In an interview with Marvel.com, Moon Knight executive producer Grant Curtis has revealed that Ethan Hawke, who portrays the show’s antagonist Arthur Harrow, isn’t opposed to labeling his character as the true protagonist.
Moon Knight follows the plight of hardened mercenary Marc Spector, who shares a body with timid gift shop employee Steven Grant. To make matters even more complicated, Spector serves the Egyptian god Khonshu as his avatar, which grants him the moniker of Moon Knight as he travels around the world to do Khonshu’s bidding.
While Grant and Spector occasionally clash for control of the body, the show’s main conflict centers on them interfering with the plans of former Khonshu avatar Arthur Harrow, who wishes to release the Egyptian god Ammit, who punishes would-be criminals before they commit any crimes. This juxtaposes with Khonshu, who punishes those after they commit such crimes.
Curtis mentioned how Hawke said he was able to “make a very good argument that Harrow is actually the protagonist of the show,” with Curtis also adding that Harrow’s plan might be more complex than simply punishing those who will commit transgressions, stating that the character has “some really interesting things in his theology.”
From what we’ve seen so far of Moon Knight, Harrow being the good guy is a hard sell; serving up a bad faith testimony in the face of the other gods and ignoring Steven Grant’s points that killing children isn’t a good thing (to say nothing of his status as a cult leader) certainly doesn’t paint the character in a very justice-positive light.
This is Marvel we’re talking about, though, so perhaps we’re not yet privy to the deeper nuances of Harrow’s plan if there are any. For now, we’re happy to watch Spector’s slick-yet-barbaric fighting style and Grant’s knowledge of Ancient Egypt join forces to save the day.
Moon Knight is currently available to stream on Disney Plus.
