'Avengers': Thor just lost his hammer to Earth's most unstable hero, but does that make him worthy?
Spoilers for 'Avengers' #33 by Jason Aaron and Javier Garrón
There have been many instances when the Avengers have had to face one of their own in battle but in the latest mystical arc that's hitting the Marvel Comics universe, Earth's Mightiest Heroes faces Earth's Most Unstable Vigilante. Moon Knight, the schizophrenic avatar of the Moon-god Khonshu, has declared war on the Avengers but there's a lot more going on here than meets the Eye of Agamotto.
Ever since he battled the mysterious entity known as the Wyrm in 'Conan: Serpent War', Moon Knight seems to be more unhinged than ever, or maybe he's actually saner than ever. It's hard to tell the difference with this character but one thing is certain: the Fist of Khonshu is more powerful than ever and he has a new agenda of his own.
In 'Avengers' #33, Moon Knight separately defeats Iron Fist / Danny Rand and Doctor Stephen Strange and steals their powers. He also manages to steal the Hell-charger from the Ghost Rider Robbie Reyes, and almost ends up fighting Black Panther.
The only reason the Panther is spared is that his power is something that's integrated into his bloodline and cannot be stolen so Moon Knight just kidnaps him with his army of Moon Priests and mummies. And after taking out three of the Avengers' biggest hitters, Moon Knight sets his sights on the God of Thunder.
It's worth noting here that Thor is currently more powerful in the comics than he's ever been. He's the All-Father of Asgard and a Herald of Galactus, both positions of immense power that would make entire civilizations quake, but Moon Knight faces him with complete confidence and manages to take Mjolnir from the surprised god before pummeling him into submission with a whole bunch of moons that he summoned from across the universe.
However, just because he took control of Mjolnir doesn't necessarily make Moon Knight worthy. For one thing, the hammer's enchantment seems to have gotten pretty messed up in recent times, to the point where Loki was able to lift it. Plus, Moon Knight doesn't actually physically touch the hammer, he controls it with his power because apparently Uru, the metal the hammer is made of, is a kind of moon rock.
That said, if he truly is worthy, that makes this whole story a lot more interesting. Right now, we're being led to believe that Moon Knight has gone off the deep end and become a villain but in the story, we find out that he is gathering these powers in order to face "the Devil".
While there have been too many people who have used that moniker in Marvel Comics to figure out who exactly he's talking about, the demon Mephisto is the one who's most likely to be the villain in question here. Mephisto has been planning something major for a while now and this might just be Moon Knight's pre-emptive strike against the monster. Though if that's the case, it's quite possible that the Avengers might stop him and inadvertently allow Mephisto's plans to come to fruition.
'Avengers' #33 was released on May 27.
