Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Episode 5 of Moon Knight.Duality is a recurring theme in the superhero genre. Heroes often serve as a mirror to their archenemies and vice versa. And who can forget the tried and true “secret identity” trope? ButMoon Knighttakes things a step further by actually weaving duality into its plot. That duality comes in the way of mercenary Marc Spector (Oscar Isaac) dealing with his dissociative identity disorder and his alternate persona of Steven Grant, as well as the mission that Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke) has embarked on.
The latest episode, “Asylum,” delves deep into the duality that’s been a part of Spector’s life. Trapped in the Duat — the Egyptian underworld — Spector and Grant are told by the Egyptian god Taweret (Antonia Salib) that they must find balance within their souls, or they will be devoured by the lost souls that wander the Duat.
The two then take a tour through Spector’s mind, including his childhood and his guilt over letting his brother Randall die. That guilt, combined with the verbal and physical abuse he suffered at the hands of his mother, caused the Grant personality to manifest. As Spector put it, Grant was supposed to protect him and was supposed to be the personality with “the happy life,” while Spector carried the trauma and grief of his childhood, Grant had nothing but happy memories of his mother.
This comes to a head when both men see the memory of Spector refusing to attend his mother’s shiva, despite his father’s silent pleas. He walks down the street before collapsing and sobbing, overwhelmed with grief until the Grant persona takes over and makes a call to his mother, claiming he ended up getting lost. Later, Grant is forced to face the reality of his mother’s death with Harrow, who appears as a psychiatrist in the Duat, calls her and there’s nothing but a dial tone. Not only is this a phenomenal display of Isaac’s talents, but it’s the moment when the two truly become one.
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The way thatMoon Knightapproaches its protagonist’s duality helps to put a new twist on the secret identity trope. Said trope has largely been absent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date, due to the status of certain characters. Tony Stark publicly outed himself as Iron Man, Steve Rogers' service as Captain America is public knowledge, and Thor’s a literal god. With Spector/Grant, it’s different. Grant thinks he has a sleeping disorder and often straps himself to his bed before going to sleep, while also taping his door shut. Yet he still wakes up in puddles of blood, surrounded by bodies and hearing voices. It isn’t until he discovers Spector’s existence that he learns the truth: after a near-death experience, Spector entered into the servitude of the Egyptian moon god Khonshu (F. Murray Abraham) and became the Moon Knight, delivering vengeance upon the unjust. Spector and Grant have to deal with sharing a body, while Grant is horrified at Spector’s brutality and Spector grows annoyed with Grant over time. The difference between the two is even reflected in their Moon Knight suits; Spector dons the ceremonial armor of Khonshu, which is complete with a cape and hood, while Grant wears a more modern three-piece suit.
It gets even trickier when Spector’s wife Layla (May Calamawy) enters the picture. Layla is upset that Spector has attempted to file for divorce, and grows closer to Grant over time. The two even share a kiss. Grant soon learns that Spector has become the Moon Knight in order to protect Layla from entering into servitude to Khonshu. But he’s also suffering from the guilt of letting her father die — and when she learns about this, her fury is rightfully directed at Spector. Many love interests in the superhero genre often remain unaware of their significant other’s secret identity, or even fall in love with said identity. With Layla, it’s different: she’s on the outs with her husband but also grows closer to his split personality, who happens to be more open and in touch with his emotions.
And the villain of the series gets in on the theme of duality, as well. Harrow is looking to free the goddess Ammit, as he believes she will be able to judge the world and punish the worthy. He’s even able to use her power to “judge” others, with the “guilty” being drained of life. Keeping in line with the theme of balance, Harrow carries a walking stick engraved with twin crocodile heads, which swings back and forth like a pendulum — or a scale. He even has a tattoo of a scale on his forearm, which represents Ammit’s judgement. However, his idea of “balance” is widely unjust, as Grant points out, since judging someone for actions they haven’t committed yet seems hardly fair.
Ultimately, Spector and Grant do find balance — but at a cost. Grant is dragged down into the sands of the Duat by the lost souls, while Spector finds himself walking the reeds of the Underworld. Though they may have found peace, it comes at the worst possible time as Harrow has seemingly awakened Amnit, who’s carrying out her perverse judgement. With the series finale airing next week, it remains to be seen if Spector will truly find some form of balance.
