The Black Spectre is one of chips away at Moon Knight’s foundations, pushing the vigilante to the edge–all while simultaneously running for mayor of New York City. This combination of ruthlessness and political ambition would make the Black Spectre the perfect MCU foil for Moon Knight.
Moon Knight made his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in early 2022, played by Oscar Isaac, on Disney+. His primary nemesis was Arthur Harrow, a previously obscure villain, revamped for the MCU and played by Ethan Hawke. While Hawke’s performance drew praise from fans and critics, he was a far cry from his comics' counterpart. While fans were overall pleased with Moon Knight, some bemoaned the lack of a comics accurate villain. Indeed, Moon Knight has a rogues' gallery of his own, including Bushman and Zodiac; while these would make excellent villains on screen, the Black Spectre would make for far more compelling stories.
Introduced in Moon Knight #25 and created by Doug Moench and Bill Sienkiewicz, Black Spectre is actually Carson Knowles, the son of a prominent New York City politician who returns from the Vietnam War with no fanfare or job prospects. Despondent and drifting through life, one night Knowles kills a man trying to mug him. Something clicks in Knowles; he goes home and reads a newspaper article about Moon Knight attempting to better himself. Knowles decides to do the opposite–and bring Moon Knight and New York City down with him. Knowles, leaning into his family’s political history, runs for mayor; in the meantime, he creates the alias of the Black Spectre, using it to bully and strong arm people into following him. Moon Knight runs afoul of the Black Spectre and learns his identity. Moon Knight convinces his lover Marlene, who he is on the outs with, to infiltrate Knowles’ organization in order to spy on him. Black Spectre tightens the web around Moon Knight, severely hurting Moon Knight's sidekick Frenchie and nearly stealing Marlene away from Marc. Knowles’ candidacy gains steam, and just as he is about to seal the deal, Moon Knight unmasks Knowles and reveals him for the criminal he is–destroying Knowles’ life for good and gaining an amazing nemesis in the process.
The Black Spectre is the Perfect Moon Knight Villain
If the MCU decides to bring Moon Knight back for another outing, then the Black Spectre would make the perfect nemesis. He is Moon Knight’s dark opposite in so many ways. He saw Moon Knight attempting to rise above his violent and brutal nature, and it disgusted him, to the point he took the opposite course of action, exploring the depths of his newfound evil. Years before the Kingpin ran for mayor of New York, Knowles was nearly elected to the position. If the Black Spectre were brought into the MCU, this would be an amazing angle to play up, one that could also stretch across multiple shows as well.
Furthermore, Knowles was able to nearly destroy Moon Knight on a personal level, assaulting his best friend and seducing his lover. If the Black Spectre is brought into the MCU, this is another aspect they could explore. Moon Knight deftly handled the character’s mental health; if a villain was able to destroy his network, it could take Moon Knight off the table. Watching Moon Knight’s world unravel around him would make for compelling television, and the Black Spectre is the perfect villain for this–and Marvel has already shown how to nail him for the MCU.
