"Moon Knight" is the upcoming Disney+ series that stars Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector,
aka Moon Knight, one of the more unique characters in Marvel comics. This former mercenary suffers
from a dissociative identity disorder that has manifested in different ways over the years.
In one iteration of the character, Spector saw visions of Spider-Man,
Wolverine, and Captain America guiding him as he fought crime.
Based on the official trailer, it looks like the show will put its own spin on the character.
For starters, the series begins with Marc living under another of his identities,
a bumbling museum gift shop employee named Steven Grant who seemingly has no
memory of his other selves. One day, Steven begins experiencing dream-like visions that
convince him he's losing his mind, but then he realizes the visions are actually real.
"I can't tell the difference between my waking life and dreams."
In some of them, Steven appears as the gray-cloaked Moon Knight,
a vigilante for the Egyptian moon god Khonshu.
Any superhero is only as good as their villain, and the official "Moon Knight" trailer
finally revealed who the Moon Knight will be facing: Dr. Arthur Harrow. Even diehard
Marvel-heads might not be familiar with the not-so-good doctor, so here's a quick explainer.
Dr. Harrow appears in just one issue of the "Moon Knight" comics, the second issue of Volume 2,
which was published in 1985. In the comics, he's a Nobel Prize-nominated researcher
who specializes in pain tolerance. Upon his nomination for the Nobel Prize in medicine,
he begins to draw the suspicions of one Dr. Victoria Grail. She doesn't believe
he's been able to accomplish all that he's done on animal test subjects alone.
She makes a shocking realization he's been using human test subjects against their will
with experiments inspired by Nazi researchers who wanted to make humans invulnerable to pain.
All of this is spearheaded by the sinister think tank known as O.M.N.I.U.M.
Fortunately, Dr. Grail has back-up in a big way. Marc Spector receives a vision informing him of
Dr. Harrow's true intentions. The two team up to break into Dr. Harrow's laboratory to stop his
evil ways once and for all. Although Dr. Harrow escapes in the story, he hasn't popped up in the
comics since, but he's about to make a grand debut once again in the Disney+ series, "Moon Knight."
While it's easy to catch up with the lore surrounding Dr. Harrow,
it's unclear how much good it will do in the lead-up to the latest Marvel show.
Based on the trailer alone, it would seem there are some distinct differences between
the Dr. Harrow from the comics and the one being played by Ethan Hawke.
To begin, the comic version of Dr. Harrow suffers from a condition called Trigeminal Neuralgia,
which results in facial paralysis. It also causes the left side of his mouth to remain
in a permanent grimace. It would seem like the Disney+ iteration doesn't have this disease,
but anything could happen over the course of six episodes.
Additionally, the "Moon Knight" trailer suggests Dr. Harrow will be a cult leader as well as a
researcher if the legions of fans bowing to his whim are any indication. Ethan Hawke himself
actually confirmed that cult leader status. In an interview with Seth Myers, the actor stated,
"I've based my character on David Koresh."
"Have you really?"
"Yes."
Koresh was the leader of the Branch Davidians, claiming to be a final prophet. He played
an integral role in the Waco siege of 1993, ultimately resulting in his death.
In terms of what cult Dr. Harrow could lead in the Disney+ series, it's possible it's
the Cult of Khonshu. In the comics, this is the Egyptian deity who gives Moon Knight his powers,
and in the modern-day versions of the character, he has a cult of his own.
After all, Dr. Harrow encourages Marc Spector to "embrace the chaos," so
perhaps he wants to use the next avatar of Khonshu for his own nefarious ends.
More will undoubtedly be revealed about the character in the following weeks.
Otherwise, Disney+ and Marvel Studios have kept their plans for the character under wraps.
We'll know more when "Moon Knight" premieres on March 30, 2022.
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