WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Moon Knight Season 1, Episode 2, "Summon the Suit," available now on Disney+.
One of the joys of Moon Knight is getting to know a character without a lot of previous exposure. His initial run in Marvel Comics only lasted 38 issues, and while the character continued to appear in various flavors of the Avengers and elsewhere, even literate Marvel fans can be forgiven for overlooking him. The new show’s challenge means not only reimagining him for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but introducing a whole new slate of potential fans to the figure in an engaging way.
That extends to his supporting cast, whether it be his nemesis Arthur Harrow or his fickle patron Khonshu. More specifically, it establishes a past for both of them that extends deep into the MCU, which is notable because it means that Moon Knight was operating long before Marc Spector took over the position. The new episode takes a long look at that history, and reveals some surprising things about it and the character in the process.
Season 1, Episode 2, “Summon the Suit,” deals with the fallout from the previous episode’s monster attack, as Steven Grant regains control of his body from Spector, only to find the museum a shambles and all evidence of a supernatural incursion erased. Fired from his job, he seeks answers in the various clues Spector left behind, and is confronted once more by Harrow and his cult. They're seeking the amulet and believe he has it.
In the process, Harrow reveals an intriguing fact. Before pledging himself to Ammit’s cause, Harrow was the Moon Knight: serving Khonshu and his version of justice on Earth. He rejected his patron at some point and turned to Ammit instead. His new deity dispenses justice to those who will or might commit evil as well as those who already have, and he intends to resurrect her to bring about humanity’s final judgment.
Moon Knight certainly isn’t the first MCU character to come from a legacy. Black Panther, for instance, is one of a long line of heroes to bear that mantle, while The Falcon and The Winter Soldier centered around Sam Wilson’s inheritance of Steve Roger’s shield and history. Similarly, Harrow views himself as the hero of his own story, who became disillusioned with the path he was on and chose a darker one instead. That, too, follows in the tradition of other MCU villains who don’t see their actions as wicked and are often most guilty of excessive inflexibility. That includes both comparatively grounded figures like John Walker and Baron Zemo all the way up to Thanos himself. Harrow lacks the capacity for self-assessment to tell him that he’s wrong.
And it fits in with the very old tradition of the villain being a twisted reflection of the hero. Harrow knows what Steven is going through because he’s been through it himself, but he’s also resentful. Like a scorned lover, he’s aware that Khonshu has chosen a new avatar. Siding with Ammit means proving that his former patron was wrong, and that the clashing notions of justice that caused their split will be resolved once his goddess manifests on Earth. It’s telling that Harrow is Ammit’s first avatar on Earth, suggesting that both of them secretly envy Moon Knight’s more established position and wish to usurp it.
All of that benefits immeasurably from Harrow’s past in the same role as Spector. More importantly, it helps illuminate the MCU in a way that’s in keeping with its increasingly elaborate timeline. If Moon Knight’s past stretched back to ancient Egypt, that leaves millennia of potential storyline content that could conceivably collide with it. Moon Knight has notably steered clear of Easter eggs and cross-references in part to give these characters room to develop. Doing so while giving them a proper past in the MCU keeps them separate without detaching them completely, allowing Moon Knight to introduce new fans on its terms, and tell its own story without distraction.
New episodes of Moon Knight release Wednesdays on Disney+.