Moon Knight's Mr. Knight Explained
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to get much bigger with the arrival of "Moon Knight" on Disney+. The latest Marvel Studios series follows the kind and socially awkward Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac) as he realizes that his sleeping problems actually stem from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) — and that his alter ego, Marc Spector, is the servant of the Egyptian Moon God Khonshu (F. Murray Abraham). If that wasn't complicated enough, he also has to deal with a bizarre cult led by the mysterious Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke) who has an interesting connection to Egyptian mythology.
Moon Knight's DID is straight out of the comics, where the character's mind houses not just Marc Spector and Steven Grant, but also personas such as cab driver Jake Lockley, a futuristic outer space version of Marc (it's complicated), and the fan-favorite Mr. Knight. Marc Spector has always been the primary identity, but the Disney+ series has made the intriguing choice to initially center on Steven Grant — a wealthy TV producer in the comics, here reimagined as a gift shop employee with a rather unique accent that was devised by Isaac himself. This is largely done to help ease the audience into Marc's world: Because Steven has no idea what's going on, it's up to the other characters and personalities to fill him — and the audience — in on the context for what's happening.
However, while the series introduces the beloved, sharp-suited Mr. Knight as early as Episode 2, the live-action version of the character is a little different from what fans might expect.
Steven Grant creates Mr. Knight
The introduction of Mr. Knight on the Disney+ series begins with the show's updated approach to Moon Knight's costume. In the comics, his hooded white ensemble is just clothes he has to change into, but in the MCU, it's a much smoother transition: Whenever he gets into a fight with cultists or huge Egyptian jackals, the hero is able to "summon" a mystical outfit — and it manifests around him out of thin air. It makes things much easier than having to run off and get changed into body armor, that's for sure.
In "Moon Knight" Episode 2, Steven and Layla (May Calamawy) are on the run from Arthur Harrow's cult — the villain wants the golden scarab compass, which will lead him to Ammit's tomb. Although Layla keeps begging Steven to summon "the suit," he can't do it — only Marc does that, not him. At this point, the gift shop worker is still grappling with the revelation about his own DID — and he's also not used to seeing Khonshu towering over him at every turn — so it's understandable that summoning a mystical costume doesn't come naturally.
However, Steven goes through a trial by fire when the cult chases him through the neighborhood, whereupon he finds himself plummeting off a building. Luckily, he figures out how to summon the suit just in time to make a superhero landing in a three-piece jacket and waistcoat look that is far more his style than Marc's hooded vigilante getup. Enter Steven's counterpart to Marc's Moon Knight: Mr. Knight.
While Mr. Knight's persona is a natural fit with Steven — particularly since the show, like any adaptation, has to streamline a complex comic book backstory — the comics version of Mr. Knight comes from different circumstances.
Mr. Knight is an entirely separate personality in the comics
Comics fans will already know that this is a huge departure from the comics. There, Mr. Knight is a completely separate identity in Marc Spector's head, rather than something Steven Grant comes up with.
While Moon Knight dishes out beatings, Mr. Knight actually investigates crimes. He first shows up in Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey's acclaimed 2014 run, and he works alongside the police. In "Moon Knight" Vol. 7 #1, Detective Flint tells a rookie cop that the police class Mr. Knight as a "concerned citizen" who represents Moon Knight, as this allows them to work with the vigilante, instead of arresting him for the actions of his more renegade Moon Knight identity. More recently, on Jed MacKay and Alessandro Cappuccio's ongoing 2021 "Moon Knight" series, Mr. Knight is also the face of the Midnight Mission (via Marvel Database) — a place he runs at night so that anyone can come in and ask for help. It also shows that he's genuinely passionate about helping people, rather than just fighting for justice in Khonshu's name. That's not to say Mr. Knight doesn't get into fights, because he's been in plenty — but he uses his head before resorting to his fists.
The sharp-suited persona doesn't come with any extra abilities, but he tends to use a pair of batons as his main weapons, as well the hero's iconic crescent moon knives. Mr. Knight makes full use of Steven's millionaire status in the comics, because he also travels around in a modified white limousine, so he's clearly got style.
Hopefully, the Disney+ series will earn a Season 2 ... because after giving such a multifaceted performance in Season 1, Oscar Isaac deserves that fancy limousine.