Hey, don’t you just LOVE that street-level Marvel superhero with the cybernetic arm? No, I’m not talking about Winter Soldier, who is just Bucky Barnes, Captain America’s version of Batman’s Robin, a teen sidekick, given a gritty makeover for the modern era. Nope, not talking about Cable from the X-Men either. Cable and Winter Soldier are both aesthetic rip-offs of Misty Knight.
Misty Knight is a street-level Marvel hero in the same vein as Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Daredevil, and The Punisher. Knight has been around for over 50 years. She does not get the recognition she deserves.
Misty Knight was the first black female superhero at Marvel Comics. Actress Simone Missick portrayed the character in the Netflix-produced Marvel series Luke Cage, The Defenders, and Iron Fist in the 2010s.
She has appeared in some great comic book stories and could potentially become a household name if Disney used her correctly. I think it would be a lot more financially practical for Marvel to focus on street-level heroes like Misty Knight or her crew, the Daughters of the Dragon.
Misty Knight’s comic book history deserves more widespread recognition and revisiting. So, here is everything you need to know about the bold and badass journey of Misty Knight.
It is also worth noting that the first comic book appearance of Misty Knight is worth much more than the first comic book appearances of Winter Soldier and Cable combined. Additionally, besides a limited series in 2008 and 2022, where both were tied to larger events, Misty Knight has never had her own solo comic book series.
Misty Knight 101
Misty Knight was co-created by writer Tony Isabella and artist Arvelle Jones. Isabella is also the co-creator of Black Lightning character for DC Comics.
Mistry Knight made her debut in Marvel Premiere #21 in March 1975. However, she was first mentioned in a conversation between characters in Marvel Premiere #20 in January 1975. Misty’s origin had a retcon years later, so technically Misty Knight made her debut as an unnamed character in Marvel Team-Up #1 in March 1972.
These trivia-like minutiae may seem weird, but they are very important data to hardcore readers and investors.
Misty’s Backstory
Knight was a Harlem-centric cop who lost her right arm after a terrorist bomb attack. (Sometimes her cybernetic arm is shown as being the left one, depending on the artist.) Tony Stark grafted a cybernetic metal arm to her right shoulder as a replacement. The arm can project concussive blasts, lift heavy objects, and communicate with computers and technology.
Knight’s main talents are as an investigator and a martial artist. In January 1977, Knight would join forces with Colleen Wing, a Japanese martial arts expert, in issue #32 of Deadly Hands of Kung Fu. The pair would launch a detective agency and become a crime-fighting duo known as The Daughters of the Dragon.
Misty Knight made her debut in an era where blaxploitation and kung-fu films were a new and very popular form of entertainment. The idea of cyborgs and cybernetics was a mind-blowing concept in the 1970s. Shows like The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman were forward-thinking and popular at the time.
The Daughters of the Dragon would often join forces with Luke Cage and Iron Fist. For many years, Knight was a love interest for Iron Fist. The pair still hook up from time to time in the comic books.
Misty in Current Marvel Continuity
From 2015 through 2017, Sam Wilson was officially Captain America in the comic books. Misty Knight was a major supporting character in his series. Sam and Misty were even lovers for a while. For one issue, Sam Wilson: Captain America #16, Misty Knight uses the shield as a temporary replacement for Sam.
In 2018, Wolverine had been missing as a character for almost four years after his death. He was brought back in the Hunt for Wolverine comic. Misty Knight was a major supporting character in that story, helping to search for Wolverine.
From 1972 or 1975 to the current day, Misty Knight has been a bold and badass character that writers and artists love to use. Simone Messick’s portrayal of Misty Knight in the Netflix shows Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders was great, but we may never see her again in that universe.
Misty has been around for over 50 years and is widely known outside of comic book circles. Yet, two similar characters with similar arm aesthetics are basically household names. Why hasn’t Misty Knight seen such notoriety when she was first created?
Misty Knight: Perennial Main Character Masked as a Supporting Character
Misty Knight still does not get the same recognition she deserves, even though she was the aesthetic influence for other characters decades after her creation. Knight had her right arm replaced with a cybernetic arm in 1975. However, if you mention Marvel superheroes with cybernetic arms to casual fans, they will mention Winter Soldier or Cable.
Bucky Barnes made his debut in 1940 as a teenage sidekick to Captain America. The character was later aged up to become a man but was rarely used by the 1960s. The character was reimagined and reintroduced in the comics in 2005 as a brainwashed Russian assassin known as The Winter Soldier. He is an assassin with a cybernetic arm replacing his left arm.
Cable, a mutant with a cybernetic left arm, made his comic book debut in 1986. The character is famous for having a convoluted origin; he is the son of Cyclops and a clone of Jean Grey, Madeline Pryor, who was sent to the future as a child and came back to the present day as a mutant warrior. Josh Brolin portrayed Cable in 2018’s Deadpool 2.
Wittingly or unwittingly, Cable and Winter Soldier seem like they were aesthetically inspired by Misty Knight. Even if you want to contrarily argue that they are not, then that presupposes that Misty Knight never mattered in the first place.
Winter Soldier’s and Cable’s First Appearances
The first appearance of The Winter Soldier was in Captain America #6, published in 2005. Almost 20 years later, a copy of this issue with a 9.2 CGC grade is now worth $195.
Uncanny X-Men #201 from 1986, which features the first appearance of Cable as a baby, is worth over $107 if it has a CGC grade of 9.8.
So, why should you care about Misty Knight? Which of her comic book appearances are worthy of you reading or even potentially investing in? Here’s what you need to know.
Investment Potential
Investment is strategized gambling, but I think it is a worthwhile gamble to buy the early appearances of Misty Knight. The MCU might use her again in the future. If you or someone you know has the first comic appearances of Winter Soldier or Cable, you could make over $300 right now, and those comics were published within the last 35 years.
And guess what? The first appearance of Misty Knight is even more valuable than the first appearance of Cable and the Winter Soldier combined.
A copy of Marvel Premiere #20 with a 9.8 CGC rating, which features Misty Knight’s name mentioned in passing and not even her first aesthetic appearance, is worth over $241. Additionally, a copy of this issue with a 9.2 CGC rating is worth $89.
A copy of Marvel Premiere #21 with a CGC rating of 9.8 is worth $829. This comic features the first appearance of Misty Knight.
According to some comic book purists, Misty Knight technically made her first appearance in Marvel Team-Up #1 in 1972 as an unnamed character. Some Marvel editors made decisions years later that would retroactively change some characters’ histories, like Misty. A copy of this issue with a 9.8 CGC rating is worth $2,128.
How badass is that?
Daughters of the Dragon: Deep Cuts
Daughters of the Dragon: Deep Cuts is a 136-page paperback that collects all three issues of the series. Misty joins the FBI, which causes a strain on her partnership with Colleen Wing. The duo works through their issues as they confront a new threat. Buy it now from Amazon for $30.
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