Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Moon Knight

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Episode 2 Primer

    ‘Moon Knight’ Episode 2 Primer

    As someone who has never read the Moon Knight comics, I found the first episode to be puzzling. For people who are familiar with the comics, the character’s history of multiple personalities is something they bring into the show with them; I was finding out about his personalities as I was watching the show, and they didn’t always make it very clear about what is going on. By the time the episode was over. I was still confused as to which character is which, but the scene of Moon Knight standing over the jackal had me looking forward to more.

    As puzzling as Steven Grant The Gift Shop Worker’s story is, Arthur Harrow’s story is very clear. He makes it very clear that he wants to free Ammut, the Egyptian goddess of the underworld, from imprisonment. Harrow’s desire has brought him into conflict with Grant, who happens to have a scarab that will help Arthur achieve his goal. Grant, as it turns out, serves as the avatar of another Egyptian god, Khonshu. As the episode draws to a close, Steven finds out that he is sharing a body with Mark, who seems pretty familiar with Khonshu. Mark convinces Steven to let him take control and then becomes Moon Knight, The Fist Of Khonshu.

    It wasn’t until the bathroom scene that I really understood what had been happening through the course of the episode. I finally understood that when Steven would have his blackouts, Mark was coming out and helping him at dangerous times. Moving forward, it’s clear that Steven shares his consciousness with at least one other person, who seems to know a whole lot more about Harrow and this scarab.

    Arlyn’s Assumptions

    Who is Moon Knight? How the Marvel superhero fits into the MCU ahead of Disney+ series starring Oscar Isaac

    In this next episode I think that Steven is going to have to figure out what is happening and he is going to form a relationship with Mark. There is one other person he is going to have to come to know: Layla. Steven and Mark will have to become better friends in this episode in order to figure out just what’s up with Khonshu and how they can stop Harrow.

    The next episode will stream tomorrow!

  • ‘Moon Knight’ 5-Day Viewership Beats Out ‘WandaVision’ and ‘Hawkeye’

    ‘Moon Knight’ 5-Day Viewership Beats Out ‘WandaVision’ and ‘Hawkeye’

    Moon Knight finally premiered and early data hinted at it potentially being one of the service’s strongest releases. SambaTV remains our best comparison point to get a glimpse into how exactly the Disney+ series are performing. Disney won#t release the data themselves. So, we’re dependent on external analytic firms to offer a glimpse behind the curtain. Their latest release reveals just how popular Moon Knight was within its first five days of streaming.

    According to SambaTV, the premiere managed to reach 1.8M US households within the first five days. As a point of comparison, it is the same amount of viewers that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s premiere episode. Currently, it has managed to surpass WandaVision and Hawkeye, which is in line with what we saw earlier with its trailer viewership. So, the early predictions were pretty on point.

    Loki remains the reigning champion for Marvel’s TV venture with 2.5M according to SambaTV’s household panels. We just recently learned that it alongside The Mandalorian remains the best performing series on Disney+. Moon Knight can definitely be seen as a success for Marvel though, especially with the possibility of its mind-bending aspects pulling in new viewers as it goes on.

    The numbers aren’t the full picture, as there’s always the possibility that they look quite a bit different on Marvel and Disney’s side. Still, these numbers are impressive if you consider how unknown Moon Knight is to the general populous and it’s competition with well-established characters is a good sign for Marvel Studios’ venture on expanding through Disney+. Ms. Marvel is going to be an interesting test to see just how powerful this brand is.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Moon Knight’ From Page to Screen: Episode 1

    ‘Moon Knight’ From Page to Screen: Episode 1

    Unlike the last Marvel Studios series, Hawkeye, Moon Knight has made it pretty clear so far that the series does not draw its inspiration from any particular comic book run. While that makes it more difficult to pull any particular page or panel from the comics and compare it to the live-action series, it does give us an excuse to explore much more of Moon Knight’s comics history. The premiere episode of Moon Knight had a heavy focus on Steven Grant’s dissociative identity disorder (DID) and his discovery of Marc Spector, his alter. Here, we give a rundown of Marc Spector’s DID throughout the character’s history.

    The origin of Spector’s DID was not explored until much more recently. But the first appearance of Moon Knight’s personalities came with Moon Knight #1 (1980). After Spector died under the statute of the Egyptian moon god Khonshu, he was seemingly revived. He vowed to act as the human fist of Khonshu as Moon Knight. Causally, though, it was mentioned that Marc Spector had two other personalities as well: millionaire Steven Grant and taxi driver Jake Lockley. In that first story, the caped Moon Knight persona was referred to as a combination of Spector, Grant, and Lockley, though later stories have considered Moon Knight his own personality. In Episode 1 of Moon Knight, Jake Lockley has yet to appear or be referenced. Spector has also had other identities including Mr. Knight, Captain America, Spider-Man, and Wolverine.

    ‘Moon Knight’ #1 (1980)

    Some Moon Knight stories had a tendency to downplay the fact that Spector had multiple identities, not mention it at all, or inaccurately reference it as schizophrenia. In 2016, the Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood run first acknowledged that Spector’s DID manifested as a child:

    ‘Moon Knight’ #10 (2016)

    Not too long after that, Max Bemis and Paul Davidson exposed that Spector’s DID may have been triggered by a traumatic event. Specifically, a family friend, whose real name was Ernst, was actually a Nazi and a serial killer, who brutally tortured and killed members of Spector’s Jewish community. Spector escaped, though his DID was apparently a coping mechanism to handle the trauma.

    ‘Moon Knight’ #194

    Generally speaking, Spector, Grant, and Lockley are aware of one another. Often, particularly in Moon Knight’s early days, they worked together as a unit in order to make the whole caped vigilante deal work.

    ‘Moon Knight’ #189
    ‘Moon Knight’ #195

    Episode 1 of Moon Knight, however, depicts a Steven Grant that has no idea Spector or Khonshu exists. A similar moment in the comics also comes from the Lemire-Smallwood run where Spector confronts his alters (or at least versions of them) in order to gain control.

    Marvel Studios ‘Moon Knight’ Episode 1
    ‘Moon Knight’ #14 (2016)

    The episode also depicts Steven blacking out when Marc takes control of his body. That also is not something that the comics Moon Knight seems to have much issue with, although there are times when certain personalities–often Marc–are intentionally suppressed for long periods. But in the Bemis-Davidson run, it’s revealed that Jake Lockley had a relationship with Marlene and fathered a child with her, and Marc was completely unaware of it. 

    ‘Moon Knight’ #190
    Marvel Studios’ ‘Moon Knight’ Episode 1

    How Moon Knight will continue to explore the titular character’s DID will be interesting, to say the least. It could take on the primary focus of the series like it did for the Lemire-Smallwood run, or it could remain somewhat on the sidelines as it has for most of Moon Knight’s comic book history. For now, enjoy one of the most iconic Moon Knight pages out there:

    ‘Moon Knight’ #14 (2016)

    Moon Knight is now streaming on Disney+.

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Directors Promise a “Mind-Bending” Episode 4

    ‘Moon Knight’ Directors Promise a “Mind-Bending” Episode 4

    Moon Knight is a rather different kind of hero, as he not only is facing off against world-ending threats but also himself. The first episode has teased a man’s mind shattered, as the personalities of Steven Grant and Marc Spector fighting for control. It looks like they might fully dive into it throughout the series, but director Aaron Moorhead has teased that episode 4 might go even one step further, as he promises there will be a “mind-bending swing” that recontextualizes the rest of the series.

    As you say, there’s a big, mind-bending swing in episode four that makes you reconsider some of the stuff that you’ve seen. Being able to do stuff like that — which pops up all over the comics, and also do great service to the tone and feel of the comics, the excitement of opening something up and seeing something you haven’t seen before — was one of the reasons that we wanted to do this

    Aaron Moorhead

    Fellow director Justin Benson adds that they really went back to explore the character’s 50 years to play around with the project, as they embraced the many “big swings” that it took in the many different runs.

    When you look at the 50 years of incredible content that’s been generated for Moon Knight and Marvel, the best of it is defined by taking big swings, by being bold. So in that way, we were empowered to continue that, to be bold, especially with [episode four]. Visually, something that we were really drawn to, especially for that episode, was the [Jeff] Lemire and [Greg] Smallwood run [of Moon Knight].”

    Justin Benson

    It sounds exciting to see what the series has in store once we hit that episode, especially how it builds up beyond that. If there is a mind-bending twist, it makes you wonder how it might change the way we view the series and how it comes together at the end. The directors enthusiasm for playing around with the story, as well as embracing the comics. No wonder they were chosen to tackle Loki‘s next season as well.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Moon Knight’s Opening Sequence Was Ethan Hawke’s Idea

    ‘Moon Knight’s Opening Sequence Was Ethan Hawke’s Idea

    Ethan Hawke has talked about how Marvel Studios has offered a more cooperative environment unlike other studios. In the same interview with Variety, the actor has also talked about how the opening of Moon Knight came together, highlighting that creative input offered. The memorable opening sequence introduces us swiftly to his character of Dr. Arthur Harrow, as he crashes up glass with his cane and putting them into his shoes before walking off. He reveals that it was actually his idea, wanting to give the villain his own scene reminiscent of comic book one pagers.

    That [scene] really sprang out of my imagination and our conversations. When you read a comic book, some of the pages have eight drawings, some of them have 16, some have four, and then every now and then, they’ll give like the villain one full-page drawing.

    Ethan Hawke

    That comic inspiration seemingly got his gears turning on what they might do, and the creative team gave him the opportunity to explore that aspect, which led to him reflecting on his character.

    I kept asking the writers and directors, if it was a comic book, what would his full-page drawing be? And they were like, “What do you think it was?” I started really meditating on that, and I started thinking about spiritual people who go crazy, who get mad on their own spiritual pride, and how often that turns inward and you see that they’re secretly self-lacerating in some way and hating themselves

    Ethan Hawke

    The connection to the sequence came in the inclusion of his cane, and how it could tie into his character. It probably became the moment that cemented the collaborative nature of this project.

    I knew he had a cane and I kept saying, “Wait, I have a cane. Do I have a limp?” They’re like, “No, you don’t have limp.” And I thought, “Ahh, I know why he has a cane.” So I told them this idea. And this is what I mean about what was so surprising about Marvel: They’re like, “Let’s shoot that. That’s a great idea. Let’s open the show with that.” I’m like, “Okay, well, I guess these guys do want to play.”

    Ethan Hawke

    It’s great to see that the actors are able to also add something to the projects they are working on, especially in how they can highlight their characters effectively. The opening may have caught many off-guard, as the show focused on Moon Knight set the stage in a very different way by focusing on its main antagonist. We’ve only just started and it’ll be interesting to see what the future has in store for Harrow.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Moon Knight’s Ethan Hawke on How Marvel Studios is Different From Other Studios

    ‘Moon Knight’s Ethan Hawke on How Marvel Studios is Different From Other Studios

    There’s been much debate on Marvel Studios’ relationship with its actors and directors given they run a tight ship. many believe that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is purely studio-driven, but there have been hints that the company has a very different dynamic with its talent than the industry standards might make you think. In an interview with Variety, Ethan Hawke shed further light on what it’s like working with the industry and how Marvel Studios sticks out.

    Every other experience I’ve ever had in film is generally that the more money they have, the more fearful the producing staff is. They really want you to do this cookie-cutter thing, do what we paid you to do, don’t have any ideas.

    Ethan Hawke

    He went on to compare the Disney-owned subsidiary like a kitchen and how it works with the many cooks in its kitchen.

    Marvel clearly has a good relationship with actors. The metaphor I like to use is, you have to cook in their kitchen and use their ingredients, but once you’re in the kitchen, and with their groceries, you can do whatever you want. So that was kind of fun.

    Ethan Hawke

    He also goes on to highlight that the studio isn’t “brittle and arrogant” as some others are. The company seemingly has supported the team behind Moon Knight to bring their vision to life.

    I was impressed. They have a tremendous confidence. A lot of people who are really successful, get brittle and arrogant. And wonderful people get confident, and they believe in others and instead of having power over people, they empower people. They really empowered Oscar, Mohamed, myself, May, other people working on the show to try to have a good time and try to make something that we cared about. Because they basically bet that if we liked it then other people would like it.

    Ethan Hawke

    It certainly sounds like the company is more focused on establishing a collaborative effort and hopes to empower creatives to bring their visions to life. The Disney+ series have highlighted that they are offering their teams more freedom as they’ve added more projects. Of course, the studio still has an active hand in the work such as the CEO Kevin Feige pitching some ideas while bringing projects to life. Movies and TV series are a collaborative effort. It looks like Marvel Studios tries to keep that alive somewhat.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Moon Knight’s Place on the MCU Timeline Revealed

    ‘Moon Knight’s Place on the MCU Timeline Revealed

    The tradition continues that Disney+ has not only become the central hub for anything Marvel, a new tagline the advertising for the Netflix show’s additions have been strongly pushing, but also gives us a hint at where what project takes place across the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline. With the latest addition of Moon Knight, we once again can play the game on where exactly it fits within that very Sacred Timeline and it looks like the answer was quite simple.

    Just like Hawkeye before it, Moon Knight has been placed directly at the end of the timeline order. As such, it’s the newest addition to the ever-expanding franchise. So, the latest four entries also include Shang-Chi, and Eternals. Yet, we can very likely include Spider-Man: No Way Home around the same time as Hawkeye, as the series isn’t included due to Sony still holding on to the rights to that franchise.

    It would be great if they added some kind of fun visualization that highlights how some of the stories may even overlap on the timeline. Technically, Loki takes place across its entirety as the Time Variance Authority doesn’t necessarily adhere to the classic timeline rules. With the multiverse expanding, who knows if they might add other “Sagas” to the overview, as who knows what the future has in store for the MCU.

    Moon Knight still feels the most isolated of all projects. So, even if it has a timeline window it doesn’t necessarily have to fit that placement. Who knows if they might get a little creative in the future, as they shift some parts here or there to better fit the timeline if needed. For now, it only gives us some playroom to speculate, especially if there’s any crossover by the end of it.

    Source: Disney+

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Director Discusses The Series’ Depiction of Dissociative Identity Disorder

    ‘Moon Knight’ Director Discusses The Series’ Depiction of Dissociative Identity Disorder

    Bringing Moon Knight to live-action was always a risk. Marvel Studios not only took on the task of telling the story of a lesser-known character, but it also grappled with a complex character. Perhaps most notably, Marc Spector, the person behind the caped crusader Moon Knight, has dissociative identity disorder (DID). Previously referred to as multiple personality disorder and often mislabeled and misunderstood, Spector’s DID causes him to have several distinct personalities co-existing in his mind and body.

    Mental health can often be tricky subject to portray accurately or sensitively in fiction. While Moon Knight creators have apparently put in the effort to explore DID respectfully, series director Mohamed Diab says that the fiction of the show keeps it from being a truly accurate depiction of the mental health condition. In an interview with Variety, he noted:

    I learned a lot, and I think everyone is going to learn a lot through the journey of the show, about DID…But I still would say that, as respectful as we were, this is not an accurate depiction of DID. We are in a supernatural world and sometimes we over-dramatize stuff.

    Mohamed Diab

    Diab’s quote seems entirely fair considering at the end of the day, Moon Knight is meant to be a Marvel Studios superhero show. Still, the first episode of the series already places extreme emphasis on the character’s DID, and it looks to be an integral part of Moon Knight going forward. It is positive that Diab notes that Marvel was respectful of the condition, as Moon Knight comics sometimes missed the mark historically. Fans can watch Oscar Isaac’s stunning performance as Steven Grant and Marc Spector while the Disney+ series progresses, but they should perhaps take the portrayal of DID with a grain of salt.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Moon Knight’s’ Mohamed Diab on Being MCU’s First Arab Director: “I’m Here Because I Can Tell This Story Better Than Anyone Else”

    ‘Moon Knight’s’ Mohamed Diab on Being MCU’s First Arab Director: “I’m Here Because I Can Tell This Story Better Than Anyone Else”

    While Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight premiered only yesterday, it is already making a name for itself in terms of treading ground no other Marvel Cinematic Universe property has. The series is bringing a somewhat obscure Marvel character to live-action and is focused in part on the hefty psychological nature of Moon Knight. And despite being led by Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke, the characters and show are heavily influenced by Egyptian mythology, symbology, imagery, and location. Award-winning Egyptian writer and director Mohamed Diab serves as an executive producer and director for Moon Knight.

    In an interview with Variety, Diab discussed the significance of being the first Arab director in the MCU:

    “It was very important for me to show that I’m not here because I’m an Arab or an Egyptian…I’m here because I’m a good director. I’m here because I can tell the story better than anyone else. And if I succeeded, I might open doors for minorities around the world. I hope that happens.”

    Mohamed Diab

    While Diab rightfully emphasizes that his ability to bring Moon Knight to life is the reason Marvel Studios brought him aboard, he undeniably brings valuable insight to the series with respect to its portrayal of Egypt. He goes on to say:

    The drama of it and the Egyptian part of it feels like an extension of everything that I’ve been doing…One of the most important things was how to depict Egypt, the present and the past, in an authentic way. Egyptians see that Hollywood always sees them in an Orientalist way. We’re always exotic. Women are submissive. Men are bad. So it was very important for me to break that.

    Mohamed Diab

    While the first episode of Moon Knight mostly featured Egyptian artifacts and lore rather than the country or region itself, viewers can expect to see how Diab’s vision plays out in future episodes of the Disney+ series.

    Source: Variety

  • No More ‘Moon Knight’? Oscar Isaac Has No Further Contract with Marvel Studios

    No More ‘Moon Knight’? Oscar Isaac Has No Further Contract with Marvel Studios

    One thing Marvel Studios fans love to do is speculate on the future of their favorite IP. What’s next for their favorite character? What comic book story will be adapted? In the case of Moon Knight, fans might want to breathe a little bit before they start dreaming about the next big thing.

    Just as fans are introduced to Oscar Isaac’s Steven Grant/Marc Spector/Moon Knight (and some more personalities are certainly on the way), comes word that the star has bucked one of Marvel Studios’ more well-known trends. According to Variety, Isaac does not have a contractual obligation for any further appearances as the Fist of Khonshu.

    According to Isaac, he and the creatives behind the streaming series wanted to keep their focus on the here and now and not get caught up in what might come next. And so, rather than be pinned down for a handful of future appearances, the actor is rolling the dice on the reception of the character:

    I had heard of the golden handcuffs. That was something that I was reticent about. And luckily, we all agreed that this [show] is what we’re going to focus on. This is the story. And if there’s any kind of future, I think it just depends on if people like it, if people want to see more, and if we find a story that’s worth telling.

    Oscar Isaac

    So far, Moon Knight has been received warmly by fans, even if they’re not quite sure what exactly is going on or what to expect over the course of the next 5 episodes. Between that warm reception and the encouraging comments about the future of the character from showrunner Jeremy Slater and Marvel Studios’ brass, it seems incredibly likely that we’ll be seeing more of Isaac and the many different personalities of Moon Knight down the road.

    Source: Variety