WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Human Target #5 and Action Comics #1040, on sale now from DC Comics.
Although he's long been considered the heart and soul of the Justice League, J'onn J'onzz, aka the Martian Manhunter, is oftentimes overlooked. Thankfully, the hero is currently appearing in two different titles, even if he's not the breakout star of either.
Martian Manhunter's appearances in Human Target and Action Comics have him dealing with his past and suffering from an identity crisis. This not only feels at home with the psychic shapeshifter, but it's also highly reminiscent of Marvel's Moon Knight. The future MCU star has quite a few similarities with DC's intergalactic gumshoe, and the result could be disastrous for the alien hero.
Martian Manhunter and the Multiple Identities of Madness
Martian Manhunter is featured in both The Human Target and the backup feature in Action Comics, which delves a bit into his history. In Action Comics #1040, Martian Manhunter is attacked by an agent of VULTURE, an evil organization that was prominent in his stories from the Silver Age. He claims that his actions against them were in the guise of Marco Xavier, another identity which he also took during this era. His memories of these past "lives" are growing foggier, however, and he's unable to clearly recall some of the details. The idea that J'onn J'onnz had several human lives and identities was explored mainly John Ostrander's Martian Manhunter series of the '90s, with the alien even adopting the identity of an elderly Japanese businessman.
The Human Target #5 paints a somewhat miserable picture for the Manhunter from Mars, showing him in a sexual but largely passionless relationship with fellow Justice League member Fire. During one of their visits together, he sulks that he's unsure of who he is anymore, reverting back to his native Martian appearance. Not only is mental confusion and disassociation part of his dilemma, but pain and self-destruction appear to be possible paths of escape. This makes Martian Manhunter feel very similar to the street-level Marvel hero, Moon Knight.
How Martian Manhunter's Current Problems Reflect Moon Knight
Martian Manhunter's current issues are a lot like what Moon Knight has been going through for the past several years. For one, there's the issues stemming from the hero's struggle with dissociative identity disorder, something that is part of his very premise. Along with the costumed personas of Moon Knight and more recently, Mr. Knight, there's Moon Knight's secret identity of Marc Spector, as well as the identities of Jake Lockley and Steven Grant. This has sometimes made it difficult for Spector to figure out who he really is, especially given that the mystical god Khonshu is also whispering in his ear. Given that his shapeshifting powers have given him numerous identities over the years, it makes sense that Martian Manhunter would experience the same sort of trauma. It also realistic portrays disassociation when these heroes may not perfectly recall the actions taken by their different personas.
Moon Knight is also known for engaging in questionable and even self-destructive behavior. These include initiating contact with people like Wolverine, Spider-Man and Captain America as his different personas, simultaneously endangering his family's safety. More recently, Marc started a "Midnight Mission" as a sort of religious leader. These decisions have only made his life more complicated, and he rarely comes out of them with anything to show for it.
Sleeping with Fire in a sadomasochistic manner would be an example of this mentality for Martian Manhunter, as she literally uses her powers on him to inflict pain while they're together. A sudden bout of mental illness and distress could be much more devastating for Martian Manhunter than Moon Knight, however, given that the former is one of the strongest superheroes in the DC Universe. This also showcases how harrowing shapeshifting can be as a power, with the user losing more and more of themselves with every transformation.