Marvel has given us so many different movies and series, it’s not possible for them to keep giving us something completely different from anything we’ve seen before, right? Well if you’re going into Moon Knight with that attitude, you’re going to be caught off guard.
The new series follows a very different kind of Marvel hero and, though there are some differences from the comics, Moon Knight is about to change up the dynamic of the MCU.
Marvel’s Disney+ originals have given us everything from a holiday romp to an array of sitcoms. Moon Knight gives us the MCU’s first mysterious psychological thriller as we try to piece together the details of Steven Grant’s tattered life. There’s this constant question of what is actually happening and we never know how we get from point A to point B. That’s all part of the fun as this fractured story pieces itself together as we go.
Eventually, and somewhat briefly, there is a complete tonal shift to straight up horror and that is something that is very exciting for Marvel fans who want to see something new. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has been mentioned as being Marvel’s first venture into horror. I would argue that Moon Knight beats it to the punch, though it does lean more heavily toward the psychological thriller genre.
The success of this show really begins and ends with Oscar Isaac though. This is a very difficult role to take on, with the character suffering from a dissociative personality, in effect turning one character into multiple. Isaac not only changes his accent, but also his voice, his attitude, his mannerisms and pretty much everything about himself at the drop of a hat. Isaac certainly already has his fans and has been recognized as a talented actor but this series is really going to launch him to the next level.
Of course, Isaac had a lot of talent to work with in this series. The most notable other name certainly belongs to Ethan Hawke, who portrays the primary antagonist of the series, depending on how you look at it I suppose. He delivers a great performance as a menacing character who doesn’t actually appear to be a threat himself.
May Calamawy is also fantastic as Layla, the troubled love interest from Steven’s mysterious past. While Steven is a lovable character on his own, Layla adds an element of heart to this series and Calamawy delivers that flawlessly. She’s another strong female character that I hope we get to see much more of in the MCU’s future.
As is typically the case with the MCU, they manage to throw a fair amount of humor into the genre to keep the audience on its toes. The voice of Khonshu creates a dynamic very reminiscent of Sony’s Venom film, which provided a fair amount of laughs. Combine that with the at-times-hilarious performance from Isaac and you’ve got some big laughs.
One thing this series does more effectively than any previous MCU project, and possibly as well as any project in general, is the mind-blowing twists and turns it delivers. Just when you are getting settled into this show and think you know where it’s going, it will completely flip the script on you and it leaves you with your jaw on the floor. So many minds are going to be blown by this series.
The only question now though is: will people be on board? Are casual fans going to be willing to go along for this wild comic book ride? On one hand, this series being different is great, but on the other it is a departure of what fans are comfortable with and it will be interesting to see if people are here for it.
One final interesting note form this series is that this is not quite the same character from the comics. There are some big differences here but they all seem to make a lot of sense. The MCU has set a precedent that requires these characters to have certain abilities so some slight alterations to the character are understandable. Still, it would be nice to see more of the street-level Moon Knight and we still might in the future.
Overall, Moon Knight is yet another great addition to the MCU. It might not be the dark, twisted version of the character we know from the comics (at least not yet) and it may be unfamiliar, but it’s also wildly entertaining. Isaac is another huge star in the MCU and this is as good a debut as anyone could have hoped for. We have another great character thrown into the Marvel mix now and it will be very exciting to see him added to the fray in the future. In the meantime though, this series is going to be absolutely mind-blowing.
Moon Knight debuts on Disney+ on March 30th.