A classic Moon Knight villain returns in Moon Knight #25

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Moon Knight #25 is a much anticipated milestone issue that will set the stage for the introduction of Layla El-Faouly, the MCU Scarlet Scarab, into Marvel Comics. But she's not the only supporting character playing a big role in Moon Knight #25, which officially brings back the Black Spectre, a classic Moon Knight villain.

"The past comes back to bedevil Moon Knight as he pursues his latest enemy, someone once familiar and new," reads Marvel's official solicitation for Moon Knight #25, referencing Black Spectre.

"From grim New York nights to the blazing sun of Alexandria days, Moon Knight hunts for answers among the graves of Hart Island while haunted by the last mission of the Karnak Cowboys, a mercenary crew counting among its members Marc Spector, Jean-Paul Duchamp, Robert Plesko...and Layla El-Faouly."

Moon Knight #25 is created by writer Jed MacKay, artists Partha Pratim, Alessandro Capuccio, and Alessandro Vitti, colorist Rachelle Rosenberg, and letterer Cory Petit. We've got a preview of some interior pages right here, including a look at the returning Black Spectre:

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Black Spectre dates back to 1982's Moon Knight #25 (though the name 'Black Spectre' was previously used for a different, unrelated villainous organization).

Created by Doug Moench, Moon Knight's own co-creator, and artist Bill Sienkiewicz, Black Spectre has become a recurring villain in the decades since, with multiple people having taken up the mantle over the years. The villain was last seen in 2014's Moon Knight Vol. 7.

Moon Knight #25 goes on sale July 12.

Learn all about the history of Moon Knight.

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)