Black Spectre has two meanings in the
Marvel Universe. The first Black Spectre is the name of a fictional organization which first appeared in ''
Daredevil'' #108 (March 1974) and was created by
writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
Steve Gerber
Stephen Ross Gerber (; September 20, 1947 – February 10, 2008) was an American comic book writer and creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck. Other works include '' Man-Thing'', '' Omega the Unknown,'' '' Marvel Spotlig ...
and
penciller
A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations, usually in collaboration with other artists, who provide inks, colors ...
Bob Brown
Robert James Brown (born 27 December 1944) is a former Australian politician, medical doctor and environmentalist. He was a senator and the parliamentary leader of the Australian Greens. Brown was elected to the Australian Senate on the Tasma ...
. It was a league of costumed female commandos, entranced by the
Mandrill into doing his bidding, and led by
Nekra
Nekra is a mutant supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Steve Gerber and Ross Andru for the 1973 comic book ''Shanna the She-Devil''. She is a mutant caused by an atomic explosion at ...
. The second Black Spectre is a fictional supervillain who first appeared in ''
Moon Knight'' #25 (Nov. 1982) and was created by writer
Doug Moench
Douglas Moench (; born February 23, 1948) is an American comic book writer notable for his ''Batman'' work and as the creator of Moon Knight, Deathlok, Black Mask, '' Electric Warrior'' and '' Six from Sirius''. He is also known for his critica ...
and penciller
Bill Sienkiewicz
Boleslav William Felix Robert Sienkiewicz ( ; born May 3, 1958) is an American artist known for his work in comic books—particularly for Marvel Comics' ''New Mutants'', ''Moon Knight,'' and '' Elektra: Assassin''. Sienkiewicz's work in the 1980 ...
. The character is one of the greatest enemies of the vigilante Moon Knight.
Publication history
The Black Spectre organization first appeared in ''
Daredevil'' #108 (March 1974) and was created by
writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
Steve Gerber
Stephen Ross Gerber (; September 20, 1947 – February 10, 2008) was an American comic book writer and creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck. Other works include '' Man-Thing'', '' Omega the Unknown,'' '' Marvel Spotlig ...
and
penciller
A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations, usually in collaboration with other artists, who provide inks, colors ...
Bob Brown
Robert James Brown (born 27 December 1944) is a former Australian politician, medical doctor and environmentalist. He was a senator and the parliamentary leader of the Australian Greens. Brown was elected to the Australian Senate on the Tasma ...
. The organization subsequently appeared in the next issues of the series with ''Daredevil'' #109-112 (May–Aug. 1974) written again by Steve Gerber. The author used it also in ''
The Defenders'' #109 (May 1974) and ''
Marvel Two-In-One'' #3 (May 1974). In 2012, the organization appeared in ''Daredevil'' vol. 3 series with issues #6, #8-10, 10.1, and #13, in ''
Avenging Spider-Man'' #6 and in ''
The Punisher
The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher made ...
'' vol. 8 #9, #11. The Black Spectre is one of the five criminal organizations used in "The Omega Effect" crossover between these three comic book series. In an interview with
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
about this crossover, writer
Mark Waid explained "As we've seen in Daredevil, Matt has basically conned five of the biggest crime communities in the Marvel Universe - Hydra, AIM, Black Spectre, the Secret Empire, and Hidden Team. He's conned them out of a unique, super-science hard drive that contains key information on all five organizations. It's the hot potato he has that makes him the most dangerous man on Earth.".
The second Black Spectre first appeared in the eponymous story from ''
Moon Knight'' #25 (Nov. 1982) and was created by
writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
Doug Moench
Douglas Moench (; born February 23, 1948) is an American comic book writer notable for his ''Batman'' work and as the creator of Moon Knight, Deathlok, Black Mask, '' Electric Warrior'' and '' Six from Sirius''. He is also known for his critica ...
and
penciller
A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations, usually in collaboration with other artists, who provide inks, colors ...
Bill Sienkiewicz
Boleslav William Felix Robert Sienkiewicz ( ; born May 3, 1958) is an American artist known for his work in comic books—particularly for Marvel Comics' ''New Mutants'', ''Moon Knight,'' and '' Elektra: Assassin''. Sienkiewicz's work in the 1980 ...
.
Years later, writer Doug Moench developed his creation in the four part ''
Moon Knight: The Resurrection War'' mini series (Feb.–April 1998), pencilled by
Tommy Lee Edwards
Tommy Lee Edwards is an American illustrator. Edwards' varied portfolio includes works created in the realm of comics, video games, books, advertising, film, and animation.
Career
As well as comic-related work he has also worked on film projects ...
.
The character appeared in the
2006 ''Moon Knight'' series, in the arc entitled "God and Country", issues #15–19 (March–Aug. 2008), written by
Mike Benson and pencilled by
Mark Texeira
Mark Texeira () is an American comic book artist. Classically trained as a painter, he broke into the comics field in the early 1980s.
Career
Mark Texeira was born and raised in New York City. He attended Manhattan's High School of Art and ...
.
Black Spectre has an entry in the ''
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The ''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe'' is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications. The original 15-volume series was published in comic book format in 1982, followed by sporadic ...
A to Z Update'' #2 (2010).
Fictional biography
Black Spectre (organization)
The Mandrill created Black Spectre by organizing his female followers, disguising themselves as men using bulky armor. He plotted to use Black Spectre to confuse America through terrorism and racism, instilling chaos in the world and intending to rule it after anarchy ensues. Agents of Black Spectre stole printing plates during a battle between
Daredevil and
Beetle
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...
, and then organized a riot over the counterfeited money they secretly made and distributed. During the riot, Nekra captured
Black Widow and returned her to the Mandrill, while Beetle and Daredevil disrupted the Black Spectre agents and sent them fleeing.
Mandrill was able to learn Daredevil's identity when he enthralled the Black Widow with his powers, and he then confronted Daredevil as Matt Murdock before escaping. Nekra and Black Spectre, with the
Silver Samurai
Silver Samurai is the name of two different supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, both acquaintances of Wolverine.
The character has appeared in several X-Men-related animated series and video games before ma ...
, kidnapped
Shanna the She-Devil who was able to resist the Mandrill's powers. Mandrill planned to dissect Shanna's brain to determine how she was able to resist him. Silver Samurai and Black Spectre attacked the Empire State Building and jammed all of America's communication lines. Mandrill and Nekra captured Daredevil, planning to have him dissected as well. Mandrill entered the White House and sat in the President's chair when Daredevil attacked him. Mandrill and Daredevil battled on the roof until the zeppelin carrying Black Spectre exploded, allowing Mandrill the chance to escape.
[
Later Daredevil came into possession of the Omega Drive, a piece of hardware which contained secretive information on five criminal organizations A.I.M., HYDRA, the Secret Empire, the Black Spectre and Agence Byzantine. This sensitive information could take down all these organizations, so they formed a conglomeration named Megacrime and they tracked down the superhero.] After Black Spectre had framed Black Cat in an attempt to get the Omega Drive back which failed, Felicia left a note for Matt before she left warning him of Black Spectre's plot. Daredevil was able to get Reed Richards help in leaking Black Spectre's information to the Daily Bugle
The ''Daily Bugle'' (at one time ''The DB'') is a fictional New York City tabloid newspaper appearing as a plot element in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The ''Daily Bugle'' is a regular fixture in the Marvel Universe, mos ...
leading to their takedown as a warning.
In one of his missions, the Punisher
The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher made ...
learned of the existence of the Omega Drive from Black Spectre operatives and decided to find Daredevil.[ ]Reed Richards
Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member, and the leader, of the Fantastic Four. Richards has a mastery of mechanical, aerospace and ...
, whose technology had been used to create the coveted drive, asked Spider-Man to contact Daredevil.[ Both Punisher and Spider-Man found Daredevil and the three men had to work together against the conglomeration Megacrime.][ Later when Daredevil was being hunted down by the other Megacrime operatives, a group of Black Spectre agents show up to everyone's surprise and steals the Omega Drive. It was later revealed that these agents were actually some of Daredevil's teammates from the New Avengers who performed this ruse as part of his plan to be able to get the other Megacrime organizations off his back.
]
Black Spectre (Carson Knowles)
The Black Spectre was Carson Knowles, a Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
veteran whose father was a politician. Upon returning, he discovered that his wife left him and his son was killed. He couldn't get a job and decided to get revenge on the city since it turned its back on him when he needed it most. Inspired by Moon Knight, Knowles became the Black Spectre, a master criminal. He also decided to run for Mayor of New York City. Knowles was defeated by Moon Knight and sent to prison.
Later, Black Spectre joined together with Morpheus
Morpheus ('Fashioner', derived from the grc, μορφή meaning 'form, shape') is a god associated with sleep and dreams. In Ovid's ''Metamorphoses'' he is the son of Somnus and appears in dreams in human form. From the Middle Ages, the name b ...
and Bushman, two other foes of Moon Knight. They intended to use the power of the statue of Egyptian God Seth to curse diplomats at a U.N. conference.
Carson Knowles appeared again some time later, recently released from prison. He falls back into his ways as the Black Spectre and attempts to, yet again, destroy Moon Knight and hurt the city. Knowles frames several murders on Moon Knight, putting him under scrutiny by S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often dea ...
Knowles then steals Stark nanotechnology and is about to launch an attack, but Moon Knight pushes him off a building to his death.
During the " Dark Reign" storyline, Quasimodo
Quasimodo (from Quasimodo Sunday) is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the novel '' The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (1831) by Victor Hugo. Quasimodo was born with a hunchback and feared by the townspeople as a sort of monster, but ...
researched Black Spectre for Norman Osborn
Norman Osborn is a fictional character, fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #14 (July ...
. Quasimodo suggested finding a way to resurrect Black Spectre in the event that H.A.M.M.E.R.
H.A.M.M.E.R. is a fictional espionage and law enforcement agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The organisation is led by Norman Osborn and was formed in ''Secret Invasion'' #8 to replace S.H.I.E.L.D. The organisat ...
goes after Moon Knight.
Ryan Trent
Knowles's costume and identity were subsequently appropriated by Ryan Trent, a disgruntled member of the NYPD
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...
whom Moon Knight defeats in the deranged officer's first and only outing as the new Black Spectre.
Since he was a kid Ryan Trent was constantly undermined, having his decisions throughout his life continuously questioned. Even after he joined the NYPD, he didn't feel he was good enough.
When Moon Knight returned to New York City as a consultant for Detective Flint, Flint's preference over the vigilante caused Trent to finally break, and slowly descend into madness as he became obsessed with Moon Knight. Ryan began training himself, as well as he investigated about Moon Knight by interrogating former allies of him disguised as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Using Carson Knowles, the Black Spectre, as an inspiration, Ryan aims to replace Moon Knight, believing that if he replaced Moon Knight and revealed himself to Flint, he would get be respected and get a promotion. In order to become even more similar to Moon Knight, who worked alone and had no ties to anybody, Trent murdered his wife. Now armed with equipment and a costume, Trent donned the mantle of Black Spectre and began attacking people and peeling their faces while yelling for Moon Knight. With Moon Knight's car finally arriving at his location, Black Spectre activated three I.E.D. planted in cars nearby to explode Moon Knight's car. Only two of them went off, but this was enough to destroy the vehicle. Black Spectre got out of the building he was hiding, expecting to find Moon Knight's corpse among the ruins. However, Moon Knight arrived at the scene using his glider. Before the fight could get started, Trent proclaimed that he was going to kill Moon Knight so he could be loved. Then, the third I.E.D. went off and exploded next to Black Spectre and injured him. When Trent was asked who was he supposed to be, he presented himself as Black Spectre. Moon Knight ripped off his mask and explained to him and he didn't want to be loved, because all those close to him suffered and died, and that because he worked alone he had always won. He then left Black Spectre and departed.
Analysis on Black Spectre character
During his supervillain career, Black Spectre has always been an enemy of Moon Knight and is considered as one of the greatest enemies of the vigilante. In his first appearance, the character is depicted as the antithesis of Moon Knight.[ In her essay titled "Fight Scenes, Fight Scenes Everywhere … And Not a Stop to Think", Heidi MacDonald declared that the story "Black Spectre" is more than just a fist fight. She analyzed it and concluded "It is about the way that Moon Knight's fortunes descend while Black Spectre's rise, and the way that Moon Knight conquers his weakness while Black Spectre falls to them.".][
In an interview with ]Comic Book Resources
''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion.
History
Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...
, Augie De Blieck Jr., the reviewer of the 2006 ''Moon Knight'' series, noted that "Moon Knight's rogues' gallery seems to play a decent supporting role in each issue". Writer Mike Benson explained that there were many adversaries that he would like to bring back but he kept the villains which he felt "could easily fit the tone of the book".
Dave Richards, reviewer for Comic Book Resources, analyzed the death of Black Spectre and explained that it was a turning point in Moon Knight's life. In its past adventures, the vigilante demonstrated that he had no guilty conscience about seriously harming criminals, but he did have a strong code against killing them. According to Richards, Mike Benson used this violent death to separate Moon Knight and Khonshu, the Egyptian God of Vengeance. Khonshu is a character which claims that Moon Knight is his Avatar, and must therefore do Khonshu's bidding. Mike Benson confirmed in an interview that these two characters "have had such a cantankerous relationship that they needed a little distance."
In his review of ''Moon Knight'' #19, Kevin Powers, reviewer for Comics Bulletin
Comics Bulletin was a daily website covering the American comic-book industry.
History Silver Bullet Comicbooks
The site was founded in January 2000 as Silver Bullet Comicbooks by its New Zealand-based publisher/editor Jason Brice.
During this ...
, also noted "The ending of this issue is extremely well done and effectively concludes the main Khonshu-involved storyline that began with Charlie Huston
Charlie Huston is a novelist and TV writer. His twelve novels span several genres from crime to horror to science fiction. His books have been published in English by Ballentine, Del Rey, Mulholland and Orion, and translated into nine other lang ...
". He said that it is an interesting evolution that could lead to storylines for future issues where reactions from his supporting cast could be explored. Powers stated that the most important moment is Black Spectre's dialogue during their last fight. It helped understand the character's desires. According to the reviewer, Carson Knowles "wants the people to love him; he wants to be their leader like he should have been back in the day when he ran for mayor, before becoming a villain". Even if Black Spectre is more powerful than the vigilante, he's also a classic villain whose ego often serves as his downfall.
In other media
A version of Black Spectre appeared in the Moon Knight pinball
Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...
table of the video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
'' Marvel Pinball: Vengeance and Virtue'' developed by Zen Studios
Zen Studios is a Hungarian video game developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software with headquarters in Budapest, Hungary and offices in the United States. It is known for its game franchises, '' Pinball FX'' and '' Zen Pinball'', ...
. The player controls the Moon Knight character into the world of his crime fighting on the streets of New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. The table pits the player against four Moon Knight's traditional enemies: Morpheus
Morpheus ('Fashioner', derived from the grc, μορφή meaning 'form, shape') is a god associated with sleep and dreams. In Ovid's ''Metamorphoses'' he is the son of Somnus and appears in dreams in human form. From the Middle Ages, the name b ...
, Midnight, Bushman and Black Spectre. It culminates in a battle with the god of evil and death Khonshu.
References
External links
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{{Steve Gerber
Characters created by Bill Sienkiewicz
Characters created by Bob Brown
Characters created by Doug Moench
Characters created by Steve Gerber
Comics characters introduced in 1974
Comics characters introduced in 1982
Fictional Vietnam War veterans
Marvel Comics supervillains