Yesterday’s Disney Plus Day celebrations revealed our first look at one of Marvel’s most intriguing upcoming TV series, Moon Knight. The teaser footage seemed to promise the darkest Marvel Studios show yet, as it looks to have much more in common with Netflix’s Daredevil than Loki or WandaVision. And not just in terms of its many nighttime shots or its dour title character. The footage also gave us our first glimpse at Moon Knight’s fractured psyche.
A big reason why Moon Knight — real name: Marc Spector — is one of the grittier heroes in Marvel’s pantheon is because he suffers from DID (Dissociative Personality Disorder). The first look at the series confirmed this key part of his character will be retained for the MCU as it featured star Oscar Isaac speaking in at least two different voices, a British accent and one closer to his own.
Spector, a former U.S. Marine, has four alternate personalities in the comics: billionaire business mogul Steven Grant, cab driver Jake Lockley, young girl Inner Child and suited Mr. Knight. The comics have been inconsistent over whether his DiD developed due to childhood trauma or if it was actually the work of the Moon God Khonshu, the deity who chooses him to be his avatar as an adult.
Khonshu has claimed that he created a psychic connection with Spector during his youth, having already decided he would be his champion, the left Fist of Khonshu. His personalities are supposed to echo the four major sides of the god’s multi-faceted nature: “the traveler”, “the pathfinder”, “the embracer” and the “defender of those who travel at night”.
Marvel could feasibly switch up Marc’s other identities in the show, but the teaser reveals a brief glimpse at his Mr. Knight white suit so it looks like they might be hewing very close to the comics on this one. After fans have been waiting decades for the character to make his jump to live-action, Moon Knight arrives on Disney Plus sometime in 2022.