No shining armor for Marvel’s new knight

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Friday, April 29th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Coming next on The World and Everything in It: a new streaming series from Marvel Studios.

Don’t like superheroes? That’s okay. Reviewer Collin Garbarino says, this one’s different enough, he just might capture your attention.

COLLIN GARBARINO, REVIEWER: Moon Knight is Marvel’s latest superhero to make the transition from comics to screen. I won’t hold it against you if you’ve never heard of him. He’s not one of Marvel’s top tier heroes—he’s certainly no Captain America. In the comics, he’s like Marvel’s version of Batman, except he’s a Jewish superhero who fights crime using superpowers gifted to him by the Egyptian god of the moon. While that might sound like a complicated identity, the new series streaming on Disney+ focuses on the character’s psychological turmoil.

Oscar Isaac plays Steven Grant, a mild-mannered gift shop attendant working at a London museum. Steven might not be a reliable worker, but he loves Egyptian history.

Steven: Oh, Donna, that reminds me. When I was coming in this morning, I saw the banners outside.

Donna: And that’s what made you late for work again, was it?

Steven: No. Sorry about that. The bus came early…

Donna: Third time this week you’ve shuffled in like a lazy zombie.

Steven: I know.

Donna: That’s why you’ll be on inventory this week. Well done.

Steven: All right. Aye, aye, Captain. But no. I wanted to tell you that the banners and the posters of the Ennead…

Donna: The what?

Steven: The Ennead? You know, like, the super group of Egyptian gods? You know, you got Horus, Osiris, Tefnut…

Donna: Stop, please. If this is some weird audition to tour guide here, the answer’s still no.

Steven: No. What I’m trying… That’s actually crushing to hear. But what I’m trying to point out… I’m not trying to slag off marketing, but there’s been a major blunder because they’ve got seven gods here, and the Ennead has nine.

Donna: I fired two of them for being late.

Steven’s troubles with his boss are the least of his problems. At night he chains himself to his bed and he’s afraid to go to sleep because he never knows where he’ll wake up.

Steven: Honestly, it’s like my body wants to get up and wander about, you know, like it has to get the 10,000 steps in. You know? I don’t even know about it until I wake up wherever. That’s why I try to stay awake at night. What do you think?

Steven loses track of time, and many things in his life don’t make sense. He finds a cell phone in his apartment. It’s not his, but when it rings, the person on the other end of the line sure seems convinced she knows him.

Layla: I’ve been texting and calling you for months. You couldn’t give me any sign that you were okay? I thought something happened to you. Where are you? Where’ve you been?

Steven: Uh...

Layla: Hello? You…

Steven: Sorry, I just found this phone in my flat, and I’m just trying to figure out whose it is.

Layla: What’s with this accent?

Steven: What?

Layla: What is happening right now?

Steven: Sorry. Who do you think I am?

Layla: What do you mean “who”? What’s wrong with you, Marc?

Who’s Marc? It turns out Steven’s not the only person using his body. He suffers from dissociative identity disorder—you know, he has a split personality. That other personality, named Marc, is everything Steven isn’t. Steven’s clumsy and kind and can’t seem to find his place in the world. Marc’s a no-nonsense man of action who’s on a mission given to him by the Egyptian god Khonshu.

While Steven’s just trying to get to work on time, Marc and Khonshu are trying to save the world from a villain played by Ethan Hawke. Hawke’s character follows a different Egyptian god who wants to punish people before they’ve had the opportunity to perform their evil acts.

Arthur: I’m sorry.

Old Woman: I’ve been good my entire life.

Arthur: I believe you. But the scales see everything. Perhaps it’s something that lies ahead. Well… I wish you could live to see the world we make. Yet, Ammit has decided.

Moon Knight isn’t for young kids. It contains a few instances of PG-13 language, a good bit of action, and some scary scenes. But Moon Knight has turned out to be one of the better Marvel series, mostly because it feels different. Sure, the show’s supposedly set in the same universe as the Avengers and the Asgardians, but viewers can watch it as a standalone six-part series. The last episode airs Wednesday.

Moon Knight is also different in tone. It includes surprisingly little costumed-superhero action. Mostly we see Steven—or Marc—run around dusty tombs solving cryptic puzzles, which makes the show feel more like an archeological adventure.

Marc: Steven, I need you to listen to me very carefully.

Steven: Marc? There he is. Here he comes. Hello, man in the mirror. I was wondering if you’d pop up again.

Marc: I know you’re scared.

Steven: A bit, yeah.

Marc: I know you’re confused. You weren’t supposed to see any of this.

Steven: No, well, a bit late for that, innit?

But the heart of the show is the Steven-Marc dichotomy. I’ve loved watching Oscar Isaac in both these roles, playing them off each other. He’s a talented physical actor—you always know which personality he’s playing just from the expression on his face. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention F. Murray Abraham who voices Khonshu—the other personality that plagues Steven. Abraham really nails it.

Khonshu: See how you fare against Harrow without the protection of my healing armor.

Marc: Alright. So what? You have any good ideas?

Khonshu: I have a bad one.

Marc: Khonshu?

Fans of superhero shows, or tomb-raider movies, or psychological drama, will find a lot to enjoy here. Despite all the action, the series explores the nature of justice and righting wrongs. The villain wants to punish people before they commit inevitable sins. Khonshu isn’t much better. He represents a cold, hard justice that seeks vengeance rather than restoration. Steven and Marc are caught in the middle of it all, trying to fix a brokenness that’s both societal and deeply personal.

I’m Collin Garbarino.

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