Moon Knight is the most recent series addition to the Marvel Franchise. Based on the comics of the same name, the series is directed by Mohamed Diab. Created by Jeremy Slater, the series has 6 episodes. The first episode aired on 30th March 2022 and the last on 4th May 2022.
Moon Knight Season 1 Cast
- Oscar Isaac as Moon Knight, Marc Spector and Stephen Grant
- Ethan Hawke as Arthur Harrow
- May Calamawy as Layla El-Faouly
- F. Murray Abraham as Khonsu
- Sofia Danu as Ammit
Moon Knight Season 1 Plot
Marc Spector, a mercenary gives his life to Khonsu, the Egyptian God of Moon. He becomes his avatar but along with him is a person named Steven Grant who he shares a body with. A superhero story that explores Egyptian Mythology and psychological trauma, Moon Knight is the introductory series to the avatar of Khonsu in Marvel.
Moon Knight Season 1 Review
Reinstating a point well made, Marvel Phase 4 is a true emotional rollercoaster. Every series, every movie and everything on their list has been made with the intention to destroy everything about the viewer. Though the franchise has been criticised far too much for how fan-centric they have become and how almost all the movies have the same story template, no one can say that their series have not been unique. Since WandaVision came out, one thing is sure, Marvel is using the format of series to experiment with formats.
The shows that were released for Phase 4 have a unique concept that is carried out which acts as a way to incorporate something completely different into the huge web of Marvel. On March 30th, there was the introduction of one of the most fascinating characters; Moon Knight.
How Many People are Moon Knight?
Moon Knight is not one person but two. Marc Spector and Stephen Grant share a single body and are two different persons. The earlier is a mercenary while the latter is a museum worker who is in love with Egypt mythology. They, more like Marc Spector, gave their life to Khonsu when Marc was nearing death. Khonsu saved them on the condition that the body will now be his avatar and thus become the human protector to the travellers of the night.
What this entailed for them was a series of mishaps, deaths and some truly traumatising events. Marc was also married to an Egyptian trader, Layla. She mastered in collecting items of interest from Black Markets. When Marc and Stephen were handling their own shared body confusion, Marc disappeared for a long period (the period where he was Stephen), and Layla lost contact. She is introduced to Stephen when he himself comes to terms with the fact that he is sharing a body with another person.
Who is Marc & Who is Stephen?
The first two episodes of the show are more of a lesson to the audience about the entire situation. Who is Marc, how is he related to Layla, who is Stephen and why is he the cutest person on the planet. All of that. We are also introduced to Khonsu and Harrow. They become the lessons on Egypt mythology. The show does a great job at the introductions because Moon Knight has to be the most complicated superhero. His entire origin story is the most detailed. On top of that, fans also knew that even though for the longest period, we saw Moon Knight as two people, it is actually three.
Yes, Oscar Isaac is actually supposed to be playing three characters. Along with Marc and Stephen is Jake Lockley. The series introduces him in the last 4 minutes of the last episode. This is the most gut-wrenching thing that Marvel did in the entire series but it is also the hope for another season of Oscar Isaac.
Oscar Isaac has Given the Performance of His Lifetime in Moon Knight
Playing these two highly complicated and conflicted characters with such ease and the transitions to each were so smooth that one is in complete awe. I mean, jaw on the floor, awe. Oscar Isaac completely draws the audience in by the way each of his characters is played so differently and yet they aren’t completely devoid of each other. He convinces you of them being two different persons who stem from one life. His performance is complemented by how the scenes themselves start looking slightly different. As the person changes, the way the scene is portrayed also shifts slightly and the world becomes the perception of someone new.
Ethan Hawke is unidentifiable in the series. I say that as the highest compliment. He is Harrow and Harrow is him. He plays him so convincingly that one can’t even remember him as Hawke. He is not the same person who starred in the Before trilogy. Each character in this series is done so splendidly that it easily becomes a top competitor in the best of Marvel Phase 4.
A small ick in the series is how Layla was introduced. Her first episode was pretty bland. I didn’t root for her so find her interesting in her initial scenes, unlike Harrow and Moon Knight. Layla became a much more interesting character by her 2nd episode but in the final episode, she stole the crown. She was the best and commanded every second of her screen time. Calamawy made Marvel’s representation a blessing for everyone. She amplified the reasoning for needing representation because if Marvel hadn’t been accused of lack of representation they would never have this gem in their family.
The series was so accurate in its representation simply by doing the bare minimum of getting a cast and crew that actually belong to the place and culture. Forgetting the fact that Moon Knight itself is a well-thought story, it is the excellency in the execution that was able to make it this mind-blowing series.
From its aesthetic cinematography (cannot rave about how beautiful the Oscar Isaac drinking shirtless scene is because that itself will take an entire article for me to cover the art behind it) to its impeccable sound score, the series is everything perfect. Lastly, the costumes of the show were spot on to that of the comics. There were so many amazing details from the comics that the show was able to incorporate. They literally recreated several scenes to the point. To give examples would be to give spoilers and so please do yourself a favour and watch the series.
The Movie Culture Synopsis
A series that easily belongs to the top 5 of the best productions of Marvel Phase 4, the show was a mix of mind getting completely blown to silenced emotional processing. Oscar Isaac, Ethan Hawke and May Calamawy have done a tremendous job in portraying their characters. Here’s to hoping for one more season.
