The future fire that Marvel’s greatest heroes will face next has sparked. It began with cosmic threats to the galaxy, the dangers to a fragile fabric of reality and the mayhem of timelines collapsing into the creation of the multiverse. Now, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is exploding with content, characters and storylines as it illustrates its next narrative and world of peril. Even fans will admit to feeling overwhelmed with all the new content. As Marvel expands more and more through a number of Disney+ series, many seem to overlook the introduction of one of the most interesting comic book characters of them all: Moon Knight.
Marvel officially entered the phase where some, if not most, of the characters being introduced are not familiar to the average fan. Therefore, I will not tell you that this upcoming Disney+ series may be one of the greatest Marvel stories to date — I will show you. All it takes is an understanding of this phenomenally complicated semi-hero to know that this series will take fans to places they have never been in the MCU. “Moon Knight” will serve as the brooding darkness and harsh story that Marvel needs.
Helmed by director Mohamed Diab and led by the brilliance of Oscar Isaac as the mysterious hero, “Moon Knight” is setting out into unchartered territory for Marvel. Alongside Isaac will be actors Ethan Hawke and Gaspard Ulliel taking on unconfirmed primary roles. This origin series will detail the rise of this hero and introduce the night stalking terrorizer as one of the faces of the Marvel underground. Fans will get a close look at how Spector battles his own existence, becomes a crime-fighting vigilante, and where a character like Moon Knight fits in the spectrum of the MCU.
Basic Story
Marc Spector was once a troubled marine before he became a shady mercenary turned CIA agent, using the power of rage to track down evil. Spector, although lethal, wise and precise, struggles deeply with the dissociative identity disorder plaguing his existence. Upon biting off more than he could chew one day, he found himself face to face with death as well as an ancient cosmic deity known as Khonshu. When the Egyptian god of the moon offered him life in exchange for the service of his soul, Spector accepted the offer in a desperate attempt to cling to his life. Thus, Khonshu planted the seed of the Moon Knight in Spector’s spirit and destiny. As soon as he moved back to New York to dedicate himself to being a hero, this newfound purpose proved to be more difficult than just a blissful second chance at life.
Needless to say, Spector is a bit different than the average hero. You know what they say: You can take the clinically insane away from mystical Gods, but you can never take the mystical God out of the clinically insane. While many heroes suffer from the effects of the battles they face, none are shoulders deep in the darkness of psychosis before they become one. Marvel recently provided a first look at the “Moon Knight” series, and they clearly hide nothing about this character’s chaotic complexity. Here’s what to expect from “Moon Knight.”
Powers and Personality
Moon Knight is one of the more serious and multi-dimensional characters from comics. His primary personality as Spector is accompanied by his other identities as rich playboy Steven Grant and taxi driver Jake Lockley. In some cases, in the comics, he even assumes the identity of a girl that he refers to as Inner Child. While he slips in and out of different identities, the one he finds the most peace in is the brutal, bizarre and snarky Moon Knight.
While many draw parallels to Batman as his closest comic book counterpart, they actually could not be more morally different. Moon Knight is frequently known to kill, pummel and even brand his adversaries with little to no remorse. He is also far from silent during fights; he is particularly known for taunting his enemies with curse words and dark humor as he hunts them through the shadows. Spector often finds himself awakening in strange places with little to no recollection of how he got there, as well as being tortured by his own mind as he attempts to grasp at reality. The dissociative identity disorder he battles with will certainly be a focus of this series, and hopefully the portrayal will truly encapsulate the struggle of mental illness.
Although Moon Knight can pull off incomprehensibly challenging feats, he actually does not possess real superpowers. Sure, the god of the moon provides him with mystical awareness, but no ability he possesses is superhuman. He has a vast arsenal of gadgets and trinkets that aid him in crime fighting, yet he does not fly or inherit any godly attributes from Khonshu. However, depending on the lunar cycle, his supreme human abilities and power can be increased. Moon Knight is a master of martial arts, a certified genius, and a walking wrecking ball of explosive mental illness and rage. Expect this character to resemble the likes of Daredevil, Batman and the Punisher, except with his own ancient, godly twist.
“Moon Knight” will take Marvel to the depths of the shadows and to the darkest dimension of humanity. Never have we seen a hero as troubled and violent as this, and the series will surely provide for intricate social commentary. From the looks of it, this series will provide some beautiful, cinematic action as well as a psychologically thrilling story. Where it will differ is that the main hero could very well be his own greatest threat. The murderous midnight mercenary will certainly provide fans with some terrifying, heartbreaking, staggering questions about morality and all that there is in between. Beyond all else, fans can expect another mind-blowing Disney+ series that elevates the MCU to infinite heights.
