Tag: TV

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.

The newest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Moon Knight, finally premiered its this week. The series feels determined to keep the viewer in the dark (for now) similar to how the protagonist Steven Grant is taking everything in. The Disney+ show has not given the impression that it intends to take much of its direction from any particular comic book run or even any Moon Knight era. While that makes theorizing where the series is headed much more difficult, the first episode is already leaving major clues and Moon Knight easter eggs to work with. For one, there is a clear nod to classic Moon Knight character Jean-Paul “Frenchie” Duchamp. But Frenchie is not the only long-established comic’s character to be referenced.

In fact, another major character may have actually already appeared. Actor Shaun Scott is credited with playing “Crawley”, who is the gold-painted human statue Steven Grant seems to be very one-way friendly with. Moon Knight fans will reconize “Crawley” as a reference to Bertrand Crawley, a classic comics character. And he could have major implications for the series and its hero.

In the comics, Crawley is a homeless man living in New York City, who befriends and becomes an informant for one of Moon Knight’s personalities, Jake Lockley. It is emphasized how close this character is to Moon Knight in comic runs such as the popular Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood run, where the character plays a major role in Marc Spector grappling with psychological and supernatural chaos. While that certainly seems on par for Moon Knight, Crawley’s introduction could say a lot more about our protagonist’s past and future.

While the Crawley in the comcis is quite a bit more mobile and talkative than the human statue in Moon Knight, he could be the perfect plant for Moon Knight…or one of his personalities. In a busy area of London, Crawley can blend right by looking like a tourist magnet or street performer. By staying quiet and still, he would not bring much attention to himself and might simply have unfettered ability to observe things happening nearby and act as a fly on the wall without suspicion. But why would Moon Knight be interested in that?

Crawley is generally the definition of a street-level character. While Moon Knight is currently set abroad, the titular hero spends most of his time in the comics as a caped vigilante in New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles. We have little to go off now with respect to Marc Spector and Moon Knight’s history within the MCU, but everything points to a larger-than-life supernatural conflict against Ethan Hawke’s Arthur Harrow. If Crawley is someone in Moon Knight’s life, though, that would suggest that the hero may have spent a significant amount of time as a crime-fighting vigilante in London. That could connect the hero to other classic characters and villains like Midnight Man, who is meant to appear in Moon Knight. In other words, the classic comic book portrayal of the character might still be in play.

It also raises interesting questions about the relationship between Moon Knight’s separate identities. In the comics, Crawley is very much connected to the Jake Lockley personality, who has yet to appear or be advertised. While Crawley could certainly tease Jake’s future introduction, there’s also something to be said about Steven’s own interactions with the human statute. Steven seems very drawn to him, which emphasized how lonely and awkward the character seems to be. But if another personality knows Crawley and works with him, maybe Steven subconsciously gravitates towards him. That would be another indication that Marc Spector, Jake Lockley, or Moon Knight are already using him as an informant by the time we meet Steven in the first episode.

There is always the possibility that Crawley the human statue is meant to be no more than an Easter egg and an acknowledgement of the character. But while the Frenchie reference was merely a name in a cell phone, Crawley is an actual flesh-and-bone character that has physically appeared in Moon Knight and has passively interacted with Steven Grant. While that could mean that Crawley is an already-existing and significant part of the MCU’s Moon Knight’s activities, it could also be a setup for the future. If Moon Knight does mostly explore an Egyptian mythology storyline, Moon Knight and his personalities could very well find themselves at a somewhat fresh start at the end of a wild and weird psychologically-dense series. Perhaps he leaves some of his obedience and dedication to Khonshu behind him–as he does several times throughout his comic book history–but still decides to use his skills and background for fighting crime in London. If he needs help, he already knows a guy.