By David Craig

Published: Wednesday, 06 April 2022 at 12:00 am

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Marvel Studios has no shortage of superheroes in its arsenal, but its latest vigilante certainly stands out from the crowd with his dark origin and complex mental state.

Mercenary Marc Spector (played by Oscar Isaac) is selected by the ancient Egyptian god Khonshu to be his avatar on Earth, wreaking violent justice on evil-doers who cross his path.

It’s enough to throw anyone’s life into utter chaos, but things are particularly complicated for Marc, who suffers from dissociative identity disorder and thus shares his body with several distinct personalities.

Based on the first episode of Marvel’s Moon Knight on Disney Plus, this came as a surprise to even Khonshu himself, who expresses disdain every time Marc loses control of his body and bumbling Steven Grant takes over.

Here you’ll find a breakdown of Moon Knight‘s five personalities from the comic books, some of which we’ve seen while others are yet to emerge.

Moon Knight personalities explained

Marc Spector

In the comic books, Spector is a former soldier for the US military who gained extensive combat experience on the frontlines, but was ultimately discharged over concerns about his mental health.

From then, he turned his attention to being a gun-for-hire, working as a mercenary for any client who had the means to pay him handsomely, which inevitably led to him falling in with some unsavoury characters.

One client turned on Marc during a mission in Egypt, leaving him for dead in the scorching desert where he ultimately collapsed before a monument to the moon god Khonshu – who chose to resurrect him as his avatar.

Steven Grant

Steven Grant is the first of Marc’s personalities that we meet in Marvel’s Moon Knight, with the television show imagining him as a mild-mannered museum gift shop worker with a crippling sleep disorder.

However, this is quite different to who Grant is in the comic books, where this identity is usually depicted as a wealthy Wall Street investor and occasional movie star.

The considerable income from this identity goes a long way towards funding Moon Knight’s war on crime, but presumably this MCU incarnation will find an alternative source – unless bumbling Steven unexpectedly hits it big before the finale.

Jake Lockley

Another of Moon Knight’s identities, who doesn’t seem to have made it into live-action just yet, is cab driver Jake Lockley, who usually acts as the vigilante’s man on the street.

This personality may have been omitted from the Disney Plus series as it shifts Spector’s activities from New York City to London, while the cultural relevance of taxis has declined generally with the wide variety of ride apps now available.

Still, don’t be surprised to see Jake crop up in Moon Knight’s future MCU outings, as he’s proven himself useful for finding out when trouble is stirring on the city streets many times in the past.

Mr Knight

Disney

Mr Knight is a relatively new addition to Moon Knight’s internal line-up, having debuted in the opening issue of his relaunched solo comic book series in March 2014.

The suited-and-booted Mr Knight essentially acts as a more formal representative for Moon Knight’s vigilantism, allowing him to liaise with law enforcement and approach witnesses while presenting as a more polished persona.

Still, when it comes to all-out fisticuffs, one personality trumps the lot…

Moon Knight

Indeed, rather than being an alter-ego of Marc Spector (or any of his other personalities), Moon Knight is a distinct identity to himself, known for issuing ruthless beatings on anyone who would dare oppose him.

In the comic books, Moon Knight has been influenced by other major players in the Marvel Universe, incorporating aspects of Captain America, Wolverine and Spider-Man into his personality at various stages.

So far, Marvel’s Moon Knight on Disney Plus exists largely independent of the other MCU properties, but it will be interesting to see if this plot thread is picked up when he inevitably crosses over.

Moon Knight is available to stream on Disney Plus. New episodes weekly. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.

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