#moon knight meta

[traveller-of-the-knight]

Comics Vs Series: Steven stepping in edition

Moon Knight Vol. 9 Issue 12

[drifting-pieces-blog-blog]

It's not Jake.

I'm going to tackle this bit now. It will forever bother me. I think it will forever be a point of argument in the fandom until the word of god (Diab) comes down and explains it all. Even then, there will always be room for argument.

So let's argue.

Marc with Dr. Harrow. I missed it the first time I watched it. (It was on a small screen with poor sound. I should have turned on the subtitles.)

He doesn't know what's going on. He doesn't know where he is but he feels terrible and he's in a situation he's been in before.

Marc knows how to play the game. He might be bad at social situations, but Marc is stubborn and despite his self destructive tendencies, he's a survivor.

From knowing how to please his mother to keep her happy to knowing how to keep the school happy to keeping his father happy.

He also knows how to keep the doctors happy.

You can see the wheels turning as he figures out what Dr. Harrow is looking for and what the right thing to say is. You see him looking around and taking everything in the room in.

Something he learned in the military and then as a mercenary. What is around him? Know the land. Know the space. Know the tools. Know the exits. Know the enemy.

It's so subtle how his eyes move and stare. Every movement of his body is absolutely still and stiff except his eyes. Don't move. Don't draw attention. Don't give yourself away.

He talks about the talking hippo. Corrects him stubbornly. Like a child correcting a parent that gets their drawing or story wrong.

He talks briefly about Steven. He really doesn't want to discuss Steven with Dr. Harrow. Even now, he's trying to protect Steven.

Honestly, Marc is probably unsettled by how Quiet Steven is being. He can't hear him. He can't feel him. He was reaching for him before in his reflection.

Has this happened before? Are the drugs messing him up? Is this even real? You can see it in his eyes as he is trying to work out what has happened. What if it's real? What if Dr. Harrow is right and all of it was in his head?

But he knows things are off. You see him look at the cane and the sandles. He KNOWS something is wrong, but he can't place it.

And then Dr. Harrow asks about the boy.

Now Marc knows this is wrong. He would never have talked about Randall. This is the last thing he'd ever willingly bring up.

You see him instantly shut down and he's made his decision.

I've seen a LOT of arguments that this is Jake. But I don't think so. We, the audience, have not been properly introduced to Jake and his face has been purposfully hidden from us each time he does flicker in. This is not Jake. Jake is still hidden. And Jake would NOT have tolerated Dr. Harrow.

Even if Dr. Harrow was a new alter (persecutor?) created after being killed, Jake would have put him in his place. As protector and possible Gate Keeper, NONE of what's going on would have been tolerated at all. Jake is organized and patient. Jake takes charge when needed and gets the job done.

This is Marc. This is the Marc Spector that you don't see.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Marc cannot mask in the Duat. Every piece of Marc you see is pure and uncensored.

You see Marc play the game but the second Roro comes up, Marc is done.

This is the Marc that is dangerous (Mercinary, special forces, Marines, skilled beyond reason in combat) and also the Marc that is desperate. He's cornered and he will chew his own leg off to get out.

He doesn't know what's out there, but he knows that Steven is being kept away and he needs him.

So why does Marc grab the sharp pointy pyramid? Why does it look like he's trying to first stab them then stab himself?

Well, up to this point, Marc has figured out that he's been shot. He's found Steven outside of his body in a very unlikely situation, and nothing feels real.

He's also jumping scenes. From being with Dr. Harrow to being with Steven.

A part of him is scared it's real. A part of him is scared it isn't.

If it isn't real, how can he get out of it? Perhaps if he takes more damage he'll go somewhere else. Perhaps he'll go back to Steven. Perhaps he thinks it's a dream and he'll wake up next to Layla.

Look at his face. Beaten up. Broken nose. Heavy bags under his eyes. One pupil even looks larger than the other. Severe bodily trauma. (From getting shot? From getting into fights? From some form of brain damage?)

Now, speaking of Jake... I wonder how much of Teenage Marc was really Teenage Jake trying to keep them safe. I can't imagine their teen years being good at all. There's a good chance that their teenage years were utter misery and things probably escalated to terrible depths.

(Anyone else notice that three times we see Baby Marc, it's his birthday? I'm willing to bet every birthday his mother came for him viciously.)

I'm willing to bet that any previous clash he had with a mental hospital deeply involved Jake. One of them started fights and one of them played the game. Marc would get into fights, but Marc also knows how to play the game thanks to his mother. Jake would have wanted them out of there. He may have fought or he may have tried to take control to keep them safe.

So in this situation, Marc has been separated away from Steven, his emotional support and protection. He has been separated away from his physical protection and stabilizer.

And Jake DOES stabilize Marc. When Marc flies off the handle in a rage. When he has flashbacks. When he gets drunk and trashes a hotel room... Who steps in to settle things down? (JAKE'S FUCKING GLOVES WERE IN THAT HOTEL ROOM ON THE NIGHT STAND AS IF THEY HAD BEEN WORN AND TOSSED ASIDE. JAKE WAS THERE.)

So without all of Marc's safe guards, Marc is sitting there in a terrifying situation and his biggest trauma is brought up by a man that he knows he can't trust.

Look at how the episode starts. The cave. The running water. The screaming boy for help. His mother blaming him. It's all right there. Right on the edge of his mind like a bad flashback.

The last thing he wants is to be back in that cave again. Is to see his brother drowning again.

He's going to fight. If he wasn't so disabled by the drugs and injuries he would have burned the whole building to the ground if he could have.

I do have to wonder, though... Marc keeps going back to Dr. Harrow when things get too stressful there. Like a sort of time out. A time for him to try to process and make sense of things. He breaks down when Steven demands to go back to the room. Total melt down. The time out forces him to deal with it. To see it.

Even Steven goes there when he becomes overwhelmed and needs a time out to see what's really going on.

Dr. Harrow was very interested in speaking to Steven. He even mentions that it had been a long time since he had seen Steven. That Steven was the one that brought them there.

It's doubtful that Jake ever made it there. Dr. Harrow (and the real Harrow) had no idea about Jake. And Marc doesn't know about Jake, as this is Marc's processing time.

But what if Jake had made it there? What if Jake had it all figured out? What if Jake had gotten locked up on purpose?

Steven and Jake, literally compartmentalized by Marc.

Perhaps a Meta for another day.

[luke-o-lophus]

You know what? I love that Marc didn't immediately jump off the ship and run after Steven when he fell. I love that we know Marc walking into potentially being a sandstone statue forever was a conscious decision. I love that Marc saw what happened to Steven when he fell, and still chose to go. That he made that decision after Taweret's warnings. I love that it wasn't a split second panicked impulse.

So many of Marc's decisions in life were under pressure, stress, manipulation. But here, in this moment, he was peaceful. He had all the calm he could dream of in the field of reeds, and he chose to go after Steven. He made a decision by himself, for himself.

[marcspectrr]

It's funny because Steven will stand there, physically trying to take up the least amount of room possible, making himself seem small with his postures and his gestures but he won't hesitate to spill his heart out about the most mundane sentiments, being unapologetically himself no matter how much space that means he takes up. Then you have Marc, who will keep his chin up only so people can't see how much he truly wants to drop it and hide instead, who will stand tall even though all he wants to do is disappear, knowing that being himself means being deemed as an ungrateful waste of space.

[moon-knights-balls]

Layla is the sun that brightens the darkness in Marc's world.

Marc is the moon that lights up the way in Layla's world.

[antstarion]

sometimes I sit and stare at the wall and think about the voicemails layla left on marc’s phone. then i imagine marc waiting for steven to sleep before taking control. he’d walk over to the kitchen and retrieve his phone.

he'd sit in an apartment thats not his, in an armchair thats not his and listen each voicemail she had ever left. from the messages left months ago to the ones left only hours ago. he listens to her promise several times that “this is the last one”. listens to her rants and her laughs and to everything, because it all serves as a reminder to why he needs to stay away. why he cant let himself be with her, or live a proper life.

[fdelopera]

I....I tried to write a response to the latest Moon Knight discourse and ended up writing a 10 page annalysis on the first four years run of Moon Knight. I'm not good at things...

BUT ANYWAYS.

I haven't read City of the Dead yet (I will read it because I need to see the directions Moon Knight is being taken by each writer so I can keep up my scarily intense spread sheet), but I have seen the discussions and images.

While Marc is not practicing his religion, he is still wrestling with G-D.

He has wrestled with his own sense of self, his spiritualism, his upbringing, his family, his own life and death, and even swaying from being materialistic and giving up everything.

He wrestles with G-D constantly. Challenging the teachings, circles back to them, follows them, breaks them... Every step of his way has been in direct defiance or on the path.

He ran from his father's teachings to be violent and live a life of destruction and pain. In doing so, he learned guilt and forgiveness. He learned the value of life when he took it.

In his death, he saw his own mortality and then rejected it.

I also am starting to wonder if his relationship with Khonshu (comics only) is in his own mind a reaction to his relationship with G-D and his culture.

He serves Khonshu for the life he was given but he resents Khonshu for the path he has taken. He views the powers he was given as a gift and a curse. He goes long stints of ignoring him then grows angry when he calls out and Khonshu doesn't answer.

He argues with Khonshu, rebels, defies him, and always comes back. He hates him and he honors him. He wears the outfit, the mission, the symbols, but he is not going to pray to him or follow the path as dictated.

The biggest difference is that Marc would never declare Khonshu a superior god or outright worship him. He view Khonshu as a being that has a higher power, but that cannot control him. He was not made by Khonshu or in his image. Khonshu is a being that has latched onto him like a parasite and Marc speaks to him in challenge to his ideal of G-D.

I always found it interesting that Marc, written as a Rabbi's son, would fall in with an Egyptian god. A god that was probably around and being worshiped during the exodus.

I've always seen Marc's relationship with Khonshu as another way for him to fight who he is. Who he was supposed to be and who he turned out to be.

Steven, on the other hand, has never been a big Khonshu fan. He loaths the jerk and sees him for what he is (something the show got right). He accepts Khonshu because he recognizes that he can give Marc what he needs to thrive. Keep him alive. Keep him from harming them. Keep him fighting and searching for himself.

I think Steven is not exactly practicing the religion, but upholds a lot of the culture. He's fancy and snotty, but he likes the comfort of ritual.

You are 100% right that Jake is probably the one that keeps the faith in their system. He guards their soul and keeps them humble. He probably would have gotten along with their father to a point. Be a member of the people and help those that need it.

I don't see Marc as an atheist or a true agnostic, but at times he would probably claim he is. I think he is a man that struggles with his religious upbringing so hard that he accidentally embodies it.

While Moon Knight is about a lot of things, I think catholic guilt needs to stay with Dare Devil. I think Moon Knight is about finding and struggling with identity. Always has been. Identity of where you come from, who you are, who you were supposed to be, who you are spiritually and with yourself. Perhaps that is a very Jewish thing to seek?

And I think that this gets written very poorly at times and often forgotten. He will never stand outside of a church and moan about failing god and his culture. But he will put on a kippah and wonder about who he was supposed to be if he had seen that his father was not a coward, but a man trying to change his own path in a world that fell down.

Your analyses are brilliant, as always. What a gift to receive this in my inbox!

Marc's Jewish journey is the journey of so many Jewish people, especially in the decades following the Holocaust and the attempted eradication of the Jewish people.

MacKay describes this beautifully in his run. He captures the sorrow and anger that many Jews have felt towards G-d for the pogroms, the Holocaust, the thousands of years of persecution. Why has G-d abandoned us? Why should we worship a G-d who feels like He is indifferent to us and our suffering?

Marc's anger at G-d is understandable. He witnessed his father, an Orthodox rabbi, be measured and compassionate in the face of antisemitic violence. Marc wanted to take up the Shield of David and destroy those who would hurt his people further.

But that is not the way, not anymore.

After the Romans destroyed the Second Temple and razed Jerusalem to the ground in 70 CE, Judaism had to change. It had to adapt. The Temple was gone, the priesthood was destroyed, and the Jewish people had to figure out how to continue to offer up to G-d. Without the priests offering sacrifices to G-d in the Temple, how would the Jews continue on as a people?

Out of the ashes of that war, Rabbinical Judaism was born. Torah study became the way that Jews offer up to G-d, as it still is today. Judaism became a religion of learning, debate, and discourse, not a religion of war. That is how Judaism would survive.

It's understandable then that Marc would look at the nearly two thousand years of history that came after the destruction of the Second Temple and see only weakness. Jews were slaughtered by the hundreds of thousands. They were sold into slavery and forced to emigrate to Europe. They were sentenced to live in squalor in ghettos and slums. They lived in constant fear of violence at the hands of Christians. And once they seemed to have reached a place of equilibrium, a new Christian power would rise and force them to flee, convert, or die. Pogrom after pogrom, ghetto after ghetto, Jews were marched throughout history towards what was intended to be the utter end. The final solution to the "Jewish question." Then they would die by the millions in the kind of coordinated extermination that only the Romans had been able to attempt before.

Marc looks at Jewish history and he rightly sees a history of pain. He is filled with righteous anger at the way his people have been persecuted, and he wants to lash out. But his rabbi father tells him no, that is not the way. That is not who we are as Jews.

And so Marc rejects the G-d of his father, and he joins the military. He needs a place that will let him channel his anger. And when the military rejects him, he becomes a mercenary. And finally his anger reaches its logical conclusion: death. And yet he does not die. He is resurrected by a god who allows him to pursue justice in the way he has wanted to, through blood.

But Khonshu takes Marc’s righteous need for justice — “tzedek, tzedek, tirdof” (justice, justice you shall pursue) — and the old god twists it into a desire for vengeance and retribution.

Marc has never worshipped Khonshu as a deity, but he does contractually serve the old god as an entity of vengeance. He sees Khonshu as a means to an end — as a means to protect the vulnerable and enact justice on evildoers — and yet he knows deep down that this end doesn’t justify the means he used to get there.

There is a responsibility, a burden, to being a Jew. We are responsible for leading a moral and ethical life, and we are responsible for working towards justice and equality in society. Our duty is to community, not to individualist desires. We have an obligation to the mitzvah of tzedakah, which comes from the word tzedek (justice), and means charitable giving that advances social justice. We have an obligation towards “tikkun olam,” or “repairing the world.”

These are all aims that Marc has pursued, and yet he’s pursued them out of a place of personal pain and anger. He has burned his life down more times than he can count, which has only fueled that pain and anger more.

Yet he’s still trying. And he’s starting to recognize what that pain and anger have cost him. As MacKay writes in the panels above:

“You couldn’t understand before why I take being the fist of Khonshu so seriously, when it’s cost me so much. Cost me everything. It’s because I don’t have anything else left. If I’m not the Fist of Khonshu, whatever I choose to understand that as, then I’m just Marc Spector, the man who makes the wrong choice every time. The man who threw away his religion, his heritage. Killed what family he didn’t bury. The man who brought harm and trauma to everyone who ever cared about him. The man who can’t breathe from the guilt closing over his head, thick as seawater and twice as bitter … I’d rather be anyone else other than that guy.”

While MacKay’s assessment of why Marc is part of a system is pretty problematic in these panels (really wish he hadn't included the line, "No wonder I developed DID," because that only increases stigma), MacKay does get the essence of the Jewish guilt that Marc feels.

Jewish guilt is not guilt for individual sin, like it is in Catholicism. This is one of the big problems that I have with the way that David Pepose is writing Marc in "City of the Dead." Feeling guilty about sin is a Christian notion, and doesn’t really figure in Jewish thought. Jewish guilt is the anguish we feel when we choose selfish, individualist aims that harm our community, our people.

And this is the beauty of MacKay’s run. MacKay understands Marc’s experience of guilt. MacKay’s Marc feels that he “[brings] harm and trauma to everyone who ever cared about him.”

And the natural resolution to that guilt, the way Marc is trying to atone for his actions that have hurt so many, is the establishment of the Midnight Mission. Marc starts the Mission without Khonshu’s direction. This is not part of his contract with the old god.

I think that in the Midnight Mission, we see Marc’s effort to reconnect with his Jewish faith. This is Marc trying to give tzedakah, this is his attempt at tikkun olam. He wants to serve the marginalized and disenfranchised, as he once did (during Moench’s original Moon Knight run). He wants to help his community, his people. And so he opens his doors to those that society has also rejected, and he gives them a home.

And this is really the path forward for many Jewish people. This is how we can channel our sorrow and anger at a legacy of thousands of years of persecution. This is what it is to be the "chosen people." As Jews, we are chosen to have extra responsibilities based on the covenant with G-d. A simple understanding is this: we are not "chosen" to be special; we are "chosen" to do the dishes. As Jews, it is our duty to pursue justice and help those in need.

And it is incredibly meaningful that Jed MacKay, a gentile, has taken the time and done the research to really understand this.

[sadlittlebear-sometimes-beatrash]

Khonshu mythos

I keep seeing the aspects of Khonshu (pathfinder, embracer, defender) pop up and I got super interested but couldn’t actually find anything that elaborated on it. I did a little dive and found some character stats from games, and some comic-book Khonshu timelines but nothing about his aspects in particular. 

So I did a bigger dive into ‘Khonsu’ and ancient Egyptian theology to see if I could learn more about what they were drawing inspiration from. 

(If you’ve got a comic book (or a fic!) recommendation that tackles the different aspects of Khonsu I would love to have it.) 

His name means ‘the traveler’ or more directly ‘he who travels the night sky.’ He’s got a dark past as an ancient bloodthirsty god who strangled other deities, eviscerated them, and fed the parts to kings so they could absorb their strength/power in the afterlife. 

Khonsu was mainly worshiped as one part of the Thebian Triad in the New Kingdom of Thebes. He’s the divine child of the other two and was depicted as a male youth. In this place/time he’s called ‘Khonsu in Thebes Nefer-Hotep’. (which roughly translates to ‘perfectly satisfied’ or ‘beautiful and peaceful’). 

He was the god of the moon and was thought to embody the light of the crescent moon in particular. I found ‘the god of the light in the night’ to be a rather nice descriptor. This aspect of him/his role seemed to fit best with the “embracer, pathfinder, defender” I keep seeing. Though it seems to describe three roles of one of his aspects, rather than three distinct aspects each with different roles. 

Khonsu as a god with healing abilities was clear in the show, but not so clear in the comics, but it was definitely there in the mythology. Reading about how Khonsu was understood to be a fierce and violent healer, and how that was not an oxymoron, was super interesting. Here’s the quote from the paper: “Healing deities in Egyptian religion are also frequently violent because they must battle with the demons who cause sickness” [link to the cool paper].   

 EVEN COOLER is that that paper describes depictions of Khonsu sitting with the distinct/separate aspects of himself as Khonsu in Thebes, Khonsu the protector, and Khonsu the provider. There is also an inscription about ‘Khonsu in Thebes’ talking/interacting with ‘Khonsu the provider’ who goes off to do his own thing for a bit. This [link] has a synopsis of the story and it’s really neat.  

He was also thought to be one of the gods of time, particularly the month. He was sometimes thought to start off each day as a child, mature throughout, and lay to rest an old man (or complete that cycle throughout one year). How he’s depicted in statues/carvings also mirrors that age-wobbliness: He’s depicted as a young man by a particular hairstyle (sidelock) but he’s also got a beard of older rulers. His crown is also a full lunar disk AND a crescent moon at the same time. 

He may have symbolized “ the culmination of life” or the life cycle. His powers were thought to wax and wane with the moon with him being strongest around the new moon (mighty bull) and weakest at the full moon (neutered bull). This has something to do with the crescent moon being bull horns and also his weapon. 

There was a lot more to unpack but these were the parts I found most interesting. I had fun, and I hope you had fun. 

Here are the links to the resources I found most helpful if you’re interested. 

Khonsu at AncientEgyptOnline.com

Khonsu, the Lunar God who Came to Greatness by Jimmy Dunn

God Khonsu at Landioustravel.com

Khonsu: Henadology, Philosophy, and Theology (by E.P. Butler)

[angelmichelangelo]

so i was rewatching the scene where harrow shoots marc (because why not yknow) and i was just thinking about how in that slow mo part right after harrow shoots him how we get two kinds of reaction shots from marc.. or at least, what we think is marc.

so we know marc is fronting during that talk with harrow. he’s the one that starts the attack on harrow’s men and then boom. he gets a bullet to the chest. it cuts away to layla’s reaction (authors note: that’ll never not be devastating to me) but then we get marc stumbling backwards, looking shocked and scared when i was like: hmmm maybe this isn’t marc!

idk about any of yall but his body language in this reminds me of steven. fumbling and shocked, he’s never been shot before. he’s never had to know what that feels like.

in my opinion, i think steven fronted here. maybe on accident. maybe because he didn’t know what was going on, could tell marc was hurt or in pain and when he came to the front was just like “oh wait wtf is this??”

because then, just before harrow shoots him again, after it cuts back to him, when we see the system again, he’s no longer struggling to look for something to hold onto to, or fumbling backwards or looking quite as shocked.

he’s trying to stand up straight. he’s gritting his teeth. he’s looking like he’s ready for a fight, and i think this might be marc again, who fronted to protect steven from feeling that pain. to protect him, even if it is too late.

and i also feel it’s pretty symbolic that harrow shot him twice in the chest. a bullet for each of them, yet marc was willing to endure the pain for each one because he couldn’t bare steven having to go through what he felt was the pain deserved for him.

idk i just thought it was interesting. and by interesting i mean: this whole scene hurt me like a motherfucker lmao

[joyful-soul-collector]

How I think the Moon Boys would react to meeting Other Heroes

I want to eventually turn these into fanfics relaying the events in detail (and if you want to as well, please do and tag me in it, I'd love to see what you make!) but for now we just do meta :] I'm gonna do the OG 6 avengers first, but I'll likely reblog later with other heroes if people seem interested, so lemme know if you wanna see more!

Tony Stark

Marc: Definitely assumes this guy is an asshole before ever meeting him. He's a billionaire, he's cocky, he built a giant tower with his name on it--he's got all the makings of a real asshole. Upon meeting him? Well, yeah, he has to admit the guy is smart and fights well. They can work as a team when in battle for sure. Still cannot stand his personality though, and it's in part because Marc can see some parts of himself in Tony. He really doesn't like the idea that he might relate to guy who used to be fine with building weapons for awful people.

Steven: Definitely hesitant about him, in part because Marc is so adamant about his assumptions. However upon meeting him, I think Steven could grow to like him in some ways. Sure he's cocky, and has a hard exterior, but it's not like he doesn't know how to deal with that, sharing a body with Marc and Jake. He likes to hear Tony explain science and machines to him, and I could see them talking about their weapons and armor, exchanging ideas. He too is fine to fight alongside Iron Man

Jake: He's also hesitant about Stark, both because of Marc and because of his role as the protector, but he can't help but admit... the guy has fuckin style. He particularly likes Tony's cars, and when he sees magazines in the store detailing all of Tony's cars, he can't help but snag one. And when he MEETS Tony? Well it takes help from Steven outright telling Tony that he'd love to see them, but Tony does show Jake his garage full of cars, and they chat about it for so long that Marc and Steven have to practically drag the body back home before midnight. Fighting enemies with him is an entire different playing field however. Jake really hates being told what to do, so generally he'll let Marc or Steven handle battles alongside Iron Man

Steve Rogers

Marc: Mixed feelings about Cap before meeting him for sure. He was a soldier like Marc was, and for that Marc feels a sense of loyalty or comradery with him. Cap also fought in WWII and helped save a lot of Jewish people, which obviously puts him in a good light. But at the same time, he's named Captain America, the same nation that spit him out of the marines with no support, no option but to become a mercenary to survive. After meeting him though, he finds that he quite likes Cap. They bond over their pasts as soldiers, and exchange stories of punching fascists right in the kisser. He considers it quite an honor to fight alongside Cap in any battles

Steven: He liked Cap from the very beginning, since he was a kid. Not obsessed, he never collected cards like Coulson, but he always regarded him as a hero for what he did in WWII. He's never liked to be called Steve, always the full name Steven, but it still made him just a little bit proud to share the same name as Captain America. After meeting Cap, he found he appreciated him as a person as well, not just as a hero. He enjoyed hearing Cap's stories about what life was like in his time, and they exchanged song recommendations together often. He too finds it an honor to fight alongside Cap

Jake: Jake didn't think much about Cap before meeting him. Sure, he was glad for what he did in WWII, saving Jewish people and punching Hitler, but he kind of thought that should've been the standard anyways. He didn't feel the need to praise the guy just for standing up for Jewish people, if anything he preferred to praise the Jewish doctor that MADE the super soldier serum, he was the one that gave them this great hero after all. After meeting Cap he did find he warmed up to him though. He was a good man, even if a bit robotic at times. Again though, he cannot stand people telling him what to do, especially in the commanding, soldier-like way Cap does it. At least Tony makes a funny comment when he tells people what to do, Cap just orders you, and Jake does NOT like that

Thor Odinson

Marc: VERY hesitant about this guy, as past experience with gods has not exactly gone well for him. Upon meeting him he realizes quickly that Thor isn't much of a threat (to him at least), and he gets less cagey. He doesn't exactly become friends with Thor, but they're nice enough to each other, and can fight as a team well. Secretly tho? He thinks Thor's whole lightning and thunder thing is pretty cool

Steven: Also again hesitant due to Thor's whole God-ness, but also realizes he wouldn't harm them. He is INTENSELY interested in Asgardian/Norse mythology though, and spends several evenings asking Thor a million questions about the different realms, the culture of Asgard and all the magic that exists there. Thor promises to one day show him the Bifrost and Asgardian palace library, as well as introduce him to Heimdall, who could tell Steven more about the realms than Thor ever could

Jake: AGAIN, not exactly excited about meeting another God, and even after meeting him, Jake is still unsure for a long time. He's always quick to remind Steven that Thor is a god and things could go bad with him at any time. With time he learns to trust Thor, and have a tentative relationship with him, at least enough that he's willing to fight alongside the god in battle

Clint Barton

Marc: He'd heard of someone called Hawkeye fighting in the Battle of New York, and mostly thought he must've been insane (or stupid) for fighting aliens with a bow and arrow. However after meeting him he did find a new respect for him. I think of all the people to spar with, he'd often choose Hawkeye, both because they're similar in strength (without the suit at least), and because Clint has a similar fighting style to him. They both utilize rooftops, darts/arrows/grappling hooks, and hand-to-hand combat, so he's a great person to practice with. They work well in battle together.

Steven: He was impressed hearing about a guy fighting aliens with a bow and arrow for sure. After meeting him I think he does like Clint, but might feel intimidated by him. He doesn't seem to be the most open of people, and he can see why Marc enjoys his company because of that, but Steven himself just finds Clint a bit difficult to talk to. They work fine in battle, but not as well as Jake and Marc do.

Jake: I think of anyone in MK system Jake probably is the one that can talk to Clint the most easily. He's relaxed enough that he doesn't worry about Clint being cagey at times, and good enough at bantering and talking with people to get Clint to relax and open up more. If anyone is able to start a good friendship with Clint, it's Jake. This also makes it so they work well fighting together

Natasha Romanoff

Marc: Absolutely just cannot vibe with this woman, at least at first. He could tell immediately that she was analyzing him and trying to get information about himself and his past out of him when they first met, and it just threw him off instantly. Something about the spy, manipulation tactics stuff, and honestly her being a woman, just reminded him too much of his mom. Over time he would learn to be less nervous around her, especially as he realized her analytical first impression was part of a mask she put on, but he couldn't say he ever truly relaxed around her. He doesn't enjoy fighting alongside her much, but he's willing to do it

Steven: He honestly thought she was fine upon meeting her, and that Marc was freaking out over someone just being friendly to him. It's not that he didn't realize she was analyzing them, but more that he understood quickly that it was a mask. She reminded him of Marc and Jake really, and similar to them, it was just a matter of being open enough that the other person felt comfortable taking of their mask too. I think they'd get along pretty well honestly, almost a grumpy+sunshine dynamic similar to him and his alters. They don't fight very similarly though, so while they get along, there's a lot more communication happening between them to try and fight better together.

Jake: Would also tell immediately that she was trying to analyze them upon first meeting, and I think that might actually trigger him to front when they first meet. She also reminded him of their mother, and Jake would immediately start handing that same energy back to her. I could honestly see a scene where she's asking them questions, and Jake starts to front and responds to her questions with his own questions. However, I think this would result in a friendship to be honest haha! I think through analyzing each other they would figure out they're similar in a lot of ways, and Jake would end up trusting her a lot. He would know that she understood what it was to have secrets and to be constantly striving to be better than the person you were in the past, and he would understand her for the same reasons. I also think they would bond a bit over their protective natures, with how she's protective over Clint and Yelena, and how he protects Marc and Steven. Oh and they would 100000000% dance together. It's basically their version of sparring haha, and in battle in makes it so they barely have to talk in order to coordinate seamlessly together, which works perfectly for him because he doesn't have to be told what to do but he can still work well with her

Bruce Banner/The Hulk

Marc: He'd heard of the Hulk before, and wasn't really sure what to think of it. Some people said he was a good guy, some people said he was bad, overall Marc just kinda hoped he'd never be on his bad side. After meeting Bruce he found that he wasn't afraid of the Hulk at all when he transformed. Cautious of course, but not afraid. He liked Bruce, he kind of reminded him of Steven in his awkwardness and nerdy ramblings. He wasn't exactly close with either Bruce or the Hulk, but they gained a mutual trust

Steven: Steven was very interested in Bruce and the Hulk ever since he'd first heard about them, and at first thought it might've been a weird, magical, or mutated version of DID. Obviously he quickly found out that wasn't the case at all, but he was still very interested in the duality of Bruce and The Other Guy and he ended up having long talks with Bruce about it when they met. I think if they'd met back then, Steven might've been able to help Bruce a lot when he was trying to figure out how to find a balance between himself and the hulk, help him figure out how to merge the best of both worlds. Steven's interactions with Hulk weren't as amicable in the beginning though, because Hulk viewed him mainly as "Banner's Friend", but Steven was still kind to him, so eventually The Hulk grew to like him too

Jake: Jake thought the Hulk was really cool honestly, but he could understand why Bruce didn't like it, because he understood the frustrating feeling of switching when you didn't want to, losing control when things got too emotional. However he didn't really voice how he related to Bruce until much further into their friendship. He still liked Bruce a lot though, for the same reason Marc did, he reminded him of Steven. He likely gets along with The Hulk a bit more though, because of he enthusiastically encouraging he is of the Hulk. He's considered the Hulk's friend, and he fights well alongside him. Overall I also think the Hulk likes the MK system because he understands that they switch similarly to how he and Bruce do, and may actually think about them working together so well when Bruce proposes the idea of them merging and working together better.

BONUS

Loki Laufeyson

(this one I actually already have a fanfic for, which is why there's a link, though it's set in a sort of AU where the Mind Stone hypnotized Loki and made him more violent and evil than he actually is. Here I'll talk about a more canon-ish reaction)

Marc: Obviously, none of the MK boys are gonna like this guy initially. The man sent an alien army to earth, he's not made a good first impression. Getting to know him over time is where things begin to change. When Marc starts to figure out that his swagger and menacing personality is more of a persona than how he actually is, he starts to kind of connect the dots and figure out that this guy may have been manipulated in some way, and may be going through things similar to what Marc went through when he was a mercenary. However he doesn't dig much into it, because he really doesn't love the idea that he might relate to a guy who tried to take over the entire earth (similar to how he doesn't want to relate to Tony either).

Steven: Steven would again, not be a fan of Loki, but unlike the other two, he would be the one actively looking for any sort of redeeming quality in him. Steven would be the one to find out about Loki's father, and how poorly he was treated, and would be able to communicate that to Jake and Marc. He would be the gentlest with Loki, and would likely be able to see through Loki's mask much easier than Marc or Jake would. Whether this would result in a friendship is harder to say though. He would be happy to talk to Loki about his problems, but I can't see him easily finding something to connect with him about. Maybe through magic, and Loki talking about spells and things he knows, similar to how Steven bonds with Thor.

Jake: Again, not a fan at first, but that changes over time. Unlike Marc, Jake would likely trust Steven's ideas about Loki, and how he may not be as horrible as he seems, or at least, he may have been manipulated into being what he is now. Jake I think would be able to talk to Loki and create a stronger friendship with him than the other two, being the people person he is. He wouldn't be able to easily talk about the trauma-related stuff, that's more Steven's expertise, but he would be able to see what Steven does eventually, and realize Loki isn't so different. He'd be able to analyze him similarly to how he did with Natasha, and while he won't talk to Loki about what he realizes, his opinions will still change, and he'll see him in a different light.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading! Lemme know if you want to hear about the MK boys (or Layla???) reacting to more heroes! Again, if you make anything based of of these ideas, definitely tag me, I wanna see what you made!!

[360iris]

these are all moon knight system coded but… Marc… these are for Marc

[traveller-of-the-knight]

Do you know what I love about moon knight? (Many things, yes but-)

The way that when Marc was questioning all of his sanity, questioning if he'd ever worked or ever met an egyptian god, questioning if everything that happened in the last decade was real, questioning everything he saw- He never questioned Steven. No Steven is there and he is real. They've been together since they are children, he survived because he knew he wasn't alone, he knew Steven is real, even if others probably have told him otherwise.

I think about that a lot.

And I want someone to love me as Marc loves Steven, a love so strong and real that against all odds, even if Steven being real sounds impossible Marc doesn't lose faith. Because a love that strong must be real

[drifting-pieces-blog-blog]

I've been saving this one. You have no idea.

ALRIGHT LET'S GO.

THIS SCENE. They are reunited and the door has opened. They have hope! Look at their faces. Steven is SO Steven. He's just amazed and full of hope and wonder. Marc is still defrosting, but he looks surprised.

Sure, he didn't expect for them to be saved. This is a man that had thought his whole life that he was unworthy of anything. He made it to the field of reeds, and then immediately rejected it for Steven. Yet here he stands, with Steven Grant and the door back to life.

So why doesn't he look happy?

In fact, in half a second, you see his face turn ever so slightly into one of doubt.

In that second, he moves back. He pushes Steven forward just a little. Is Marc considering pushing Steven through and staying behind? Giving Steven the life without him? He's already seen that he could move on without Steven. Can Steven move on without him?

It wouldn't be unlike Marc to put Steven first. To stay trapped in the Duat and let Steven be the hero with Layla.

And Steven, still looking at the light, Marc is the first to notice the Duat rising up to try to claim them. His look of fear as he clutches at Steven a little tighter. He would do anything in that moment to protect him.

He even tells Steven to go ahead. To go without him. Not because he can't walk and is slowing Steven down. He tells Steven to go because he still isn't sure if he should go back.

Even when Steven tells him he isn't going without him, Mac still pushes Steven through the door first. SHOVES him through the door first.

Just in case it's a trick. Just in case something happens. At least Steven will be safe. Luckily, Steven is still holding him and drags Marc along with him, just in case Marc stops. Just in case Marc changes his mind...

[luke-o-lophus]

Oscar started working on Moon Knight playing Steven and Marc on separate days and over time he got more comfortable with the characters and started playing them together.

So not only was the show itself a story of integration, there was an integration happening in real life too in the actor playing them.

And I love that.

[marcspectrr]

It's this one word that's got me reeling a little bit this time. Someone come join me in this rabbit hole.

We've heard Marc's voice when he's angry, right? And seen his face, when he's frustrated and upset?

You should really quickly rewatch this scene right here, specifically 30:32-30:45, right before we hear Layla's hesitant"Marc?" , then we get her looking at him, reading him, at this point having just seen another suit.

Because none of those things are in his voice or on his face here.

Marc's eyes finally find her, watching him so carefully, and it's not anger that causes his voice to come out so quietly, it's not frustration that causes it to shake. His breathless "Yeah" sounds like both a reassurance and a question, directed at her and himself, and it's filled with unease, his "I blacked out" holding so much fear.

I just feel like this being the most explicit acknowledgment of Jake we get and pairing it with Marc not holding back actual fear (a very rare thing, no?) is so...perfect. Showing how Jake just...emotionally disarms Marc before even really meeting him. Both of them being so scared to meet, Marc realizing what exactly Jake has been doing for him, Jake realizing that Marc doesn't actually hate him for always pulling them back from the edge ahdjfkfkfk

[aeruthien]

[ID Harrow and Marc are fighting. Harrow uses his weapon to control Marc's own hand, causing him to stab himself in the side and then almost in his face. Marc stops the second attack.]

This whole final fight sequence is a true reiteration of all the themes presented in the series up until that moment.

Harrow starts with this speech: "If Ammit had been allowed to rule, young Randall's life would have been saved, your family would have been happy. She need only remove one weed from the garden. You."

And then forces Marc to stab himself. He uses Marc's own guilt against him. The pain caused by his own Moon Knife is the literal representation of the pain caused by Harrow's words. Throughout the series, as I've also talked a bit about in this post, Marc has been struggling against this mindset. That he is guilty, and that it would have been better if he'd died before the accident happened. Because then 'Randall would have lived'.

But Marc does fight it, even though he doesn't break free. The first attack hits, but then he stops the one going for his head. If this had happened before Marc and Steven's journey in the Duat, this would have killed him. But while he resists, Marc can't fight it off, because one soul searching journey is not yet enough.

And then who tries to help? Layla. She fights off her own assailants and charges in to rescue him, like she has done so many times before. The person connected to life. To love. Now an avatar of the goddess that protects women and children. All children, not just those that Ammit considers 'good'.

But Harrow uses Marc's blade against her as well. Because Marc has hurt her, intentionally and unintentionally. His rage and guilt and anger have negative consequences not just for himself but for her as well. But his blade doesn't kill her. It just pins her down. Ultimately, this isn't her fight. Not in this particular setting.

So Marc is blasted into the ground, his support network gone. He is on the verge of losing. Except there is one more person on Marc's side. The one that protected him as surely as Steven did. The one that fights when Marc himself can't anymore, protecting the system.

Jake Lockley absolutely wrecks Harrow and his followers. Because Jake doesn't buy into that mindset at all. He isn't swayed by Ammit's ideology.

So they survive. They win. Harrow is defeated. But that doesn't mean the struggle is yet over.