Moon Knight is a new Marvel series that aims to introduce viewers to an original superhero that has never appeared in the MCU before. The trailers promised an interesting character, an intriguing plot and an atmosphere that is unusual for the genre. I have seen the first episode and am ready to share my impressions.

What we expected from Moon Knight

Mark Spector is a professional mercenary. He carries out dangerous assignments and leads a life full of adrenaline and risk. Unfortunately, the new task does not go according to plan and Mark slowly dies in the ancient tomb of the Egyptian god of the moon – Khonshu (Khonsu).
Suddenly, the deity intervenes and offers Mark a deal – a second life in exchange for unconditional service. The mercenary agrees and becomes Moon Knight, the avatar and terrestrial incarnation of Khonshu.

The Egyptian heavenly did not care too much about the state of the chosen one. Khonshu has different essences, and they migrated to Mark and split his consciousness into four personalities. In later comics, the hero had problems with his head before becoming a knight. In various traditions and legends, the moon often acted as the patroness of the mentally ill, further strengthening the bond between Mark and Khonsu.
In addition to the mercenary, the body is occupied by several men at once: Stephen Grant, Jake Lockley, Mr. Knight and in fact the Moon Knight himself. Each person performed certain functions. Stephen got rich in the financial sector, which allowed the hero to build his own estate with a cave filled with all kinds of gadgets (hello, Batman!). Lockley recruited informants and Mr. Knight was responsible for communicating with the police.

It’s easy to guess that Moon Knight was initially a copy of Batman, but the mental illness chip made him original. In addition, the warrior in white was more of an anti-hero and a real butcher.
Egyptian mythology was not limited to Khonshu alone. A variety of gods of the rich pantheon regularly became opponents of the Moon Knight. Something similar will happen in the series.
Which character is cooler?
What did we get?

The first series can be called introductory. There are very few events in it, and while there is action, it is “behind the scenes” somewhere. Stephen will be watched by the magnificent Oscar Isaac (Óscar Isaac), but the statue has been seriously reworked. Instead of a successful financier, we have a nervous and miserable seller of souvenirs from the museum in front of us. He already knows about the errors in memory, but still does not understand their nature. This is easy to see at the moment when the hero studies the literature on the possible causes of such a condition, and also binds himself to the bed.
The events take place in England: waking up in a German village, Stephen does not understand at all how he got here and what is happening. He has a golden scarab in his pocket and bandits, led by a strange man with a walking stick, hang from his tail. All the epic moments of the chase take place in Mark’s performance, so the action isn’t shown and we won’t learn about another person until the end of the series.

It’s unlikely Marvel would miss the opportunity to showcase Isaac’s talent by changing his behavior multiple times in the same scene. Regular changes of personalities can be expected in the future.
But there will definitely be no more cut fights. Such a move could have worked to keep the intrigue, but the chip was quickly revealed. The idea of behind-the-scenes events looks odd – a peppy action scene featuring a suddenly brutal Steven would certainly not be superfluous.

This begs the conclusion about the unexpected twist Marvel has prepared for anyone unfamiliar with the original source. The main character, as in the comics, remains Mark, no matter how much our attention is drawn to Steven. The mercenary is already familiar with Khonsu, besides, they work together. It’s easy to guess that we’re far from becoming a hero, everything that happens looks new and unexpected only to Stephen.
The concept of splitting consciousness has been slightly reworked. When the hero is chased by the dogs of Ammat (another Egyptian goddess), it is Mark who persuades Stephen to relinquish control of the body and turn into Moon Knight. It seems that the number of individuals will decrease.

The villain also deserves attention. Until now, his coolness has been practically undisclosed, with only living scales on his arm and glass in his shoes. In the comics, this character was Arthur Harrow, but his serial image has undergone significant changes. Instead of a mad scientist obsessed with pain, we got to see a reserved and mysterious man (although the love of pain remained).

In the first series, we see Arthur actually fulfilling the duties of Anubis, weighing people’s souls and testing them for justice. However, in the comics, Harrow was an avatar of Ra, that is, we can expect a direct confrontation between the sun and the moon.
A particular cult is also interesting, which leads the villain, either as a prophet or as a messiah. People all over the world wear characteristic tattoos of scales (a distinctive sign), which means that anyone can betray the hero, even an old neighbor from the lower floor.

The mystical component has not yet manifested itself particularly, but it is worth paying tribute to the series – all appearances of Khonshu are tense and frightening. The knight costume is also made in accordance with the canon, although it appears at the last minute.
Moon Knight faces a difficult task. Previous Marvel series have brought well-known and beloved heroes to the screen. Here we are introduced to a brand new and controversial character. After the premiere, I want to watch the entire season in one gulp, especially since we were promised cameos by Blade and Daredevil. Oscar Isaac’s acting talent is enough to pull out three or even five personalities, so I’m personally looking forward to the new series with great impatience. And I advise you the same.
Are you watching Moon Knight?
Source: VG Times

Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.