I’m sure most have noticed the large and constant spikes in price for Moon Knight’s first appearance in Werewolf by Night #32 the past two years or so. That and with the news of an imminent Moon Knight Disney + show along with rumors the character will show up in movies. With his relatively small but very loyal following I was wondering if this once C-lister’s popularity will grow and overtake the popularity of the Punisher.
I’ve noticed that Werewolf by Night #32 has basically caught up to Amazing Spider-Man #129 across most if not all price points. CGC 8.0’s on both are roughly $1250 and CGC 6.0’s are now averaging $800. Admittedly, Punisher’s exposure is lower than it has been recently and Moon Knight, even though he is not on the big or small screen yet has been getting a ton of attention! There is a lot of excitement surrounding the character! Not sure the print runs on either book but I have a feeling there are more ASM #129s out there as well. All that plays in but it be ignored that Moon Knight is about to hit the big-time!
If the Disney + show is good and he does indeed see time on the big screen Moon Knight could potentially overtake Punisher not only in popularity but in realized sales for key issues. I’m not guaranteeing that will happen. No one can predict exactly how all that will go down but it is a potential scenario.
Of course “if” Marvel has big plans for the Punisher either on Disney + (or another streaming service due to his violent nature) or on the big screen that could very well prevent a shift in power so to speak. Personally, I like both characters. I am a bigger Punisher fan than Moon Knight but have no problem at all with him moving into a higher position in the popularity circle! Regardless, both Punisher and Moon Knight are great characters that really should be explored or explored more on the big and small screen!
So, what do you think? Does Moon Knight have a chance at overthrowing the Punisher in popularity and price for their respective first appearances? What is your opinion on this? Write a comment below!
Moon Knight has died, he’s been resurrected, he’s faked his own death, he’s had multiple personalities, he’s been in the Nut Ward … I could go on …
“Mooney. Rhymes with Loony”
Point I’m making is, it’s a pretty complex character … he’s even been compared to Batman … I think if the MCU really put the time / effort and money into, say, a 3 movie Trilogy or a TV series (which I don’t think would make the Family cut on Disney+ if done right) … it would be exciting as hell …
You’re, IMO, not really comparing apples to apples … Frank Castle, on the other hand, has in some ways been done to death … Dolph Lundgren, Thomas Jane, Ray Stevenson in films, Jon Bernthal on Netflix, which I think did an absolutely excellent job …
Punisher is pretty much a what you see is what you get character … Moon Knight, AKA Marc Spector is, IMO, a much more nuanced character that requires the right treatment …
It’s an interesting comparison. I agree with much of what Uncle Willie said.
I think Punisher will always be a more “known/mainstream” character.
In many ways he is imbedded in our society. His symbol is now pretty universal.
My wife, for example, enjoyed the Punisher show and was open to watching it in the first place. I can almost guarantee she would not watch anything Moon Knight related or even have an open mind to it (that’s her problem though lol)
There is an element of mystery to Moon Knight that has always made him “cool” among fans. That helps him.
With Punisher, what you see is what you get. Pretty much defer to Willie as I said above. He hit the nail on the head.
One thing about the Punisher…he does tend to resonate with many people. Right or Wrong…there is much about him that makes you root for him (even if that isn’t the right thing to do). We all have a bit of the Punisher in us if life dealt us that hand (at least we would certainly have a tumultuous battle with regards to what we would do). I sort of tend to think of Jack Nicholson’s speech in “A Few Good Men” when I think of ole Devildog Frank!
On that note (and I realize I’m scattered and babbling a bit), society has sort of deemed the Punisher politically incorrect of late. The stories in the comics themselves, people up in arms about his symbol being used, etc. I’m not getting into the politics/arguments here…not my thing. But it has been made very clear that it is not really “proper” to be a big fan of the Punisher. That isn’t going to help his popularity much going forward. I can see him being scaled back (but you could argue that there isn’t much more to do with him anyway). Inserting him into stuff like Thor/Savage Avengers, etc…just really absurd.
I’ll tell you this…if anyone ever asks me for a graphic novel/series to read (if they are of the right age) I will always, always add Punisher:Born to the list…and every single time…people have thanked me for doing so.
I’ll add to what Mr. Devildog said … (I mean, with a handle like Devildog, there is not much left to imagine on how you roll … ) …
Neither one of these characters has a place within Disney+, IMO … it’s either let another streamer do a full on treatment (like Netflix did) or take the R rating and go the film route … and, I don’t see Marine veteran and human wrecking-ball Frank Castle really having any part in the MCU as far as the Super Hero side … I may be wrong, but I just don’t see a fit there …
Yep, Frank is the guy you secretly root for … and that’s one of the reasons that ASM 129 has been a blue chip … Marc Spector requires, no, demands, an in depth, well done proper study in whatever media might be used … anything less would be a disservice to a wonderfully complex character that folks are either going to love or hate … or be totally confused over …
I say Punisher is the better bet 20 years from now. From the Spider-Man mythos so all Spidey fans also want it besides just Punisher fans. Punisher doesn’t have powers like MoonKnight does so I believe he’s more relatable as a dark character. You also don’t see a lot of Homages to WBN#32 but there’s a ton for ASM #129, so that’s a pretty good determiner of who is the more important character.
From a value standpoint I do think even though Werewolf by Night #32 has done a good job catching up to Amazing Spider-Man #129 I have to agree with yo that even with the new found mass popularity of Moon Knight, Punisher is the safe long term bet. Moon Knight certainly isn’t a flavor of the month but you gave good reasons as to why if a collector had to choose one, Punisher may be the way to go.
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