10 Important Lessons Comic Book Superheroes Taught Us
2. Moon Knight Learns To Deal With Mental Illness
Marc Spector took up the identity of Moon Knight after becoming the vessel for the Egyptian god Khonshu when he was left for dead.
What makes him unique among other costumed vigilantes is that he is legitimately mentally ill. He suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder to the point where his psyche is divided among several alternate egos, each representing a different part of his personality. It's even debatable if Khonshu is real in the first place, or just another part of himself.
In Jeff Lemire's incredible run on the character, Spector finds himself stuck in what initially appears to be a mental hospital, but underneath is shown to be far more than that. Throughout the story he is terrorised by monsters both inside and outside his head trying to push him further toward the edge.
After a climatic battle for his own being, Marc realises that while he will always struggle with his condition, he can still have a life despite it. His illness is a part of him, but it doesn't have to define who he is.
Spector knows that he is not okay. Yet, at the same time also knows that there is nothing wrong with that. He cannot control his illness, but he can decide how he lives with it. For those dealing with mental illness, this is an essential lesson to learn.