Who Is Duchamp From Steven's Call Log In Moon Knight Episode 1
Warning: Spoilers for "Moon Knight" Episode 1
There is a lot to unpack in the first episode of "Moon Knight," which is stacking up to be one of the most unique MCU live-action series to date. The Oscar Isaac-led program follows the story of Steven Grant, aka Marc Spector, aka Moon Knight, and how he suffers from dissociative identity disorder. Episode 1 ("The Goldfish Problem") has us living life through the eyes of Steven at first, but Marc makes an appearance by the end of the episode before turning into Moon Knight.
However, Marc is first mentioned earlier in the episode when Steven finds a mysterious cell phone in his flat. He has what appears to be dozens of missed calls from someone named Layla. She also happens to call the phone while Steven is examining it, and when he answers, she calls him Marc. Some viewers might have been enthralled in this exchange between Steven and Layla, but other viewers — you know who you are — were too busy trying to figure out the other mysterious name on the missed call log. Among all the calls from Layla, there was one from someone named Duchamp. This is a MCU property, and we know nothing is random or accidental. So who is Duchamp?
Duchamp is Marc Spector's best friend
Comic book fans of "Moon Knight" surely knew who Duchamp was as soon as they saw the name. Those not familiar with the lore might be confused, so let's put that to rest. Jean-Paul Duchamp is the best friend of Marc Spector from Marvel Comics. In fact, both men debuted in the same comic book — "Werewolf by Night" from 1975. Duchamp, aka Frenchie, met Marc while they were serving as mercenaries in North Africa. Frenchie also served as Marc's pilot. This all happened pre-Kohnshu when Frenchie and Marc were working with Raul Bushman. Eventually, Marc realizes Bushman is a no-good-very-bad person and turns on him. It's here that Marc is left for dead but is saved by Khonshu.
Based on what we know from Episode 1 of "Moon Knight," it looks like Duchamp might not know his old pal is still alive. Layla also suspected Marc was dead, so it's safe to assume Frenchie feels the same way. Maybe that's why he only called him once. Frenchie might believe his friend died in Africa but missed the whole resurrection part. Episode 1 did not depict any of Marc's backstory, but there's a chance we might see this in future episodes. We hope Frenchie makes an appearance in one of the upcoming five episodes, but the character was never really rumored to make an appearance. Here's hoping.