reese.
Who is Reese and what is her connection to Moon Knight?
If you haven't been following the current "Moon Knight" run, here is some context to Reese's story: Reese debuted at the start of Jed MacKay and Alessandro Cappuccio's "Moon Knight." She's turned into a vampire by a cult and let loose on Manhattan. After learning that her transformation happened against her will, Moon Knight welcomes her to the Midnight Mission as a receptionist. Reese has become an integral part of the team — joining Hunter's Moon, Tigra, and Soldier –, helping to combat evil threats at night. Besides her vampiric powers coming in handy during conflicts, Reese has provided critical to Marc about his villains. She's shown her heroism by taking a bullet for Soldier. Overall, she displays a fearless approach to assisting Moon Knight, helping him until the end of his life.
Ultimately, Reese cares deeply about the Midnight Mission and helping it run as smoothly as possible — as she's seen first-hand how it can help those wandering in the night. After believing she lost everything, she's gained family from her work and has found renewed purpose as Moon Knight's right-hand woman.
So, why is there controversy?
If you search for videos on the new Moon Knight on YouTube, you'll be inundated with titles such as "Marvel picks lesbian black woman to become new Moon Knight," and "Marvel's WRECKS Moon Knight!" However, the commentaries against supposed "wokeness" claims are incoherent. Videos were made days before "Moon Knight" #30 hit comic stands, reacting to a leak without context and making assumptions.
Reese's sexuality has never been confirmed in the series — so calling her a lesbian (and why would it matter if she was?) to fit a narrative that Marvel is forcing "wokeness" into a story isn't true. Additionally, Marvel doesn't confirm she's the new Moon Knight in the final image. Yes, she's wearing an all-white suit while sitting on the main throne of the Midnight Mission — but so is her fellow member, Soldier. If anything, it appears to be a loving homage to Marc. Considering her past role with the organization, she's likely just stepping up in Spector's absence.
Per usual in comics land, reactionaries lacking media literacy saw an image of a Black woman taking on an important role in a superhero story and erupted online. Have they read the current "Moon Knight" run? Almost certainly not. The criticism centers on her race, gender, and presumed sexuality — not about Moon Knight lore or Reese's story at all.
So who is the new Moon Knight and what's next?
So, who is the new Moon Knight? Right now, readers don't know who the new Moon Knight is.
Writer Jed MacKay told Looper that readers will learn who this is within future issues of "Vengeance of the Moon Knight." MacKay shared, "Well, we know what Moon Knight looks like as he's on the cover of 'Vengeance of the Moon Knight' #1, and I'd think it's pretty obvious that it's not her in that costume, haha. No, Reese has been left in charge of the Midnight Mission (as we saw Moon Knight tell her in 'Moon Knight' #28) in the event of his death (as we saw in, well, 'Moon Knight' #30). Throughout 'Vengeance of the Moon Knight,' we're going to see how she, along with the rest of the Midnight Mission crew, deals with this change in leadership. We're going to focus on each member of the crew: Reese, Tigra, Soldier, Hunter's Moon, and 8-Ball in turn as they deal with the loss of Moon Knight and, even more worrying — the appearance of Moon Knight!"
All we do know is that after Spector's death, the Midnight Mission will keep helping those who need it. As they grieve the leader that united them, the surviving heroes will have to figure out how to keep things running smoothly at the Midnight Mission.
"Moon Knight" #30 by Marvel Comics is in comic book stores and available at online retailers now.