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Disney+ viewers who decided to give the new Marvel series Moon Knight a try on the streaming service have been understandably surprised, confused, and emotionally moved by the show that is unlike any other Marvel show. These newcomers were also understandably shocked by the episode five plot twist — but the season finale’s post-credits scene revealed the biggest plot twist of all, and it’s one that veteran Marvel fans were already aware of!
If you haven’t seen Moon Knight yet, save this article and come back after watching all six episodes. The surprises in this show are ones that you won’t want to miss!
Now that you’ve watched those episodes, here is a final spoiler alert: in the last episode of season one of this show (which might be the only season, unless the Marvel show is renewed), it is revealed that Marc Spector doesn’t just have one alter. The protagonist (who has Disassociative Identity Disorder) has one alter named Steven Grant that has been on the show constantly…but another alter, a more violent one, has been showing up quietly throughout the show.
(L-R): David Ganly as Billy Fitzgerald, Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector/Steven Grant, and Ann Akin as Bobbi Kennedy in Marvel Studios’ MOON KNIGHT, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Gabor Kotchy. Credit: Marvel Studios 2022 / Marvel.com
This third character is the alter that many Marvel comics fans have been waiting for: the violent and unstable cab driver Jake Lockley, presumably shown above. Many fans had already figured out that it was most likely Jake who committed atrocious and indiscriminate violence during the moments on the show when Steve and Marc both blacked out and woke up to lots of bloodied bodies.
The actor Oscar Isaac, who plays all three characters, had the idea to give each character a different accent to help differentiate them. Jake has a strong New York accent, which we can hear clearly in the last scenes of episode six (especially in the final scene with Arthur Harrow, before the credits begin). Viewers can hear the accent very easily there.
The creative team behind Moon Knight spoke to Marvel.com about Jake Lockley and his big reveal at the end of the episode, as well as the biggest question Marvel fans are all having: how many times has this bloodthirsty alter showed up so far in the show, and (as D23 put it during an interview with Oscar Isaac and May Calamwy) “who is in control of the body now”?
Oscar Isaac plays Steven Grant and Jake Lockley and Marc Spector and Ethan Hawke plays cult leader Arthur Harrow in ‘Moon Knight’ Credit: Disney / Deadline.com
“We knew right from the beginning that fans were going to be on the lookout for references and clues that Jake Lockley is going to appear in the show,” head writer Jeremy Slater explained to Marvel.com. However, the writers, executives, directors, and Kevin Feige also needed to keep things simple enough for “everyone else who’s totally unfamiliar with the character and the dynamic”, which involved a large “balancing act” between “telegraphing it [Jake Lockley’s existence] too much” and “not telegraphing enough”!
One feature used in the show to hint at Jake’s presence is the use of mirrors and reflections. Cinematographer Gregory Middleton revealed that there is a third reflection in the mirror when Steven awakens after the truck chase in the first episode. Marc’s interactions with the glass pyramid in the second episode also feature three sides, with one (according to director Aaron Moorhead) representing “his rage”, which is synonymous with Jake.
Credit: Marvel
The blackout moments during fight scenes in the third and final episodes are both indicative of Jake’s involvement since Steven and Marc both deny doing the killing. Jake also may have been the killer in the first episode when Steven wakes up from a blackout after first meeting Harrow.
Oscar Isaac plays Steven Grant and Marc Spector and Jake Lockley, and Ethan Hawke plays cult leader Arthur Harrow in ‘Moon Knight’ Credit: Disney / Deadline.com
Director Mohamed Diab apparently wanted to make it clear that Jake is “obviously brutal” and “extraordinarily dangerous”, and Jake is clearly represented in the third sarcophagus in episodes four and five. Directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead both stated that Marvel fans were right, and “that is intended to be Jake.”
Oscar Isaac, who plays all three main characters, was the one who decided that Jake should be speaking Spanish in the final scene. Jake is also “humming a Guatemalan hymn” as he wheels away Harrow.
Oscar Isaac as Steven Grant and Jake Lockley and Marc Spector Credit: Marvel Studios
“I saw an opportunity to bring something of myself to it that’s not just trying to pay service to some idea that was in the comics,” the actor said. “The thought of, ‘He’s just going to have the one line that he speaks, it should be in Spanish.’ There’s something that’s ominous about him, the kind of control that he has versus, you know, both Marc and Steven that have been so off foot.”
Director Mohamed Diab said that viewers are meant to be “enamored and scared at the same time” when it comes to Jake Lockley, and “Oscar just knows how to extract the most amazing things, and helps create a character that’s so real and so palpable”. Season two hasn’t been confirmed yet, but Diab did say that “wherever [Oscar] takes Jake, we’re all going to follow” — so fingers are crossed for the second season of this mind-bending show!
