The Moon Knight finale, “Gods and Monsters”, provided the MCU’s first Egyptian superhero in May Calamawy’s Layla, who became the avatar of the goddess Tawaret. As Tawaret’s avatar, Layla became the Scarlet Scarab and teamed up with the re-resurrected Moon Knight to stop Arthur Harrow from unleashing Ammit’s preemptive justice on the world.
While the episode gave closure to central plot of the series and left Marc and Steven in a seemingly good place, what it did not give was any sort of closure to Layla’s arc, leaving fans wondering what’s next for the newly empowered hero. According to director Mohamed Diab, the open-ended nature of Layla’s journey was intentional:
I would say that it’s left open so we can play with it the way we want. She can stay in Egypt. She can go back to London. She can be a superhero. I can’t wait for myself to see her and Taweret on a journey driving each other crazy. I think it’s left open for a reason because in the next journey, you need to think of all those things and flesh them out in a very thorough way.
Diab’s creative decision is smart in that it doesn’t paint him, or whoever picks up the character next, into any corners. By letting Layla walk away without any hints as to where she might turn up next, there can be no sense of expectations on the part of audiences as to what “should” be next for the Scarlet Scarab, only myriad possibilities of what COULD be next, as Diab indicates. Whatever is next for the hero, Calamawy’s turn in Moon Knight has set her star in the sky and provided another new hero whose importance off-screen transcends whatever comes next on-screen.
As Moon Knight’s six-part event came to a close on Wednesday, it left many fans wanting more. Oscar Isaac put in a stunning performance as Marc Spector and Steven Grant, while Layla El-Faouly became the MCU’s first Egyptian superhero. More importantly, though, by season’s end, a new corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that contains rich Ancient Egyptian mythology has just been broken open.
The finale of the Disney+ series also created more questions than perhaps fans were expecting of a limited series. For example, the mid-credits scene finally gave the first look at the third personality, Jake Lockley, and it was quite the cliffhanger to end the show. Similarly, we had no epilogue or resolution to Layla’s story after her grand moments in the final episode. It all leads the audience to wonder—will there be a Season 2?
It turns out that not even Moon Knight’s creators know the answer to that. In an interview with Deadline, director and executive producer Mohamed Diab said quite simply:
We don’t know if there’s a next season.
Mohamed Diab
The director elaborated that he knows just about as much as fans do when it comes to Moon Knight’s future:
I’m kept in the dark, just like the fans…Marvel doesn’t go with a conventional way, so even if they like the character and want to extend the world, it could be season 2, it could be a standalone film, or he can join another superhero’s journey…We never discussed it being a season 2, but one day there’s going to be an expansion, but I don’t know how it’s going to look like.
Mohamed Diab
Maybe the most interesting thing about Diab’s remarks is that a second season was never truly thought out. Obviously, Moon Knight was marketed as a limited series, so it is not surprising that Season 2 was never an absolute plan. But the fact that the creators of the show seem to have no indication as to where the character might be going is fascinating.
Executive produce Grant Curtis agreed with Diab’s statements as well, noting that he wants to know Moon Knight’s future just as much as fans do. He stated:
Where Moon Knight lands in MCU after this, I actually don’t know,” said Curtis, “As a fan, I want to know, because Oscar created such an engaging, emotional performance that people want to see more of the Steven-Marc-Jake story.
Grant Curtis
While even Marvel Studios creators are notoriously left in the dark about their own projects’ futures, Diab’s and Curtis’ comments certainly do not suggest that a Moon Knight Season 2 is a strong bet. Perhaps after the hype of the finale dies down, fans might get a better understanding of where the titular character is headed in the MCU future.
All episodes of Moon Knight are now streaming on Disney+.
As Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness prepares to blow fans’ minds, more information is coming to light about what it was like behind the scenes. Audiences are eager to witness director Sam Raimi’s return to the Marvel movie scene and what his signature flair will add to the horror-inspired film.
One aspect of the unreleased film that has caught people’s attention is the official run time. Conversations about run times seem to have increased dramatically in the past few years, and many have questioned whether the Multiverse of Madness’stwo-hour and five-minute run time is appropriate for the perceived scope of the film.
Raimi recently told Collider that the first cut of the film was indeed significantly longer than the final cut. Apparently, the final film was cut down from a two-hour and forty-minute run time. At that length, the Doctor Strange sequel would have been one of the MCU’s longest films to date. The final cut is actually right about the average length for an MCU film.
In explaining that there are a few deleted scenes he expects to make the eventual Blu-ray, Raimi commented on the film’s runtime:
Well, the first cut…I actually don’t remember the length of it…it was probably about two hours and forty minutes and it slowly came down even though we did the reshoots. We took out material even though the reshoots went in.
Sam Raimi
While the runtime is controversial despite the fact that general audiences have yet to see Multiverse of Madness, fans should trust that the filmmakers left out material for the good of the film. You can read our review as to why no one should worry about how long the sequel is.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness releases in theaters on May 6, 2022.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is almost upon us. You can read our spoiler-free review here. The 28th Marvel Studios feature film will be the latest—and likely biggest—leap into the multiversal lore of Phase Four. The movie promises to be a bold and wild Sam Raimi-directed adventure that sees our titular character, with company from major characters like the Scarlet Witch and America Chavez, travel through the multiverse to prevent a great evil that threatens it.
Interestingly, Waldron recently told Digital Spy that he has some regrets about how rigidly he defined some of the “rules” of the multiverse in Loki due to its potential effects on future multiverse projects:
We worked pretty hard on Loki to make it as airtight as possible. But there were times when I was like, ‘Oh, shit, I wish I hadn’t have defined that so clearly. I don’t know why I had to be so specific in my time-travel television show about the rules of the multiverse.
Michael Waldron
Even though there may be some challenges in keeping multiversal mechanics consistent in the MCU as a whole going forward, Waldron still believes that his work on Loki greatly benefitted the writing process of Multiverse of Madness. He stated:
But, I was glad that I came in with institutional knowledge of the multiverse and was able to get the creative team of DoctorStrange on the same page as me on everything. Because like with Loki, that’s the most important thing when you’re dealing with this…You have to all have a shared language of all this stuff, otherwise it can get pretty confusing.
Michael Waldron
If Loki limited some of the creative direction of Multiverse of Madness with respect to the physics and understandings of the multiverse, it seems as though it still ultimately enabled the sequel to have a coherent and consistent tone with the MCU. A “shared language” about the multiverse will undoubtedly come in handy to both filmmakers and audiences going forward.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness releases in theaters on May 6, 2022.
A recent batch of photos from the set of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 seemed to indicate that Karen Gillan’s time on set was coming to an end. Today, the actress confirmed that she had completed her portion of the 2023 sequel’s principal photography.
Gillan was cast as Nebula in early 2013 and has appeared in 4 films (Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame) with 2 more (Thor: Love and Thunder and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) appearances on the way. After serving as one of the primary antagonists of the first Guardians’ film, Gillan’s role expanded greatly as her character evolved. Nebula served as one of the main characters of Avengers: Endgame and director James Gunn has said she will play a larger role in Vol. 3.
As Gillan explains, the future of the character is up in the air given that Gunn has repeatedly explained that the third film will be the end of the story for the current iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy. It is possible, however, that given her popularity, Marvel Studios could look to work with Gillan on a solo Nebula project, keep her attached to future Guardians’ films or simply find another way to incorporate the character. Nebula has had one of the most intense and emotional onscreen arcs of any character in the MCU, so it would be a shame if the threequel closes the door on the character’s future now that she’s come to find herself after years of abuse at the hands of Thanos.
Over the course of its six-episode run, Moon Knight certainly turned heads at least a few times during its tenure. Some of Marvel Studios’ best television came through in the series, and Oscar Isaac left more than a lasting impression on the MCU with his performance. In a story with a near-infinite room to explore Ancient Egyptian gods and their relationships with humans, the Disney+ show ultimately proved that it can tell a phenomenal Marc Spector story. Moon Knight? Not so much—there is no joy in admitting that the Moon Knight finale failed to stick the landing and generally was an injustice to the aspects that the series that, up until this episode, were leading it to potentially be the best Marvel Studios series. This final episode likely takes the series out of that conversation.
The simplest way of describing what ended up being disappointing about the finale is bland. On one hand, every step of every character in this episode was met with zero resistance. All of the forgettable Arthur Harrow- or Ammit-related moves were too easy and predictable. Even the few positive moments were simply given the green light with no questions asked.
Where the big psychological twist of the series came in so beautifully for the character-based aspect of Moon Knight, the hard plot really could have benefitted from something similar. Where the series had raised mystery and intrigue, it revealed that there was nothing special behind it. With Harrow, the mildly interesting villain had no other goal than to simply take over the world, and having that be the hook, line, and sinker for the big ending felt as generic as it gets. Forcing through Harrow’s and Ammit’s world domination plan felt like the equivalent of a B-movie plot, and it lacked any genuine impact or even threat of impact.
In a realm where so much is possible, and where so much rich creativity has been presented, the series ultimately hung its hat on perhaps the most generic incantation of new gods and those fighting for them. So much more could have been toyed with in a way that would have fit well with the intricacy of the character-based elements, but ultimately those get drowned out in a sea of uninspiring CGI and conflict with practically zero nuance. Even giant silhouettes of Egyptian gods fighting over Cairo could not make up for how the actual conflict did not rise to any occasion.
Similarly, Khonshu remained a relatively minor character by the end of the finale. While the post-credits scene hints at more, the god often—and ultimately—felt like an excuse for Marc and Steven’s involvement in the overarching plot rather than a meaningful or genuine inclusion. There are countless ways that Khonshu’s personality and deception could have played into the series’ story.
The psychological exploration of Marc and Steven was the highlight of Moon Knight by far. It was so incredibly well-done that it almost made it more difficult for the series to have a grand ending on a more physical plot. Still, the residue of that character development is what kept the finale afloat. The tender moment between Marc and Steven in the Duat was one of the most emotional, and Oscar Isaac’s fantastic final execution of playing both roles with rapid switching was sincerely the most exciting part of the finale. The best parts of the action-heavy episode came when Moon Knight and Mr. Knight teamed up. Even with a finale that did not cement the series as all-in-all outstanding, nothing can take away from Moon Knight’scharacter masterpiece.
Another positive element to come out of the finale was Layla’s development into being an avatar of her own. This was perhaps the most unpredictable moment, yet her possible relationship with Khonshu was teased from the beginning. Still, she ultimately—easily—became Tawaret’s avatar in order to fight against Harrow and his disciples. Her superhero moments were the best superhero moments of the entire series. While Layla requested that she be a “temporary avatar”, this character is very much MCU-unique, so her status could have substantial ramifications down the line.
Lastly, Moon Knight finally introduced Jake Lockley, Marc’s third personality. After being the subject of much speculation over the course of the series, the character ends up being almost exclusively a post-credits tease. That is not too surprising, and it did have some positive impact on the ending of the series. We meet Jake right after Marc and Steven seem to be free from Khonshu and are living their normal lives together with two goldfish. But of course, Khonshu is still using Marc’s body as his avatar. This time, Jake Lockley seems to be taking on the “Moon Knight” mantle on his own.
Where the episode fumbles on this tease is that the series hinted at Jake being hyperviolent alter but never actually showed it. He had such a moment, in the end, to show that side of himself, to live up to Moon Knight’s violent expectations, and leave a strong lasting impression on viewers going forward. Instead, he simply shot at Harrow from the front seat of the comics-inspired SPKTR limo. It may have been a bit more intriguing if the audience got some sort of grasp of his personality as it differs from Marc and Steven.
Moon Knight will always be a memorable show. The character-based aspects and Isaac’s performance should go down as some of the greatest in the MCU. Nothing in the series finale takes away from those accomplishments, but the generally bland and generic ending does drown out some of it as the show came to an end. Ultimately, the wonderful twist and mind-bending energy that came with the psychological aspect of the show simply did not bleed into the main plot, and it was worse for it.
Marvel Studios has quite the week and weekend planned for fans, with both the premiere of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the finale of Moon Knight dropping within days of each other. Despite naturally needing to compete for attention from the highly-anticipated Doctor Strangesequel, Moon Knight has made a name for itself and fans are eagerly awaiting what the finale of the series has in store.
The Disney+ series’ finale remains mysterious, but the show’s focus on the character dynamics between Marc Spector and Steven Grant is likely to continue to be showcased. Oscar Isaac so far has been praised for his performance of the two characters, connected by Marc Spector’s dissociative identity disorder. In a recent interview with Collider, Isaac opened up even more about how he tackled the role. Interestingly, he described his take on Steven as being on the autism spectrum, something not acknowledged with respect to any other character in the MCU:
You know, I saw him as a bit on the spectrum. I actually loved watching Love on the Spectrum. That was like one of my favorite things to look at, because I just found it so moving and touching because it’s people that… All the same feelings we have in those situations, but they just haven’t developed all the masks to hide it all. So there was cues that I took from that. I imagined him as quite tall but wanting to feel smaller when he walks through rooms and things, and just played with the physicality and then just a very open face, which reminded me of my clown days back at school, where you play with the red nose and the way that it opens up your face, and then doing the opposite of that with Marc, making him, although much more present, like a marble in the middle of a room, but also tighter in the face and closed off. Lots of defenses up.
Oscar Isaac
For one, the significance of representing autism–even if not explicitly recognized in the series–is another example of how Marvel Studios is starting to open the door to a wider range of underrepresented groups in the universe. While this may have been more of a creative choice on Isaac’s part, the showrunners undoubtedly gave him that creative freedom. Obviously, in general, this allowed for a stunning performance by Isaac, and it crafted rich and well-developed characters to explore. It seems like a reason to be optimistic about creative freedom given to talent going forward in the MCU, which is a topic in many fans’ minds. In an event, it is another look at fan-favorite Steven Grant’s personality and how detail-oriented Isaac was in his performances.
The first five episodes of Moon Knight are now streaming on Disney+.
Last week’s fifth episode, “Asylum”, didn’t do much to clear things up for me. The episode did quickly reveal that Marc and Steven were on a boat headed through the underworld on which they had to weigh their hearts to see if they were balanced enough to make it into The Field of Reeds. When the scale wouldn’t balance, they were forced to relive a series of rough memories that led Marc to create a second personality.
Steven was forced to relive some of Marc’s worst memories: the drowning of his brother, Randall. Marc’s mom went crazy, blaming Marc for it, and became hateful and abusive. Marc and Steven’s hopes that their trip through these memories would balance their scales were dashed, and the goddess Taweret’s ship kept taking them to their destination. The ship was boarded by a bunch of souls from the sands and a big fight followed that ended with Steven falling overboard and turning into stone. Losing Steven made Marc’s heart balance, allowing him to pass into the Field of Reeds. So he’s dead??!
Arlyn’s Assumptions
For the first time in a Marvel Studios series, I have no idea how it’s going to end. Marc will obviously have to make it back out of the Field of Reeds, free Khonshu, and reclaim his power as Moon Knight, but given where he left off and the fact that the other gods aren’t too fond of Khonshu, it’s hard to guess which one, if any, will help Marc return and stop Harrow. Marc has had some help along the way, if you remember though, so it’s possible that Hathor, the Egyptian goddess of many things, including fate, might return.
The season finale of Moon Knight streams tomorrow!
Sequels aren’t always a sure thing. For every The Empire Strikes Back, there’s a Speed 2. Sequels to superhero films have the benefit of a little more freedom in telling a good story as they are no longer shackled by the weight of the “origin”, but they don’t always hit the mark either. In 2004, Sam Raimi delivered what many consider to be the best superhero sequel of all time in Spider-Man 2. It featured a flawed protagonist and a sympathetic villain; it featured what were, at the time, some of the most well-shot action scenes of any film in the genre. Not just that, but it also featured a story that stirred emotions across the spectrum. In 2022, Raimi has done it again.
The path to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was about as chaotic as Stephen Strange’s trip through the multiverse in the first act of the film. Scott Derrickson, who helmed 2016’s Doctor Strange was set to be back in the director’s chair, but in January of 2020, Derrickson dropped out of the film when it became clear he and Marvel Studios had two entirely different films in mind. A month or so later, Marvel Studios began putting together a new creative team made up of Michael Waldron, whose work on Loki thrilled the folks at Marvel, and Raimi, who had been out of the superhero game since 2007’s Spider-Man 3. COVID delayed the start of filming and then the film underwent significant additional photography. Perhaps no Marvel Studios film caused more preemptive hand-wringing than this film did, but the end product makes it clear that Waldron, Raimi, and the rest of the team were truly taking their time to deliver the best possible version of this film and that’s exactly what they did.
Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
The film opens up in media res and introduces the audience to a Variant Doctor Strange who is protecting Marvel’s newest young hero, America Chavez, from a pretty terrifying demon. Amid a brutal assault on Defender Strange, we learn that this demon is in pursuit of Chavez because it wants her powers, which allow her to travel the multiverse. Chavez and Defender Strange are not only trying to evade the demon but also get their hands on the film’s big MacGuffin, the Book of the Vishanti. When things get ugly, so does Defender Strange, setting the stage for one of the film’s running themes: that no matter what universe we’re in, Stephen Strange is a danger and can’t be trusted. Using a star-shaped multiversal portal, Chavez escapes and finds her way to the MCU’s Prime universe and is under attack once more. After battling the beast, Strange and Wong realize that the source of its power is different from theirs and decided to seek out a magic-user with a similar set of powers: Wanda Maximoff.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is the first MCU film that has the Disney Plus series as “required viewing”, especially when it comes to Wanda. While fans could have skipped WandaVision and figured things out as they go along, having been along for the ride is helpful. It’s here, with Wanda, that Marvel makes one of their boldest choices to date: having one of their core Avengers turn heel, just as she did in the comics. Following a brief conversation with Strange, Wanda reveals that she is after Chavez’s powers in order to find a way to reunite with her sons. A conversation between Strange and Wanda leads to a confrontation in which the Scarlet Witch unleashes a shockingly brutal attack on Kamar-Taj, which rounds out the first act of the film, sending Strange and Chavez on their trip through the multiverse.
Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Fans may never know what Derrickson‘s film would turn out to be, but Marvel Studios should be damn glad that Raimi wanted to make this version. From beginning to end, this is a Sam Raimi film. Sure, he’s telling a story within the confines of Marvel Studios’ shared universe, but he’s telling it in classic Raimi fashion and appearing to have a whole lot of fun in doing so. Multiverse of Madness looks like a Raimi film; it delivers his signature (and surprisingly violent) horror; it delivers, most importantly, the most complete and emotionally stirring story of Phase 4. After a decade-plus away, Raimi showed that he understands now, maybe more than ever, that a good superhero story has to have a heart, especially when someone is trying to rip it out.
Lizzie Olsen’s Scarlet Witch holds nothing back as she attempts to do just that. Much as with Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2, Wanda’s turn as a villain works so well because the audience wants what she wants: for her to have her kids back. Corrupted by the Darkhold, however, the lengths to which Wanda is willing to go to get them back allowed for some of Marvel Studios’ most innovative and interesting action scenes to date where Raimi and crew got to have a whole lot of fun devising fascinating ways to show magic being used on screen. Olsen’s performance continues to demonstrate her total command of the character. It’s the subtle head tilt here, the smirk there, and the changing tones of her voice that come across as truly terrifying.
Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Opposite Olsen and in her way is Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange. Cumberbatch is given much to do here, playing multiple versions of his character, and puts together easily his best turn as the character so far. Following the 2016 origin film, the character hasn’t had much room to grow. Here, Strange’s path through the multiverse, where he learns the stories of other Stranges, forces the hero to look inward, providing the growth necessary to propel the character forward into whatever story he’s placed into on Marvel Studios’ shared tapestry.
As strong as its lead performances are, the film is enhanced by the knockout performances of Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, and Xochitl Gomez. McAdams is particularly surprising in her return as Christine Palmer, who has much more to do here than one might have expected, including some of the film’s strongest statements about Stephen Strange. It’s the moments like these that Palmer, Wong, and Chavez spend with Strange that build an emotional currency within the audience and a master like Raimi knows just how to spend it. This is a huge film that makes big moves within the MCU, but Raimi manages to balance that with a series of small exchanges between characters that resonate because both the audience and Strange know he is flawed.
Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
For the MCU to continue to thrive, the aforementioned big moves need to continue to be made. In that sense, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness seems to be to the MCU what Captain America: The Winter Soldier was in 2014. Not only does this film feel as different from its predecessor as Winter Soldier did from First Avenger, but it also comes out swinging with an almost merciless 20-minute deluge of information that’ll be sure to have fans wanting to head right back in for a second showing and heading to Wikipedia after that. If you thought Marvel Studios gave it all away when they teased the Illuminati in a TV spot, you’re sorely mistaken. This film is a game-changer and the most direct setup for the MCU’s next big event film.
In the end, it all comes back to the magic touch of Waldron and Raimi. They delivered on characters, story, and action to make the most complete film of Phase 4 and maybe one of Marvel Studios’ most complete films to date. Fans of Raimi‘s work will have plenty to smile about as well, with a few references sprinkled in and the obvious influence of Raimi on some of the creature and character designs. Against all odds, he came into a project that seemed to be held together by a thread and by capturing that old magic formula, made one of the best superhero sequels of all time.
This week, for the penultimate Episode 5, we compare and contrast how Moon Knight’s most iconic moment was portrayed in the series and the comics. Specifically, we look at the scene where Marc Spector becomes Khonshu’s avatar and dive into the details of the show and three major Moon Knight comics run—the original 1980 run, the Lemire/Smallwood run, and the ongoing MacKay/Cappuccio run.
Moon Knight #14 (2017)
All iterations of the classic Moon Knight scene are incredibly similar. It is the type of moment that is so attached to the hero that it somewhat defines him. As we see in Moon Knight, Marc is mortally wounded during a tomb raid. His mercenary partner Bushman killed a team of archaeologists outside of a tomb, including Layla’s father. Marc crawls into the tomb and prepares to take his own life, but he is stopped by a voice that seems to come from the statute of Khonshu that he is underneath. Khonshu tells Marc it would be a waste for him to die, that Marc has a fractured and broken mind, and that the god believes he would be a worthy candidate to be his avatar. Our protagonist agrees, and Khonshu saves his life. The last thing we see is Marc summoning the Moon Knight suit.
Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight Episode 5
Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight Episode 5
There are many aspects that are entirely consistent across the live-action series and the comics. For one, all versions begin with Marc being a part of a tomb raid with Bushman, and the villain ultimately wounds Marc. It is also integral to every Moon Knight story that he is physically under Khonshu’s statue at the time he becomes his avatar.
Moon Knight #1 (1980)
Moon Knight #14 (2017)
Moon Knight #1 (2021)
It is unclear why he dragged himself into the tomb in the show. While the current MacKay/Cappuccio does not go into it, the way Spector winds up in the tomb itself varies slightly. The series seems to have taken more from the Lemire/Smallwood in terms of Marc literally dragging himself into it. In that comics run, he is apparently lured by Khonshu’s voice. In the original run, he roams the desert before eventually being taken into the tomb by Marlene and some survivors of the raid.
Moon Knight #1 (1980)
Moon Knight #1 (1980)
Moon Knight #14 (2017)
Moon Knight #14 (2017)
Similarly, Moon Knight is more similar to the Lemire/Smallwood run in terms of Khonshu’s role. In the original, there is no dialogue that the reader sees between the two—Marc simply comes back to life after lying dead under the statue for a small amount of time. The Lemire/Smallwood run, however, features a very similar conversation to what we see in the series. This is the same run where Khonshu is trying to break Marc’s “weak” and fractured mind in order to use the human body for himself. He tells a dying Marc in both iterations about the gig of the Fist of Vengeance. As Steven tells Marc in Episode 5, it is clear that Khonshu is taking advantage of a soon-to-die mercenary with some substantial mental health issues.
One aspect that is present in all three comics versions of the scene is missing in the series. In the comics, Marc Spector the mercenary grows a conscience during the raid. In both the original and Lemire/Smallwood runs, he seems to have an ethical awakening after Bushman kills the head archaeologist, Marlene’s father. In the MacKay/Cappuccio run, the scene is brief like it is in the series, but Mr. Knight does specifically mention that he grew a conscience while on the job. In Moon Knight, we see the aftermath of the violent raid but we do not know whether or not Marc had a true “change of heart”. It makes sense that he would have, but it is not as explicit as it is in the comics.
Moon Knight #1 (1980)
Moon Knight #13 (2017)
Moon Knight #1 (2021)
Another interesting difference in the series is that no one else seemed to be present in the tomb at the time. In both the original and Lemire/Smallwood runs, his future love interest Marlene (and others) are present when he comes back to life. In the current MacKay/Cappuccio take, it is not mentioned, and the only visual we get is simply Marc’s dead body below the statue. Layla (who is a much-improved Marlene in the series) was unaware of the details of her father’s death and Marc’s involvement in it prior to Arthur Harrow telling her in Episode 4, so that seems to confirm she was not there in the tomb. It begs the question in Moon Knight: how did Marc and Layla meet?
Moon Knight #14 (2017)
Perhaps the most interesting difference is subtle but fundamental. In all comics iterations far and wide, Marc Spector is resurrected by Khonshu before becoming Moon Knight. In Episode 5, Marc does not die. Khonshu apparently heals him and keeps him from dying, but there is no resurrection. This could perhaps be an oversight brought about by the ease of dialogue between the two characters if Marc is alive throughout the conversation.
Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight Episode 5
Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight Episode 5
Still, the idea of resurrection is a major theme for Moon Knight in the comics, and so it could be a very intentional and meaningful decision. After the events of Episode 4, it looks like Marc Spector is in need of resurrection—he has had at least two (three according to the MacKay/Cappuccio run) in the comics, but they have always been major character-changing events. If Moon Knight decided that a resurrection during the series should be the character’s only one, there are strong themes connected to the hero’s “origin” that would certainly make such a moment in the series finale carry much more weight than any resurrection in a flashback.
The first five episodes of Moon Knight are now streaming on Disney+.
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ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
1 minute
Marketing cookies are used to follow visitors to websites. The intention is to show ads that are relevant and engaging to the individual user.
Pinterest Tag is a web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic.
