By: Nektarios Donas

The Moon Knight, a highly anticipated six-episode series produced by Marvel Studios, debuted on March 30th exclusively on Disney+. It is the 32nd project in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The series will likely be one of Marvel’s darker projects as the central premise deals with an individual with a severe mental health disorder.  

Marc Spector (played by Oscar Isaac), the main character, finds out that he suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) after experiencing constant blackouts. He has many different personalities, including Marc Spector, Moon Knight, Steven Grant, Jake Lockley, and Mr. Knight. Marc Spector, the original personality, was a mercenary for many years before his fight with Raoul Bushman, a mercenary with superior training. This fight left Spector in critical condition, and with little hope of survival left, he was placed in front of a statue of the Egyptian Moon God of Vengeance, Khonshu. This encounter left him with super-human powers. In return for his life, he was to fight for vengeance on behalf of Khonshu. This event is what created his alter ego, the Moon Knight. He has a full white suit, which masks his identity, with a cape and a crescent moon symbol on his chest. This identity comes out at night because he gains strength during this time of day, specifically on nights with full moons. After being left to die, his goal is to inflict fear and pain on criminals, similar to Raoul Bushman. This lust for vengeance leads to recklessness while fighting and cruelty towards the people he fights. However, this is not the Moon Knight’s only personality.  His other personality, known as Mr. Knight, wears a full white dress suit and a white mask that seals his identity. He does the detective work while Moon Knight does all the fighting. In the comics, his other prominent personality, Steven Grant, is a billionaire businessman who invested Spector’s money to make billions. However, it seems like Grant will not be the billionaire businessman he was in the comics, but a museum gift shop worker. The last personality, Jake Lockley, disguises himself to deal with and get information from people who may have grudges against the other versions. Some believe that Lockley was teased in the trailer; however, it is not disclosed whether or not this personality will be present in the series.

The trailer was released in mid-January to get fans excited for the series, but the trailer is confusing due to Spector’s mental struggles.  The trailer begins with Spector throwing up a Rubik’s cube, saying he can’t distinguish between real life and his dreams. He chains himself to his bed to stop himself from changing personalities. The next part of the trailer deals with a woman named Layla, who is unknown in the Marvel world, asking about Marc’s well-being. Since he is currently Steven Grant, he is puzzled by this question. The trailer then cuts to a man named Arthur Harrow (played by Ethan Hawke), who is thought to be the villain of the series, telling Marc that there is chaos inside him and he has to embrace it. As “Embrace the chaos” is said by Harrow, the trailer cuts to Spector transitioning into the Moon Knight. He violently attacks this creature without holding back to get vengeance. This trailer has me very excited for the miniseries as it is the first of its kind, revealing the darker side of the MCU that only sometimes shows its face.