Biography - Page 4
Eventually, the weight of his multiple identities consumed Marc Spector's mind. He could no longer sustain his separate roles as Marc Spector, Steven Grant, Jake Lockley and Moon Knight. What had started out as guises assumed for his mission became stressors, dividing his mind as independent personalities that fought and contradicted each other. For his own mental health, 
Spector retired as a super-hero and his various identities. He reclaimed the assets of Steven Grant as Marc Spector, using his real name openly for the first time in years. With the help of Marlene, Marc turned his multi-millionaire fortune towards establishing Spector International Galleries, becoming a patron of the arts and history. Spector even presented the statue of Khonshu for auction, disassociating himself from the moon god entirely.
His retirement was not to be, however, for Khonshu soon reached out to Marc Spector stronger and more explicitly than ever before. Marc began receiving dreams of the moon, compelling him to return to Egypt on behalf of Khonshu. Unable to rest comfortably until he did as instructed, Spector prepared to make the trip. Marlene had had enough, however. She was unwilling to stand beside Marc if he returned to putting his physical and mental health in danger for Khonshu. Marlene left him with an ultimatum at the airport, but Marc chose to continue onwards on his journey.
In the deserts of Egypt, Spector was drawn to the Temple of Khonshu, and a hidden section known as the House of Eternity. He was confronted by three priests of Khonshu, who spoke of a prophecy that Khonshu, guardian of life, would one day receive a champion from the west. And though the moon waxes and wanes, it was time for Marc Spector to once again claim the mantle of the Moon's Knight of Vengeance, the Fist of Khonshu. Now that he would be acting under the 
direct guidance of the Moon God, Spector would receive the moon's strength, increasing under the light of the moon. He was also provided with sacred, ceremonial weapons from the distant past such as scarab darts, throwing irons, a boomerang and more. And, while he was welcomed back into Khonshu's service, Spector was also warned he would never sleep well again if he ignored the moon's call to arms. Moon Knight's first mission was to recover the statue of Khonshu, which had been bought at auction by a reincarnation of Anubis. [Moon Knight (2nd series) #1]
Marc Spector was deeply reluctant to reclaim the role of Moon Knight at first, despite his "destiny." He only did so for personal reasons or when visions of crime and evil were forced upon him by Khonshu and his priests. Because of this, he ignored a request for help from his old NYPD contact Detective Flint, and his friend Katherine Brick was nearly murdered by the serial killer, Bluebeard. 
This seemed to shock Marc back into action, making him more willing to act regularly as Moon Knight. He initially tried to reunite with Marlene, but she shunned him, even after he saved her from a temporarily repowered Morpheus. Eventually, Marlene revealed she had gone back to her former husband, Eric Fontaine, a man Marc had known nothing about. This led Marc to break from his past, with only Frenchie of his former aids and associates still around. [Moon Knight (2nd series) #2-6]
One night, Moon Knight had the clearest and most specific vision from Khonshu yet. It seemed the West Coast Avengers had traveled back in time to ancient Egypt and taken refuge from the Pharaoh Rama-Tut in the temple of Khonshu. Hawkeye made a deal with Khonshu to help rid his 
land of the time-traveling tyrant in exchange for help getting the Avengers back to their own time. Khonshu alerted Marc to this, and he traveled out to California and the Avengers Compound where he met Doctor Pym and Firebird. Moon Knight proved his credentials by showing them another message Hawkeye had hidden in Bonita's family Bible during their time travels, and he joined the West Coast group in contacting the Fantastic Four for a spare time machine.
Moon Knight, Doctor Pym and Firebird found the West Coast Avengers in the 2900's B.C. To his shock, Marc met the same three priests in the Temple of Eternity that would meet him 5000 years in the future, seemingly immortal under Khonshu's power. He also learned that the ancient ceremonial weapons they provided him when he reclaimed the role of Moon Knight had been forged by Hawkeye himself in order to help the rebellion of Khonshu's followers against Rama-Tut. 
Moon Knight and the Avengers returned to the present, where Spector was key to defeating their foe Dominus. Able to read the signs, Moon Knight recognized that Khonshu intended for him to become an Avenger. With the support of Hawkeye, Moon Knight entered into a provisional period as an Avenger-in-training. Marc contacted Frenchie about his new mission in life, and the friends parted ways so that Frenchie could pursue his own mercenary work in the meantime. [West Coast Avengers (2nd series) #21-25]
Working with the Avengers proved interesting for Marc, dealing with a group environment for the first time instead of as a solo player. He even found a new love interest in the flirtatious cat-woman called Tigra. Still, his lone wolf mentality became an issue when the Avengers intervened on the in-fighting of rival Zodiac gangs. The Life Model Decoy Zodiac succeeded in killing all of the human Zodiac save one, Cornelius van Lunt alias Taurus. Van Lunt made contact with the 
Avengers and lent his astrological knowledge to their efforts to track the LMDs, who were programmed to act in accord with their particular signs. Moon Knight doubted Taurus, expecting he would just use the Avengers to eliminate his enemies and go right back to rebuilding his own gang. So, Marc made van Lunt swear by the moon that he would go straight. Naturally, Taurus agreed and, naturally, he betrayed the Avengers and fled during their final fight with the LMDs. [West Coast Avengers (2nd series) #26-28]
Moon Knight did not take it lightly that Taurus had broken an oath to Khonshu, and pursued the villain on his own without alerting the West Coast Avengers. Moon Knight tracked and tormented van Lunt through the streets of Los Angeles, eventually driving him to an airfield. Taurus 
commandeered a small plane, unaware that the pilot was Moon Knight in disguise. Marc and van Lunt fought in mid-air aboard the out-of-control plane. Taurus shoved Moon Knight out the hatch, but van Lunt was unable to regain control of the plane once Moon Knight was gone, sending him to his death in a plane crash. The Avengers arrived to rescue Moon Knight and his parachute cape, but Hawkeye tore into him for acting alone. He also warned Spector that the Avengers' Charter strictly banned them from killing, and van Lunt's death looked dangerously close to intentional. Marc apologized for operating without his chairman's approval but remained firm that he was, ultimately, a servant of Khonshu first. [West Coast Avengers (2nd series) #29]
In fact, Moon Knight's connection to the Moon God was stronger than ever before. During the chase of van Lunt, Khonshu began speaking directly to Marc. Their previous communions had always been through visions, vague sensations or the indirect requests from the temple priests. Now, however, Moon Knight began to directly experience the voice of Khonshu inside his head, alongside the still existent personalities of Marc Spector, Jake Lockley and Steven Grant. Indeed, Marc Spector was slowly eclipsed by his god over the days to come, until Khonshu possessed the body of Marc Spector entirely, to the exclusion of ALL other personalities. The God of the Moon had decided to experience his Fist's role as an Avenger firsthand. [West Coast Avengers (2nd series) #29-32]
In the days that followed, Moon Knight discovered a secret of Mockingbird's, Hawkeye's wife. While the other Avengers had been in Egypt, Mockingbird was trapped in the Old West with a crazed vigilante named Phantom Rider, who drugged her and forced her to love him. When she 
fought back, Mock ultimately let the man die as he fell over the edge of a cliff, but now his spirit was haunting her in the present. Moon Knight caught Mockingbird attacking Hamilton Slade, an archeologist and descendant of Phantom Rider whom she believed to be the Rider's current host body. Mockingbird was forced to take Moon Knight into her confidence and he kept her secrets, for Khonshu approved of her approach to vengeance. [West Coast Avengers (2nd series) #32]
Khonshu was present in Moon Knight's body when Spector's probationary period with the team 
ended, and he was formally invited into the Avengers as a full member. Khonshu enjoyed the limitations he was forced to act under, bringing vengeance to evildoers using only the strength and skills of his mortal host. The true majesty of Khonshu could only be released when Marc Spector was unconscious. Khonshu secretly aided the Avengers on several adventures without them being aware of the god in their midst. [West Coast Avengers (2nd series) #33-36]
When Mockingbird's secret came out, it caused a rift between the Avengers. Hawkeye rejected his wife and stood behind the Avengers "no killing" policy. Moon Knight supported her, however, for Khonshu was a taker of vengeance and believed death was an inevitable result of vengeance in many cases. Moon Knight, Tigra and Mockingbird left the Avengers and operated as a separate unit from the West Coast team over several weeks. [West Coast Avengers (2nd series) #37-40, Annual #3]
Moon Knight and Mockingbird's team returned to Hamilton Slade with exorcist Daimon Hellstrom in tow. Hellstrom revealed that Hamilton Slade was possessed by both Lincoln Slade's spirit, Mockingbird's attacker, and the spirit of Carter Slade, the original heroic Phantom Rider. To help confront the Slades on the spiritual plane, Hellstrom expelled Khonshu from Marc Spector's body 
without warning. However, this also drew the attention of forces loyal to the Egyptian God of Death, Seth, who were presently invading Asgard and feared Khonshu's intervention in their affairs. While Khonshu was set upon by the Heliopolitan armies, Marc Spector's mind was his own for the first time in weeks. He was forced to battle the god armies without the presence and enhanced strength provided by Khonshu, and destroyed many of his ceremonial weapons in the process.
In the end, Seth's forces were driven into retreat and Lincoln Slade was consigned to a nether-realm, but Marc was at a loss. His mind had been brought to the brink of madness by Khonshu's possession, and the God of the Moon ultimately cared little for his champion's wellbeing. Khonshu merely blessed his Fist's continued efforts on his behalf, and left to pursue vengeance against Seth. Feeling hollow and abandoned, Moon Knight broke off his ties to Mockingbird and Tigra, realizing it had been Khonshu's desire all along to be an Avenger, not his. Marc Spector needed time alone to rediscover his own identity and sense of self. [West Coast Avengers (2nd series) #41]