Withnew promotional imagesreleased just days ago ofMarvel’supcoming streaming series,Moon Knight,fans are supremely excited for what lies in store. Among the Marvel comic characters, Moon Knight is a fan-favorite, though audiences only familiar with theMCUmay be unsure what to expect from the antihero. Much likeThe Defenders(and its solo series counterparts), this is sure to be a darker, more adult take on the superhero genre.
RELATED:Oscar Isaac Performances to Watch Before ‘Moon Knight’With its starring role filled byOscar Isaac, audiences can look forward toMoon Knightbeing a refreshing take, very different from its typical movies. But what is there to know about Marc Spector, the Moon Knight himself, before the series premieres?
Moon Knight is a High Priest of the Moon God Khonshu
In the comics, Spector is left for dead in a desert, though he manages to make his way into an Egyptian tomb. His remaining allies and friends take care to lay his body beneath an idol of the moon god in the tomb before he dies, and this ends up saving his life.Spector’s spirit meets Khonshu, who restores his life in exchange for his service.
RELATED:‘Moon Knight:’ Who is Khonshu, The Egyptian God Who Shows Up in the Trailer?This trade-off ensures Spector survives and creates the opening for his becoming the vigilante Moon Knight, protecting people at night. Whether the show begins with this moment or not, it’s likely that audiences will see some part of it, considering it’s the meat of Spector’s origin story.
Marc Spector has Dissociative Identity Disorder
If audiences have any worries about the series prior to the premiere, this is where they stem from. In the comics, Marc Spector has Dissociative Identity Disorder, or DID. The inciting incident is a traumatic experience in his late childhood, where he fought a family friend who had been revealed to be a serial killer. As a result, Spector’s father sends him to a psychiatric hospital, where his first two alters, Steven Grant and Jake Lockley, are discovered. A number of fans are hesitant to see mental illness portrayed in Marvel properties, worrying that it won’t be done justice. In the past, Marvel has portrayed the PTSD of a number of characters with some grace, including recently inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Given this, hopefully,Marvel will handle Spector’s dissociative identity disorderwith thoughtfulness.
Marc Spector is Jewish
Surprisingly related to his DID, the comics portray Marc and his family as Jewish. The connection comes from the old family friend that triggered his condition, Rabbi Yitz Perlman, who was revealed to actually be Ernst, a Nazi deserter and serial killer of Jewish people.
The son of a rabbi who escaped Hitler-invaded Czechoslovakia as a child, the betrayal and attempted murder of Marc are traumatic to the young man, ultimately setting off his experiences with DID. Though Isaac is not Jewish, it is unknown if the creators of the show intend on changing this backstory in any meaningful way.
Moon Knight Works Alone
Given the propensity of Marvel characters to create and join superhero groups, Marc Spector’s preference to work alone sets him apart. This isn’t to say he’s never worked with a team - the comics have seen Spector work alongside the West Coast Avengers, the Secret Avengers, and the Heroes for Hire, among others.
RELATED:Who is Mr. Knight, the Character in the Latest ‘Moon Knight’ Poster?Still, unlike other vigilantes, Spector typically works on his own. Despite this, however, he does operate with a series of informants, including using one of his alters to gather information as a taxi driver. Audiences can likely expect to see him working with a whole ensemble of characters serving as his informants in the series.
Marc Spector Has a Daughter
When Spector is still acting as a mercenary during the mission that would ultimately promise his servitude to the moon god in exchange for his life, he ends up meeting archeologist Peter Alraune and his daughter, Marlene. Though Peter is killed by the man who ultimately leaves Spector for dead in the desert, his daughter survives and is part of the group that lays Spector by the idol of Khonshu in the tomb. Following his revival, Spector moves to New York to begin his journey as Moon Knight, and Marlene is among those who accompany him.
RELATED:‘Moon Knight’ Featurette Reveals New Footage of Oscar Isaac’s Otherworldly HeroThey become lovers, though they often agree to separate so as not to endanger Marlene with Moon Knight business. During one of their on-again times, the two conceive a daughter, Diatrice Alraune, who Marc endeavors to protect when she becomes threatened by his vigilantism. It seems unlikely that Diatrice will appear in the show, given that she isn’t present at the beginning of Moon Knight’s journey, but she could appear in later seasons.
Moon Knight Established the Midnight Mission
Following a series of battles that led to Spector renouncing Khonshu as his god, he decided to open a congregation called the Midnight Mission to continue on his path of protecting people at night. He claimed territory in Manhattan for this purpose and opened his doors to anyone who needed him. In the comics, one of his earliest escapades with the Midnight Mission is helping a group of people who have been turned into vampires by a pyramid scheme.
One of the vampires affected, Reese, plead for mercy and eventually became the Midnight Mission’s receptionist and Moon Knight’s right hand. While, like Spector’s daughter, it’s unlikely audiences will see the Midnight Mission show up early on in the series, it could be a nice hook for another season.
NEXT:‘Moon Knight:’ Release Date, Trailer, Cast, and Everything We Know So Far
