Moon Knight's 5 Multiple Personalities Explained | Screen Rant
Marvel Studios' next Disney+ venture, Moon Knight, will serve as Marc Spector's MCU debut and is confirmed to explore at least a few of his 5 different personalities. The MCU series will star Oscar Isaac as Moon Knight, with Ethan Hawke playing Dr. Arthur Harrow, the main antagonist of the show. The upcoming Disney+ release will feature Moon Knight's origin story and will delve deep into the character's ties to Egyptian mythology, as well as Marc Spector's Dissociative Identity Disorder.
Moon Knight is often compared to Batman, a comparison that does the Marvel character injustice by reducing him to a Bruce Wayne copycat. There are multiple aspects of Moon Knight's character that set him apart from the DC icon. For starters, Moon Knight actually possesses superhuman abilities that are tied to the lunar cycle of the moon, which is why Moon Knight operates mainly at night. Moon Knight's powers originate from the Egyptian moon god Khonshu, who imbued Marc Spector with a sliver of his power to serve as his priest. What really sets Moon Knight's character apart from any other comic book hero, however, is his psychological condition.
Marc Spector is only one of five different personalities the character appears as in the comics, each of which has a different role to serve to aid in Moon Knight's vigilantism. The most recent Moon Knight comic run confirmed the five different identities and elaborated on why these five identities came to be. In the source material, the character can appear as Marc Spector, Steven Grant, Jake Lockley, Mr. Knight, or Moon Knight. Oscar Isaac is sure to have an opportunity to put his acting chops on display when he plays the multi-dimensional character Moon Knight, especially considering that each of his 5 identities is constantly vying for control of his mind.
Moon Knight's multiple personalities are widely believed to be caused by Marc Spector's Dissociative Identity Disorder, but recent comic issues revealed that this might not be entirely true. While conversing with his psychologist in Moon Knight Vol. 7 issue #2, Marc Spector discovered that his other personalities are a result of the Egyptian deity Khonshu colonizing his mind. Khonshu is said to have four aspects; Pathfinder, Embracer, Defender, and the Watcher of Overnight Travelers. These four aspects materialized as different personalities in Spector's mind as a way to cope with the mental damage caused by his mystical link to the moon god. While Spector did display dissociative episodes as a child due to experiencing several traumatic events, the severity of his condition was amplified by Khonshu's constant presence in his mind. It remains unclear which of Spector's personalities reflects each aspect of Khonshu, all that is known is that the Watcher of Overnight Travelers aspect of the deity manifests as the hero Moon Knight.
Marc Spector is the original identity of the multi-layered character. Spector was raised by a rabbi on the poor side of Chicago and grew up to become a Marine. After the military discovered his history of mental instability, he was dishonorably discharged and briefly joined the CIA. After leaving the CIA, Marc participated in illegal fights for money, which led him to become a mercenary. Using the skills he picked during his 3 years of service, Spector carried out assassinations and rescue missions across the African Continent (which became essential to Moon Knight's origin). On one of his missions as a gun for hire, Spector was ambushed by the villain Raul Bushman and was left for dead in the Egyptian desert. Gravely injured, Marc Spector managed to reach the tomb of Khonshu, the Egyptian moon god, where he seemingly died at the feet of a statue of the deity. Spector's spirit encountered the moon god in the ethereal plane, where Khonshu offered to save Marc's life in exchange for his eternal service as his high priest, to which Spector agreed.
Steven Grant was the first identity to fully manifest in Marc's mind, first appearing to Marc as a friend when he was a boy. Steven Grant is a millionaire who funds Moon Knight's crime-fighting adventures and is the reason Moon Knight can afford all of his gadgets and weaponry. Grant gained this fortune by taking Marc's savings and using it to play Wall Street. In more recent issues, Grant used his fortune to launch a movie studio to grow his fortune. Steven Grant is a public figure with a breadth of wealthy connections, the complete opposite of Spector's other personality, Jake Lockley.
Jake Lockley, the second personality to manifest in Marc's mind, is a cab driver in New York City. Lockley is street-smart, he keeps his ears to the ground and communicates with thugs and informants. He is essentially Moon Knight's private eye since the information he uncovers is essential to Moon Knight's vigilante efforts. Throughout Moon Knight's violent crime-fighting career Lockley managed to create a network of informants, including characters like Bertrand Crawley, Gena Landers, and her two sons, Ricky and Ray, all of which became very close friends of Spector.
Mr. Knight is Spector's newest identity. Mr. Knight is the identity that usually converses with Marc's psychiatrist and civilians seeking help. Mr. Knight quickly became a fan favorite version of the character, probably due to his unique fashion sense. Mr. Knight always wears a crisp, all-white bespoke suit with a white shirt, white tie, and white shoes. He also wears white gloves and a white mask with the outline of a crescent moon on his forehead.
Contrary to popular belief, Moon Knight is not an alter-ego of Marc Spector, rather, he's his own separate identity. Moon Knight is the fist of Khonshu and his high priest and is sworn to do his bidding for eternity. Moon Knight is known for his iconic white suit and cowl, which he wears to ensure that his opponents see him coming. The sliver of Khonshu's power imbued within Marc Spector is the reason for Moon Knight's powers and abilities. The hero's powers are varied and include superhuman strength, speed, and durability, as well as lunar strength, which makes him significantly more powerful at night under the moonlight, especially on full moons.
Moon Knight is one of the more popular Marvel characters yet to receive an MCU adaptation. The character's brutal nature, coupled with the unique twist of having multiple personalities, makes Moon Knight one of the most distinctive comic book characters. Many had speculations regarding how faithful an MCU adaptation of Moon Knight could be due to the character's darker themes that do not fit the Disney image. Whether Marvel Studios fully explore Marc's multiple personalities or not remains to be seen, but it is hard to imagine fans being pleased with Moon Knight if it leaves the character's most unique attribute on the cutting floor.