Marvel Studio’s MoonKnight was one of the most anticipated shows of 2022. The series was created by Jeremy Slater, who had previously worked on movies like the Fantastic Four(2015).
The series featured Oscar Issac as the title character based on Marvel Comics Character “MoonKnight” created by Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin.
The Direction team was led by Mohammed Diab ( director of Cairo 678). The series was deeply rooted in Egyptian Mythology and
The mini-series is part of Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 4.
Cast and Characters
Oscar Issac as MoonKnight/ Marc Spector :
As mentioned above, Oscar Issac played Marc Spector/MoonKnight and his multiple personalities, Steven Grant and Jake Lockey.
Marc Spector/Steven Grant/ Jake Lockey are all the avatars of Khonsu, the Egyptian Moon God who chose him to exact his will and save the world from evil.
He was commended for his extraordinary performance as a person with dissociative identity disorder, especially his switching between characters.
Ethan Hawke as Arthur Harrow:
The veteran Ethan Hawke played Arthur Harrow. The character was a religious zealot who worshipped Ammit, the Egyptian goddess who wanted to exact justice based on future crimes rather than the present.
May Calamawy as Layla El-Faouly / Scarlet Scarab:
Layla El-Fouley is Marc Spector’s wife and the future superhero Scarlet Scarab. Though Marlene Alraune is Marc Spector’s wife in the comics, Mohammed Diab and Jeremy Slater brought the character as a pure Egyptian superhero.
F. Murray Abraham as Khonsu:
Khonsu is the Moon-god in Egyptian mythology. Though his intentions are right, his means are often questionable. In the MCU, he chooses Marc Spector as his avatar to avenge all the evils and ” protect the travelers of the night.”
Premise
The series starts with showcasing Steven Grant, an English man with a mild manner and a museum gift shop employee with insomnia.
He has episodes of blacking out, waking up in totally unexpected places, and having done things he has no memory of.
However, Steven soon realizes that everything is not what it seems, and he is mistaken for an American named Marc Spector. He also gets visions of a vast entity that scares him.
He once blacks out and wakes up in a European city, where everyone worships Arthur Harrow and his staff of judgment powered by Ammit.
The zealots soon outed him, and he found a golden scarab in his pocket. But as the zealots try to subdue him and snatch the scarab, he blacks out, only to wake up a few minutes later and realize that he has beaten them all up.
Harrow follows him to England and traps him in the Museum, unleashing a jackal-like creature that looks like Anubis.
He realizes Marc Spector is his alter ego, and MoonKnight beats up the creature to a pulp.
Layla, who is wife of Marc, finds Steven. He converses with Marc through mirrors. Together they uncover the plan Harrow, which aims to unleash Ammit with the help of the scarab. And thus scourge the world of evil.
Steven understands the complicated dynamics between Khonsu and Marc. He also understands that Marc is the real version of himself, and he is just a version cooked up by a younger Marc to escape the abuses of his mother, who blames him for the death of his younger brother.
In the end, Khonsu, MoonKnight, and Layla, as the Scarlet Scarab, defeat Ammit, Harrow, and the Zealots.
But Marc refuses to kill the Harrow and demands Khonsu to let him free of the mantle.
But in the end, we see the third personality Jake Lockey who allies with Khonsu and kills off Harrow.
Reception
The fans and the audience received MoonKnight well. The critics were especially pleased with the cast’s performances, especially Oscar Issac and Ethan Hawke.
The way the series explored the deep psychological turmoils and how mythology was used to balance was one of the series’ strong points.
Accolades
Oscar Issac was nominated for the Best Hero award for the MTV Movie and TV awards. The team also plans to submit the series for the Prime Time Emmy awards.
Future
MoonKnight, according to the makers, will be part of the MCU for the next ten years and will cross over into films. They also hope to make a feature film on MoonKnight.