Moon Knight episode 3 is out and it has done an amazing job of building up the suspense even further. So far, we’ve seen two major personalities in episodes 1 and 2. They are Marc Spector and Steven Grant who turn into Moon Knight and Mr Knight respectively. This is unlike the comics as all four of these names are different personas in the source material. But there’s one more personality in the books which hasn’t been showcased in the show yet. It has been teased heavily and my Moon Knight theory suggests that the series is building up to a darker truth about this mysterious third persona. But first, let’s try and figure out who it is.
Spoilers for Moon Knight Episode 3, The Friendly Type follow.
Marc’s Third Personality in the Comics
Besides Marc Spector, the Mercenary and Steven Grant the Millionaire (a giftshop worker in the MCU), the comics also have Jake Lockley. He is a street-level cabbie in New York. He fulfils the detective aspect of Moon Knight as overtime, he manages to build a strong network of informants. Through him, Moon Knight is able to figure out what’s going on in the criminal underworld. His main contact is Bertrand Crawley, who is the golden live-statue guy in the show.
There’s a great chance that Marc Spector’s third personality in the show is Jake Lockley. Episodes 1 and 2 gave us a few hints at this secret identity. For starters, it felt weird for Marc to set up a date for Vegan Steven, and that too at a steak joint. Mark was married to Layla, so he probably wouldn’t have asked someone out on a date for himself, or for someone who shares his body.
Secondly, episode 3 confirmed that this third identity is extremely violent. Marc got knocked out while chasing after Harrow’s thug followers through Cairo. And the very next shot had his body stabbing those guys to death. He realized that neither he nor Steven was the killer in this situation. So clearly, it was the sinister third persona. Jake Lockley is not this violent in the books, so maybe MCU could have changed him like Steven has been changed. But my theory is that this secret identity is someone entirely different and unique.
It’s Scotty, Not Jake!
The museum guard kept referring to Steven as Scotty. So instead of Jake, the third persona could be called Scott / Scotty. He could have asked that fine lady out on a date. Since he is the cold-blooded killer of the 3, he could have appeared in the first episode too when Steven almost had the Scarab snatched from his hand. He killed a few of Harrow’s followers and that’s why his hands were so bloody. It’ll be interesting to see what other instances had him actively running around. But I believe that he committed a few heinous acts at the Egyptian dig site too.
The Dark Secret of Marc’s Psychopath Third Persona
We know that Layla’s father was murdered at a dig site. And in episode 2, Harrow’s follower DC Kennedy revealed that Mark was wanted for murdering the archaeologists. Harrow told Layla that Marc was hiding something from her about her father’s murder. He said that Marc thinks he’s unworthy of love.
So, keeping this and Marc’s reaction in mind, my theory is that Layla’s father was amongst those dead Archaeologists, and it was Scotty who murdered him and the others. That is the dark secret of Marc and Steven’s third personality, and this is a revelation is what the show is building up to. Marc probably realized this, and out of massive guilt and to prevent Layla from the truth, he pushed her away. He seems to have been covering up all kinds of messes that Scotty has created so far.
Being a merc, Marc is brutal in his ways. But he is no Scotty. This third persona is a dark, carefree psychopath. In the comics, Raul Bushman betrayed Marc and left him for the dead. But here, there’s no sign of Bushman. Instead, it’s the third persona Scotty, who is bringing out the dark side of Moon Knight. We’ve also discussed a theory that this third persona is actually working with Arthur Harrow. But I guess we’ll have to wait and see how things turn out with that.
Moon Knight is Broken and It’s Okay!
So far, we’ve forgiven Bucky for his crimes as the brainwashed Winter Soldier. We’ve forgiven Hawkeye for his past as Ronin. So now, we’ve got to be ready to handle Moon Knight’s dark persona. He is a twisted superhero and this dark truth about him is what makes him so complex and broken. Marvel went soft on Black Widow by keeping Antonia alive. But they shouldn’t do the same with Moon Knight. It’s okay for our heroes to be broken.
Following this series, both Marc and Steven should work in tandem to keep Scotty’s persona at bay. Together they’d truly embrace being the Fist of Khonshu, and atone for Scotty’s sins by delivering justice as Moon Knight and Mr Knight.
What are your thoughts on the theory? Let us know in the comments.
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