Yesterday the first chapter of Moon Knight was released and we have compiled all the references that appeared. Spoilers of the first chapter!
Moon Knight is the new Marvel series premiered on Disney Plus. This series introduces us to Steven Grant, a souvenir seller at an Egyptian history museum. Until then, everything seems normal, but his sleepwalking reaches a somewhat strange point that will make him see himself immersed in a world that he had never imagined.
The glass-filled shoes as a link to comics
In the first scene of the chapter we can see how Arthur Harrow, played by Ethan Hawke, prepares a glass of water that he then breaks with great care, as if it were a ritual. Once broken, he throws the tiny crystals into his shoes and carefully puts them on, feeling at each step how these small pieces dig into his feet, but without being anything strange for the character. We can also see this in the comics, where this character was introduced in 1985 in the second issue of Moon Knight. Apart from this, it is also not presented what Harrow’s job is, who according to the comics is a doctor specializing in the limits of pain and is obsessed with it.
Reference to Namor
It is not the first time that in the UCM we have seen references, whether visual or in the dialogue, to this superhero and the marine city of Atlantis. In this case, you have to look closely to realize that that reference is there. When Grant runs at the beginning of the chapter to catch the bus we can see in a few frames a London store called Atlantis. We have been able to see references to this city in iron man 2 and in Avengers: Endgame. It has also been rumored that we will be able to see him in the next film of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Donna’s similarity to a character from the comics
Obviously he is not one of the most relevant characters in this first chapter other than to annoy the protagonist. Worst of all, everyone knows a “Donna” in her life. This character refers to Donna Kraft, a character from the comics who is very little like what we see in the series. In the comics she was introduced in Moon Knight #39 as Steven Grant’s publicist so it’s curious to see how she goes from being an employee of the protagonist to being the boss in the series.
The ennead of Egyptian gods that confirms its existence in the UCM
Seen seen everything is connected within the UCM. Therefore, a new appearance of some Egyptian gods seems to be that it could complicate the lives of superheroes in the future. We already know that gods exist, more than anything because we have had Thor within the Norse stories and mythology it is one of the main arcs in many movies or quite a few subplots. Still, these are not regarded as gods as such. They are aliens who end up being accepted by humanity.
Obviously there are deities but the fact that they appear with a supposed weight within the plot of Moon Knight can tell us that in the future they will have a much more important weight. They first appeared in 1950 in issue 96 of Marvel Tales. They emerged from a world where only gods lived and came to earth through a magical portal. Something very similar to Norse mythology and its involvement in the UCM.
The human figure is really a character from the comics
We can see that the protagonist speaks when he leaves work with a human figure that is in the park at night waiting for someone to throw him a coin so he can move. It is quite curious because Steven calls him by his own name that we still do not know if it is his invention or if this character once spoke to him and told him his name. “Crawley” is supposedly the name of this character who listens immobile to a monologue by Spencer.
The funny thing is that like Donna, who came from Donna Kraft with a totally different character in the comics, Crawley comes from Bertrand Crawley. Bertrand is one of the most important supporting characters in the Moon Knight plotlines. He is a homeless man who acts as an assistant to the superhero and who tells him everything that happens on the streets of London. It is curious how they have transformed main characters from the comics into equally less relevant characters in the series.
Layla’s character is really Marlene Alraune
When Steven discovers the phone number of his alter ego Marc Spector, he realizes that he has been receiving many calls from a character named Layla. We know that this character will be played by the actress May Calamawy and that, as in the comics, she is an archaeologist by profession. Apart from being an archaeologist, she is the person with whom she maintains a love relationship, Steven’s alter ego. In the comics this character exists but with another name. Marlene Alraune is the original name of this relationship that began back in 1976 in the Marvel comics.
Duchamp’s character
Marc Spector’s phone is something that is made by and for the enjoyment of people who pay attention to the smallest detail and it is very well made. On the mobile we can see multiple calls from Layla but if we look closely we can see a call from “Duchamp” which is a clear reference to a character from the comics. Supposedly there is no one confirmed that can do that character and we still got a pleasant surprise.
Duchamp is a clear reference to Moon Knight’s comrade in arms, Jean Paul Duchamp. He is a French ex-military who acts as an ally in the character’s stories. Even this appearance is somewhat anecdotal and is only a delight for comic book fans, but he is very well hidden.
The mirror and many things predict the transformation to the Moon Knight
If you look closely at it, the amount of detail throughout the entire Moon Knight chapter is impressive. And not only details that it is well done or well produced, but they have managed to include a symbolism that anticipates to the viewer what is going to happen to the protagonist. Egypt is the main theme of this series and mysticism is a fundamental key.
At the beginning of the chapter we can see how the sheets are a very special white color, like the sand at the foot of the bed to realize if he has gotten up or not. Symbolisms that connect us directly with the desert of Egypt. In the outdoor scenes we can clearly see the moon and there is a clear circular pattern throughout the apartment.
When he first hears Marc Spector’s voice, Grant is looking at himself in a circular mirror that directly reminds us of the shape of the moon. Still, the question that arises for me is how a museum souvenir seller can afford an apartment like that in London, which has very expensive rents. Indeed, by his alter egos.
Does Thanos not exist in this world?
The MCU is something that has a special connection. Getting everything to be connected after 14 years is something practically impossible to do. Only the great sagas have achieved that connection between multiple products that have given them wings and the possibilities of being able to tell stories beyond a movie. Marvel has been aware of and has known how to exploit this phenomenon, which if you remember began with Ironman, which was later called “The saga of infinity”.
If we listen carefully to Harrow’s words when he tries to convince the protagonist of the power of Ammit he mentions that if he had been free he could have prevented great events in history from people who only did evil.
“Hitler, the destruction of Nero, the Armenian genocide, Pol Pot”. These are the names that the character of Ethan Hawk mentions, forgetting a small detail that supposedly lived in the world in which the Marvel characters find themselves. Thanos. He searched and found the «Infinity Stones» and eliminated half of the population but it seems that in the world of Moon Knight it does not exist.
This would give the possibility of several things, such as a time when the multiverses reach all sides and Moon Knight reaches the original MCU.
But is there a movie? Avatar?
After just ignoring Thanos as one of the great genocides, Harrow mentions something about an “avatar”. We don’t know what he means but Steven Grant’s character mentions the movie Avatar by James Cameron with a peculiar phrase: “Blue people, I loved that movie.” It is curious that this reference appears but it is also true that the James Cameron movie was bought by Disney. When Harrow tries to explain, Steven interrupts him again referring to the anime of Avatar the last Airbender.
Did you realize everything?
All this is what we have been able to see during the first chapter of Moon Knight. You can now see the first chapter of Moon Knight on Disney Plus. Every Wednesday a new chapter will be released.