Tag: Marvel TV

Much of the conversation surrounding Moon Knight Episode 4 is no doubt focused on that twist ending. But the moments before Marc Spector wakes up in what looks like a psych ward may have been inspired by the events of Marc Spector: Moon Knight #27 and #28, which have surprising parallels to Marc’s death by Arthur Harrow in the live-action series. There is a chance Moon Knight could show a resurrection of Marc Spector that involves a new understanding and acceptance of his role as the Fist of Khonshu. In essence, even though we have not witnessed the actual origin of the character in the series, Episode 4 could have just set up Moon Knight’s “true” origin in the MCU.

Towards the end of Episode 4, Arthur Harrow shoots and presumably kills Marc Spector, who floats down through water in the tomb for quite some time. Eventually, we see a light ahead of him and he wakes up in the psych ward. While the mental hospital aspect shows a lot of similarities to the Lemire-Smallwood run in the comics, the moments before are suspiciously reminiscent of the Scarlet Redemption arc in Marc Spector: Moon Knight. In it, Moon Knight is fatally stabbed, and he falls into some water. His body spends virtually the entirety of the next issue sinking deeper into the water in a visual that has undeniable comparisons to Episode 4.

In Marc Spector: Moon Knight #28, an explicitly-dead Marc Spector sinks down through waters while passing through memories that seem to haunt him, including his past as a murdering mercenary. That’s not all, as also present are visions of his father. He was a rabbi, and Marc thinks through his relationship to the values of his youth and how he strayed from them. He ultimately realizes that his father’s teaching of goodness, love, and redemption were things he should not have completely turned against.

By the end of the issue, Moon Knight comes to “understand” that Khonshu wanted him as his Fist of Vengeance for more than just his violent skills from his life as a mercenary. He believes that he also chose him for the influence his father had on him and what mental lessons he took away from being the son of a rabbi.

It is one of the first major moments in Moon Knight’s comic history that emphasizes and explores Marc Spector’s heritage, as well as his connection to Judaism. Whether Moon Knight goes into this more in the next few episodes is yet to be seen, but Marc Spector’s personal epiphany in this issue of the comics may be absolutely crucial to understanding what comes next in the live-action series.

Marc Spector, of course, was first resurrected by Khonshu in a tomb when Marc was killed by Bushman—his traditional origin story. In Marc Spector: Moon Knight #28, Khonshu resurrects Marc Spector a second time, and Moon Knight is very much reborn. He emerges from the water sure of his newly realized role as more than a fist of vengeance—he is also a beacon of hope.

While the psych ward arc in Moon Knight will surely play out in its own unique way, it is very possible it could include a look back on Marc or Steven’s lives before they took on the mantle. It might end up with all personalities embracing, accepting, and redefining the Moon Knight mantle. In that way, the Disney+ series could be seen as a traditional origin story in and of itself. While the first “origin” may have been in the past, the series may have built itself around this second resurrection which could serve—for all intents and purposes—as the origin of the Moon Knight we come to know in the MCU.

Moon Knight has certainly put the spotlight on Steven Grant and Marc Spector as two different personalities. While Episode 1 opened the series from the perspective of Steven Grant, Marc Spector is the one originally connected to Khonshu and the titular Moon Knight. While Marc is the original personality in the comics, the Disney+ series has been purposefully ambiguous when it comes to suggesting which personality is the original.

While it would be a bold departure from the comics to have anyone other than Marc be the original identity, the series has not been shy to depart from the comics. Below we’ve compiled some of the strongest evidence that Moon Knight has presented that either Steven or Marc is the original.

Steven Grant

1. One of the biggest flags for Steven’s character is that he is supposedly in frequent contact with his mother. While there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical about the postcards he received from her and the fact that we’ve never heard her speak back to him on the phone, if he does have a relationship with his mother that would suggest she knew him as a child and that he was very often in control of the body.
2. Moon Knight as a show officially adopts Steven as its protagonist. Not only is he who we follow for nearly the entirety of Episode 1, but the actual synopsis for the series only mentions Steven.
3. Speaking of control, from what we know, Steven has been in primary control for at least several months. Spector seems to be able to take control when Steven falls asleep, but clearly he has had a difficult time manifesting his personality.
4. When Marc did take control at the end of Episode 2, Steven was extremely uncomfortable being “in the mirror”. Marc had clearly gotten used to it, but Steven acted like he had never been there before and was totally unfamiliar with the feeling.
5. Steven seems to have a life with a foundation. It is nothing overly intricate, but he does have his own flat and job, and it seems as though the people he works with have known him for some time.
6. He also has quite a wealth of knowledge on all things Ancient Egypt. That would take some time to acquire, which suggests a significant amount of time in control. Marc does not have any of this knowledge, and the depth of his intelligence suggests it is definitely something Steven must have studied for years.

Marc Spector

1. The easiest and strongest evidence that Marc is the original is that, in the comics, he is. There is nothing stopping Moon Knight from twisting that, but it is a strong bet that the original character would remain the same.
2. Marc is also the personality that had the connection to Khonshu and Moon Knight. His alter obviously meets Khonshu in the series, but even in suit form he is Mr. Knight, not Moon Knight. It would only make sense that Moon Knight is the original personality in Moon Knight.
3. There’s also plenty of evidence that Marc had periods of time where he was in consistent control. He is married, and although it might be ending and we don’t know how long it lasted, presumably that relationship took some time. And, as we learned in Episode 3, Layla had no idea that Steven existed.
4. Marc also told Layla in that same conversation that he “had it under control until recently”. That suggests that Steven’s time in control could be recent and unprecedented.
5. One thing that raises more questions than answers is that Marc was aware of Steven while Steven was not aware of Marc. This could suggest that Marc knew because Marc was the original, but there are no obvious reasons why Steven would have absolutely no clue about Marc’s existence.

Moon Knight might very well not never resolve the question of who is the original, just to keep the ambiguity and mystery alive. Or, in the next couple of episodes, we learned more about our characters and their pasts. This could be a confirmation of Marc as the original, or a dramatic reveal that it is Steven instead. Or, who knows, another personality altogether could be revealed and take on that role.