Marvel Studios has brought Moon Knight to audiences in a new powerhouse of a Disney+ series that will knock your socks off. A dark comedy, this series is full of huge action sequences while flawlessly combining it with comedy and its mythological roots.
Actor Oscar Isaac takes on two personalities inhabiting the same body in Moon Knight– Steve Grant and Marc Spector. Steve Grant is an adorable, sweet man with a touch of idiocy who couldn’t pass for a superhero, anti-hero, villain, or even mall cop if he tried. Marc Spector is Egyptian God Konsu’s avatar and a foil for Steve as a powerhouse of a man with the fighting skills to match any villain. Marc has more of the brawn and the courage of the two by serving as protector of the two personalities while also being the wiser. He is also the avatar of the Egyptian God, Khonhsu (voiced by F. Murray Abraham). I know this may sound confusing, but I promise that the creators make it easy to follow. No matter how insane things become, Steve continues to have kindness. His fear works together in an unusual way with Marc.
Isaac masterfully has a handle on acting out two distinct personalities in the same body. Disney also brings attention to the mental disorder known as dissociative identity disorder (DID). The series’ creators approached dissociative identity disorder, which Steven/Marc suffers from, in a unique way. They wanted to make sure that they and the actors understood the disorder in order to approach the subject correctly. They brought Dr. Paul Puri, a board-certified psychiatrist and assistant clinical professor at UCLA, onboard during production.
Ethan Hawke plays Arthur Harrow with a strong personality while maintaining an air of mystery. May Calamawy (Layla El-Faouly) is central to the plot in exploring and explaining not only Steve/Marc as a character, but also introducing a whole new world to Steve/Marc and the audience.
Unlike other Marvel headliners who we are introduced to before their hero story begins, the audience is as much in the dark as Steven. Whatever causes Steven/Marc/Moon Knight to start his crusade, whether volunteering or otherwise, we get left in the dark as we figure this out with Steven or Marc. Steven and Marc? Steven/Marc or Marc/Steven? Whichever way we leave it, you don’t need to know anything about the series or the Marvel Cinematic Universe to enjoy it. We experience Steven/Marc’s journey while being taken on a wild ride. MCU fan or not, this is one series you don’t want to miss.
Moon Knight is great to watch weekly as it combines action and romance. The mysteries that the characters encounter make this an intriguing show that keeps you at the edge of your seat.
A new episode is released weekly on Disney+.