Moon Knight, One Year On: A Retrospective

A long, probably boring video about that Moon Knight show.

#moonknight #marvel #mcu

Links to some of the articles shown in the video:

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
1:03 Part one, successes and failures
18:18 Part two, performances and characters
33:27 Part three, the issues
56:40 Part four, comic-book accuracy
01:07:01 Conclusion

P.S. Some of the audio went a bit funny in this video. I'll try to fix it for next time, but the idea of spending any more time re-editing this video is not one I can currently entertain.

Moon Knight is an American television miniseries created by Jeremy Slater for the streaming service Disney+, based on the Marvel Comics featuring the character of the same name. It is the sixth television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to be produced by Marvel Studios, sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It follows Marc Spector and Steven Grant, two alters of a man with dissociative identity disorder (DID), as they are drawn into a mystery involving Egyptian gods. Slater serves as head writer with Mohamed Diab leading the directing team. Marc Spector, a mercenary who has dissociative identity disorder (DID), is drawn into a deadly mystery involving Egyptian gods with his multiple alters, such as Steven Grant. The series follows Steven Grant, a mild-mannered gift-shop employee, who becomes plagued with blackouts and memories of another life. Steven discovers he has dissociative identity disorder and shares a body with mercenary Marc Spector. As Steven/Marc’s enemies converge upon them, they must navigate their complex identities while thrust into a deadly mystery among the powerful gods of Egypt.

[PillarofGarbage]

Hello! This is, by a wide margin, the longest video I’ve made. It took over a month to get done, with more than a few late nights involved. Pragmatically speaking, I can’t really justify this sort of slow, long project much at the moment – but if you want to help change this, likes, shares, and especially Patreon sign-ups are very much appreciated!

[crimsonmaverick]

Watching Oscar Isaac portray both Mark and Steven often at once was insane. He truly seems like two different people.

[TomboTime]

Moon Knight is an anomaly. I didn't know a show could be so different from the rest of the MCU and so exactly the same as the rest of the MCU at the same time. It's uncanny.

[Empress-Sky-of-Brynn]

As the child of an Egyptologist (Rest in Peace, Mom) I had fun with the mystical side of the show, and as someone who has struggled with mental health for a long time a lot of this show hit hard. The moment that sold me that Oscar Isaac is a brilliant actor was his breakdown in the asylum. I'm very familiar with that exact situation and I was completely convinced of Mark's psychic break

[ShirDeutch]

As a secular Jewish (or more accurately, atheist) whose mother died when I was 20, that scene outside the Shiva was really powerful. It's pretty challenging to depict a Jewish character without making them religious or wear a Star of David necklace or having them say "happy Hanukkah" or flat out declaring "I'm just a nice Jewish guy" like they basically did with Barry Allen on Justice League, and a Shiva is really good way to do it because it transcends religion, it's cultural. And when he throws down the kipa, thus rejecting religion, I felt really seen.

[Mazekial]

32:39 (Basically the "there's a sense that Layla feels more real, less performed" stuff) Hard agree. There's a moment of hers in Episode 4 that I literally never see talked about that just really WORKED for me (around 23:57, if anyone with Disney+ wants to go back).

Basically, her character has just barely survived a harrowing and intense scuffle with some unknown monster, been almost hurled off a cliff when she tried to throw it off said cliff, and barely crawled back to relative safety. Normally, this is where a typical strong, gung-ho Marvel character would just show how "cool" and unphased they are by hopping to their feet to rush off and face the next encounter, but instead Layla at this moment just...breaks down for a bit. She sighs and screams in panic and relief, finally in a position where she can afford to process the terror of it all without the immediate threat of death. It really reminded me that she--at this time, at least--was just a NORMAL HUMAN in something as deadly as the MCU, and I can see most people reacting the same in that position.

I don't know if that was all her performance, good direction, solid editing selection, or a culmination of all the above, but that vulnerability stuck with me as a perfect cap for that scene.

[leonardocerqueiradias]

I started the show knowing absolutely nothing about DID. After I finished it, I was so invested that I heavily researched about it. I found a lot of content creators with DID and learned more and more about it. To me, Moon Knight was a catalyst to learn about something so far away from me that I honestly would probably never learn otherwise. And that's a win. That's already more than 99% of the shows I watch.

[acemagalor]

Honestly I’m glad you brought up the Egyptian perspective in this video, I’m not Egyptian myself but as a child I grew up in a highly populated middle eastern community and sentiments of being demonized and misrepresented in media tan incredibly high with the people there, especially after 9/11, so seeing a show that embraced the landscape and people authentically brought a smile to my face

[Carabas]

The weirdest accusations towards this show that I have seen is that Layla is the real main character with Steven/Marc having only a minor role. And I've seen that one a lot.

[ZayniacJack]

As a die-hard Moon Knight fan it's nice to hear such a nuanced and researched take on the show. I really enjoyed it despite it's differences and it's a great starting point for the character in the MCU and it's nice to see someone break everything down in a way that explains each point with some really valid reasoning.

[NotUlpoadingAnything]

The final asylum scene IS in the wrong place. It was supposed to happen right as Marc and Steven were running through Osiris' gate back to life. Steven saying "We'd rather go save the world" then falling backwards was supposed to transition to them waking up in the tomb, mirroring when Marc fell backwards into the water. In the spot where the scene wound up was meant to be a confrontation scene between Marc, Steven, and their mother Wendy. The episode got re-edited last minute without telling anyone and that's why it's shorter.

[CrossOutBryce]

Honestly, this video just reaffirmed why I liked Moon Knight so much. It's not crazy comic accurate, but its positives FAR outweigh its negatives. You can tell there's so much love, effort, and care on all levels to make a unique and entertaining show in the superhero genre.

[lizzycorona]

MK being Latino could parallel Marc's dad being a refugee from the comics. If Marc's family fled the Guatemalan genocide or Cuba after the revolution (as did most Sephardic Jews) it could modernize and culturally contextualize his origin. Or both, I like to think Marc's mom was Guatemalan and dad was Cuban, as is Oscar Isaac irl ethnicity.

[Hey-Its-Dingo]

The only major criticism I have seen from commenters, and friends, who have DID is the fear that Jake Lockley will end up being characterized as a "Serial Killer Alter" which has been a very harmful stereotype in media portrayals of DID for centuries. I have seen a headcanon floating around from many of them, and I really like it myself: Rather than being a flat "muder alter" Jake should be characterized as a man who actually believes in Khonshu's Justice, wholeheartedly. It would be a nice "have your cake and eat it too" of portraying a DID alter who regularly murders people in droves.

[frenchfriedbagel]

I think the issue with the “Are you and Egyptian superhero?” Bit is that it feels like Marvels just taking a megaphone an going “WE HAVE EGYPTIAN REPRESENTATION!!”.
I think if they just made the line “are you a superhero?” And Laylas reaction to that being the realization of “holy **** I am a superhero”. It would come off more as a genuine character moment instead of pandering. It wouldn’t suddenly make her ethnicity a focus of the scene for no reason.

[supersleepyboys]

as a system with DID, we found the show very enjoyable, and incredibly relatable, to the point of discomfort at times. they managed to handle DID fairly well given how its been portrayed in almost any other mainstream piece of media, and we felt like they did well with the dramatizations, a la the mirror scenes, or the dissociative effects. we're really, really hopeful we see more of them going forward, as our only complaint realistically lies with the idea of jake being portrayed as a more "evil" alter, given he only shows up to commit violence, but that can all be worked into the character and made less stereotypical when jake is given more than 30 seconds of screentime. we agree with you overall, and will be going back to watch some of your older moon knight stuff, its exciting to see someone talking about it a year later!

[mejuliie]

As someone who hasn't read the comics, I absolutely loved it. I can understand that some comic fans might feel differently.
For me, Mark/Steven's dynamic - them getting to know, and accept each other - was the highlight of the show. The episodes dealing with their past (and origin) was just beautiful, and I definitely shed more than one tear.
I've heard some good feedback from people with DID. Even if it isn't perfect, it definitely has opened up a conversation about DID *with* people with DID. Talking with them, instead of about them.

[mandalorianhunter]

To me I think it was a okay starting point that can evolve into something more if they are willing to allow the darker aspects of the character to be shown on screen.

Tap into his trauma, his violent nature and the morality that can differentiate the three personas from each other and other heroes.

I honestly do want to see him cross over with other heroes and hopefully Thor one day.

[jeremyusreevu]

This show doesn't have Moon Knight demanding Dracula for his money, 0/10.

[johndaily]

The juxtaposition of Marvel’s subtlety (or typical lack thereof) with the brief clip from Falcon and the Winter Soldier is *chef’s kiss*.

I find the anger of people towards fictional media to be baffling, humorous, and quite sad. The Star Wars prequel trilogy, e.g., was intensely disappointing as someone who grew up with the original trilogy, but I never made death threats or wrote angry letters to the newspaper.