Marvel Studios’ latest series, “Moon Knight,” has just premiered on Disney+. The series revolves around Steven Grant, played by Oscar Isaac, who appears to be caught in the middle of a feud between Egyptian gods, Khonshu and Ammit. Steven Grant has dissociative identity disorder (DID).

Steven Grant is only one of the identities that the character has in the comics. The most popular identity is Marc Spector, who is also featured in the season premiere. While Spector is often the most prominent identity, it is a clever choice of using Grant as the main identity of the series, as the audience can follow him and know as much of the story as Grant does. In the comics, Spector is granted powers by the Egyptian god of the moon, Khonshu, and fights crime as the Moon Knight. 

The concept of multiple identities was largely hinted at in the first episode, as Grant simply believes he has a sleeping disorder. Rather, Spector has been taking control and going on adventures relating to the Egyptian gods that remain to be seen. The scene that showcased this the most was the car chase scene, in which Grant attempts to escape from cultists. Both Grant and Spector fight for control in this scene, which is very cool to see. Every time Spector takes control, the scene contains a match cut showing Grant before and after Spector takes over, without actually showing Spector. This is done largely to show that Grant seems to be the main identity that is being followed throughout the series, not Spector. However, that can change in later episodes.

Another cool feature seen throughout the episode was the use of reflections. Grant’s other identities could be seen in the mirrors often doing things that did not match what Grant was doing. For example, Spector could be seen shaking his head at Grant as he stood completely still in front of the mirror. There are also often three reflections of Grant. This could be a sign of his original three identities from the comics: Marc Spector, Steven Grant and Jake Lockley. It seems unlikely Lockley will appear in the series, but it is a fun nod nonetheless. The match cuts and use of reflections are only two examples of how clever the writing and directing are for this particular project.

Ethan Hawke’s character, Arthur Harrow, is also a very minor character from the original comics. However, his character seems very chilling, as this was evident in the first scene in the episode. His goal of preparing the world for the arrival of Ammit is odd, considering Ammit was never usually worshiped as a goddess, but seen more as a demoness. However, her arrival is said to rid the world of evildoers, so this definitely adds a bit of ambiguity to Harrow’s moral status. I cannot wait to see more of his character going forward and how it factors into Grant’s and Spector’s lives. 

The final scene in the episode showed the arrival of Moon Knight as he beats down on a werewolf-like jackal. The scene was very brutal and a clear indicator of what fans can expect of the series going forward. The series seems to be very much delving into the supernatural side of the Marvel Universe, and I personally cannot wait to see more.

Have you watched “Moon Knight” yet? What did you think of the series premiere? Let us know in the comments below.