Moon Knight's War With Apocalypse Completely Rewrites Marvel's Mutant History

Warning - Spoilers for Phases of the Moon Knight (2024) #1 ahead!

When considering Moon Knight's greatest foes, most wouldn't count the omega-level mutant Apocalypse among their number. Yet in the new anthology series, Phases of the Moon Knight (2024), not only do readers see why Khonshu holds a grudge against Apocalypse, but also how this rivalry fills in a decades-old Marvel plot hole.

Benjamin Percy and Rod Reis's "Crusader" is the second story in Phases of the Moon Knight (2024). Here, the moon god Khonshu chooses an English soldier who has been conscripted into the Crusades as his champion to strike down a tyrant rising to power in the heart of Egypt. The catch is, the tyrant is none other than En Sabah Nur aka Apocalypse.

Despite Apocalypse's power, he is ultimately outmatched by the might of Khonshu. Although the battle takes an entire evening, Apocalypse is decapitated and defeated - marking a critical juncture in Marvel's history.

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Apocalypse's history in Ancient Egypt is well chronicled in the Rise of Apocalypse (1996) miniseries by Terry Kavanagh, James Felder, Adam Pollina, Anthony Williams, Al Milgrom, Mark Morales, Harry Candelario, and Christian Lichtner. The series depicts Apocalypse's rise to power from an outcast slave to one of the greatest warriors of his time, carving his mark through history. Other dives into Apocalypse's history frequently depict him clashing with Kang the Conquerer's Rama-Tut aspect, as well as Marvel villains such as Mister Sinister and Dracula. These retcons mean that by the time of his character's origin in X-Factor (1986), the character of Apocalypse should be a major historical figure - but is somehow missing from the world's collective knowledge.

The events of "Crusader" go a long way in clarifying this gap. With such a meteoric rise to power, it would make sense that Egypt's gods would notice Apocalypse - especially with him poaching their worshipers. By empowering Moon Knight to defeat the young Apocalypse, Khonshu does more than wrest back control of his worshipers: he also manages to sever Apocalypse from his own legend. This serves to dampen the impact Apocalypse could have on world history by the time Apocalypse is able to regenerate and return (the pyramid built in this issue is clearly Apocalypse's tomb, where he canonically regenerates himself).

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This is a masterstroke of manipulation on Khonshu's part: quashing an upstart power and cementing his own rule over Ancient Egypt. By the time Apocalypse can return, gather his forces, and strike out into the larger world, the world no longer remembers the conquests of his younger self, muting his impact on history. This retcon also explains why, upon his debut, Apocalypse is an enigmatic figure in the shadows and not the lord over mutants he could have been - if not for Moon Knight.

Phases of the Moon Knight(2024) #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.