As far as I know (or as fas as I feel it is like), Moon Knight is heavily inspired by The Shadow; that old pulp had a main character who adopted different personae, with different personalities, as it was needed for each context. It also brought conflict to his love interest: there, it was Margot, here, it is Marlene. Choosing to depict these personae as actual different dissociative personalities is a valid way to put it, in my opinion. And one that allows the writers to write about a difficult subject that's not commonly commented into this kind of superhero comics.
And I think you can still write noir, hardboiled stories, with a character like that.
Last edited by Zaresh; 10-29-2020 at 12:19 PM.
A question had hit me earlier today was, 'Do you think that Moon Knight could have thrived in the Defendersverse?'
I read a rumor that Marc Spector was originally supposed to appear in S2 of Iron Fist, but was later replaced by Typhoid Mary. I'm glad that they made that change because I don't think Marc Specter would have been a good fit in IF.
Last edited by Common Writer; 10-31-2020 at 03:42 AM.
He would fit the vibe Marvel Netflix was going for but I don't know how successful he would be. The Netflix shows never figured out how to do the supernatural stuff so they'd probably play up the mental issues more.
I could see him working as Iron Fist's version of the Punisher, a darker foil etc. But since Danny was pretty weak as a character he might have stole the show too much.
Last edited by the illustrious mr. kenway; 11-03-2020 at 06:14 PM.
Except...
Not every actor who plays a role has DID. Not every person who acts differently around different people has DID. And people who DO have it have a real disease, not some cliched Hollywood version where the personalities talk to each other via hallucinations.
By leaning on that cliche, it not only complicates the character for no good purpose, but cheapens a real mental illness. I'd just as soon skip it.
Actors love it because it gives them a chance to get cheap acclaim. Writers love it because it allows them to be lazy. Take "Orphan Black" the actress got to play a bunch of different people so she got rave reviews while the show itself was terrible but kept getting renewed.
"The Marvel EIC Chair has a certain curse that goes along with it: it tends to drive people insane, and ultimately, out of the business altogether. It is the notorious last stop for many staffers, as once you've sat in The Big Chair, your pariah status is usually locked in." Christopher Priest
But it was a slippery place in those stories. I know what's performance and what's not, but for Marc, it was a bit more than just performing, I think. I know very little about mental health, yeah, but as far as I recall, the whole DID is a messy concept for proffessionals, too. But then, this is a work of fiction, that deals with mythical creatures and superpowers, and other very unrealistic stuff. This is like complayning that the way Superman or Rogue flies isn't realistic because inertia and gravity don't work that way. Edit: Scrap that. it's more like how people keep writing depression and some disabilities that I'm far more familiar with and so far they rarely are realistic. You have to concede to the fantasy some degree of unrealistic traits.
Of course, you can also go around the whole issue in a certain way that doesn't cross that territory.
For example. Let's imagine that Marc didn't have DID, that it was all performance, even when he was slowly becoming his mask. But he works with a godlike entity from outside our reality that can blend universe forces as it feels. So at some point, not unlike a lovecraft-esque character, Marc mind starts to break, to shatter, and the different personalities that were just these roles he played, become actual, well, characters, I guess. This is not a lot different that what Lemire tried to tell in his run, and is a way to explain the progress in a tv series without much trouble and also makes for an engaging story. Well, you could even make it clear that it's definitely not DID, but something else, way more leant into fantasy genre. Edit: I guess that way you skip the problem but still retain the interesting bits for the story. And I guess it's more respectful by far.
It's not going to be a realistic depiction of some mental health issue, I'm sure it's not; but it can make for some discussion about mental health here and there. Fiction rarely is realistic: you always, always have to yield to the narrative and what entertains its public.
(I can't believe I'm defending unrealistic depictions of something in fiction: who am I and what did I do with myself. Oh, I guess I gave up at some point in my past)
Last edited by Zaresh; 11-01-2020 at 08:05 PM.
since Christopher Priest has yet to be allowed to return to Batman, I suggest him as a writer for Moon Knight, and be allowed to refine his characterization like he did for Deathstroke.