Origin
Misty Knight’s a highly-decorated police officer, those former days on the force jarred to a halt when she lost her right arm to a terrorist’s bomb. Tony Stark arranged for her to receive a bionic prosthetic replacement limb in recognition of her bravery. Against taking a desk job for the police, she resigned and became a private investigator, with her friend Colleen Wing. While trying to stop the villain Emil Vachon in Hong Kong, Colleen was almost raped but Misty Knight was able to save her. The two then setup Knightwing Restorations Ltd, nicknamed the Daughter of the Dragon, and often dealt with cases nobody else was willing to resolve.
Creation
Misty Knight was created by Tony Isabella and Arvell Jones and was (seemingly) first mentioned in Marvel Premiere issue 20 (1975) and first appeared in Marvel Premiere issue 21 (1975).
It was however later revealed that Misty had already first appeared in Marvel Team-Up issue 1 (1972) as an unnamed woman whom was saved by Spider-Man from a bunch of muggers, thus making that her real first appearance.
Character Evolution
Misty is a dedicated officer of the law before she is seriously wounded as a result of a terrorist bombing, and rather than continue on with a desk job she feels like she can make more of a difference on the streets. She’s also incredibly loyal to her friends, willing to risk her own life to save her best friend Colleen Wing when she is captured.
Major Story Arcs
Civil War
During the Civil War event, Misty took the side of the Registration, after reforming the Heroes for Hire, she hunted hunt down fugitive heroes for the government that refused to register. Notable names on the team included Colleen, Black Cat ( Felicia Hardy) and Shang Chi, the Master of Kung Fu. After Captain America’s surrender, they would adventure in the Savage Land, bust a black market ring selling Skrull organs and ultimately disband after being captured in the Hulk’s ship during World War Hulk. During that adventure, the team is betrayed by Humbug, which results in Colleen and the new Tarantula being brutally tortured.
World War Hulk
Following Heroes for Hire’s capture of Moon-Boy they return to New York and find it under control of the Hulk, where Colleen and Tarantula are captured by Warbound and given to the Brood Queen by a possessed Humbug, a teammate of Misty Knight. Misty Knight hears about Colleen and tells Paladin that she and Moon-Boy will go rescue them. When Misty finds and releases Collen she has been tortured and is in traumatic shock as a result, her condition worsens when Moon-Boy is arrested by Paladin. Due to Misty’s actions Colleen decides to leave Heroes for Hire, which in turn causes the group to be disbanded entirely as Misty becomes depressed. Sometime later Misty is approached by Iron Man to help stop the remainder of Hulk’s robots in the city, by doing so she recovers and returns to her normal state.
Shadowland
Misty was approached by Bobby Fortunado to investigate his brother’s murder by the Hand because cops would do nothing and she is a friend of Matt. She refused his money for knowing what kind of business he was in and was visited by the Shroud who confirmed the Fortunado’s story. Next morning she visited some cop mates for info about Shadowland. Misty along with Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Shang-chi, and Colleen try to peacefully stop Daredevil after he has taken over Hell’s Kitchen, and a short time later they are attacked by him believing they are at fault for a fight in his castle. Following this Misty, Silver Sable, the Shroud, and Paladin are able to vindicate the Hand for the murder of mobsters in New York and discover they were framed.
Heroes for Hire
After Shadowland, the Heroes for Hire team is overhauled by Misty, with herself as âcontrol’, and she uses the powers and abilities of other street level heroes and either pays them money or gives them information. Misty is exposed as being mind controlled by the Puppet Master, but a short time later Iron Fist and Paladin release her and make a deal with Misty to proceed with the Puppet Master’s plan but under conditions established by Misty.
Fearless Defenders
Misty Knight is appearing in the new Marvel NOW! with a new team known as The Fearless Defenders. Misty is apart of the all female superhero team alongside Valkyrie and Dani Moonstar.
Ravencroft and team-up with John Jameson
Misty was later on recruited by a mysterious organization known as J.A.N.U.S.. She was send to work with John Jameson in investigating a strange town which inhabitants seemingly had disappeared. It turned out that all the townspeople where altered by the lethal Carnage. Everybody had changed into worshippers of Carnage and the symbiote God, Knull. While both Misty and John managed to get out of the clutches of the demonic worshippers, John was altered significantelty.
Relationships
Jean Grey
Misty was also a long time room-mate to Jean Grey until she rejoined the X-Men, and before the Dark Phoenix Saga.
Iron Fist
Misty would meet the love of her life, Daniel Rand, through Colleen. Danny is a superhero who goes by the name Iron Fist, a member of the Heroes for Hire organization. Nightwing Restorations Ltd has helped Heroes for Hire on multiple occasions. After a long period of ill definition, Danny and Misty finally become a formal couple in the pages of Immortal Iron Fist. At the end of that series, Misty was believed to be pregnant with Iron Fist’s child until she found out it is a false pregnancy and was only traces of his life-force and not an actual conception. As a result of this the two lived in different apartments before breaking up.
Powers and Abilities
Misty Knight is highly skilled in martial arts and is a proficient hand-to-hand combatant, with police combat training. She also has near-perfect aim with firearms, and possesses superb detective skills. Her bionic arm is 75 times superhumanly stronger than a normal arm, and she can punch a target with incredible force, or crush objects as tough as steel in her vise-like grip. However, since the rest of her body is not cybernetically enhanced, she cannot lift objects heavier than her back, shoulders, and legs can physically support. Her arm’s advantages as a weapon are limited to kinetic crushing and impact forces.
Her original bionic right arm is an alloy of Antarctic vibranium and diamond; at close range it can liquefy all known metals including adamantium. It is also now able to generate a wide anti-gravity repulsor field similar to Iron Man’s armor. It can also apparently release a concentrated beam of cryogenic energy, which can cover a target in a blanket of ice from a distance. This cold also seems to make the target much more fragile, allowing otherwise durable materials to be broken or rended when frozen. Iron Man also revealed the arm also displays technopathic capabilities, teaching Misty how to control a horde of robots. Following her “pregnancy”, Danny Rand spent money on additional features to the arm, including magnetism and a concussive blast.
Physical Attributes
- Height: 5’9”
- Weight: 136 lbs
- Eyes: Brown
- Hair: Black
Alternate Realities
Earth-295 – Age of Apocalypse
In the Age of Apocalypse she was an armless human living on the streets captured and chained by Scavengers so they could eat her later. She is saved by Cyclops, when her friend Colleen Wing was turned into a brood and tried to kill her she had no choice but to kill her in self defense. Her fate was left unclear after this so its unknown if she later died either in culls or otherwise.
This version does not have right arm.
Earth-58163 – House of M
In the House of M reality Misty was a member of Luke Cage’s Human Resistance Movement.
Earth-1610 – Ultimate
Misty Knight has been friends with Iron Man and has an iron arm. Her first appearance was in Ultimate Extinction. Later she re-appears in Ultimate Enemy as a member of Roxxon Corp’s brain trust. Jessica Drew infiltrates the corporation as Julia Carpenter, but Misty sees through her disguise but can’t decipher who she is exactly.
Other Media
Television
The Super Hero Squad Show
Misty Knight appears in the episode “A Brat Walks Among Us,” voiced by Tamera Mowry.
Netflix Marvel
- Misty Knight made her live-action debut in Luke Cage, which is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the series, Misty Knight is still an officer of the NYPD, and gets involved in the feud between Cage and Cornell Stokes ‘ gang. Throughout the season, Misty becomes increasingly disillusioned with the system, and has a romance with Luke. During the second season, she continues her investigation into Mariah Dillard and Shades, and eventually teams up with Luke to fight Bushmaster. She is played by Simone Missick.
- Simone Missick reprises her role in The Defenders, where Misty serves as the team’s ally within the NYPD. She comes embroiled in the events of the mini-series after being promoted to a special taskforce that is trying to take down the Hand. She eventually loses her right arm in an attempt to defend Claire Temple from Bakuto, but receives an advanced robotic replacement from the Rand Corporation.
FreeForm Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger
Although not actually appearing in the show, season 1 episode 8 (Ghost Stories), Misty has been mentioned by a fellow detective who transferred to New Orleans from New York.
Games
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Misty Knight appears in Iron Fist’s ending as part of the new Heroes For Hire.
Marvel: War of Heroes
Misty appears in several cards in the mobile card game Marvel: War of Heroes. Her cards are:
- [Code of Justice] Misty Knight
- [Daughter of the Dragon] Misty Knight
- [Armed and Dangerous] Misty Knight
- [I want a horse!] Misty Knight
- [Stark Tech] Misty Knight
- [Mind Game] Misty Knight
- [Twin Defeders] Misty Knight & Valkyrie
Marvel Heroes
Misty is a non playable character in the game. She is voiced by Cynthia McWilliams.
Marvel: Avengers Alliace
Misty is a playable character in the game. She can be recruited by achiving the Adamantium reward in the PVP Tournament: Season 25 or purchasing her with command points.
Her bio in the game says: Police officer Mercedes “Misty” Knight, a strong woman with a strong sense of justice, lost her arm while in the line of duty. Her heroism was noticed by Tony Stark who arranged to replace her arm with a weaponized prosthetic. Facing a desk job when she returned to the force, she formed Nightwing Restorations, a private investigation company with Colleen Wing. Misty took the job s that most would avoid, often teaming up with Iron Fist and Luke Cage, and eventually running Heroes for Hire.
Marvel Future Fight
Misty Knight is a playable character in the game. She is a Speed type.
Her bio in the game says: A decorated New York City detective, Misty Knight is a skilled investigator, capable of observation, forensics, and inductive and deductive reasoning of the highest caliber. After losing her right arm in the line of duty, she was gifted a bionic arm made of Vibranium from Tony Stark himself. The mechanical arm allows Misty to generate anti-gravity fields, produce concentrated blasts of cyrogenic energy, and stop criminals in their tracks with a deadly vice grip.
Marvel Avengers Academy
A teenage version of Misty is a playable character in the game. She is unlockable during the Avengers Halloween event, alongside Ghost Rider. Her recruitment quest is “Get Misty Knight!” She is voiced by Cenophia Mitchell.
Merchandise
- Misty Knight is featured in the HeroClix figure game.
- Hasbro released a Misty Knight figure in the Rhino Build-a-Figure Marvel Legends wave.