Last week’s From Page to Screen for Moon Knight Episode 1 explored the history of Marc Spector’s dissociative identity disorder in the comics, given that Steven’s revelation that another person also existed inside his body was that episode’s primary focus. Episode 2, however, introduced the major player Mr. Knight. When live-action projects diverge significantly from the comics, it always manages to create quite the discourse among fans. If you’re curious about Mr. Knight, this article compares the live-action version of the character in Moon Knight to his comics counterpart.
The Similarities
While the live-action and comics version of Mr. Knight have major differences (see below), it is undeniable that they share significant features.
The Look
Most obviously, the character’s appearance in Moon Knight looks like it was practically ripped from the pages of a Moon Knight comic. First introduced in the 2014 Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey run, he stands out with his head-to-toe bright white attire. Unlike Moon Knight, he ditches the cape and cowl and opts for a pristine suit and a mask that gives off serial killer energy. As is obvious from Moon Knight, Oscar Isaac’s Mr. Knight looks virtually the same, other than his attire is more of a pale grey than Moon Knight artist Shalvey’s blinding white suitable for a whitening toothpaste commercial. They both also utilize their stick weapons quite often. Mr. Knight in the comics has consistently kept this nearly exact look in later runs such as the 2016 Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood run, and the ongoing Jed MacKay and Alessandro Cappuccio run.
Just a Smidge of His Personality
Before anyone gets up in arms over the suggestion that the two Mr. Knights have the same personality traits, the very clear differences are discussed below. However, it is worth noting that Moon Knight’s Mr. Knight still captures the essence of the comics’ character. Between his look and his more casual presence, Mr. Knight is always slightly goofier than Moon Knight. There is something odd about him, even compared to his caped Moon Knight alter. Steven Grant definitely checks off the “odd” box, but there’s something else. In the comics, Mr. Knight is much more sociable than Moon Knight. He walks the streets, visits crime scenes, works with police, interacts with ordinary people, and even goes to therapy. In Moon Knight, if anyone that we have met is going to fill that role in live-action, all bets are on Steven Grant, not Marc Spector.
The Differences
Mr. Knight’s introduction in Episode 2 was divisive because he is, fundamentally, sort of an entirely different character. On one hand, in the comics, Mr. Knight is generally considered another separate personality of Marc Spector’s, not one of the others in a suit. In Moon Knight, obviously, Mr. Knight is very much Steven Grant. To be fair, Mr. Knight in the comics sometimes has no problem identifying as Marc, and quite frankly his personality is not overly divergent from Marc or Moon Knight.
Still, Moon Knight’s Steven Grant—who is also a dramatic departure from the comics—is much more of an even goofier persona, so live-action Mr. Knight is the same. Mr. Knight in the comics has plenty of comic relief moments and is not constantly entirely dark or serious, but he is still much more dark and serious than Moon Knight’s version so far. Again, Mr. Knight in the comics almost operates as a more down-to-Earth Moon Knight (no pun intended), so he still functions as a nighttime vigilante who will take down a crowd of villains with the same intensity Moon Knight might.
Moon Knight, though, explains Mr. Knight’s origin. Steven Grant, as awkward and British as he is, came up with that dapper outfit while trying to summon a lunar-god-granted “suit”. The inclusion of the mental state that would end up with Mr. Knight’s attire is one of the best parts of the live-action change. In the comics, Mr. Knight just sort of appears as a new identity in the Ellis and Shalvey revival of Moon Knight, few questions asked.
Moon Knight’s first two episodes are now streaming on Disney+.
