TV-MOVIES

Moon Knight Is Exactly The Hero The MCU Needs In This Moment

By EAMMON JACOBS

Disney+ is where Marvel is letting the most creative ideas run wild, and now comes "Moon Knight," a series following Marc Spector, a former mercenary who dons white robes to dish out brutal justice on behalf of the Egyptian moon god Khonshu. Marvel Studios has balanced his storyline in the comics with the franchise's ongoing tapestry, and it seems like the exact kind of thing Marvel needs right now.

"Moon Knight" challenges the typical hero stereotypes, as Marc Spector's character has dissociative identity disorder (DID), with several different identities that all have their own lives and unique traits. Khonshu chooses Moon Knight to become his avatar, which shows him as a reluctant hero, and that unpredictability is evident in the new TV series.

The main character is also an unreliable narrator with two identities that often find themselves in the middle of situations without knowing why. The show also gets rid of the traditional origin story and offers a different villain with Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke), as we are never sure if he is a bad guy, or if Khonshu's manipulation is just causing Marc to think of him as one.

"Moon Knight" feels like it's being kept at arm's length from the rest of the MCU, a welcome change for a franchise which constantly references itself. Moon Knight is a complex hero, and audiences should familiarize themselves with the show's weirdness before he inevitably joins the Avengers for whatever the next big event will be.