Some national or national deities are internationally known, such as the Egyptian gods Osiris, Horus or Ra. One of them is Khonshu: This moon god from ancient Egypt appears not only in historical traditions, but also in pop culture.
Khonshu plays a central role in Marvel Comics as he turns the dying Marc Spector into the sinister hero Moon Knight, who is also getting his own streaming series on Disney+ starting this Wednesday.
Even though Spector appeared in August 1975 in the 32nd issue of the comic series “Werewolf by Night” by author Doug Moench and the illustrators Don and Howie Perlin, his mystical origin story is only revealed from 1980 with the start of his solo comic series.
Marc Spector has been many things in his life – martial arts professional, marine, secret service agent, boxer and weapons expert. But as a mercenary on a mission in Africa, a conflict between him and terrorist Raoul Bushman escalates when he kills archaeologist Peter Alraune. Bushman also defeats Spector, leaving him near death in the desert.
But with the last of his strength, the injured man can drag himself to the excavation site examined by Alraune. He mysteriously comes back to life in front of a statue of the moon god Khonshu, puts on the statue’s cloak and, as the avatar of the moon god, exacts revenge on Bushman’s henchmen.
Four personalities in one
With an upgraded outfit consisting of a mask, hood and robe in silvery white, as well as a variety of classic fighting tools such as an ivory boomerang, scarab arrows or throwing sickles, he has continued his fight against evil ever since.
Over time, Spector’s biography has also been expanded to include a striking psychopathological trait: Marc suffers from a dissociative identity disorder, commonly known as multiple personality.
He lives out at least four different alter egos – and in addition to his private life as Marc Spector and his superhero role as Moon Knight or Mr. Knight, he also leads another existence as a millionaire playboy entrepreneur named Steven Grant or as a hard-nosed taxi driver Jake Lockley.
In the comics, Moon Knight is repeatedly supported in his adventures by his French sidekick and helicopter pilot Frenchie and by his lover Marlene Alraune. But he’s also fought alongside fellow superheroes like Spider-Man and the Punisher, and at times joined hero teams like the West Coast Avengers and Captain America’s Secret Avengers.
Over the decades, a large number of well-known artists have also taken on Moon Knight’s turbulent adventures: Among them Avant-garde draftsman Bill Sienkiewicz, the Canadian comic star Jeff Lemire, the draftsman David Finch and the British author Warren Ellis.
In the Shadow of Spider-Man and Co.
This Wednesday, “Moon Knight” starts on the streaming channel Disney +, the title hero is played by Oscar Isaac (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, “Dune”). In addition to the Marvel comics about famous superheroes like “Spider-Man”, “The Incredible Hulk” or “Captain America”, “Moon Knight” has had a rather shadowy existence since the 1970s.
Before Oscar Isaac took on the title role in the new streaming series on Disney+, he too had no idea who or what Moon Knight was. “Zero! I didn’t know anything,” says Isaac in an interview with the German Press Agency. “Then I did a quick look and I was like, okay, a superhero who has dissociative identity disorder, who’s Jewish but enslaved by an Egyptian god! Yes, there is a lot in it.”
The plot of the film adaptation uses many storylines directly from the comics. It begins with Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac) living a low-key life in London. He works in the British Museum’s souvenir shop, where he is largely ignored by colleagues, and has little success with women.
But Steven has a dark side that he needs to understand first. Again and again he is plagued by strange blackouts in which he loses control over himself, hears a strange voice and sometimes becomes violent. Before he goes to sleep, he chains himself to the bed.
After a particularly odd experience, meeting the shady Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke) and the startling revelation that he is married to Layla El-Faouly (May Calamawy), Steve begins to come to terms with dissociative identity disorder Has.
The first installment of the six-part Marvel series is an adventurous and exciting tour de force. The creators succeed in balancing absurd humor and exciting, sometimes scary moments. The action scenes are on cinema level.
A psychiatrist as an advisor to the film crew
The comic series from Marvel about the hero in the white costume has changed radically over the decades. “I saw an opportunity there,” says Isaac. Because in order to fill the series character with life, Marvel President Kevin Feige gave him a lot of creative freedom.
The 43-year-old surpasses himself in a double role. “The first few months I was just shooting as Steven, to live in this world and settle in,” he says. “The longer we’ve been around, the more I’ve mastered this character, the better I’ve been able to jump between characters.”
Playing a person with dissociative identity disorder was a special challenge. “But that’s what I found so exciting about it,” says Isaac. A psychiatrist was hired as a consultant for the series. “Getting involved with this issue and someone it affects, on a stage as massive as a Marvel series, was a real opportunity for us to use this big comic book adaptation to talk about something real, that based on experience.”
It is not yet clear where Steven and Marc’s journey will lead and what role Layla and Arthur will play in it. It is quite possible that, as in previous Marvel series, other well-known Marvel characters will appear on the Disney+ streaming service, such as “WandaVision” or “Hawkeye”.
It’s already safe to say that Oscar Isaac is a new star in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to the first impression, “Moon Knight” is an original, exciting and entertaining series that could finally end the shadowy existence of its main character.