The sixth television series to come from the MCU’s success as a film franchise, Moon Knight, will follow the origin and adventures of its titular character, played by Oscar Isaac. While this (anti)hero may be lesser known than the unmistakable likeness of Spider-Man or Captain America, he is certainly no less interesting and has a rich history for show runners to fall back on. Now, with the latest trailer released during this year’s Super Bowl, we have more to entice us before Moon Knight begins streaming on March 30th.
Let’s break down the main characters the latest trailer revealed to us.
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Marc Spector
Marvel Studios
His mental health shouldn’t be glossed over when contemplating what sets Moon Knight apart from other Marvel heroes. While our eponymous character is introduced to us in this trailer as Steven Grant, his actual name is Marc Spector, a talented mercenary with expert combat skills. He lives with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), a mental illness characterized by maintaining at least two distinct personality states. The trailer informs us how this disorder manifests itself in Moon Knight, revealing a few of the characters’ personalities in the comics.
The aforementioned Steven Grant proves most notable, especially when considering the differences between his comic book and television iterations. While written as a powerful billionaire businessman in the comics, the streaming series has transformed him into a timid, nervous retail employee working at a museum gift shop. Other personalities Spector has exhibited in the comics include taxi driver Jake Lockley and consultant Mr. Knight, though it is unknown if they will be making an appearance on screen.
Khonshu, God of the Moon
On the topic of origin stories, it would be appropriate to classify Moon Knight’s attainment of his supernatural abilities as unique. While some creative liberties have been taken when transferring the character from panels to screenplay, the most vital elements seem untouched. Namely, there is Spector’s contact with the Egyptian deity Khonshu, Marvel’s fictitious God of the Moon. In his original comic book iteration, Khonshu revives Spector in an ancient tomb after a mercenary job in Sudan takes a turn for the fatal, resurrecting the man into a life of righting wrongs and serving the general public.
Arthur Harrow
This latest trailer also introduces us to the character of Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke). Dressed all in red and surrounded by crowds who bow before him and reach out to touch him as he passes, he has the look of a man who commands a great deal of respect and reverence. For anyone unfamiliar with Harrow, he appears only once in the comics, in Moon Knight (Vol. 2) #2. This fact alone already makes him a curious candidate for the big screen, though this wouldn’t be the first time MCU writers have taken lesser-known characters and reworked them for their own purposes. We’ve witnessed this before with Zeno from Captain America: Civil War and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, as well as Agatha in WandaVision, to name a couple.
In his singular comic appearance, Harrow is an evil scientist who, with backing from Nazis, conducts horrifying experiments on human beings to answer his questions on pain theory. In a vision, he appears to Moon Knight, is eventually chased down, and concludes the ensuing standoff by escaping with a mysterious group known as OMNIUM. This also ended his involvement in the comics.
Until Moon Knight is available for viewing, we cannot say with certainty how much of Harrow will be reimagined or if his nefarious comic book backstory will come into play at all. Still, his character will no doubt influence Spector’s goals and motivations.
