‘Moon Knight’ director explains the importance of Marc and Steven’s most powerful moment

Warning: Light spoilers for Moon Knight to follow

Moon Knight‘s story was a bit heavier than what fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are used to; the dark tone and bold violence sometimes made it hard to remember that it was in fact a Marvel Studios property.

But perhaps the most compelling of its more mature components was the commentary it offered on mental illness; protagonist Marc Spector is revealed to be living with dissociative identity disorder (DID), which manifests multiple personalities, such as Steven Grant, with whom he shares a comparable amount of time in control of his physical body.

Part of Spector’s journey is learning how to live benevolently with every side of himself, and the finale of Moon Knight ties up the arc in a touching exchange between him and Grant, leading the two sides of Spector to tearfully reconcile before joining forces for the final confrontation back in the land of the living. Director Mohamed Diab, in an interview with Murphy’s Multiverse, delved into the scene and the importance it held for Spector’s character arc.

“It’s the moment where the two of them really heal,” said Diab. “This journey at the core of it is about someone who has to learn with themselves. With all sides of themselves.”

“You and me have more than one side. We have the persona and the shadow self. You try all your life to learn to live with those sides of you. That’s what inspired that scene between the two of them. That journey had to come to a moment where Marc realizes that Steven is not just a stress ball. He’s more. He’s half of him.”

Moon Knight is currently available to stream on Disney Plus.