Moon Knight: Episode 2

2. Summon the Suit

Steven Grant is sacked from his job after footage of him fighting an invisible enemy at the museum is dismissed as a plea for psychiatric help. He then discovers a storage room with a stashed bag full of money, an American passport in Marc Spector’s name, and a flying scarab beetle, as Marc demands that he relinquishes control of the host body to him. He then casually runs into Layla (May Calamawy), an Egyptian adventurer who introduces herself as the soon-to-be-divorced wife of Marc Spector. As Steven is kidnapped by Harrow and his men, the latter shows the former how his cult operates and highlights the difference between the brand of justice that Khonshu (Karim El Hakim/F. Murray Abraham) and Ammit espouse. He also reveals that he used to be Khonshu’s Avatar and that the Egyptian god is a liar. A ruckus ensues allowing a new personality, Mr. Knight, to surface. Harrow gains possession of the scarab beetle necessary to resurrect Ammit. Marc is taken by Khonshu to Egypt for a preemptive strike.

I so love this show. Never in the history of the MCU have they presented a man-versus-himself conflict as fun as they are doing here, both in terms of storyline and execution. The abundant use of mirrors and reflections facilitates a creative and artistic vibe overall, and any narrative shining a light on mental illness is worth it in my book. Khonshu being arrogant and aggressive also makes for a hilarious buddy comedy akin to what Sony did with Venom. The fact that they begin the story in medias res makes referring to this show as an origin story a bit tricky. When you have a non-linear narrative like this, it is either the love interest or the sidekick who usually serves as an anchor for discovery, but since the main character has multiple personalities, we are left with a clever plot device to see everything from his POV, basically the same person but a different character. With the introduction of yet another persona via Mr. Knight, I wonder how many more personalities are fighting over control of Steven Grant’s body.

“I serve Khonshu. I'm his Avatar. Which means you are too. Sort of.” –Marc Spector

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