The Mystery of Marvel Studios “Moon Knight”

Oh, Disney+, you pulled a sly one with the way you distributed preview screeners for the new Marvel series Moon Knight. It’s always a bit of a crapshoot regarding how many of a show’s episodes they allow journalists to see, and in this case, it was an unusually large four of the series’ six total episodes. And that precise number was absolutely necessary because otherwise, it wouldn’t be possible to share with potential viewers that … I have no idea what Moon Knight will eventually become.

More on that in a moment. Even at its simplest level, Moon Knight is about an already-complicated character. We meet him first as Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac), a mild-mannered fellow who works at a gift shop in a London museum, has a self-taught interest in Egyptology … and needs to cuff himself to his bed at night to prevent what he believes are frequent sleepwalking episodes. But things are not even that simple. Steven begins to identify other voices in his head—one of them an alter-ego named Marc, another that could be an Egyptian deity called Khonshu. And his blackout spells have him waking up in other countries, engaging in improbably bad-ass acts of violence, and generally forcing Steven to wonder if he’s completely losing his mind.

It’s significant to note that, at least as far as the first four episodes go, showrunner Jeremy Slater has allowed Moon Knight to stand completely independent from the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that’s a good thing. That doesn’t mean Moon Knight separates itself completely from the conventions of a super-hero story, introducing an intriguing villain with an apocalyptic plan—a cult-leader-like figure named Harrow (Ethan Hawke)—and offering some costumed action. But it does mean that Slater has allowed the TV series to feel like, well, a TV series, rather than some piece in a bigger machine. The pacing, the look, the editing rhythms of Moon Knight all evoke something made to be enjoyed as a weekly television series, which is a welcome change of pace from the approach to the MCU shows thus far.

The show also takes a unique approach to its romantic subplot, which involves an Egyptian woman named Layla (May Calamawy). For all practical purposes, it’s a romantic triangle that involves two people, tangled up in Layla’s growing distance from the Marc personality, while feeling more connected to the kinder, gentler Steven when he’s the one with control over the body Layla knows as Marc. The episodes thus far don’t devote a lot of time to that dynamic, but it’s a unique enough one that there’s still potential for where it could go.

Then again, “where it could go” is pretty much the key phrase when it comes to Moon Knight because the answer is “your guess is as good as mine.” The fourth episode pivots at the outset away from super-hero action to archaeological adventure more akin to the Indiana Jones series (though not with a Spielberg flair, let’s not get carried away here). And then it pivots again to … well, that would be saying too much. Suffice it to say that the mystery of Steven Grant/Marc Spector gets even more mysterious, and even those familiar with the comic-book incarnation of Moon Knight might not be entirely sure which direction this story will ultimately take.

Though plenty of different creators and tones have made their way through the MCU movies and series, with an accompanying wide range in quality, they’ve all felt at least partially limited by their service to the bigger MCU arc, and the goal of giving viewers what they want. Instead of focusing on connecting pieces of the Marvel Universe, Moon Knight is quite tightly focused on one man simply trying to connect the pieces of his own universe—and while the individual episodes are fairly satisfying, the series’ most appealing quality is a sense of surprise. Whatever the final two episodes bring, and they could bring anything at this point, let’s hope that remains the guiding principle. Moon Knight premieres exclusively on Disney+ starting tomorrow, March 30.

Let’s Hear From You

Are you looking forward to a new Marvel series? Are you disappointed that Moon Night isn’t directly part of the MCU or do you find it refreshing that it has a chance to develop on its own? Will you be watching this six-episode series starting March 30? Let us know in the comments below!