What if: Spoiler Alert
In a stunning twist, Marvel Comics has transformed Moon Knight from his street-level, vigilante origins into a cosmic powerhouse. In the most recent edition of “What If…? That is, in ”Galactus Transformed Moon Knight #1,”
Moon Knight becomes a Herald of Galactus, and indeed even causes the otherwise entirely unstoppable Galactus to bleed—a unique accomplishment within the Marvel Universe.
The source of this conflict is an encounter between Galactus and Khonshu, the Egyptian Moon God and Moon Knight’s patron deity. Galactus offers Khonshu the position of his new Herald, to which Khonshu flatly refuses. In retaliation, Galactus brutally slaughters Khonshu. At its most basic level, the series begins as Khonshu reaches out to Moon Knight with his dying breath. When Moon Knight decides to honor his god’s last wish, he approaches Galactus and agrees to become his Herald only to betray the cosmic being.
Cosmic Moon KnightGoes Cosmic with Power CosmicUpon Receiving the Power Cosmic, Moon Knight is Flooded by The Immense Energy Within His Body. Now, with his new abilities, he will meet a team of former Heralds conspiring against Galactus. Seeing that they have the same objective, Moon Knight works with them. When they face off against Galactus, every member of the team hits him with a solid blow, but it’s Moon Knight who delivers the needled shot, actually managing to draw blood from the cosmic entity, something only a handful of people have done in all of Marvel.
This impressive feat ranks Moon Knight among a small group of characters that have dealt that much damage to Galactus. Prior to that, Gladiator was able to injure Galactus, who had become a fusion of pure science and magic. Galactus has fought many cosmic champions and champions of honor, Jedi swordsmen and Green Lanterns, and they all have been blasted and facerolled by the Devourer of Worlds, but Gladiator went and did the impossible, punched him in the face and made him bleed, a powerful punch at that. Now, Moon Knight has officially joined these ranks, cementing his status in the Marvel Universe even more.
And the story doesn’t end there. Marvel’s “What If…?” series continues to look at other realities where Galactus has turned different heroes into his Heralds. Other characters such as the Hulk, Rogue, Spider-Gwen, and Gambit have also been given the Power Cosmic in this series alongside Moon Knight. Weighing in on this potential conflict, why did they finally give Sandman some powers to counter Galactus himself, possibly to rebel alongside heroes who have been remade to put the villain down? Moon Knight would support such a coalition against Galactus!
Not that “What If…?” incoming stories will all culminate in a final confrontation with Galactus, but one thing is certain: Moon Knight has shown that he is a formidable opponent, having done what few others have managed to do: make Galactus bleed. Not only does this help solidify the status of Moon Knight in the future of the Marvel Universe, but it also sets the stage for much more interesting storylines to come.
For those reading this exciting tale, “What If…? Moon Knight #1: Galactus Transformed is available now. In the process, this issue reframes Moon Knight as a character, chronicling his transformation from a street-level vigilante to a cosmic powerhouse capable of going up against one of the universe’s strongest forces.
More: Comic