Marvel Studios today introduced a new superhero to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the premiere of Moon Knight now available on Disney + (Eye spoilers)
moon knight from Marvel Studios tells the story of Steven Grant, a kind gift shop clerk suffering from memory loss and experiencing flashbacks from another life. Steven discovers that he has dissociative identity disorder and that he shares a body with mercenary Marc Spector. As Steven/Marc’s enemies converge, he must grapple with the complexity of his identities while immersing himself in a deadly mystery that dwells among the mighty gods of Egypt.
The series stars Oscar Isaac (Star Wars), Ethan Hawke (Gattaca) and May Calamawy (Ramy) among others. With Mohamed Diab, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead as directors.
The first chapter of the Marvel Studios series, moon knight, is now available on Disney +a very exciting episode that has left some interesting details that should not be overlooked and that could be important in the next chapters.
Taweret
While Steven Grant is taking inventory with his gift shop manager at the museum, he can be seen in one of the boxes holding soft toys depicting Taweret, the ancient Egyptian goddess of childbirth and fertility, also known as Lady of the sky.
Given the importance that the gods of Egypt will have in Moon Knight, this character could be key in the series since it was known during production that the actress Antonia Salib will play Taweret and said: “From the moment I read the scenes when I was auditioning until I started working with director Mohamed Diab and the costume team to VFX, I felt like I was given license to create my character and everyone was on board together”.
the ennead
Another interesting moment during this scene occurs when Steven points to a billboard featuring a group of Egyptian gods known as The Ennead. In the Marvel Universe, they come from Celestial Heliopolis, a kingdom very similar to that of Asgard, and which is linked to Earth by a golden bridge known as “the Way of the Gods” (the Egyptian counterpart of the Bifrost).
Page members include Anubis, Bast, Bes, Geb, Horus, Isis, Nepthys, Nut, Osiris, Ptah, Seth, Shu, Tefnut, and Khonshu. Whether this group shows up in the MCU remains to be seen, but the fact that they’re highlighted here makes us think there are plans in place for them.
Moon Knight is clearly diving deep into Egyptian mythology, but the comic book version of The Ennead has a history with the Eternals, the Celestials, and even Thor and Odin. Adding the fact that Bast is the God worshiped by the Wakandans. It will be necessary to see if the series connects in any way with the Eternals movie or the next installment of Black Panther.
the great villain
Ethan Hawke’s Arthur Harrow is established as the villain of moon knight in the premiere just like his counterpart in the comics, however he serves a higher power. Arthur explains that if her fellow gods hadn’t banished her, Ammit would have been able to stop some of the world’s greatest tragedies by judging those who would do wrong before they could. Also the scales that she has tattooed on her arm and the staff that she uses to measure the good or evil of a person could well mean that she also serves the goddess Ma’at, perhaps Harrow is the avatar of the goddess she seeks to liberate. to this creature.
Ammit is known as the Eater of the Dead in the “Trial of the Scales”: when a mortal died, the god of the afterlife, Anubis, weighed his mortal soul in a scale against the pen of Ma’at, the goddess of order; those souls considered virtuous in life would be lighter than a feather. The god of wisdom Thoth then recorded the results on his scrolls. The virtuous would be allowed to pass into the subterranean realm of Duat, while the rest would be devoured by Ammut.
Interestingly, when Khonshu once sent Marc Spector to an illusory mental hospital designed to wear down the last of his mind so he could take over, Ammut helped with his plan. Elements of this could be adapted for this series, but it seems that Khonshu is looking to stop his return in Moon Knight.
Khonshū
Throughout the episode, Steven is chased by a being with a huge bird’s skull that is wrapped like a mummy and carries a scepter. That nightmarish being is none other than Khonshu, the Egyptian deity that Moon Knight serves. In the comics, the mercenary Marc Spector died at the foot of a statue of Khonshu during a mission in Egypt and, sensing that he was a worthy avatar, Khonshu resurrected Marc and made him his revenge avatar on Earth.
Khonshu is the ancient Egyptian god of the Moon. His name means “traveler”, which is believed to be a reference to the way the Moon travels across the sky. The ancient Egyptians believed that Khonsu kept an eye on everyone who traveled at night, which is actually something that carried over into the comics. From time to time, depending on who was writing the series at the time, the vigilante would frequently proclaim that he exists to protect those who travel by night. In recent years, Khonshu has become an even more important part of the Moon Knight mythology, frequently appearing as another, often antagonistic, voice in Marc’s head.
“Empty Shell”
When Arthur Harrow finally catches up with Steven Grant, he very lightly briefs him on what’s going on. “It’s maddening, isn’t it?” says Harrow, invading Grant’s personal space. “The voice in your head. Relentless, always unsatisfied. No matter how hard you try to please, it devours you until there’s nothing left but an empty shell.”
This idea, that the Egyptian gods have avatars and slowly empty them out over time, comes from Jeff Lemire’s time on Moon Knight. In the comics, Khonshu finally comes clean to Marc and reveals that she is with him because of her body. Literally. Khonshu wants to be reborn on Earth and needs to metaphysically empty Marc in order to do so.
Crawley
The man in the park who plays the human statue that Steven visits after work is a character also known from the Moon Knight comics. If you look at the credits, this character is Crawley, played by Shaun Scott.
In the comics, Crawley is one of Marc’s oldest friends. Well, he’s actually friends with one of Marc’s alter egos, Jake Lockley, a personality we haven’t seen in the Marvel series yet. Introduced in 1976’s Marvel Spotlight #28, Bertrand Crawley is a homeless man who acts as an informant for Moon Knight and is frequently involved in his adventures.
Duchamp
While checking the phone he finds in his apartment, Steven learns that Marc has a lot of missed calls from someone named Layla and one from Duchamp. A reference to a classic comic book character, Jean-Paul Duchamp or Frenchie, Marc’s friend during his mercenary days.
Frenchie would later become the pilot for Moon Knight. It has recently been revealed in the comics that the character is actually gay and has a secret crush on Marc.
layla
Although it is not entirely clear, looking in the Marvel comics we find Layla Miller, a mutant who can raise the dead, but here she seems to have an attachment to Marc. Therefore, it is very possible that this character will replace the wife of Marc in the comics called Marlene Alraune. We will have to wait if she is actually Layla Miller, with which we would have the introduction of another mutant, or perhaps it is just Layla.
Enter the Moon Knight
Marvel Studios makes us wait in the chapter, but Moon Knight finally makes an appearance in the last minutes of this first chapter. At this point, it’s clear that only Marc Spector has control over the powers Khonshu has given him, as Steven has to relinquish control to him in order for him to transform into the superhero.
It seems that a large part of this series will be about Steven fighting to take control of his mind, and the question is if he will also show the powers, after all, they share the same body. However, Khonshu is not impressed by him and seems to believe that Steven is a “parasite” (likely a reference to Marc’s broken and traumatized mind that created him to protect himself from the trauma of being the avatar of Khonshu).
What did you think of the first chapter?