{"id":426789,"date":"2022-04-02T19:20:45","date_gmt":"2022-04-02T16:20:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/moon-knight-takes-the-secret-identity-trope-to-its-extreme\/"},"modified":"2022-04-02T19:20:45","modified_gmt":"2022-04-02T16:20:45","slug":"moon-knight-takes-the-secret-identity-trope-to-its-extreme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/moon-knight-takes-the-secret-identity-trope-to-its-extreme\/","title":{"rendered":"#&#8217;Moon Knight&#8217; Takes the Secret Identity Trope to its Extreme"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a41418617c92\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a41418617c92\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/moon-knight-takes-the-secret-identity-trope-to-its-extreme\/#%E2%80%9C%E2%80%98Moon_Knight_Takes_the_Secret_Identity_Trope_to_its_Extreme%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;&#8216;Moon Knight&#8217; Takes the Secret Identity Trope to its Extreme&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9C%E2%80%98Moon_Knight_Takes_the_Secret_Identity_Trope_to_its_Extreme%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;&#8216;Moon Knight&#8217; Takes the Secret Identity Trope to its Extreme&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<pre><code>     &lt;span class=\"mx-1\"&gt;And it makes us uncomfortable, as all good and bad Moon Knight stories tend to do.&lt;\/span&gt;\n&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;div id=\"\"&gt;\n\n\n\n                &lt;figure class=\"sf-entry-featured-<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a> \"&gt;\n            &lt;img width=\"800\" height=\"333\" src=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Moon-Knight-Episode-1-Explained.jpg\" class=\"articlethumb wp-post-image\" alt=\"Moon Knight Episode Explained\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Moon-Knight-Episode-1-Explained.jpg 800w, https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Moon-Knight-Episode-1-Explained-768x320.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/&gt;                                    &lt;p&gt;\n                    &lt;span class=\"sf-entry-flag sf-entry-flag-creditline\"&gt;Marvel Studios&lt;\/span&gt;\n\n                        &lt;\/figure&gt;\n\n    &lt;!-- START BYLINE --&gt;\n    &lt;div class=\"row align-items-center justify-content-center my-4 text-center medium dark-gray\"&gt;\n        By\u00a0Brad Gullickson\u00a0\u00b7 Published on April 2nd, 2022 \n        &lt;\/div&gt;\n    &lt;!-- END BYLINE --&gt;\n\n    &lt;em&gt;Marvel Explained is our ongoing <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> where we delve into the latest Marvel shows, movies, trailers, and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> stories to divine the franchise\u2019s future. This entry explores Moon Knight Episode \u00a01 (\u201cThe Goldfish Problem\u201d) and considers the many minds inhabiting The Body. Yes, prepare for SPOILERS.&lt;\/em&gt;\n<\/code><\/pre>\n<hr\/>\n<p>For decades, secret identities have plagued superhero stories. When talking about Superman, we always have to ask how a pair of glasses can fool those around Clark Kent? With Batman stories, we obsessively ponder who is the dominant persona, the Bat or the Man? Cinematically, these questions have grown tiresome. And in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the filmmakers have mostly avoided the subject.<\/p>\n<p>When Tony Stark declared \u201cI am Iron Man\u201d during his first solo outing, Marvel Studios pretty much ditched the double life rigamarole. There would be no Donald Blake for Thor. Steve Rogers and Captain America were synonymous. Even T\u2019Challa unmasked before the world in <em>Captain America<\/em>: <em>Civil War<\/em>. Producer <strong>Kevin Feige<\/strong> said no to the superhero guessing <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>, and it\u2019s been a tremendous relief.<\/p>\n<p>However, with <strong><em>Moon Knight<\/em><\/strong>, Marvel\u2019s latest franchise expansion, the secret selves inside our bodies are thematically critical. In Episode 1, we meet <strong>Oscar Isaac<\/strong> as Steven Grant. He\u2019s a painfully meek clerk working at the London Natural History Museum. He\u2019s a geek for Egyptian history, pestering guests and co-workers with an endless trivia stream. Grant wants to connect with others, but they don\u2019t want to connect with him.<\/p>\n<p>Grant\u2019s sheepish personality is not his main issue. He\u2019s also a sleepwalker, and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>arently, his semi-conscious strolls can deposit him in some precarious locations. To fend off danger, he chains his ankle to his bed each night, and he deprives himself of as much sleep as possible so that these periods will remain as short as possible. These precautions, unfortunately, are for naught.<\/p>\n<p>When Grant awakens in a grassy field with a dislocated jaw, an invisible presence barks at him, \u201cGo back to sleep, Worm. You\u2019re not supposed to be here.\u201d Eventually, Episode 1 anxiously unwinds, and Khonshu reveals himself as a tall spindly CGI creation voiced by <strong>F<\/strong>. <strong>Murray Abraham<\/strong>. We mostly take this moon god at face value; our years spent superhero obsessing have taught us to believe in the impossible. But we cannot take this diety at his word, for it might not actually belong to him.<\/p>\n<p>Also, Grant is not the only character inhabiting his body, or as it\u2019s callously designated by the moon creature, \u201cThe Body.\u201d Along with Khonshu, there is Marc Spector, the American Mercenary who gifted Grant with the busted jaw. The two can communicate and argue with each other when looking in a mirror or any reflective surface. Neither wants the other in charge, and <em>Moon Knight<\/em> Episode 1 spends its runtime wobbling between the two while never leaving Grant\u2019s perspective on the matter.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve seen these stories before, scripts that are light on the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a>, heavy on the theatricality.\u00a0<em>Moon Knight<\/em>\u2018s head writer,\u00a0<strong>Jeremy Slater<\/strong>, seems unwilling to allow dissociative identity disorder, or DID, to become a cheap, insensitive narrative tool. While the condition is certainly overdramatized, it\u2019s not a device deployed mockingly or mystically, despite the mysticism floating throughout the plot.<\/p>\n<p>As Isaac <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2022\/tv\/news\/moon-knight-oscar-isaac-marvel-egypt-dissociative-identity-disorder-1235219568\/\">told Variety recently<\/a>, his protagonist is suffering catastrophically. While preparing for the role, the actor threw himself into <strong>Robert B<\/strong>. <strong>Oxnam<\/strong>\u2018s memoir, <strong><em>A Fractured Mind<\/em><\/strong>. The book became his \u201cbible,\u201d as it details Oxnam\u2019s slow realization that his blackout periods were actually the result of DID. Oxnam uncovered eleven unique personalities within his body, and he traced their creation to a prolonged period of past abuse.<\/p>\n<p><em>Moon Knight<\/em>\u2018s success as a series will rely on how well it respects and understands its protagonist\u2019s pain. Such empathy is where the comic book iteration has frequently fumbled. When the character was first introduced in <em>Werewolf by Night<\/em> #32, he did not have DID or multiple personality disorder as it was previously labeled. Even when he branched off into his first solo series, Steven Grant and Jake Lockley \u2013 the cabbie persona \u2013 were merely identities Marc Spector would use, depending on the situation.<\/p>\n<p>These multiple secret identities did not become \u201csplit personalities\u201d until 1985\u2019s <em>Moon Knight<\/em>: <em>The Fist of Khonshu<\/em>. Marc\u2019s condition in the mini-series was mostly used to imply danger. The bad guys better tremble; this hero is psychotically unhinged. Read with a modern eye, <em>The Fist of Khonshu<\/em> is awkward at best.<\/p>\n<p>For whatever reason, though, the DID stuck. In time, the separate personalities became tools too. As writer <strong>Brian Michael Bendis<\/strong> illustrated in his <em>Ultimate Spider<\/em>\u2013<em>Man<\/em> run and <em>Moon Knight<\/em> ongoing, Marc Spector could unleash Jake Lockley for one task and Steven Grant for another. Bendis would even go as far as to manifest Spider-Man and Captain America as Moon Knight personalities as well. But don\u2019t expect to hear Peter Parker speak from Oscar Isaac\u2019s mouth anytime soon.<\/p>\n<p>For now, <em>Moon Knight<\/em> recoils from the greater MCU. Juggling Grant and Spector and maybe a few more folks within the Body is a difficult enough task. If the series were to suddenly introduce a Hulk persona or even pull in a character like Blade, it would subtract crucial screentime from its perilous perspectives.<\/p>\n<p>The DID should never be a gag. Not if they want our compassion for the Body. Nor should the war between Grant and Spector remain. The hope is that the <em>Moon Knight<\/em> Disney+ series will fall in line with how Marvel Comics handles the character(s) in their current comic series.<\/p>\n<p>Writer <strong>Jed MacKay<\/strong> and artist <strong>Alessandro Cappuccio<\/strong>\u2018s\u00a0<em>Moon Knight<\/em> reveals a functioning superhero struggling with his condition but not paralyzed by it. Their Moon Knight runs the Midnight Mission, a charitable sanctuary for the city\u2019s less fortunate. He battles vampires and mind-controlled senior citizens while Khonshu\u2019s other acolytes judge how he serves their master. Considering Spector is somewhat responsible for throwing the moon god into an Asgardian prison, Khonshu\u2019s people have a solid claim on their grudge.<\/p>\n<p>The comic book Moon Knight makes it work, and that\u2019s the status the MCU Moon Knight must achieve. The Body cannot defeat or cure itself of Grant or Spector. Since they exist, the Body can only provide space for them. Hope resides in their cooperation, and without it, the Body will never fill out the inevitable Avengers application.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><strong><em>Moon Knight<\/em> Episode 1 is <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.disneyplus.com\/series\/moon-knight\/4S3oOF1knocS\">now streaming<\/a> on Disney+.<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre><code>    Related Topics: Marvel Explained, Moon Knight\n    &lt;!-- AUTHOR BOX --&gt;\n<\/code><\/pre>\n<div class=\"gray-bg p-4 border small mb-5\">\n<div class=\"row align-items-center text-md-center\">\n<div class=\"col-md-2\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/brad.jpg\" class=\"circle img-fluid\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\"\/>\n        <\/div>\n<div class=\"col-md\">\n            Brad Gullickson is a Weekly Columnist for Film School Rejects and Senior Curator for One Perfect Shot. When not rambling about movies here, he&#8217;s rambling about comics as the co-host of Comic Book Couples Counseling. Hunt him down on Twitter: <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Mouthdork\">@MouthDork<\/a>. (He\/Him)        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<pre><code>    &lt;!-- START RECOMMENDED READING 1 --&gt;\n                                &lt;section class=\"recommended py-5\"&gt;\n            &lt;h3&gt;Recommended Reading&lt;\/h3&gt;\n\n\n        &lt;\/section&gt;\n            &lt;!-- END RECOMMENDED READING --&gt;\n\n\n\n\n&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"&gt;&lt;\/script&gt;\n<\/code><\/pre>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social Media category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/moon-knight-episode-1\/#utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=moon-knight-episode-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;&#8216;Moon Knight&#8217; Takes the Secret Identity Trope to its Extreme&#8221; &lt;span class=&#8221;mx-1&#8243;&gt;And it makes us uncomfortable, as all good and bad Moon Knight stories tend to do.&lt;\/span&gt; &lt;\/p&gt;&lt;div id=&#8221;&#8221;&gt; &lt;figure class=&#8221;sf-entry-featured-media &#8220;&gt; &lt;img width=&#8221;800&#8243; height=&#8221;333&#8243; src=&#8221;https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Moon-Knight-Episode-1-Explained.jpg&#8221; class=&#8221;articlethumb wp-post-image&#8221; alt=&#8221;Moon Knight Episode Explained&#8221; srcset=&#8221;https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Moon-Knight-Episode-1-Explained.jpg 800w, https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Moon-Knight-Episode-1-Explained-768&#215;320.jpg 768w&#8221; sizes=&#8221;(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px&#8221;\/&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;span class=&#8221;sf-entry-flag sf-entry-flag-creditline&#8221;&gt;Marvel Studios&lt;\/span&gt;&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":426790,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Moon-Knight-Episode-1-Explained.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-426789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=426789"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426789\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/426790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=426789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=426789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=426789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}