Comic Book Battles: Deadshot vs Moon Knight

What would happen if there was a clash between DC’s accurate assassin and Marvel’s Fist of Khonshu? Would you side with Floyd Lawton, aka Deadshot, because he has uncanny aim and he doesn’t hold back? Or would you bet on Marc Spector, aka Moon Knight, because he’s a brutal and highly skilled vigilante? Let’s cast aside personal preference and take a close look at the pros and cons that both of these fictional fighters are bringing to the battle.

Let’s pretend this brawl between Deadshot and Moon Knight goes down in a standard city setting. It’ll take place during night, the area is unpopulated, and they’ve spotted each other from a pretty decent distance – let’s say 50 feet or so. This is a totally random encounter, meaning neither character knows anything about their opponent – they are from different worlds, after all. Seeing as Moon Knight has gone through several changes over the years, let’s imagine Moon Knight has his “classic” gear, meaning the equipment he had in his earlier appearances, as well as in the 2006 run. Okay, now that we have the setup in mind, let’s look at some key factors and think about how it would all play out.

FIGHTING SKILL AND EQUIPMENT

Thanks to his experience as a mercenary, boxer, and marine, Moon Knight is highly skilled in armed and unarmed combat. I wouldn’t say he’s on par with people like Daredevil or Captain America when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, but I’d argue that he’s not that far behind him – he’s got the potential to give ‘em a good fight.

Whether he’s slugging it out, using nerve strikes, or countering and throwing his enemies, Marc’s a gifted fighter and has what it takes to hold his own and then some against dangerous characters like Deadpool, Gambit, Punisher, and many more. In his very first appearance (Werewolf by Night #32), it was stated that Marc is a “versatile practitioner of virtually all the martial arts” and he’s got plenty of feats to support that statement.

As for armed combat, the guy loves using these pointy throwing projectiles that he calls “crescent darts.” He can throw them with stunning accuracy, often using them to dismantle his enemies’ weapons (there are several cases of him using them to destroy firearms) or stab a hand to make it drop a weapon. He also has this nifty truncheon – think Daredevil’s billy club – but it has multiple functions. He can use it in close combat as a blunt weapon, throw it (which includes ricochet attacks), fire a grapnel line from it, or even extend it into a nunchaku. He’s had lots of other weapons over the years, but for simplicity’s sake, let’s keep it limited to his standard outfit (not the carbonadium armor), crescent darts, and his versatile truncheon. Deadshot’s in trouble if Marc uses crescent darts to destroy Floyd’s guns, and given Marc’s history, that’s definitely a possibility.

The name “Deadshot” says everything you need to know about his skills as a combatant, doesn’t it? He’s a phenomenal shot and when it comes to killing, he won’t hesitate. Unlike many other characters, he has no moral dilemma about taking a life – well, unless it’s Batman, but that’s because, deep down, the Dark Knight reminds him of his deceased brother. Anyway, Floyd’s easily one of the top marksmen in his respective universe, consistently pulling off ridiculously impressive and seemingly impossible shots. He’s even capable of ricochet shots and, thanks to having wrist-mounted firearms, he’s can use his guns in close quarters combat. I’ve never witnessed any slick Gun Fu/John Wickish maneuvers from the guy, but he’s capable of shooting at a very rapid rate. For example, when Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke the Terminator, had Deadshot pinned down, Slade became distracted for just a moment and that allowed Deadshot to shoot his formidable opponent in the chest multiple times.

Deadshot’s armor has fluctuated a lot over the years, but overall, it should offer him some protection against Marc’s attacks. He’s by no means invulnerable, but it’ll let him take an extra hit or two. In addition to those wrist mounted guns, it wouldn’t be surprising if Floyd was also packing twin pistols. His wrist-mounted guns can fire a miniature rocket and different rounds (like armor piercing and incendiary) as well, but they're not commonly used. What happens if Floyd’s firearms are destroyed and he’s forced into duking it out, though? Floyd’s not a shabby hand-to-hand fighter and he’ll fight dirty to survive, but he’s simply not on Moon Knight’s hand-to-hand level. 

Floyd’s a brilliant marksman and he has limited but highly effective gear; however, Marc’s remarkable talent in both unarmed and armed combat with his versatile gear gives him the edge here.

Edge: Moon Knight

MENTALITY

This is a tricky category for Moon Knight because, just like his outfit and gear, this has fluctuated a bit over the years. There was once a time that Moon Knight would rather take a punch than dodge it – this was during his emotional low point in a story that was appropriately titled “The Bottom” – and that approach would be a fatal mistake against Deadshot. Luckily for Marc, I’d argue there are way more showings of him being a tactical and swift fighter instead of someone who’s happy to take a hit and then send one back even harder.

Moon Knight has stated multiple times that he wears white because he wants his enemies to know he’s coming – he wants them afraid. Deadshot, however, won’t be afraid. The accurate guy would be okay facing his own death with open arms and he regularly takes on the Dark Knight, so if Moon Knight tries to strike some fear into Floyd, it’s going to backfire big time.

Thankfully for Marc, I think the Marvel vigilante would stay on his toes right from the get-go since he’s fighting a heavily armed enemy who’s clearly a great shot – Marc’s an intelligent combatant so he can adjust properly. Still, even a single moment of hesitation could cost him the fight. Moon Knight doesn’t love to banter like Spider-Man, but taking a moment to taunt (e.g. saying something like “stay down” after knocking Deadshot over with a punch) could be an extremely painful error for him. Deadshot’s reflexes can’t be underestimated and he can take advantage of even the smallest opening. 

Marc’s an intelligent and efficient fighter who tends to be more violent than a lot of his fellow vigilantes, but he’s still a hero. He may talk. He may hold back. He may try to make Deadshot afraid, especially with his amazingly high pain tolerance. Deadshot will be looking to end things by any means necessary and he won’t he terrified by the Fist of Khonshu. If Marc endures some non-lethal bullet wounds and acts like he can’t be stopped, it won’t intimidate Deadshot – Deadshot will just put more bullets in him.

Edge: Deadshot

PHYSICALITY

Deadshot’s in great shape for an ordinary human. He’s shown some solid displays of agility – he’s slick enough to dodge gunfire from fodder– but his biggest strength in this category would be his reflexes. He’s able to react, aim, and pull the trigger at a stunning speed – he once claimed he can see each beat of a hummingbird’s wings and he’s shot Green Arrow’s arrows out of the air. Obviously, Floyd gets a bonus point in this category for his signature facial hair. But really, the dude’s got great reflexes.

Moon Knight’s in really great shape for a regular human. He once had boosted strength based on the moon’s light, but as far as I can tell, that hasn’t played a role in ages, so let’s not count that. One thing that many people don’t know about Moon Knight is that he’s exceptionally agile. Back in his classic run and even in some of his modern appearances, the guy’s leaping around and giving gunmen all kinds of trouble. Many know him as a vicious brawler, but he’s also shockingly nimble. He also has great reflexes, too. In a recent series, he was able to react to bullets twice (he casually blocked one and destroyed another one with crescent dart). It’s also worth nothing that Moon Knight has a ridiculously high pain tolerance. Deadshot doesn’t have a glass jaw, but the amount of punishment that Moon Knight can take is pretty absurd. A shot to the shoulder, arm, stomach, or leg isn’t going to stop him.

Deadshot has incredible reflexes, but Moon Knight no slouch in that category and he has better showings of agility and pain tolerance. He’s got the edge here.

Edge: Moon Knight

VERDICT

This is a fight that clearly has the potential to go either way. Moon Knight’s a quick dude, but he’s obviously not too fast for Deadshot. Moon Knight getting struck by a barrage of bullets or even just one to the head is totally possible. Deadshot can win this, but so can Moon Knight. Marc’s strengths and tactics means he could damage Floyd’s firearms from a distance with his accurate crescent darts and then swoop in and drop the dude from DC in melee combat since he blatantly has the advantage there.

It’s going to be a close fight, but in the end, I’m giving the win to Moon Knight. I think the city setting will benefit his agility (there’s lots of cover) and it’s completely in character from him to target Deadshot’s guns with his crescent darts. It'll be a challenge for him to pull off because Deadshot can shoot the crescent darts out of the air, but Moon Knight's a versatile fighter who can accomplish ricochet throws with 'em and accurately throw multiple projectiles at once - just one needs to connect to properly disable a weapon. Once Deadshot’s firearms are damaged, the Fist of Khonshu will be able to get close and take down Deadshot because he's simply the better hand-to-hand fighter, plus he may still have his truncheon at that point. It won’t be easy for Moon Knight to pull off this victory, but he can absolutely do it.

Thank you so much for reading the third edition of Comic Book Battles – links to the other two fights are below. Enjoyed the article? Follow me on Twitter for updates about the site!

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