With thirteen issues out,Marvel Comics. In the first two issues of Moon Knight – created by Jed MacKay, Alessandro Cappuccio, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Cory Petit – Marc encounters two new allies, Reese and Soldier. The two of them challenged his way of thinking and brought out a side of Marc that is so rarely seen and reinvents his arc to one of forgiveness and self-reflection.
At this point in his story, Khonshu’s eventual defeat, Marc blamed himself for all that had happened and starts to work with a therapist under T’Challa’s watchful eye. Forgiveness seemed an impossible feat to Marc until Reese and Soldier came along. These new allies have faults of their own, with Reese fighting back vampiric urges and Soldier forced to reconcile a shady and dangerous past. His two new friends show him that it’s possible to forgive others for their wrongdoings if they prove they’re trying to be better. While Marc struggles to forgive himself for his wrongdoings, looking to their examples pushes him down a path to finally forgive himself.
In Moon Knight #5 by Jed MacKay, Alessandro Cappuccio, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Cory Petit, Soldier was revealed to have served under HYDRA, a surprising twist and a point of suspicion for Soldier. After talking with Soldier’s mother and a test of his character, Marc realized that, despite his dirty past, Soldier is doing his best to move on and do good. Looking to Soldier’s example, Marc Spector sees this ex-HYDRA work as hard as he can to do good for others and completely change himself to no longer be associated with his past. This sent Marc down a path toward finally accepting that he can’t change the past, but the past doesn’t define what he does in the present and he deserves forgiveness.
He isn’t the only one to earn Marc’s forgiveness, Reese may not have a dirty past, but as a vampire, she became subject to dangerous urges. Many people were out to get her simply for being a vampire, and even Reese questions his decision to keep her alive. But in the words of Marc himself, he does his job “based on what a person does” and not who they are. Showing Marc that despite his situation, he shouldn’t let who he is influence what he does, especially when he’s already helped so many people. Despite Moon Knight's reputation or the rumors surrounding him, Marc defies expectations and ultimately just helps people.
These two new allies prove time and time again that they were worth forgiving and keeping around, aiding Marc in so many ways and even throwing themselves in harm's way for the good of others. Marc starts to follow their example and works to earn back his place as a good man worthy of his forgiveness, especially when others have already forgiven him and come to rely on him for help. Reese and Soldier lead by example, proving that they are Moon Knight’s most important allies in his quest to move on and become better. Now that Marvel Comics is exploring Moon Knight’s struggles, these new sidekicks send him on a journey of reimagining his role as an unforgiving vigilante.
