Line #153 Series/MoonKnight2022


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13	!Spoilers for all Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse works preceding this one will be left unmarked.
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18	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/moonknight2022.jpg]]
19	[[caption-width-right:350:''[[{{Tagline}} Embrace the chaos.]]'']]
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21
22	->''"I can't tell the difference between my waking life and dreams."''
23	-->-- '''Steven Grant'''
24
25	''Moon Knight'' is a {{Superhero}} {{Action\|Series}} UrbanFantasy PsychologicalHorror series created for Creator/DisneyPlus by Jeremy Slater (''Series/{{The Umbrella Academy\|2019}}''), based on the Creator/MarvelComics [[ComicBook/MoonKnight character of the same name]]. It is the 33rd overall entry in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, the tenth installment in Phase Four, and the sixth series produced by Creator/MarvelStudios. It's also the first Disney+ series not based on a previously established [=MCU=] character. It is directed by Mohamed Diab (4 episodes), as well as Creator/JustinBenson and Creator/AaronMoorhead (2 episodes).
26
27	Steven Grant (Creator/OscarIsaac) is not okay. Suffering from insomnia and hallucinations, it's difficult for him to find the boundary between his waking life and his dreams. After receiving a call from someone who knows him by another name, Steven finds the already tenuous threads of his reality begin to unravel. It turns out that in another life, he was Marc Spector, a mercenary whose identity seems to be resurfacing. Bestowed powers by the Egyptian God of the Moon, Khonshu (voiced by Creator/FMurrayAbraham), Steven and Marc must embrace the chaos within, get to grips with their rapidly disintegrating mind, and confront a cult led by the enigmatic Arthur Harrow (Creator/EthanHawke).
28
29	The cast also includes Creator/MayCalamawy as Layla El-Faouly, Creator/GaspardUlliel in one of his final roles as Anton Mogart ([[PosthumousCredit he died two months before the series' release]]), and Lucy Thackeray as Donna. The series premiered on March 30th, 2022, with episodes released every Wednesday through May 4th. The current future of the series is unknown -- while Isaac hasn't officially signed on to return as the characters for future projects, and no news of a second season or future appearances by the series' cast in other [=MCU=] works has been announced as of June 2022, Isaac, Hawke and Calamawy have all expressed interest in returning [[https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/fantasy/moon-knight-season-2-rumours-exclusive-newsupdate/ "if there was a story that really made sense"]].
30
31	'''Previews:''' [[https://youtu.be/x7Krla_UxRg Trailer]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM3Yx-5Ymiw Super Bowl TV spot]]
32
33	----
34	!!''Moon Knight'' provides examples of:
35
36	* AdaptationalNationality:
37	** In the comics, Steven Grant was an American multimillionaire. In this series, Grant is a lower-class Brit working at the British Museum.
38	** [[spoiler:Likewise, Marc's hidden alter [[AxeCrazy Jake Lockley]] appears to be Latino, or at least from a place where Spanish is a primary language.]]
39	* AdaptationalLocationChange: Moon Knight in the comics is primarily based in New York City whenever he isn't in Egypt, whereas here much of the action takes place in London [[spoiler:and Cairo]]. As mentioned above, Steven Grant's nationality has changed to fall in line with this.
40	* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: In the comics, [[spoiler:Jake Lockley]] was so violent that [[HorrifyingTheHorror even Khonshu was hesitant to talk about him.]] Here, they seem to be good friends.
41	* AllMythsAreTrue: The Egyptian pantheon is revealed to be actually real in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Notably, Tawaret obliquely implies that many other mythologies and religions are also true, as she freely admits that the Duat (Egyptian underworld) is only ''one'' potential afterlife that a mortal soul can experience.
42	* AmbiguousEnding: The post-credits stinger for Episode 6 has [[spoiler:Jake Lockley fronting to [[PayEvilUntoEvil kill Harrow and Ammit]]. It's completely unknown what exactly this means for Marc, Steven, and Layla going forward]].
43	* AmbiguousSituation:
44	** The series is initially vague on who, between Steven and Marc, is the original identity. Steven is the first one we meet, but Marc has an established history that Steven was never aware of. [[spoiler:"Asylum" confirms that, as in the comics, Marc is the original, with Steven being a response to the abuse Marc suffered as a child.]]
45	** Harrow implies more than once that Marc was responsible for a massacre at a dig site in Egypt [[spoiler:where Layla's father was killed]]. When Marc tells his side of the story, it's revealed that [[spoiler:the killings were actually carried out by his partner, Bushman, who shot Marc as well when he tried to intervene. It's left unclear if Harrow is being deliberately misleading (he never directly ''says'' that Marc killed anyone, and he uses the implication to sow discord) or if he's simply mistaken or misinformed (the only witnesses to the slaughter were Marc, who never told anyone the truth before Layla forced it out of him, and Bushman, who was the perpetrator)]].
46	* AndIMustScream:
47	** Steven and Marc's general relationship [[spoiler:prior to their mutual CharacterDevelopment]] is this, with one alter locked away inside their body and unable to do anything more than yell at them from reflective surfaces when the other alter is active.
48	** The fate of gods locked away in ushabtis. The distant screaming that can be heard around them strongly implies that they're still ''aware'' of their surroundings to an extent despite being completely unable to move or interact with the world around them.
49	* AndStarring: "Saba Mubarak as the voice of Ammit" / "F. Murray Abraham as the voice of Khonshu" / "special guest star Gaspard Ulliel" / "and Ethan Hawke".
50	* ArcNumber: Five.
51	** There's a total of five identities, counting the superpowered ones -- Marc, Moon Knight, Steven, Mr. Knight, and [[spoiler:Jake]].
52	** There are four gods missing from the Ennead, leaving five to hold council.
53	** When [[spoiler:Khonshu is imprisoned in an ushabti and placed on the wall, there's a total of five ushabtis there]].
54	* ArtisticLicenseReligion: Those members we see of the Egyptian pantheon show significant differences from recorded mythology:
55	** The show presents Ammit as a goddess who judges people to be good or evil based on all of their actions, past, present, and [[PrecrimeArrest future.]] While Ammit was feared as a [[SoulEating Soul Eater]] in the Egyptian religion, she was never a judge of anyone. She was more like an executioner, punishing those who had been judged to be evil by Anubis. Heck, she wasn't even really treated as a ''goddess'', instead being viewed more like a dreaded non-sapient monster. Granted, Harrow does claim that Ammit got tired of having to wait for Anubis's judgment and decided to become more proactive in punishing the wicked, so it's possible that Ammit ''used'' to be more like the myths. Steven also notes that [[LampshadeHanging this is the first time he's heard of that interpretation of Ammit.]]
56	** Taweret, the goddess of childbirth and fertility, also takes the role of [[DontFearTheReaper psychopomp]] and TheFerryman of the boat leading to the Field of Reeds, when these were originally the roles of a few overlapping deities: the boat's captain Aken/Kherty, and the actual ferryman Aker/Mahaf. That said (possibly in a case of in-universe justification), Taweret is shown to be fumbling around with the protocols of the job, needing cue cards to help her, suggesting that she was saddled with the duty against her will due to the shifts amongst the Ennead throughout the millennia. [[spoiler:The fact that many other deities were also imprisoned in ushabtis, much like Khonshu, helps explain this as well.]]
57	* BloodierAndGorier: There is more blood and gore here than any previous Disney+ original content, from the people Marc beats up to the guy who gets shot in the head. We even see an uncut scene of Steven fixing his dislocated jaw in the first episode, while his teeth are stained with blood!
58	* BloodlessCarnage: Despite the series being BloodierAndGorier, there are plenty of on-screen deaths with no blood coming from those that are killed or wounded. It's played with, as there ''is'' still blood shown, just typically in the aftermath of the action.
59	* CastingGag:
60	** This isn't [[Film/XMenApocalypse the first time]] that Creator/OscarIsaac has portrayed a Marvel character who has a strong connection to Ancient Egypt.
61	** The Japanese dub includes a meta one in relation to a voice actress and a relative of hers who is also a voice actress: [[spoiler:Taweret]] is voiced by [[spoiler:Creator/MegumiHan]], and later in the series, [[spoiler:she grants her powers and armor to Layla]]. Her mother, [[spoiler:Creator/KeikoHan]], is well-known for voicing [[spoiler:[[Anime/SailorMoon Luna]], another talking animal linked to the moon able to grant powers to humans in order to fight evil, in that case empowering Usagi Tsukino in order to transform herself into the titular Sailor Moon]]. The main difference here is, while [[spoiler:Luna limits herself to granting those powers to Usagi, Taweret does the same by using Layla as her avatar instead]].
62	* CelebrityParadox:
63	** Steven is played by Creator/OscarIsaac, who played Poe Dameron in the Franchise/StarWars Sequel Trilogy, a franchise that has been established as being just as much of a pop culture titan within the MCU just like in the real world.
64	** When Arthur brings up the concept of avatars, Steven asks if he's referring to the [[Film/{{Avatar}} movie]] or the [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender anime]]. Creator/ZoeSaldana ([[Characters/MCUGamora Gamora]]) and Creator/SigourneyWeaver ([[Series/TheDefenders2017 Alexandra]]) appeared in the former. To a lesser extent, the latter had characters portrayed by Creator/ClancyBrown ([[Series/ThePunisher2017 Colonel Schoonover]] and [[Film/ThorRagnarok Surtur]]), Creator/DanielDaeKim ([[Film/SpiderMan2 Dr Octavius' assistant]]), Creator/TaraStrong ([[Series/Loki2021 Miss Minutes]]), Creator/DeeBradleyBaker ([[Film/ShangChiAndTheLegendOfTheTenRings Morris]]), and, at least in the [[Film/TheLastAirbender live-action movie]], Creator/ShaunToub ([[Film/IronMan1 Dr. Yinsen]]). The sequel series, ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', has Creator/JKSimmons ([[Film/MCUSpiderManTrilogy J. Jonah Jameson]]) as part of its main cast.
65	** In Episode 5, Steven describes Dr. Harrow as very "[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Ned Flanders]]". ''The Simpsons'' has characters portrayed by Creator/JuliaLouisDreyfus ([[Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine]]), Creator/MichellePfeiffer ([[Film/AntManAndTheWasp Janet van Dyne]]), [[Creator/TheRussoBrothers Joe Russo]] ([[Film/AvengersEndgame man at Steve's group therapy session]]), and Creator/GlennClose ([[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014 Nova Prime]]). There was also the crossover ''WesternAnimation/TheGoodTheBartAndTheLoki'', which had Creator/TomHiddleston reprising his role as Loki.
66	* CentralTheme: Past trauma, identity, and how we let our guilt over something we've done in our past (justified or otherwise) alter our identity in the present day.
67	* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: From Episode 4 onwards, [[spoiler:Marc and Steven]] are depicted wearing dirty white and dirty gray respectively.
68	* CostumePorn: While the characters generally wear simple contemporary outfits for the most part, the Egyptian gods and their avatar(s) are all dressed in highly elaborate costumes based off of traditional Egyptian artwork. The Moon Knight costume is an ornate mummy covered in hieroglyphics and other archaeological motifs. Likewise, the Mr. Knight costume is a SharpDressedMan's three-piece suit decorated with Egyptian motifs textured onto the fabric. And [[spoiler:Layla's Scarlet Scarab outfit is similarly detailed, being modeled after ancient Egyptian pharaonic clothing including an usekh collar along with golden wings, and scarab iconography]].
69	* CuckooNest: [[spoiler:[[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane Maybe. Maybe not.]] Is Marc [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness hallucinating the entire series in a mental asylum, or is the entire thing real after all?]]]]
70	* DarkerAndEdgier: Most of the other [=MCU=] [=Disney+=] shows aren't exactly walks in the park either, but ''Moon Knight'' is not only noticeably BloodierAndGorier than ''any'' other entry from Marvel Studios, but the tone is significantly darker and more morose than most other [=MCU=] works. Most of the epic superhero action and comedy typically seen elsewhere in the [=MCU=] is downplayed in favor of genuinely terrifying supernatural ''and'' psychological horror (a [[spoiler:Disciple of Ammit being mummified '''alive''' by an undead priest of Heka in Episode 4]] ''definitely'' springs to mind here), and the series also frequently indulges in melancholic ruminations over identity and mental health issues, which in turn are revealed to stem from [[spoiler:a disturbingly realistic abusive childhood involving the death of a much younger sibling]].
71	* DivinePunishment:
72	** Invoked by [[KnightTemplar Arthur Harrow]] and his disciples, who follow the deity Ammit and punish anyone who they deem guilty by killing them. They plan to release Ammit in order for her to punish anyone whose scales are considered unbalanced - regardless of whether or not they [[PrecrimeArrest have actually done anything worth punishing yet]].
73	** Khonshu is directly referred to as the "God of Vengeance", and [[GoodIsNotNice delivers justice in particularly violent ways]]. However, unlike Ammit, he only punishes people for crimes they actually ''have'' committed, rather than crimes they only may potentially commit.
74	* DubNameChange: The Brazilian Portuguese dub uses the Greek pronunciation of Taweret, Thouéris.
75	* EasterEgg: Every episode has a secret QR code hidden somewhere in the background. Scanning them will take you to a free-to-read Moon Knight comic on Marvel's official website.
76	* EgyptIsStillAncient: The show deliberately goes out of its way to defy this - while Myth/EgyptianMythology plays a huge part in the series, one of the show director's stated intentions for the show was to counteract this trope's narrative by accurately portraying the country of Egypt as modernized. Despite most of the Egyptian scenes taking place in or around ancient ruins, it is made abundantly clear that this is a modern nation instead of just a by-way for adventurers. Its portrayal of Cairo in particular was praised for being accurate and non-stereotypical.
77	* EvolvingCredits: As explained on [[https://thedirect.com/article/moon-knight-credits-scenes-photos this link]], the closing credits has a few locations altered with each episode, and the moon's phase also changes each time.
78	* {{Foreshadowing}}:
79	** The hints about there being [[spoiler:three alters, not just two]] actually is foreshadowed in the credits. When it shows Oscar Isaac, it has [[spoiler:three]] faces peeled off from the body itself.
80	** In Episode 1, Steven is shown stocking Taweret plushies in the museum and briefly discussing them with his boss Donna. Later on, a mural of Taweret can be seen behind one of Ammit when Harrow confronts Steven in the museum. [[spoiler:In Episode 4, Taweret ''herself'' shows up, looking remarkably close to the plushie design.]]
81	** In the very same episode, Steven explains the Field of Reeds to a little girl who snarkily replies that he must've died, to which he says he hasn't. [[spoiler:Come Episode 4, and Harrow kills him/Marc to send them to the Egyptian afterlife, and then the following episode reveals Steven doesn't even make it to the Field of Reeds...]]
82	** When Steven wakes up in the Alps, Khonshu tells him to return the body to Marc three times [[spoiler:before realizing that "the idiot is in control", meaning that Khonshu thought someone ''other'' than Steven or Marc was in control]].
83	** While preparing for a date, Steven dresses up in front of three side-by-side mirrors, alluding to [[spoiler:the character's three identities]]. Moreover, before he gets chased by a jackal monster, you can see ''two'' reflections on the display case.
84	** Arthur Harrow spends most of the series wearing a set of red robes. In Egyptian mythology, red was associated with violence, disorder, and suffering. While it seems to be befitting on the surface in regards to his status as the miniseries' BigBad, in actuality it subtly indicates that [[spoiler:his ''own'' scales are imbalanced (as confirmed by Ammit in the series finale)]].
85	** Throughout the whole miniseries, Marc has continued being Khonshu's Avatar by the moon god threatening to take his wife Layla as his new Avatar. In the series finale, though, after Layla vehemently tells Khonshu that she will ''never'' be his Avatar, he takes it surprisingly well and seems to move on to more important things without missing a beat. This subtly hints at how Marc wasn't exactly on point about Khonshu's goals, since [[spoiler:TheStinger reveals that his preferred candidate was actually none other than Jake Lockley, the secret third alter]].
86	* FriendsRentControl: The first sign that things aren't as they seem with Steven is that a guy who works at a museum gift shop can somehow afford a large flat in London. He claims it actually belongs to his mother. [[spoiler:Though never explicitly stated, it becomes much more likely that Marc/Jake pays for the apartment, as their mother is actually deceased, but Steven just wasn't allowed to know about it.]]
87	* GenreShift: The show leans heavily on psychological horror to start, shifts rapidly to more standard superhero fare, before becoming more surreal, then back to superhero toward the end.
88	* HearingVoices: After Steven wakes up in the Alps, he starts hearing two male voices: an older one that is apathetic and dismissive (Khonshu), and one warning him not to get closer (Marc).
89	* InstantCostumeChange:
90	** Marc can instantly transform into Moon Knight, with bandages sprouting from thin air to envelop him in the Moon Knight outfit within seconds, complete with weapons.
91	** In the second episode, Steven transforms into Mr. Knight while he's falling due to being told by Layla to "summon the suit" to save himself, but she didn't specify that it was the Moon Knight armor.
92	* InvisibleToNormals: The supernatural elements can only be seen by people who have some connection to the supernatural themselves, like Marc/Steven or Harrow.
93	** The jackal creature that attacks Steven in the museum and is subsequently killed by Marc as Moon Knight doesn't show up on the security camera footage. When a second jackal creature attacks Steven and Layla in the following episode, Steven is able to see it, but Layla cannot.
94	** Whenever Khonshu physically appears or speaks, only Marc and Steven are able to see and hear him. The only other hint to his presence is a DramaticWind.
95	* JerkassGods: Khonshu repeatedly berates Steven as a useless idiot, despite presumably knowing that Steven is completely unaware of the situation and his alternate identity. Later, Harrow talks to Steven about how terrible it is to have the voice of a god inside your head, and he's speaking from his experience as an avatar himself. The gods use their avatars as agents on Earth with little regard for their feelings on the matter, and will kill humans for petty or inscrutable reasons. While Khonshu appreciates Marc's talents, he is still condescending when he talks to him, and threatens to take his wife Layla as his next avatar if Marc fails his mission.
96	* {{Leitmotif}}: The title character (and the series itself) uses a very [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uJYMlMdqeI bombastic theme]]. Whenever it plays, it's a guarantee things are about to get quite crazy, [[spoiler:with the first episode prominently featuring it as Steven surrenders control of the body to Marc, who turns into Moon Knight for the first time in the series.]]
97	* LogoJoke:
98	** In the official trailer, the Marvel Studios logo tilts counterclockwise against a white backdrop, while the lighting shifts.
99	** Also in the official trailer, Moon Knight's arcing rooftop leap transitions into Creator/DisneyPlus's own animated arc towards the plus sign.
100	* LovesMyAlterEgo: An interesting case with Layla, Marc and Steven. Marc and Layla were a husband-and-wife team many years ago, but started to grow apart after Marc became Khonshu's Moon Knight. When Steven meets Layla for the first time in this show, he's absolutely head-over-heels for her, while Layla is cold and confused due to not knowing about Marc's DID. Once she learns about it and comes to terms with it, Layla comes to love both Marc and Steven equally, though she does seem to prefer Steven's geeky DorkKnight tendencies over Marc's more reserved personality.
101	* {{Lunacy}}: It's probably not a coincidence that a superhero empowered by an Egyptian moon god going by the alias "Moon Knight" has mental health issues (specifically, Dissociative Identity Disorder).
102	-->'''Arthur:''' I'm curious, do you think that Khonshu chose you as his avatar because your mind would be so easy to break, or because it was broken already?
103	* {{Macguffin}}: Steven is in possession of a golden scarab that Arthur Harrow wants for its function as a compass to Ammit the Devourer's tomb in order to resurrect her.
104	* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane:
105	** Harrow muses on whether Steven/Marc's fractured identity was caused by Khonshu, or whether it was a pre-existing condition. [[spoiler:Episode 5 reveals Marc was the original identity, and he created Steven as a coping mechanism when his mother became physically abusive in his childhood.]]
106	** [[spoiler:Is Moon Knight really a superhero serving Khonshu, or were all his adventures just taking place [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness inside his head while in a mental institution?]] Probably, in the show's reality, it's the former, but the show plays with the possibility...]]
107	* {{Motif}}: Mirrors and reflective surfaces pop up multiple times in the show, reflecting the duality and multiple identities Steven is suffering from. Steven and Marc repeatedly talk with each other as reflections.
108	* MysteryCult: Arthur Harrow leads one which follows the worship of the Egyptian gods, especially Ammit. One of the things Harrow does with his followers is measure their souls using a shifting tattoo on his arm. Those who are judged good are praised, while those who are not quickly end up being killed by Harrow and have their body removed from the vicinity.
109	* MythologyGag:
110	** In the comics, Moon Knight's first appearance was as an antagonist in ''ComicBook/WerewolfByNight''. In the show, we first see him in costume fighting a humanoid jackal-thing.
111	** This is not the first time Moon Knight's suit has been reimagined to resemble a {{Mummy}}. ''ComicBook/EarthX'' showed a BadFuture version of Marc covered from head to waist in bandages, the [[ComicBook/MoonKnight2014 2014 run]] has the ghost punching bone armor that also wraps Marc up in bandages, and the Moon Knights of the Egyptian Battlerealm in ''ComicBook/SecretWars2015'' are likewise wrapped like mummies.
112	** The series works in the typical all-white eyes of cowled superheroes in comics by giving Moon Knight GlowingEyesOfDoom. Some ''Moon Knight'' comics, most notably under the pencils of David Finch and Jerome Opena, made the artistic decision to give Moon Knight glowing eyes when in costume.
113	** The living statue that Steven converses with in London appears to resemble Bertrand Crawley, a homeless informant of Moon Knight from the comics. Jeremy Slater later [[https://twitter.com/jerslater/status/1509225611381805059 confirmed on Twitter]] that the performer is indeed Crawley.
114	** One of Marc's missed calls is from [=DuChamp=], referencing the French pilot and ally of Moon Knight Jean-Paul "Frenchie" [=DuChamp=]. Moreover, he's the 32nd missed call; both Moon Knight and Frenchie debuted in ''Werewolf By Night #32''. The same number is shown again in "Summon the Suit" where the top of a bus reads "WBN 0032".
115	** Marc's file number starts with 1975, the same year he debuted.
116	** A glimpse of Layla's passport in Episode 3 shows her full name is Layla Abdallah El-Faouly, with Abdallah being her father's name in accordance with Arab naming conventions. This references Abdul Faoul, a little-known Egyptian anti-villain known as the Scarlet Scarab. Another reference to the Scarlet Scarab can be spotted in episode 4, where Layla [[spoiler:in the asylum]] has a small bandage on her finger with a red scarab drawn on it. In episode 5, we see [[spoiler:her father's corpse with a purple scarf and a scarab design on it, referencing the Scarlet Scarab's comic-book purple color scheme.]]
117	** [[spoiler:The end of Episode 4 has Marc in an asylum, similar to [[ComicBook/MoonKnight2016 Jeff Lemire's run.]]]]
118	** When Marc first made his deal with Khonshu, the god declared that Marc would be the protector of "travelers by night", which was established to be part of Khonshu's domain in [[ComicBook/MoonKnight2014 the 2014 series]].
119	** The Mr. Knight attire being linked to Steven references Steven's original comic self as a suave, suit-wearing millionaire, sometimes dressed in white.
120	** The movie studio that produced ''Tomb Busters'' is "Timely Atlas Studios". Timely and Atlas were the former names of the comic company that would eventually become Marvel. [[spoiler:Dr. Steven Grant]]'s actor is also named "Doug Perlin", a portmanteau of Moon Knight creators Creator/DougMoench and Don Perlin.
121	** Still on the subject of tribute to creators, TheStinger of "Gods and Monsters" shows a reference to Bill Sienkiewicz, the first artist of Moon Knight's solo comic book, in the name of [[spoiler:the Sienkiewicz Psychiatric Hospital, where Harrow was being held as a patient]].
122	* NeverTrustATrailer: The repeated line in the trailer, "I can't tell the difference between my waking life and dreams", is never spoken in the series. The entire concept of dreams and reality mixing doesn't get nearly as much focus in the series as the trailer implies.
123	* OddballInTheSeries: Thus far, this is the only Disney+ MCU show to be completely standalone and bereft of cameos from characters from other MCU works. It's still clearly set in the same world and timeline, though.
124	* OminousLatinChanting: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uJYMlMdqeI main theme]] of the series has some intense choral chanting.
125	* OneSteveLimit: Steven Grant shares his name with that of [[Characters/MCUCaptainAmerica Steven Grant Rogers]]. He also shares a name with a [[Characters/MCUDoctorStrange certain master of the mystic arts]], though it's spelled differently. [[spoiler:Episode 4 reveals that Steven is a fictive alter based on a character from an old B-Movie called ''Tomb Buster''.]]
126	* PreviouslyOn: Each episode starts with a recap of previous events.
127	* PsychologicalHorror:
128	** Much of the tension in the first episode comes from Steven's DID leading him to wake up in strange villages populated by evil cults or being surrounded by dead bodies everywhere due to him MissingTime, as well as visions of giants with skeletal bird heads and his own reflections either talking to him or not even being in sync with his actions.
129	** Episode 4 ends [[spoiler:with Marc, who was shot by Harrow, somehow waking up in a pristine mental asylum where props and characters from the last three episodes appear, making it appear that Marc was just hallucinating the show the entire time.]]
130	* RepurposedPopSong: Music/KidCudi's "Day 'N' Nite" is used throughout the trailer to represent Steven's multiple identities, as well as his most prominent one, Moon Knight.
131	* RuleOfThree: A few.
132	** Three alters.
133	** Three childhood memories about [[spoiler:Randall's death: the day he died, his shiva, and Wendy still blaming Marc for his death years later.]]
134	** Three times [[spoiler:Jake takes over and beats the crap out of a group of attackers off-screen]].
135	* ScalesOfJustice: A recurring motif throughout the show, based on Myth/EgyptianMythology's JudgementOfTheDead belief where hearts are weighed against a feather to determine if someone was worthy to enter the realm of the dead. Harrow's cult members all have scale tattoos, which are used to see if a person is good enough by Ammit's standards to live. This method of judgement doesn't work on Steven, likely due to his fractured mind; indeed, when [[spoiler:Steven/Marc are shot dead, Taweret tries to balance their hearts on the gods' Scale of Justice and eventually concludes that they are unbalanced... at least until Steven is thrown off their boat and seemingly lost in the sands of the underworld]].
136	* ScarabPower: One of the {{MacGuffin}}s of the show is a golden scarab that leads one to the tomb of the Egyptian goddess Ammit.
137	* SecretIdentity: The show takes the trope to its LogicalExtreme: what if your superhero identity was a secret from yourself?
138	** Marc Spector's secret identity is Moon Knight.
139	** [[spoiler:Steven Grant is rather surprised to learn that he even ''has'' a secret identity, as Mr. Knight.]]
140	** [[spoiler:Jake's existence]] is secret even to his alters.
141	* ShowWithinAShow: "The Tomb" and "Asylum" talk about a B-Movie called ''Tomb Buster'' which [[spoiler:features the adventurer Dr. Steven Grant, the basis for Steven the alter.]]
142	* ShownTheirWork:
143	** Steven's Disassociative Identity Disorder is portrayed fairly accurately, with some leeway for the supernatural aspect, of course. He has a lot of memory problems, which is a prominent symptom of DID, and his distress at losing time in increasingly large chunks is played with heartbreaking accuracy by Oscar Isaac.
144	** The writers and producers of this show [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9VBHi_j7AY partnered up with National Geographic]] and poured a lot of research into Ancient Egypt to make the show's portrayal of its mythology and past as historically accurate as possible. They also visited several ancient temples to get an idea on what they and the artifacts inside would look like before constructing the shooting sets.
145	* StartXToStopX: Harrow wants to release Ammit to get rid of "evil" people before they can harm others - but of course that necessitates killing them himself first. He acknowledges the hypocrisy, knowing that he would never pass Ammit's judgment himself, but then [[spoiler: Ammit surprises him by telling him that she requires an Avatar willing to do such terrible things. After all, the last time she had one who passed judgment, she was trapped in stone for centuries]].
146	* {{Tagline}}:
147	** For the show proper, "Embrace the chaos."
148	** In "Asylum", Steven sees a poster for ''Tomb Busters'' and the tagline reads, "When danger is near, [[spoiler:Steven Grant]] has no fear".
149	* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness: Steven/Marc is a traumatized, haunted man with DID, and we see things mostly from his fairly disorienting (particularly early on) perspective, which the show uses to call certain events into question. For example, the second episode initially makes it look like Steven might be hallucinating, as the security cameras don't pick up the jackal monsters, but we later learn the creatures are simply InvisibleToNormals. Later on, [[spoiler:episode 4 has a reveal that he may or may not be in an insane asylum [[CuckooNest hallucinating the entire series]]... or perhaps the insane asylum is [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane simply another supernatural occurrence.]]]]
150	* VisualPun: In his mind, Marc has a mental hospital.
151	* WeAreEverywhere: Harrow's cult isn't limited to his village in the Alps, having people as far away as London, including security guards in Steven's museum, two London cops, and several children, and plenty of acolytes in Cairo.
152	* WriterOnBoard: A downplayed example. Main director Mohamed Diab has been very outspoken about negative stereotypes of his native Egypt in media, and as such, the show takes great care to avert common tropes such as ArabianNightsDays, EgyptIsStillAncient, ArabOilSheikh, or WarmPlaceWarmLighting in favor of more accurate depictions that show Cairo as a modern city with its own local customs and music like any in the West.
153	* WrongGenreSavvy: Steven has multiple anti-sleepwalking measures in place, including an ankle restraint, sand around his bed, and a tape seal over his door. None of these measures work, because it isn't his subconscious taking over his body: it's Marc, who is fully capable of removing the restraints and replacing the sand and tape after he disturbs them. In fact, the one thing that reveals something is wrong is Steven's pet (one-finned) fish suddenly gaining a second fin one morning.
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Context Series / MoonKnight2022