Once again it’s time for Marvel to pluck one of its lesser-known characters and reveal to a greater audience just how cool they are.  This time, it’s in the form of “Moon Knight,” a man who suffers from both dissociative identity disorder and possession by an ancient Egyptian deity.

This six-part limited series on Disney+ first introduces us to Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac) a mild-mannered archeologist museum gift shop employee.  He’s socially awkward, a tad annoying, and very British.  Steven is obsessed with Egyptian mythology but no one takes him seriously.  To complicate matters further he apparently has a sleep disorder.  Steven loses time, wakes up in strange places, and often forgets what day it is.  He’s tried strapping himself in bed, has covered the floor with sand (to show footprints), and has now resorted to forcing himself to go without sleep.  Nothing works though, and he soon finds himself far from home, being chased by gunmen and in possession of a strange artifact.  To complicate matters, he’s also hearing a voice (F. Murray Abraham) that at times has more control over his body than he does.

All of this, and much more, happens in the first episode.  The pacing of this series is amongst the best of the Disney+ Marvel series.  It wastes no time jumping into compelling characters and fun scenarios.  Ethan Hawke, as the glass-shard-shoe-filled villain Arthur Harrow chews the scenery every moment he’s on-screen, a difficult task when you’re playing opposite Oscar Isaac.  Issac is clearly having fun in his multiple roles, playing very different characters.  In later episodes, he’s often interacting with himself and obviously having a blast portraying very different personalities.  You can always tell which persona is in control by his body language alone.

There are so many series that overstay their welcome.  But at only 6-episodes long, it’s a shame we’ll have to wait to get more.  Marvel has another interesting, unique, fun character on its hands and we can’t wait to see more!

Moon Knight
4.5