In less than two weeks, the latest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will debut on Disney+, introducing viewers to a new and dangerous hero. Moon Knight stars Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector, a man with dissociative identity disorder who becomes Moon Knight, the avatar for Khonshu.
Isaac is joined by Ethan Hawke, May Calamawy, F. Murray Abraham, Lucy Thackery, and the late Gaspard Ulliel. As is Marvel’s consistent prerogative, many details about the plot and characters remain to be revealed. Nevertheless, from the information provided and the trailers, many fans have shared their thoughts on Reddit.
The Blip Affected Marc
So far, much of the MCU’s Phase Four has centered around the response and aftermath to the Bip from Avengers: Endgame, and Moon Knight will likely continue this trend in some capacity. It has still not been revealed how this show fits into the franchise’s chronology, and if Marc was snapped away by Thanos.
The latest trailer suggests that the series will start following his docile Steven Grant personality, so some people think his current condition is a result of the Blip. User SpideyMessi10 theorizes that “ever since the blip, Steven/marc stayed in the Steven identity state and the whole series will be about him getting to know his Marc and of course the Moon Knight identity.” Regardless of whether the exacts play out as they lay out, it could explain why this story is happening now.
Ethan Hawke's True Identity
Ethan Hawke plays Arthur Harrow, the enigmatic villain in Moon Knight. He is an interesting choice to appear since Harrow only shows up in a single comic issue. Of course, this implies that the creators are taking inspiration from several sources in and out of the comics to craft this new antagonist.
User ImDonutz specifically hypothesizes that “ethan hawke is playing a man who is using Arthur Harrow as a disguise…and I think he is truely Dr. Victor Von Doom” Although the theory is surprising, it is not without merit – Dr. Doom is one of the most iconic villains yet to join the MCU. Nevertheless, other users have suggested that he is more likely an amalgam of Harrow and The Sun King.
Layla Has Secrets
Another mystery character in Moon Knight comes by way of May Calamawy as Layla El-Faouly. She supposedly has a connection to Marc Spector and she is also confused as to the emergence of Steven Grant in Marc’s body. Like Arthur Harrow, she is likely based on several different characters from the comics.
Some users propose that like Marc Spector, Layla could also be an avatar of a god or some enhanced individual. User Proof-Promise1233 claims “It would align with why Arthur has powers and why Layla is assisting Mark,” while user Presitgious_Rope_558 says that she “will be the MCU version of Mehemet Faoul, better known as the Thor character Scarlet Scarab.” Either way, many believe that she will play an important role not only in the series’ story but also in the action.
We'll See All Of Marc's Personalities
In the comics, Marc Spector has more than one additional personality beyond Moon Knight, yet so far one has still yet to be revealed. It would be unsurprising for Moon Knight to feature his Jake Lockley personality in some fashion. The series is expected to take a dark and brutal approach – closer to Daredevil or The Punisher than other Disney+ shows – and Jake should be a crucial aspect of that.
As such, and to authentically portray dissociative identity disorder, it could be surmised that each episode could focus on one of his personalities “and at the very end [of an episode] we see A new person break through, perhaps Jake,” as user thenoyBandit offers. This would align with the 6 episode structure, so the finale would completely unite all the main personalities together to combat Arthur Harrow.
We'll See References To The Past
As with any story coming from such a vast canon, the writers are grabbing inspiration from anywhere and everywhere in Marvel comics for Moon Knight. Therefore, it will likely be robust with references and easter eggs. These details are usually small inclusion in the backdrops of scenes or hidden in dialogue, though as proven by past Marvel projects, some easter eggs can have lasting effects.
In particular, user No_Traffice2302 writes, “I wouldn’t be surprised if they included some reference to Rama Tut. Apocalypse would be amazing too, a great way to slowly introduce the mutants!” It would be logical to expect some sort of reference to these two characters. Rama Tut is a variant of Kang the Conqueror – introduced in Loki – while En Sabah Nur aka Apocalypse is worthy of a clever acknowledgment since Isaac also played him previously in X-Men: Apocalypse.
Marc Will Be Moving Forward In Reverse
In the comics, Marc Spector’s origin story is complex in that his dissociative identity disorder develops at a young age and he is largely aware of his alters. However, it is suggested in the latest trailer that this is not the same in Moon Knight and that while Marc is aware of Steven, Steven is not aware of Marc. This could perhaps signal a different interpretation as to his origins.
User condition_unknown says “instead of starting fine and devolving into his separate personalities, he starts completely separate and over the course of the series he gets a better grip of himself and learns how to more easily switch between personas.” This would make for a more cohesive narrative structure for a tv show, so it makes sense to expect something like this.
It'll Tease A Future Team-Up
Another likely expectation that viewers have for Oscar Isaac as Moon Knight is that he will appear in more and more MCU projects, and Moon Knight will tease options for what that could look like. Not only is he a popular character but he fits in well with the ongoing trends in the franchise – with the introduction in Eternals to Kit Harrington and Mahershala Ali as Black Knight and Blade, respectively.
Of course, then this calls into question who he could be teaming up with. User Quiet_Effective7234 suggests “Moon Knight is seen in London. The Black Knight is from there too (and so was Sersi recently). Blade is English.” Whether he joins forces with these characters or the Avengers, it is more than guaranteed that Moon Knight will be a prominent figure in the MCU going forward.