People want to know. How can I live like this? The risks? The times I've descended into madness? The times I've died? How can I live like this? How could I live any other way? 
Appearing in ""The Bottom""
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
- Bushman
- Committee members
- Profile
- Taskmaster
Other Characters:
- Peter Alraune (Main story and flashback)
- Rob
- Werewolf (Main story and flashback)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for ""The Bottom""
Part One
Marc Spector sits in a wheelchair in the empty shadow-filled corridors of his mansion; his body nearly as twisted and broken as his mind. He reflects upon the string of events that brought him to his present condition.
He recalls fighting up against a carload of panicking criminals. Moon Knight landed upon the roof of the vehicle, forcing it off the side of the road. The driver scurried out of the car, and began firing his gun at Moon Knight, but the former Avenger easily evaded the weapons fire. Brandishing a pair of spiked iron knuckles, Moon Knight mercilessly beats the criminal into submission.
Marc continues to reminisce, and he remembers how his bitterness and anger turned everyone away, including his longtime girlfriend, Marlene Alraune, and his trusted colleague, Frenchie. Worse however, Marc recalls his last brutal fight with the man responsible for crippling him – Bushman.
Desperate, Marc pulls himself from his wheelchair and crawls towards the statue of the Moon God, Khonshu. He begs Khonshu to give him the strength to be a hero again.
Part Two
Having fallen to the floor from his wheelchair, Marc Spector reflects further upon the circumstances that led him to his present condition.
He had been fighting his first and most nefarious adversary, Bushman. The fight was brutal, as the two combatants exchanged blows on a rooftop. Bushman charged Moon Knight, sending both men falling several stories to the street below. Moon Knight suffered compound fractures to both of his legs.
Moon Knight slung a crescent dart into Bushman's throat, but the undeterred mercenary crawled across the hero's body, biting him deeply across the face. Consumed by pain and rage, Moon Knight finished Bushman off, using his crescent dart to slice the skin off of his face.
Back in the present, Marc's old friend, Bertrand Crawley arrives at Marc's home. He delivers Spector his pain medication, and tells him that an old friend has been asking about him – Frenchie. After Crawley leaves, Marc decides to forgo the pain medication.
Meanwhile, a strange man known as the Profile meets with a well-dressed stranger. They discuss their efforts to find Moon Knight.
Part Three
At the offices of the Committee, one of the staff members gives a slide show highlighting the early military career of Marc Spector. A Committee consultant known only as the Profile interrupts the demonstration complaining about relevance. He takes over the meeting, and gives an extensive account of the events that transformed mercenary Marc Spector into the Avatar of Vengeance, Moon Knight.
Meanwhile, Marc visits the restaurant of his former pilot and colleague, Jean-Paul "Frenchie" Duchamp. Frenchie introduces Marc to his partner, Rob. Marc mistakenly believes that Rob is Frenchie's partner in the business, but Frenchie corrects him, revealing that Rob is actually his life-partner. Marc is stunned. For as long as he's known Frenchie, he never suspected that the man was actually gay. Frenchie says that he's always told Marc that he loved him, but Marc never realized the full implications of such a statement. Marc grows very angry, not because Frenchie is gay, but rather because he lied to him for so many years, even when everyone else around them knew the truth.
Back at the Committee offices, the Profile continues with the slide show. He details Spector's history with Duchamp, as well as with the bloodthirsty mercenary known as Bushman. Spector cut ties with Bushman several years ago during an incident in Egypt. It was this same incident that led Marc to discover the Statue of Khonshu – the Egyptian God of Vengeance. Khonshu gave Spector renewed life and purpose, and from there he adopted the guise of Moon Knight.
As the Committee members continue their discussion, Frenchie walks home with his lover, Rob. A man emerges from the shadows and brutally attacks them. He tears off Frenchie's artificial leg and beats him into a bloody pulp. Frenchie is taken to the hospital, and Marc's valet, Samuels, informs him of the news.
Marc visits Frenchie, then goes out and tracks down the assailant. He brandishes a sword and stabs the man through the mouth.
Back at the Committee offices, the board members discuss their recent actions against Moon Knight. Prior to this current consultation, the Committee had hired Bushman to fight Spector. They didn't want to kill him, but rather destroy him by giving him a debilitating injury that would break his spirit. One of the Committee members speaks up and announces that he has initiated a plan of action known as the Duchamp Contingency. The Profile knows of the Duchamp Contingency and admonishes the Committee man for his brash course of action. They have now just given Marc Spector a reason to live.
A senior member announces that it is now time to enact Contingency T. One of the Committee's hired guns, the Taskmaster, enters the room. He takes two ballpoint pens and hurls them at the man who authorized the attack against Frenchie. The pens spear each of his eyes. The Taskmaster quips that he'll be adding the pens to his expense report.
Part Four
Marc Spector kneels before the statue of Khonshu. Suddenly, a voice from behind the statue begins taunting him. Marc reels backwards, as Bushman steps out from behind the statue. His face is nothing more than a patch of red, raw muscle. This is not the true Bushman however, but rather, it is Khonshu taking Bushman's likeness to commune with Marc.
Miles away, the Profile sits in a seedy motel room with the female board member of the Committee. Having just spent an intimate evening together, she asks him about his special gifts. He describes for her his ability to "read" the behavioral patterns of others. Having delved deeply into the psychological profile of Marc Spector, the Profile knows that Moon Knight will be looking for some payback.
Back at Spector's home, Khonshu continues to poke at Spector's psyche by inundating him with images from the past. He sees flashes of Marlene, Crawley, Frenchie, Jack Russell and Marlene's late father, Doctor Peter Alraune. Holding a gun to his own head, Marc asks Khonshu why he abandoned him. Khonshu replies that he could never abandon his last true son.
The Profile meanwhile, continues to entertain his bed partner by telling her all about Marc Spector. He reveals tidbits of Spector's past associations both with and against the previous Committee.
At Spector's apartment, Marlene walks into the room and finds Marc mumbling before the statue of Khonshu. She asks him if he is insane, and admonishes him for the brutal attack against the man who assaulted Frenchie. She tells him that police officers have been visiting Frenchie's room looking to find information.
Suddenly, the Taskmaster smashes through the window and attacks them. Marlene instantly takes the offensive and leaps at him, while Marc throws a dagger in his direction. The Taskmaster evades the dagger and smashes Marlene's face against the floor. He then trips Marc up and pins his hand against the floor with one of his own crescent darts.
Part Five
The Taskmaster stands over top of Marc Spector and Marlene Alraune who lie on the floor bleeding. He engages in a long-winded diatribe about the strain of running a training school for super-villains, and how much he prefers the life of a simple mercenary. while he continues to speak, a prerecorded broadcast of the Committee pipes in over a video display system. The Committee members take responsibility for Marc's most recent trials, and conclude by saying that they will kill everyone he has ever known.
Marlene gets up and fires off several shots at the Taskmaster, but he deflects them with his shield. He then fires a crossbow bolt into the barrel of Marlene's gun and warns her not to remove it. While the Taskmaster is distracted, Marc uses the crescent dart in his hand to spear the Taskmaster in the foot. Marlene pulls the bolt from her gun and continues firing at Taskmaster. Taskmaster throws his crossbow at her and prepares to cut off her head with his sword. Marc's butler, Samuels, comes up from behind him and blasts him with an antique rifle. The blow propels the Taskmaster through the window.
After things have calmed down, Samuels drives Marc and Marlene away from the apartment building and back to Marc's Long Island estate. Marc treats his injuries while Samuels preps the Moon-copter. Marc dons a fresh costume and flies off in the copter to take care of the Committee.
The Taskmaster returns to the Committee boardroom and tells them of his failure to sanction Spector. He further accuses them of providing him with an inaccurate psychological profile on Spector's state of mind.
Moon Knight tracks the Committee down and rams the Moon-copter straight through their office windows. Taskmaster manages to dive out of the way in time, but the remaining Committee members are killed. Moon Knight emerges from the cockpit and says, "Vengeance!"
Part Six
Taskmaster rises from the wreckage of the building and points his sword towards Moon Knight. Moon Knight dares him to try and kill - just to see if it'll actually work this time. Taskmaster grows terrified and drops his sword. Moon Knight withdraws one of his crescent darts and slices away at Taskmaster's mask. He leaves the villain wallowing in terror, grabs the Committee's files on himself and dives out the window. From the street below, the Profile looks up, and upon seeing that Moon Knight is still alive, throws up.
Marc returns to his apartment where he cuts his hair and shaves. He then drives down to the Natural History Museum to see Marlene. Marlene is content with the direction her life has taken, and has no interest in getting involved with Marc again.
Marc then goes to visit Jean-Paul. Frenchie's boyfriend is present and helps to outfit him with a new prosthetic. Marc and Jean-Paul help each other to the therapy pool.
Marc then visits his investment counselor who informs him that due to a patent on DNA sequencing, Marc may soon be a wealthy man again. Afterwards, he returns home where he finds Crawley waiting for him. Marc apologizes for his recent brash behavior.
When he's alone, the spirit of Khonshu rises, taking the form of Marc's late adversary, Bushman. Khonshu reveals that he inspired the Committee to reform and send Bushman after him. He needed Marc to get back into the game as Khonshu's avatar of vengeance. Marc is furious at the revelation and smashes the face of the statue of Khonshu. Khonshu causes Marc to collapse onto the floor, dead, then quickly resurrects him. This demonstration is but a reminder of the fact that Marc is forever Khonshu's servant.
Later, Marc dons the costume of Moon Knight and leaps out into the night.
Notes
- This collection was shipped available in hardcover edition and trade paperback edition.
- The following issues of Moon Knight (Volume 3) are reprinted in this collection.
- Moon Knight, Vol. 3 #1
- Moon Knight, Vol. 3 #2
- Moon Knight, Vol. 3 #3
- Moon Knight, Vol. 3 #4
- Moon Knight, Vol. 3 #5
- Moon Knight, Vol. 3 #6
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Moon Knight Vol 1
- Moon Knight Vol 2
- Marc Spector: Moon Knight Vol 1
- Moon Knight: Resurrection War #1-4
- Moon Knight: High Strangers #1-4
- Moon Knight (Volume 3) #1-up
Links and References
- Moon Knight (Volume 3) series index at the Grand Comics Database
- Moon Knight (Volume 3) series index at Comicbookdb.com
- Moon Knight article at Wikipedia
- Moon Knight article at Marvel Universe
- Moon Knight article at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
- Ultimate Moon Knight resource