Moon Knight’s first season was a riveting change of pace for the MCU; it’s a largely standalone, mental health-focused origin story of the lesser-known hero derived from Egyptian Mythology. Since Disney+ arrived in late 2019, Marvel has prioritized its new television medium and used it to tell uniquely grounded and character-focused stories. Moon Knight embraces that format with open arms by exploring the mind of Marc Spector and his multiple personalities, his troubled past, and his relationships with his wife, family, and the Egyptian Moon-God Khonshu. A different type of hero, one who needs plenty of saving himself, Moon Knight shines on a much more relatable level than other MCU heroes.
In six episodes, audiences traverse the roller-coaster of emotions that is Marc and Steven’s journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance. Alongside an onslaught of MCU-stapled action, comedy, and stunning VFX is a tragic, introspective, drama about what it takes to be a hero, not just for the world, but for yourself. Moon Knight is at its best when it pushes past MCU expectations and revels in the beautiful mess that is Marc Spector’s mind. While awaiting word on where Moon Knight will appear next — whether there will be a season 2 — here are the top five moments featured in season 1 of the Disney+ origin story.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
5 Moon Knight’s Reveal
Marvel Studios
Moon Knight’s premiere uses some wildly unconventional storytelling techniques to hide Steven Grant’s mental health disorder and build suspense until the episode’s final minutes reveal his superhero alter ego, Moon Knight. While it may have confused some viewers unfamiliar with Moon Knight’s comic book backstory, the use of blackouts, where time and action pass for both the protagonist and the audience, adds a sense of mystery and dual relatability to the character and story. Both Steven and the audience are motivated to figure out why these blackouts are happening and the lack of control or predictability over the situation is extremely fear-inducing.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
After struggling to deal with a myriad of villains throughout the episode, Steven is cornered by a reanimated Egyptian Jackal in a bathroom in the final minutes. As he awaits death or perhaps a wake-up from the nightmarish reality, Steven’s true persona, Marc, speaks to him through the bathroom’s mirrors, pleading for him to relinquish control over their body. Just as he does, the Jackal enters, but is greeted by a much more capable figure. This climactic reveal of Steven’s multiple personalities and his status as the super-powered, Moon Knight, along with the reveal of the beautifully badass costume, makes it one of the show’s top moments.
4 Khonshu and Other Egyptian Gods
Disney Platform Distribution
Mythology and deities are no new concept to the MCU thanks to Thor and the rest of Asgard, and Black Panther’s visits to the Ancestral Plane; however, Moon Knight’s inclusion of 10-foot-tall manifestations of Egyptian gods is oddly invigorating. Beyond them being visually stunning, each god, especially Khonshu who receives the most screen time, is a vivid character alongside their human avatars. Khonshu is selfish and unconcerned with his avatar’s feelings as long as he’s keeping them alive, focused on completing the mission, and not allowing Steven to be in the driver’s seat. Khonshu’s scenes are easily among the best of the series alongside the other featured gods, Tawaret and Ammit.
3 Jake Lockley
Marc and Steven’s identity crisis didn’t end with the discovery and acceptance of each other; throughout the season, there were hints at a third, explosively violent identity that remained a mystery to the audience until the end-credit scene of the finale. Jake Lockley is an identity taken from the comics, but, like the other identities, seems to be slightly altered for Marvel’s live-action Moon Knight. He’s Khonshu’s favorite identity because he has even less of Steven and Marc’s empathetic and thoughtful qualities. This leads Khonshu to keep Marc/Steven/Jake as his avatar and conceal himself from the other two identities by solely acting through Jake’s violent and apathetic persona. Lockley’s reveal in the end-credits scene of Moon Knight’s final episode personifies the character perfectly as he ruthlessly executes a subdued and non-threatening Harrow. The cooperation between Lockley and Khonshu is terrifying, yet hilarious and this dynamic will be explored thoroughly wherever we see Moon Knight next in the MCU.
2 Scarlet Scarab
Marvel Studios / Disney
May Calamawy’s Layla is one of the strongest characters introduced in all the Marvel shows and that’s largely because of her performance and the writers’ inventiveness in creating a completely new character for the show. Though Layla is based on Marc’s girlfriend from the comics, Marlene, Moon Knight writers have formed a much more independent, skilled, and deep character than the frequent “damsel in distress” that is Marlene in the comics. Layla often appears mentally stronger than Marc throughout the show and uses her knowledge of Egyptian culture, archeology, and science to combat Harrow and his followers. However, in the final episode, Layla is given her moment to shine as she allows the Egyptian goddess Tawaret to inhabit her, and she becomes her avatar. Layla transforms into a superhero of her own, the Scarlet Scarab. The ensuing fight scenes featuring Moon Knight and Scarlet Scarab are incredibly fun and dynamic, making for some of the best action sequences in the entire show.
1 Marc and Steven in the Duat
While many of Moon Knight’s best moments feature exciting action, larger-than-life characters, and mind-bending twists, no moment was more important to the story than Marc and Steven’s time in the Duat in episodes 4-6. The Duat is the Egyptian afterlife, a purgatory-like place where one’s soul awaits judgement and eventual sentencing to their final resting place. It’s here that Marc and Steven must face the reality of their mental health issues and confront the reasons their identities formed in the first place. As they traverse The Duat, manifested as a mental health facility, Steven and Marc reveal heartbreaking memories of their abusive mother, the tragic loss of their little brother, and an adolescence filled with rebellion and grief. The Moon Knight producers and writers did an incredible job hiding Marc’s tragic background until just the right moment — just as it seemed all hope was lost, Marc and Steven were forced to confront the past to move forward.
