Moon Knight Timeline: What Happens Every Time Marc Takes Control
Moon Knight episode 1 hides Marc Spector's actions until the very end, but here's what happens in the missing scenes when he takes control.
Warning: SPOILERS for Moon Knight episode 1.
The Moon Knight episode 1 timeline is a bit confusing as Steven Grant battles for control of his body, but here's what happened every time Marc Spector took control. Oscar Isaac pulls double duty in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ show, as his character's dissociative identity disorder means playing two roles. For the majority of the first episode, the show hides the real Moon Knight, as Steven Grant's perspective dominates the runtime. It isn't until near the end of Moon Knight episode 1 that viewers catch a glimpse at Marc Spector in control, providing a brief tease of what he was up to throughout the rest of the episode.
Marvel Studios' approach to Moon Knight allows viewers to discover the mystery of who Steven Grant really is along with him. Every time he loses control of the body, what Marc Spector does isn't shown, only teased. This might be jarring for audiences, but it is even more confusing for Steven, as he begins to question whether those events did happen or if it was all a dream. As he begins to continue his normal life, he begins to realize that those experiences were real and not just delusions. It isn't until he discovers Marc Spector's secret phone and comes face-to-face with Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke) that Steven really accepts the truth. While he fights Marc and Khonshu for control of the body throughout the episode, he finally relinquishes control at the conclusion so Marc can defeat the jackal chasing them.
Prior to the final Moon Knight transformation, Marc Spector taking control is treated as Steven blacking out or falling asleep. The truth is that Marc was quite busy and spent a lot of time in control of the body, as Moon Knight episode 1's timeline spans multiple days due to his secret activities. While the show doesn't feature any of these adventures beyond the final fight, there are several details and teases of what transpired whenever Marc Spector took control.
Marc Spector first takes control of the body when Steven Grant goes to sleep on Thursday night about 10 minutes into Moon Knight episode 1. It is during this time that Marc unshackles himself from Steven's bed and begins his mission to take the golden beetle scarab from Arthur Harrow. This leads him to an undisclosed city somewhere in Europe or the UK where Arthur and his followers are living. Marc can't help but get into trouble during this time, as he fights a few of Arthur's goons while trying to acquire the scarab. This includes fighting at least two of them inside a big building, which must go badly for Marc. When Steven regains control, it comes after Marc was either tossed out or jumped out of a tower window and landed on the ground. He's remarkably in fairly good condition after falling out of the tower in Moon Knight, dislocated jaw excluded, but Marc was at the very least successful in stealing the scarab during this time. Since these events end sometime in the middle of the day, it is presumed that Marc was in control of the body from late Thursday night until sometime Friday or Saturday morning/afternoon.
After Steven runs away from Harrow's two gunmen, he comes face-to-face with Ammit's disciple in the nearby city. Harrow recognizes him as the mercenary and wants his scarab back, but Khonshu won't let Steven give it up. When a group of Arthur's followers attempts to forcefully remove the scarab from Steven's hand, Marc takes control once again. It is during this short time in control that Moon Knight delivers a brutal beatdown on those surrounding him. There are at least four people he fights and potentially kills based on the amount of blood on his hands. Marc isn't in control for very long this time, but it shows the great lengths he'll go to to keep the scarab, as well as how skilled he is.
Marc continues to wrangle control of the body from Steven for just a few moments when he is driving a stolen delivery vehicle down the mountain. Another one of Arthur Harrow's followers jumps aboard the truck and attempts to take control of it from Steven. This is when Marc takes control once more to efficiently take out this new threat and the car driving on his left side. The fight isn't shown, but Marc seems to take the man's gun and kills Arthur Harrow's man with a headshot. He also uses the firearm to take out the parallel car, which shot out his driver's side window and front windshield. Once again, Marc isn't in control for very long but kills at least three men in the process.
When Steven can't completely evade the two remaining cars in pursuit, Marc Spector once again takes control in Moon Knight episode 1. With both cars boxing him in, Marc puts his incredible driving skills to the test when he regains control. He spins the car 180 degrees to begin driving backward down the mountain road. Marc is able to shoot the two people in the car, but he can't also take out the truck before Steven regains control.
Marc appears to come back and save Moon Knight's other personality once more, as Steven's life is put in peril when tree logs tumble down the mountainside and appear to hit the car. It is unclear how Marc managed to get himself out of this situation, as he could've jumped out of the car before it tumbled down the mountain or he remained inside for a potentially more secure descent. In any case, Marc uses this time to return Steven home safely at some point on Saturday night. However, Marc does a bit more for Steven than just getting the body home safe, it seems. Steven's realization that his fish Gus now has two fins takes him to the local pet shop, where the employee mentions that he was there yesterday getting the new pet. It's unclear what happened to the original Gus, but the inference is that the poor goldfish has died after not being fed for a few days. To make up for it, Marc seems to have bought a replacement fish for Steven sometime on Saturday to avoid his suspicion about what was actually going on. This is another example of Marc having control for a longer period of time, as he is in control from Saturday afternoon until later that night or Sunday morning.
There is another unseen adventure for Marc Spector after he takes control in Moon Knight episode 1. After Steven sees Khonshu in his apartment building hallways, Marc regains control of the body. it is unclear what happens during this time, as Marc's time begins on Sunday night and ends Monday morning with him on a bus. The intriguing portion of this blackout for Steven is that he regains control to find Ethan Hawke's Arthur Harrow is on the same bus. It's unclear if Arthur was following Marc or vice versa, as either option could work in theory. If Marc was the one following Arthur, Steven regaining control blows his cover and leads to the villain visiting him at work.
The final time Marc Spector takes control in Moon Knight episode 1 is the lone example where viewers know what happens. Steven allows Marc to take control so he can suit up in the Moon Knight costume and fight the jackal that is chasing them through the museum. The series still hides a good portion of Moon Knight's fight with the jackal, as the destroyed bathroom teases just how big of a brawl this way. However, Moon Knight episode 1 ends with Marc still in control, fully suited up as Moon Knight, and having beaten the jackal (presumably to death).