No matter who's left standing in the end, it's safe to say we can all agree this would be a stellar fight. Nightwing's more graceful, yet Moon Knight's more vicious. If these two clashed, there's no disputing it would be a battle worthy of taking up an entire comic. The fight was announced Monday and the community has had all week to speculate, cast their vote and debate with their fellow Viners about this street level brawl. The poll was incredibly close, but in the end, the first Robin, Dick Grayson, took a very narrow lead over the fist of Khonshu.
Nightwing took 48% of the votes while Moon Knight earned 46% (told ya it was a very narrow lead!). 6% understandably thought this melee has the potential to go either way and declared it as simply too close to call. After thinking it through for quite some time, I've gotta side with "too close to call" as well. The two are comparable in quite a few categories and, while each do have their own advantages, they don't totally blow their opponent out of the water in those elements, either.
Moon Knight has staggeringly impressive pain tolerance, but as proven with his fight against a Talon, Grayson's spirit and drive can keep him in a fight even when he's suffering major damage. The Marvel hero has the ability to withstand a great amount of injuries, but DC's character won't throw in the towel if he suffers a stab or two. Meanwhile, Grayson undeniably has the agility edge, but Spector's hardly a slouch in that category. The guy has dodged Punisher's gunfire, regularly danced around numerous gunmen at the last second and has the reflexes required to catch crossbows. He may not be as swift as the former Robin, but he's certainly not a snail compared to him, either.
While it's fair to give Nightwing the edge in technique, it's important not to sell Marc short on this one. A lot of people think he's just a dude who likes to take a punch and then sloppily throw one back, but that couldn't be further from the truth. In VENGEANCE OF MOON KNIGHT, he proved he has no problem deploying pressure point attacks, and he's had no issue going strike for strike with Frank Castle in the past. Sure, he may be brutal quite often (one must be when fighting Werewolf by Night, yes?), but that certainly doesn't mean he's sloppy. Just like Nightwing, he's held his own against a variety of superhuman foes, too (Hobgoblin, for example). Like previously said, it's fair to say Grayson has the edge here, but Moon Knight's not eating his dust and his pain tolerance means he can indeed afford to take some extra hits as well.
As for the gear: Nightwing has more variety yet Moon Knight's is simple and effective. It's unlikely for Grayson to use sonics in a situation like this, but eventually using electric attacks are absolutely a possibility. However, Moon Knight's attacks dish out big blunt force trauma (proven he can also effective use truncheons for ricochet attacks), stabbing/slashing with his spiked knuckles and he has plenty of crescent daggers. Despite his very impressive accuracy with the daggers, this is countered by Grayson's remarkable agility. This, however, doesn't render the weapons useless because Marc has no gripe using them as melee weapons, too (Bushman certainly remembers this).
Both are very skilled, very tough and very agile. While each hold edges in different categories, none of the edges are by a significant amount and and, at least in my eyes, don't warrant a clear victory for a large majority. A great case can be made for either side taking a slight edge -- depending on which categories you value -- but for me, I think it's fair to say either one truly has the ability to take this after a bloody and quite awesome fight. Here's to hoping this will one day happen in a crossover.
Oh, and one more thing: the debate had quite a few people talking about Moon Knight's powers, but his stats haven't been impacted by the moon for quite some time now.
Viner Argument of the Week for Nightwing is by YourNeighborhoodComicGeek
"I'll cover skill first. While Moon Knight has the advantages of his immense pain tolerance, excessive brutal force, and strength. However, Nightwing has faced opponents who have been looking for the kill plenty of times in his career. Not only is Grayson agile enough to dodge Spector's hits, but he also has the superior hand-to-hand combat prowess here thanks to his rigorous training under the one and only Batman. He's beaten more notable opponents who have also used brutal force, such as Red Hood, and came on top as the victor. In close quarters, I see Moon Knight holding his own with his pain tolerance and own formidable skill, but ultimately, that isn't enough against an opponent who is simply better than you in the field, nor is it practical against pressure point attacks. Add onto the fact that Grayson will be tagging Spector a lot more often due to his agility, and Moon Knight is definitely going down, albeit with time, in a martial arts showdown. There's a reason Daredevil trumps Punisher when they get in close. Nightwing edges it in terms of raw skill.
Mentality wise, it's a lot more tricky. While Nightwing is definitely the more observant, intelligent, and cunning one the two, his apprenticeship under the Dark Knight, ironically, also hinders his abilities. Dick won't use lethal force in the slightest, and seeing as Spector can soak up tons of damage, that is a potential game-changer. However, that isn't to say that Nightwing won't be smart enough to think up of non-lethal ways to take Moon Knight out of the fight. On the other hand, Moon Knight uses extreme brutal force, and equipped with his impressive physique (even without his old moon amp he lost), can certainly drop Nightwing. Marc isn't exactly dumb either, and even someone with a gifted mind like Grayson's can fall to Moon Knight's fear factor, like Taskmaster did. Initially, I'm giving the edge to Moon Knight, but if Spector doesn't take out Grayson out quick in the battle, Grayson would have thought of multiple solutions to the fight without killing anyone.
Moving on to gadgets and equipment, Nightwing arsenal is the obvious victor in this in my opinion. From his extremely durable escrima sticks that emit high voltages to various types of pellets and batarangs, Nightwing's gadgets rival that of Batman himself. In Winick'sOutsiders run, Nightwing showed that he had access to Kryptonite, and while that isn't applicable in this fight, it shows just how resourceful he can be. That being said, Grayson doesn't exactly utilize them all the time in fights, and that has and can be his downfall a number of times in comics. Moon Knight, although does not have as many gadgets, tends to use them more often than Grayson does, usually with extremely vicious methods. For example, he has no qualms about mutilating Bushman's face, or cutting his throat with an accurately thrown crescent dart. Again, this can turn the tide of the fight quickly in Spector's favor. Regarding their personal suits, they're about the same as far as I'm concerned. Both have extensive kevlar and are resistant to various types of damages. I don't think anyone edges this. Tie.
It's a tough fight that may or may not last a lengthy time, but Nightwing should be the victor of this fight 6, and arguably even 7 out of 10 times. He has the skill, intellect, and resources needed to overcome Moon Knight's pain tolerance and brutality."
And what does the mighty Comic Vine writer, Corey "Undeadpool" Schroeder, think of this one?
"Gotham...I can't believe I'm still in Gotham...
Marc Spector stared out over the cityscape, sighing and checking his gear, most of which was still intact. Wherever he was, he still felt the whisper of Khonshu in the back of his mind. Guiding. Urging. And now screaming. He dug his fingernails into his scalp as he realized the scream wasn't from his god, but from a nearby alley. He stalked across the rooftops, peering over the edge at a couple being menaced by a group of men. He didn't even hear their words as he descended and, snarling, leaped at one of them, slamming him against one of the alley walls, picking up a trashcan and smashing it against his head. He heard threats, but the voices were far off and his hands moved of their own accord, snatching a knife from one of their hands, jamming it into his thigh. He caught still another punch and kicked backward, bending the man's knee the wrong way. The final one backed off, showing his empty hands. He was saying something, but Moon Knight couldn't hear him as he grabbed his neck and slammed his spiked fist into his face once...twice...an impact at the back of his head had him spin around and look up. There crouched a man in black armor with a red streak across it.
"Hey David Duke! I think he's had enough." he flipped forward onto the ground, twirling his escrima sticks garishly."This doesn't concern you...these men are an offering to Khonshu!""Oh...kay...not familiar with that one. Why don't we have a nice talk about him and let these people-" Nightwing reached toward him only to have his hand batted away and the strange man in the white hood retreating back and readying, "I'd really rather not do this-" but the stranger lunged forward, drawing crescent blades in his hands and slashing across Nightwing's chest. Ah hell, it's Azrael's knife fingers all over again...The boy was no mere street tough as he dodged and caught Moon Knight's every strike, eventually abandoning his failed diplomacy to strike back. He knew his pressure points well, and his sticks sent electric shocks through Spector's body. But what he didn't count on was the tenacity that came from his experience, his madness and his god. No matter what Nightwing did, the man would no stay down. And for every two hits he scored on him, he took one, and his pain tolerance was clearly not as high. The agile Grayson found himself slowing, while his bright white foe was only getting started. Eventually, the pace turned and even escape was impossible as Moon Knight was just as dangerous with his equipment from a distance as he was up close. Nightwing struggled away, but Spector closed the distance, panting and muttering to whatever god he kept invoking. He raised his hand as Grayson collapsed but found it quickly bound by a line and grapple. He whipped his head around to a woman clad in black armor with a shock of red hair flowing from the back of her cowl.
"Alright, white knight! How do you feel about round two?!" she demanded, her eyes flashing with determination and rage."
Want more Batman battles?
- Batman Beyond vs. Ultimate Spider-Man (W: Morales / Poll: McGinnis)
- vs. Winter Soldier (W: Batman / Poll: Batman)
- vs. Cyclops (W: Too close to call / Poll: Batman)
- vs. Taskmaster (W: Batman)
- vs. Kraven (W: Kraven)
- vs. Deadpool (W: Batman)
- vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (W: Batman)
- vs. Daredevil (W: Batman)
- vs. Gambit (W: Batman)
- vs. Wolverine (W: Wolverine)
- vs. Captain America (W: Too close to call)
- vs. Black Panther (W: Black Panther)
- Official Discussion Thread for the segment (use this thread for future match suggestions!)
Next week will be a usual and Batman-free "Comic Vine Battle of the Week." Batman battles will only take place during the first week of each month and yes, they'll sometimes incorporate the heroes and villains who are close to the Caped Crusader. Check the homepage Monday to see who's brawling in the next Comic Vine Battle of the Week, mon ami. Oh, and do try to have a good weekend!
Want to see a specific fight for this segment? Feel free to suggest more characters in the Official Discussion thread or via Twitter.