Comic Characters You Should Get to Know: Misty Knight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVdl5tJxx7k All right, by now, you hopefully had a chance to watch the Netflix series Luke Cage and at least have some idea who Misty is. If you haven't and you want to remain 100% spoiler-free, maybe go set up some binge watching time and come back to this later. Otherwise, read on and consider this a bit of a character primer on the comics version of Misty, which will hopefully give you some more background and get you even more interested in this kick-ass lady.

Who is Misty Knight?

Misty started her crime fighting life as a New York police officer. She lost her arm in the line of duty when a bomb she was trying to dispose of exploded while she was holding it. Thankfully, this is the Marvel universe, and she was able to get some Stark Tech in the form of a cybernetic arm. Unfortunately, the NYPD still thought they should bench her with a desk job. Realizing this was not going to work for her, Misty started up a detective agency with her best friend Colleen Wing. Through Colleen, Misty met Danny Rand, Iron Fist, and the two become an item. Danny and Luke Cage would eventually go on to open Heroes for Hire, a freelance agency for heroes. Misty was associated with Heroes for Hire in many of its iterations and eventually she ran it on her own, under the name "Control." In this role, she coordinated various street-level heroes, feeding them freelance work that some of the bigger heroes might not have had on their radar.

Why is she so awesome?

Not one to let grass grow under her feet, when she was no longer able to serve the NYPD the way she wanted to, she struck out on her own and started a ladies detective agency. She also single-handedly (ha-ha) resurrected Heroes for Hire. And when I say that Misty is strong willed, I don't mean she's stubborn or headstrong. Her strength and need for control are so great that she was able to break free from Puppet Master's control with only her own inner strength as influence. She is not a lady who needed to be saved — she saved herself, and that is awesome. She is fierce and independent while still being caring and hopeful.

Misty's moniker of "Control" and her commitment to her need to be in control are perhaps obsessive — but I don't care! A bit of a control freak myself (true lady confession), her motivations spoke to me and are the driving force for her as a character. She wants to run the reopened Heroes for Hire on her terms and will accept nothing less.

Want more?

If you would like to read some comics featuring Misty Knight, check out:

Heroes for Hire

This 2010 run takes place when Misty decides to reopen Heroes for Hire on her own while she is resting and recovering from medical issues. Dan Abnett, who wrote the Annihilation story lines for Marvel (which I love), wrote this run of Heroes, and I thought it was a really fun read. This story gives you a great look into Misty while also introducing you to some B-list heroes that you may not have heard of. That said, some bigger names do pop up on occasion, but this is really about the street-side stuff. I also like the way the budding relationship between Misty and Paladin is handled. This story focuses on Misty and she is never used to further his, or any other male heroes', development.

Villains for Hire

Not as good as Heroes, this 4-issue run gives good closure on the story. If you have been watching the Netflix Marvel shows, you will be familiar with the "Big Bad" in this run, and the ending is satisfying.