WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Moon Knight Episode 1, "The Goldfish Problem," now streaming on Disney+.

The debut episode of Disney+'s Moon Knight has been met with wide acclaim by both audiences and critics, and a major point of praise has been Ethan Hawke's bone-chilling performance as Arthur Harrow. With a soft-spoken and unassuming demeanor that clashes violently with his position as the leader of a sinister cult dedicated to the Egyptian goddess of judgment Ammit, Harrow has quickly established himself as one of a unique and terrifying addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe's expansive rogues' gallery.

However, although Harrow has been set up as Moon Knight's archnemesis within the MCU, his counterpart in comics was one of Moon Knight's lesser-known rogues, making only a single appearance and possessing a radically different appearance, background, and motivation than those of his on-screen adaption. While there are some subtle similarities between the two versions, the MCU's Arthur Harrow is an almost entirely different character from his pen-and-paper template, and he serves as an excellent example of how the MCU could adapt and improve lesser-known characters.

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Harrow and Steven feud in Moon Knight

Making his first and only appearance in Moon Knight #2 (by Alan Zelentez, Chris Warner, E.R. Cruz, Christine Scheele, and Jose Rosen), the comics version of Harrow is a scientist who suffered from Trigeminal Neuralgia, a nerve disorder that paralyzed the left side of his face and left him in a constant state of pain. Although Harrow was well-regarded within the field of medical science and selected as a candidate for the Nobel Prize, his colleague Dr. Victoria Grail became suspicious of Harrow's claim that his ground-breaking research into pain theory was only performed on animals. Upon investigating further, a horrified Grail discovered that Harrow had been using medical notes recovered from the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp to re-create the inhumane experiments that Nazi scientists had performed on the camp's prisoners and produce an army of brain-washed soldiers immune to pain for the super-science think-tank O.M.N.I.U.M. Drawn to Harrow's laboratory in Mexico by visions of the surgeon's suffering patients, Moon Knight arrived just in time to save Grail from Harrow's henchman and destroyed the lab, although Harrow was able to escape in the confusion, never to be seen again.

From the moment he first appears on screen, it's clear that the MCU's incarnation of Harrow is a radically different character from his comic counterpart. Rather than stay true to Harrow's original portrayal as a perfection-obsessed mad scientist, the MCU's reinvented Harrow into a quasi-religious figure who exerts an almost-mystical sense of serenity and self-confidence. While the two versions do share an unnerving fascination with pain, they ultimately share little else. Not only does the MCU's harrow discard his comic namesake's lab coat and beard for a more casual and clean-shaven look, but he also shows a remarkably different view of world history. While the comic Harrow idolized the work of the Nazis and held disdain for those who weren't willing to do "what must be done" to push the boundaries of science, the MCU's version openly denounces the Holocaust, listing it and other real-world acts of genocide to justify Ammit's mission to purge the world of sinners.

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While the MCU's re-imagining of Harrow is likely to be criticized as "inaccurate" by die-hard comic fans, this new version of the character is already a much more memorable and intimidating character than his comic counterpart ever was. By removing the original character's connection to O.M.N.I.U.M, the MCU's version of Harrow fits right in with Moon Knight's refreshingly isolated position within the MCU. On top of that, Harrow's connection to a vindictive Egyptian god creates an interesting parallel between him and Steven, and his willingness to embrace his divine patron and his own delusions makes him a perfect foil to Steven, who fears his growing connection to Khonshu and struggles to keep his mental health and violent impulses in check. By reinventing Harrow's background, the MCU has created a fresh and original villain with a disturbing connection to its newest hero.

Moon Knight's drastic re-imagining is a prime example of how the MCU can breathe new life into less-popular heroes and villains. While Harrow may have been one of Moon Knight's most inconsequential foes in the comics, his MCU counterpart is on track to become one of the franchise's greatest villains.

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