With the first episode of Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight in the books, practically everything is still a mystery. We did learn Ethan Hawke’s villain Arthur Harrow appears to be some cult leader figure with connections to the Egyptian deity Ammit, and he wants to create a future where evildoers are eliminated before they commit any bad acts. We also learn that Steven Grant has another personality named Marc Spector living inside of his body who has some connection to Egyptian deity Khonshu and transforms into the titular Moon Knight at the very end of the episode.
The trailers and marketing for Moon Knight have suggested that Marc Spector and Steven Grant are the only two non-costumed identities in Marc’s mind in the series. Moon Knight comic book fans were the first to point out a major missing piece: Marc Spector’s third primary personality, Jake Lockley.
Traditionally, Marc Spector is the mercenary who is revived by Khonshu before becoming Moon Knight, Steven Grant is a millionaire playboy-type who uses his money to fund Moon Knight’s adventures, and Jake Lockley is rougher Taxi driver who uncovers street-level intel about crime that is afoot. Jake is also sometimes portrayed as the most violent and guiltless personality. Obviously, Moon Knight has already ripped up that script by transforming Steven Grant into a lonely British giftshop employee, so clearly the series is willing to forego classic elements from Moon Knight comics. Still, only one episode in, Moon Knight may already be teasing the third personality for Oscar Isaac to eventually portray.
First, the episode has a tendency to show a third Isaac in a few places in what looks like very intentional ways. For example, when Steven is in the museum towards the end of the first episode just prior to him encountering the jackal, Steven’s Marc reflection remains in place while he walks away. However, there are two reflections in the mirror. Mirrors are tricky, but other than the imagery of the infinite reflections in the museum bathroom, it’s usually just Marc looking back at Steven. This mirror moment is eerie already, but the added face behind Marc’s is very specifically positioned.
Another example comes from the end credits. While the credits are not the substance of the series, they often hide plenty of easter eggs. In Isaac’s card, Steven/Marc’s face is broken up into three. Again, there’s certainly something to be said for aesthetics, but interestingly enough, the three faces aren’t totally identical. The middle face is definitely sporting slightly different hair, so there was some intention to make the faces/heads unique.
Another clue is the appearance of the human statue “Crawley” who the episode credits note is played by Shaun Scott. Bertrand Crawley is a classic Moon Knight character tied specifically to Jake Lockley–he is a homeless man in New York City that befriends Jake and is a key source of information for him. While it could simply be a fun nod to the character, the human statue certainly seems to be a well-placed person in terms of watching what happens around him.
Obviously, if the series is planning on introducing Jake, it wants to keep that a surprise. It makes sense to grow viewers accumstomed to two personalities first before throwing in a third, especially on top of another supernatural and mythology-heavy mystery. There’s a lot going on. While Moon Knight has not tied itself to any particular comic run or even felt particularly similar to one, it is still a strong guess that the series would not leave out one of the most significant and intrinsic aspects of Marc Spector’s character. Time will tell if the series is slowly unveiling the third idenity.
