At the beginning of the episode, as Layla was getting her fake passport, we learn that her father was an archaeologist who was killed during an excavation in the desert. As Moon Knight clearly spends most of its time focused on Steven Grant and Marc Spector, it’s unclear how far back into Layla’s history the series will go. But the little we got is incredibly similar to the comics, and it also connects to Moon Knight’s origin. So, looking into what Episode 3 is referencing might give us a deeper understanding of Layla, Marc Spector, and Moon Knight.
Moon Knight #1 (1980)
Moon Knight #1 (1980)
Moon Knight #1 (1980)
Back in the day, when Marc Spector was still a mercenary, he worked for a man named Raoul Bushman, or the Bushman. He would become Moon Knight’s clear archenemy, but that is for another time. Bushman and Marc’s unit went on a raid of a newly discovered tomb in Sudan. Archaeologist Dr. Peter Alraune and his team—including his daughter Marlene—were the ones who discovered the tomb and were working at the site at the time of the raid.
Moon Knight #13 (2017)
Moon Knight #13 (2017)
Moon Knight #13 (2017)
While slightly varying versions of the events that took place to appear over the more than 40 years of Moon Knight comics, the traditional story finds Bushman murdering Dr. Alraune, and others, in front of Marlene. At this moment, Marc seems to have a moral crisis and is strongly opposed to Bushman’s murderous ways. Marc saves Marlene, who hates Marc at first, but is mortally wounded.
Moon Knight #1 (1980)
Moon Knight #14 (2017)
Moon Knight #14 (2017)
The next bit is, of course, at the core of all Moon Knight stories. In Moon Knight #1 (1980), Marlene brings Marc inside the tomb where he dies underneath a statute of Khonshu only to come back to life claiming to be the Fist of that same god. In Moon Knight (2016), Marc crawls into the tomb on his own without Marlene. After this, Marlene for some reason falls for Marc (and Steven, Jake, and Moon Knight) and they move in together in a Long Island mansion. Marlene supports Moon Knight’s vigilantism and they more or less (less) live happily ever after. In any event, the murder of Marlene’s father was always the connection between her and Marc.
Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight Episode 3
In Moon Knight, Layla is essentially a much-improved Marlene. So, the brief mention of Layla’s archaeologist father in Episode 3 is interesting for a few reasons. First, it could imply that Layla has a virtually identical backstory to Marlene’s in terms of the death of her father and connection to Marc Spector. However, Layla says that her father’s death was “lost to the sands”, implying that she does not know what happened. If that is the case, it begs the question of how she met Marc and whether she knows about his involvement with Bushman and the raid.
Moon Knight #4 (2016)
Whatever the case ends up being, it is fun to speculate elements of Moon Knight when the series makes clear references to the character’s or supporting characters’ comic book history. Layla’s father and his death may very likely play a significant role either in her relationship with Marc or in exploring the origin of Moon Knight in the series.
The first three episodes of Moon Knight are now streaming on Disney+.
The supernatural corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is slowly beginning to unravel with characters like Werewolf By Night on the horizon. The character is set to make his live-action debut in an upcoming Halloween special for Disney+ that started production not too long ago. Although the special has yet to be officially confirmed by Marvel Studios, we know it’s happening and that it’s already filming.
While we still don’t know a whole lot plot-wise for the upcoming special we know that Werewolf By Night will lead the project with hints that Vampire By Night might be popping up as well. It seems some internet sleuthing by the folks over at AfterHoursMedia led to them discovering some interesting evidence that Werewolf By Night will be a practical design. They’ve uncovered that some make-up artists behind the popular Halloween Horror Nights event at the Universal theme parks is working on the project.
They’ve discovered tweets from crew members supposedly working on the project saying “working on a certain Halloween special for a certain streaming platform” and shared a message he sent via text saying “I have a stunt performer who is in full werewolf makeup.”. They also shared that while things onset will be practical, things could be touched up in post-production with CGI similar to what they do on The Witcher with a lot of their monsters.
We still don’t have a release date or any official confirmation for the upcoming Halloween special but it sure is something exciting to look forward to. This will be the first of two holiday specials this year, with the Guardians of The Galaxy Holiday Special releasing sometime in December.
As with any MCU adaptation, Moon Knight has not been a perfect match with the comics. This is, of course, not automatically a bad thing. When bringing the complicated subject matter to life, it’s often necessary to simplify a few elements for the sake of flow and time. One such example of this would be Moon Knight’s many alters. Typically, the character has at least three personalities living in his body at any given moment. Marc Spector and Steven Grant, who is currently learning to co-exist in the series, are usually accompanied by a third alter named Jake Lockley.
Though he hasn’t made his debut on Disney+ just yet, there have been plenty of hints that he could be on the way. If, or when, Lockley finally pops up on the screen, there will be quite a few lingering questions for him to answer. Viewers will likely wonder where he’s been all this time, what sort of life he leads, and whether or not he’s the one who mysteriously killed all those guys in Egypt. Most importantly, however, is a quandary that many may not even think to ponder. Assuming Lockley is able to summon the power of Khonshu in the same vein as Grant and Spector, what might his version of the iconic suit look like?
Moon Knight surprised longtime fans of the comics when its early marketing revealed that Mr. Knight would play a role in the show. The character is a newer alter in the books, having made his first appearance in 2014 as a variation of the Moon Knight identity who is a little less brutish and a little more sociable. Marvel Studios’ take on the character differs from this, instead of presenting the ‘Mr. Knight” appearance is a version of Khonshu’s Moon Knight armor tailored to fit Steven Grant’s personality. The white, three-piece suit has most of the same abilities as the classic outfit worn by Marc Spector, albeit with different weapons, and its presence is simply used to signify when Steven is the one in control.
So, the standard being set is that each one of the alters would ostensibly have its own Moon Knight design. Marc wears the classic, hooded vigilante suit and Steven dons the formal “Mr. Knight” attire. The outfits match their personalities, which might actually help in deducing what Jake’s official anti-hero look could be when the time comes. Moon Knight has been featured wearing a shockingly diverse set of threads over the course of his existence, so there are quite a bit of pre-existing designs the show has the ability to pull from. Yet, the first of the options presented in this article has never actually been drawn in the comics at all. Let’s dig in.
Jacke Lockley, Private Eye
It’s possible Jake Lockley has been under our noses the whole time. Early in the advertising process for Moon Knight, Marvel fans were shown three character posters featuring star Oscar Isaac. At first glance, they appeared to give the first glimpse of Marc Spector and his two superhero suits all in one place. However, now that audiences know Mr. Knight is actually Steven Grant and Moon Knight is Spector, the trio of images takes on a whole new meaning. What if Marvel actually gave the world its first look at all three avatars of Khonshu, and everyone simply failed to notice?
Jake Lockley has always been portrayed as the “man on the street” in the dynamic between alters. Where Spector is the skilled fighter and mercenary, while Grant is the intelligent one, Lockley is the private eye with his nose to the ground and street smarts up the wazoo. The series seems to be embracing the idea that Lockley is a violent, no-nonsense alter, emerging primarily when his specific skill set is needed and nothing much more. A flashy suit wouldn’t exactly help in extracting information with a low profile, so it tracks that Lockley’s preferred outfit would be something a little more unassuming and “street-level”, like the white hoodie and jacket in the poster above. Recent episodes of Moon Knight have had Marc and Steven wearing a remarkably similar outfits. So, this theory could already be shot. Though maybe the clothes were something picked by Jake off-screen, and he’s somewhere inside that psyche ready to pop the hood and get to work.
The Fist of Khonshu
This next theory is essentially the exact opposite of the last one. If Jake does in fact choose to wear some actual armor, there is one other iconic Moon Knight look that still needs to be covered in live-action. The character is famous for wearing all-white, but many of his suits throughout history have actually been predominantly black with white highlights. Even Moon Knight’s first-ever appearance had him wearing a darker color scheme than fans are accustomed to seeing, and it’s a look that’s made several notable comebacks in the decades since he was introduced. If the costumes worn by the alters in the show are meant to reflect their personalities, then what better way to display the darker nature of Jake Lockley than a suit that’s more black than white?
A version of the black suit was also used heavily in Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood‘s famous run on the character, which the show draws from heavily. It would be fairly cool to see all three looks from that stretch of the character’s history used in the same adaptation. Also, if Lockley plans on utilizing Khonshu’s armor when brutalizing his foes, his more “down-to-Earth” persona might come up with a suit that’s more tech-based in design than the supernatural wrappings of Marc Spector or the pretentious leisure-wear of Steven Grant.
Earth X
Now that The Punisher is on Disney+, maybe Marvel will stun us all and turn Jake Lockley’s Moon Knight into their next most efficient killer. A good way to do this would be to use a variation of the Earth X universe attire, which already resembles the MCU’s base suit for the character. The main thing separating this design from the original Marc Spector persona is a pair of semi-automatic Uzi pistols that this universe’s Moon Knight prefers to use over traditional Egyptian weaponry. Outfitting Lockley’s Khonshu avatar with heavy firepower may potentially feel out of place, but it would be in line with the alters trademark violence and do wonders to set him apart from Spector and Grant.
Ultimate
This one might be a long shot, but it’s still fun speculation. The Ultimate Moon Knight design has a little bit of everything, including the aforementioned concept of mixing black with white. It sort of comes off as a fun cross between Marc’s Moon Knight and Steven’s Mr. Knight, although it may be a bit too extravagant for the Jake Lockley alter to double down on. It’s mostly included here for two reasons: Marvel Studios has a long history of using the Ultimate comics as inspiration, and the Ultimate version of Moon Knight has an alarmingly aggressive personality that feels right at home with everything analyzed thus far. For example, he once threatened to cut Spider-Man’s throat out and really meant it. Yikes.
In the end, it’s important to remember this is all just fun speculation. Though his arrival feels imminent, Jake Lockley has yet to be confirmed by anyone involved with Moon Knight and may not end up being part of the project at all. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean fans can’t have a little fun playing guessing games with the future. If he does indeed make the cut, one can only hope he looks as good as his two bodily brothers.
Kang the Conqueror is ever-present, and Moon Knight is apparently no exception. So far, the show has been notable for its lack of Easter eggs and references to the greater MCU. Where many Marvel projects have been stuffed with verbal and visual nods to other Marvel projects, Moon Knight has gotten away with a simple Madripoor namedrop and nothing more. At least, that’s what fans thought until a new video from YouTuber Erik Voss seemingly confirmed another major Marvel tease was carefully hidden within the runtime of the series’ latest episode.
During the opening sequence of “The Friendly Type”, mercenary Marc Spector is chasing down a group of thugs with allegiance to the villainous Arthur Harrow. He eventually catches up to them, engages in combat, and attempts to question the young survivor of the scuffle. It doesn’t go as planned, but just before his target meets his end, fans can catch a brief glimpse of an image painted on the back of his jean jacket. The art displays a faceless pharaoh with a familiar headdress, highlighted by an equally familiar teal and purple color scheme.
As explained by Voss, this is a reference to Kang the Conquerer’s time as the pharaoh Rama-Tut. While it may appear to be a coincidence, the Easter egg has supposedly been confirmed as intentional by Moon Knight crew members. This is incredibly interesting, and raises the question as to whether or not Rama-Tut actually existed as a pharaoh in MCU canon. Was the now-deceased young man just having a little fun with his fashion, or was he a fan of Marvel’s most powerful Egyptian ruler? We’ll have to wait to find out.
After another episode of Moon Knight has arrived and that also means we once again get a brand new set of Funko Pops. This time around, we got our first look at not only Layla but also Khonshu. The Egyptian deity looks extremely detailed though we can’t see if his head is directly connected to the body, or they went with a similar design to what we see in the show. He also comes with a new glow-up version that is now available to pre-order.
The Funko Pops have been great additions for collectors, especially as we get new ones with each episode. Considering we’ve seen Layla and Khonshu in the previous episode, it looks like we’ll never know when something might find its way online and what the upcoming episodes might have in store for us. As their adventure in Egypt continues, who knows who else we might meet along the way besides the various Avatars we met in the previous episode.
We still have three more episodes to go. So, there are a lot of opportunities to explore what the future has in store not only for Moon Knight but also for the MCU. The recent Emmy submissions continued to push the fact that this series is more of a limited series rather than one to feature multiple seasons, but Loki is the only one with multiple seasons so far. So, we’ll see what the future has in store.
Marvel fans have been eager to learn what the future might hold for Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop, and a recent development has revealed it may not include a second season of Hawkeye. The studio is hard at work campaigning for its slate of Disney+ shows for the next awards season, with series like Loki, Moon Knight, and the aforementioned Hawkeye all up for nominations. What’s interesting is that while Loki, which has a confirmed second season on the way, was submitted in the “Drama” category, both Hawkeye and Moon Knight were only entered into the “Limited Series” field. This has added fuel to the fire of speculation that neither show will receive a second season, an honor that has thus far only been bestowed upon Loki and Marvel’s animated What If…?.
Actor Oscar Isaac recently caused a stir when he revealed he was not signed up for any further appearances as Marc Spector after the completion of Moon Knight. Similarly, the lack of any sort of progress on another installment of Hawkeye has caused concern that the show might have been a one-and-done. Obviously, even if standard second seasons never occur, the Marvel formula would likely still allow for the protagonists’ stories to continue in other projects and spin-offs, like the upcoming Hawkeye by-product Echo.
Of course, this doesn’t completely rule out the possibility of continuations for the programs. Marvel apparently attempted to submit Loki as a “Limited Series” before the second season announcement forced the studio to place it elsewhere. The remaining choices for Marvel Studios were to categorize the TomHiddleston series as either “Drama” or “Comedy,” with the former being a less competitive field. It’s still entirely feasible that Hawkeye and MoonKnight eventually get their episodic sequels, this news just seems to imply that Marvel Studios has no plans for second seasons in the near future.
It’s been a quiet day, but a new interview from ET Canada has found its way online. In it, Tim Roth gets to share some aspects of his work on the upcoming Disney+ series, She-Hulk. As he gets a chance to return as Abomination once again, he shared his thoughts on the upcoming series. Yet, he had some high praise for fellow co-star Tatiana Maslany, who he describes as “amazing” and “jaw-dropping.”
She’s amazing. It’s actually jaw-dropping. I was just watching on a day-to-day level. Sometimes dialogue lands just on that level […]. Her ability to absorb and then perform was quite remarkable. And she’s funny. One of the signs of a good actor is their comedic touch and she has it in spades.
Tim Roth
It certainly sounds promising, and as she’ll become a big player in the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward, she may become an anchor of the franchise. It’s exciting to generally see what she has to offer and given the series’ comedic direction, it does seem promising if he highlights her “comedic touch.”
We’re still anxiously waiting for a trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder but it’ll also be quite exciting to see what She-Hulk’s first trailer might have to offer. We’ll likely not see anything until around the time that Ms. Marvel releases, but it’s going to be exciting once we get our first glimpses of the new series.
If you are interested, you can watch Tim Roth‘s interview right here:
Episode 2 really helped us get a better understanding of who Steven and Marc are. We learn that Marc is a mercenary who was killed and resurrected by Khonshu. As Steven learned more about Marc and how they are sharing a body, the two began to work together a little better. The episode also provides an opportunity to get to know more about what Arthur wanted. Arthur tells Marc that he used to be Khonshu’s avatar, but now he’s chosen to work for Ammut and dish out her brand of preemptive justice rather than Khonshu’s more traditional punishments. And so much of this episode dives deep down into Arthur’s plan of freeing Ammut, which involves the scarab that is a compass to her tomb.
Steven had a problem with the idea of punishing people before they commit their crimes which causes a huge fight leading up to a pretty cool reveal: Steven and Marc can each summon their own, different suits. Steven wears the “Mr. Knight” suit while Marc wears the traditional Moon Knight “armor” suit. We also learned way more about Layla, who used to be married to Marc and knows about the suit, but doesn’t know about Steven. When she first meets up with Steven, she thinks that it is just a cover for Marc.
Arlyn’s Assumptions
At the end of episode 2, Marc ended up in Egypt. Marc’s goal is to find the tomb of Ammut before Harrow has the chance. This is obviously going to cause an issue and they will most likely end up fighting. I feel like there will be more issues because Steven is not okay with being the man in the mirror, meaning they will most likely be fighting for control the whole time. There will also be a conflict between Marc and Layla, seeing that Marc just up and left her and never reached out.
It looks like Marvel Studios’ upcoming Disney+ series Ironheart has finally found its directing team, as Deadline has just reported that Brown Girl‘s Sam Bailey and One Day at a Time’s Angela Barnes. They also confirm a recent reveal by Anthony Ramos that the series is being produced under the banner of Ryan Coogler‘s Proximity, who are joining in a producing role.
Marvel Studios has been expanding its approach to producing its films, such as also opening up to external production labels joining in. We’ve just recently learned that Deadpool will also be a co-production, a first for the studio outside of Sony-owned productions It’s also fitting that Coogler is involved with the project, as part of his overall deal with Disney. Plus, he is introducing the character of Riri Williams in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Sam Bailey made her name in the industry as the co-creator of the Emmy-nominated Brown Girls and also for her work on You’re So Talented. She also directed the final season of Netflix’s Dear White People. Angela Barnes has most notably made her name in television with projects like Mythic Quest, Blindspotting, and even worked on the fourth season of Atlanta. So, they’ve really got some talented directors to bring the series to life.
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.
Moon Knight #11 (2015)
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.
Moon Knight #1 (2014)
Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight Episode 2
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.
Moon Knight #14 (2017)
Moon Knight #1 (2021)
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.
Moon Knight #4 (2014)
Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight Episode 2
Moon Knight #7 (2022)
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.
Moon Knight #13 (2017)
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 #1 (2014)
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+.
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