WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Moon Knight Episode 1 “The Goldfish Problem,” streaming now on Disney+.
The first glimpse of Steve Rogers in Captain America: The First Avenger was as a sickly young man who suffered from asthma, chronic colds, heart palpitations and a host of other past or present ailments. Due to his slight and fragile physical composition it was difficult for him to find romantic partners that were willing to get to know the good man underneath. His parents were both gone and he lived in relative isolation but through all of that he had his best friend, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes. Sprite from Eternals also lived cut off from non-platonic possibilities because she was an immortal trapped in the body of a child but she too had a surrogate family to take up space around the hole that she could not fill.
Steven Grant is unique in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in that he has no one. Among all of the protagonists who have graced the screen of their expansive chronicles Grant is the only one of them who is portrayed as an involuntary recluse. Steven is charming, funny and desperate for an elusive human connection that lies just beyond his reach. While his other identities may have crafted a space for themselves in the hearts of others, Grant's solitude is devastating to behold.
Steven's pet goldfish Gus serves as his primary point of social contact, swimming peacefully under the power of a single fin in a well tended aquarium in his London flat. Gus means so much to Grant in fact that with a single glance from across the room, with other distractions at play and ruminating on the dreams of fish, he noticed that Gus had been replaced by an imposter. He immediately gathered himself and visited the pet shop where he purchased his friend to demand an explanation. The shop owner was clear that he bought this fish the day before, with two fins, though Grant had no memory of that whatsoever.
A golden busker who silently beckons companionship, along with tips, sits in stillness in a London round where Steven engages him in idle chat. It is clear that they have had this type of one sided conversation before, since Steven references previous conversations and the familiarity feels earned. The moment gives the impression that it may be a valued interval in his workday routine but it is clear that it at the very least occurs with regular frequency. Steven even updates the performer about the woman at work that has caught his eye and expresses excitement about the date that he has secured with her, as well as anxiety about his ability to maintain close interpersonal relationships while taking drastic measures to keep himself from sleepwalking.
Dylan, the woman in question, seemed sincerely interested in getting to know Steven further and was genuinely looking forward tot heir date, a date that Steven had no recollection of securing. All too happy to take advantage of his fortune he showed up for their dinner but was two days late. Dylan was incensed that he stood her up and asked that he never call her again. Steven was understandably distraught, but more than that he was confused. His first interaction with a person that seemed authentically interested in him and it succumbs to the disaster of his forgetfulness and lack of attention to detail.
Tragically however these gaps in his memory are not a symptom of absentmindedness but due to his dissociative personalities. Grant isn't sleepwalking, he is living another life that he is completely unaware of, entirely partitioned away from his conscious experiences. This makes his dilemma all the more painful because it is beyond his control. He is not making bad choices or indulging in irresponsible behavior that leads him to his isolation. He is a victim of the way his mind works and his inability to reconcile all the parts of himself. Grant is a stranger in his own body with no one to turn to for help, with one exception.
The first episode reveals that Steven has one friend and that is Marc Spector, one of the other identities who shares his body. Marc Spector is the primary personality of Moon Knight in the comics but it is unclear if that is how he will be handled in the series. What is clear however is that Spector, or perhaps another identity, is actively taking care of Steven and attempting to support him in the best way they know how. For some unknown reason Gus had to be replaced and one of the identities went to the pet shop and replaced him. Though he is not aware of it, the busker he depends upon for heartfelt monologues is a close ally of his Marc Spector identity. One of his personalities engaged with Dylan and negotiated the dinner that buoyed Steven's heart until it all unexpectedly fell apart.
While Steven exists in ignorance along side his other personalities at least some of them are aware of him and want to help him with the challenges he faces. His journey throughout the series will likely incorporate his ability to know himself more fully and integrate his existence with the divergent parts of himself into a cohesive whole. Moon Knight promises to be a darker entry than most of the core MCU canon but it has not been without its humor and it certainly is already hinting at some heart. There lies some promise that Steven will not remain alone because there are already those around him who love him and work toward his betterment. They just happen to reside in a part of his mind that he cannot see but will hopefully provide him at some point with some peace and companionship.
To see Steven be worthy of empathy, Moon Knight is streaming now on Disney+, new episodes airing on Wednesdays.