The following contains major spoilers for Moon Knight #11, available now from Marvel.
Marc Spector's most recent return as Moon Knight has been fraught with terror, not the least of which has been courtesy of the enigmatic Zodiac. While Marc has rebuilt the Midnight Mission from the ashes of Zodiac's last attack, he is far from able to save those around him from the villain on his own. Just as it seems that his new nemesis has the hero backed into a corner, Moon Knight somehow emerged right before Zodiac's very eyes. Or rather, a Moon Knight emerges, and even if he isn't really the fist of Khonshu, Soldier is absolutely the kind of hero the Midnight Mission needs most.
The titular hero of Moon Knight #11 (by Jed MacKay, Alessandro Cappuccio, Rachelle Rosenberg, and VC's Cory Petit) has hunted Zodiac across the city with the help of fellow Avenger Tigra and former Hydra assassin Rutherford Winner. Unfortunately, their search has drawn them away when the villain revealed himself. While the recently rebuilt Mission is capable of standing its ground, it cannot offer any protection to the rest of the neighborhood. When Zodiac promises to begin dragging innocent people out of their homes to be slaughtered in the streets, there is nothing for Moon Knight to do but pray. Thankfully, not all of Marc's allies are with him, and those within the Midnight Mission take it upon themselves to buy him time by picking up the mantle of Mr. Knight.
First seen in 2021's Moon Knight #2 (by Jed MacKay and Alessandro Cappuccio), Soldier was introduced as just another resident of the titular hero's neighborhood in need. When Soldier came under attack by the elderly residents of his apartment building, he went to Moon Knight for help. Not only did Marc free the tenants from the control of the man pulling the strings, but he also made a fast ally of Soldier. Eventually, Zodiac framed Soldier as a traitor, exposing his sordid past with Hydra in the process. Despite everything, Marc saw who Soldier truly was, and the two have remained close ever since.
Even without any powers of his own to confront Zodiac, Soldier has proven himself to be every bit the hero that Marc is. While Marc's journey began in a peaceful household, the future Moon Knight chose violence at nearly every turn he could. Whether out of spite or survival, Marc established his reputation coated in blood, and he has fought hard to shed himself of those stains. Similarly, Soldier has worked to leave behind his own history as a devout Hydra agent, though his own path has been an infinitely more peaceful one than Marc's. At least, that was the case up until very recently.
Soldier might be stepping back into a world of violence, yet he is doing so in a bid to protect everyone else around him. On the other hand, the real Moon Knight has quite literally shed blood religiously, even when doing so over the course of his heroic endeavors. Both of them have made great strides in distancing themselves from their gruesome pasts, and Soldier's last stand at the recently rebuilt Midnight Mission is indicative of all his hard work paying off.
If nothing else, Soldier's example might be one that Marc finds genuinely inspiring, no matter how suicidal it may seem. Considering the risks Marc has taken throughout his long superhero career, it's hard to imagine he will have anything but admiration for Soldier once the dust has settled. That is, assuming the impromptu Moon Knight survives to the end of the fight to come.
