Moon Knight Month refuses to slow down! This week, we wanted to put the anti-hero's skills to the ultimate test. Last week, Marc Spector was able to defeat one of DC's best marksman, but would his luck run out against one of the publisher's most talented swordsmen? The Comic Vine community has been speculating about Moon Knight taking on Ra's al Ghul since Monday and they've finally picked a champion. Someone please let Batman know that Moon Knight has dispatched one of his villains for him!
The poll wasn't totally one-sided, but the majority believes Ra's will need to take a dip in a Lazarus Pit after bumping into Moon Knight. 55% sided with the anti-hero from Marvel and 39% supported the Demon's Head. Only 5% thought this melee is too close to call. You've made Khonshu happy, Comic Viners.
Yes, Ra's al Ghul may have a staggering amount of experience, commendable physicals, and the skill required to give Batman trouble, but the general consensus believes Moon Knight's advantages will allow him to overcome. What are these advantages, you ask? Good question, let's discuss them! First and foremost, Ra's is a superb swordsman and an efficient hand-to-hand fighter, but the Marvel character brings more variety to this fight. First up, there's his throwing weapons. Not only can these be used to injure his opponent with cutting and stabbing damage, but Marc has a very thorough history of using his crescents to disarm people. He's proven he can ricochet these projectiles effectively, too. On top of that, he has his trusty truncheon which can be used for blunt damage and a grappling line.
Then there's the carbonadium armor which is scattered across his attire. This won't render him invulnerable to attacks, but it can protect him from critical attacks (e.g. a direct stab to the chest). Considering Ra's degree of skill, this will absolutely come in handy. As for the attacks that do bypass his armor, Marc has a thorough history of displaying an incredibly level of pain tolerance. It'll take a lot to keep him down for the count and he has no problem fighting dirty to make sure his enemy falls before he does.
No matter who's left standing, this would be an enthralling fight and the winner would most definitely walk away with several injuries. We all know why the majority thinks Moon Knight can take the win, but let's see why a couple of Viners believe Ra's al Ghul should be the victor. After that, we'll check out how a CV writer thinks this fight would go down!
Leafx
"Moon Knight has been getting some good vs this month, kudos CV!
So for this one I have to unfortunately give a slight edge to Ras al Ghul, with the sword of his choice and the amount of experience he has, I just feel that will be enough to put Marc down for the count. We've seen characters akin to Moon Knight such as Batman or even Bane try to take on Ras and fail, particularly in sword play. Now with that said, I have to give Moon Knight credit because we've seen him disarm people like nothing and hes one of the toughest normal humans in comics, so bringing him down even for Ras will be tough, but MK also likes to approach his foes more directly meaning he will be at an immediate disadvantage in my opinion. Ras wins 6/10 but Marc goes down swinging."
Omnicrono
"Moon Knight would have a difficult time with the likes of Green Arrow, and Ra's in a whole different league than GA. The man is one of Batman's all-time greatest foes for good reason. Having enhanced physicals (thank you, Lazarus Pit) and a genius level intellect, on top of being one of the greatest sword fighters, martial artists and tacticians in the DCU equals a formidable opponent in any universe. I predict a Ghul-ish win for Ra's... 7-8 times out of 10."
Corey "Undeadpool" Schroeder
The rain poured down on the two dark figures, both standing just outside the streetlight at either end of the deserted sidewalk. Knuckles crack, armor shifts, necks are adjusted back and forth.
"I won't lie, you weren't who I was expecting..." the man's accent almost invisible to the untrained ear.
"You were expecting someone...darker?" responded the white knight.
"Regardless, you are the one who has arrived. Shall we?" he tossed a scimitar forward and it clattered, uncaught, at the Knight's feet.
"Thanks, but I brought my own." He surged forward, crescents flying from his hand. The Demon's head brought up his large blade and blocked each one.
"Not the same man, but the same tricks," he slashed across a shadow that Moon Knight dove from, catching him across the chest, but still being tackled. Spector smashed a spiked fist into Ghul's face, but this man was no rank amateur to be dazzled by the stars appearing before him and he quickly slithered away, standing and pointing his sword, slowly doffing his cape. "You are worthy of some consideration."
"Can't tell you what that means to me..." Spector crept forward, hands raised and Ra's lowered his sword and stood resolute. Both stood, stark still, and both regarded the other as the rain drenched them, both in the light this time.
"It's over. You've lost." Spector declared.
"Are you mad? I've shown I can beat your reach. Your baubles mean nothi-" Moon Knight sprang forward, howling wildly and striking quickly. Sword met fist, but his gauntlets didn't break and he blocked after strike the Demon's Head threw. He shot forward, grabbing and twisting Ra's' wrist and disarming him. Their punches flew, but far more of Spector's strikes were landing. Ghul couldn't adapt, his foe's style seemed to change every few strikes, but he was slowly wearing him down. Though he couldn't match his foe's mercurial fighting, he could outlast him with his preternatural stamina. Eventually both fighters began to pant heavily, Ra's bleeding and Moon Knight forced to one knee in exhaustion.
"You fight...well..." the assassin drew another blade and shook his head, "but your weaknesses mirror his far too closely," he advanced and scoffed as Spector sprang forward with one final burst, delivering a vicious punch to his chest before falling back, "you see? All...too......what?" he looked down at the white crescent sticking deep in his chest, blood flowing witch each futile pump of his heart.
"Maybe we're not as alike as they say." Moon Knight got slowly to his feet as Ra's lost his, spare sword clattering aside as he gasped and reached up before falling, limp. The rain washed the blood down into the gutter as Marc Spector sighed and adjusted his neck.
"Another cursed soul for you, Khonshu..."
Is there someone you want to see Moon Knight duke it out with? Feel free to make future battle suggestions in the comments below or via Twitter! He only has one more Battle of the Week before entering the Batman Battle of the Month!