Warning: Spoilers for Moon Knight episode 5
Moon Knight shows that MCU Phase 4 is continuing to embrace a new theme, which serves as a reversal of what Marvel was doing with the Infinity Saga, especially with Thanos. Several stories (including those where the Mad Titan was a key player) revolved around characters and their relationships with their flawed father figures.
Thanos cast a long shadow on the MCU throughout the Infinity Saga. Though he didn’t fight the Avengers in their first movie, he was directly responsible for all the problems Loki caused and the destruction he unleashed in New York City. In addition to being the only MCU character to be the main villain of two Marvel movies, Thanos’ presence was also felt in movies like Guardians of the Galaxy. And despite his defeat, his legacy still looms large even now. The snap that erased half of the universe has been reversed, but the ramifications of his actions in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame are still playing out in Phase 4.
While Thanos’ impact may remain relevant for quite some time in some form or another, Marvel is in the process of moving on. Beginning in Phase 4, Marvel completely switched gears on one Thanos theme in particular. MCU shows like Hawkeye started this trend by having Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) make the shocking discovery that her mother, Vera Farmiga’s Eleanor Bishop, was a secret ally of Kingpin and the real villain of the story. Moon Knight episode 5 took Marc’s story in a similar direction by presenting his mom as a hateful, emotionally abusive parent and the real reason for the creation of the Steven Grant persona.
The MCU taking this course with Moon Knight and Hawkeye marks a big change from preceding MCU installments, where daddy issues were central to the story. As the main villain of the Infinity Saga, Josh Brolin's Thanos was naturally the focal point of it all, particularly in regards to his two daughters. Gamora, who already had a strained relationship with her dad, ended up being sacrificed so that he could complete the Infinity Gauntlet. As for Nebula, she was physically tortured by Thanos in her youth. There’s also Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), who had his own share of problems with his father, Howard Stark.
Marvel has flipped its approach to characters like Thanos, Howard Stark, and even Odin on its head with Moon Knight and Hawkeye. Just months after its big Eleanor Bishop reveal, it’s been discovered that Marc Spector’s mother is at the very heart of the character’s trauma in Marvel’s Moon Knight show. It remains to be seen if this theme will re-emerge in any future Phase 4 installments.
Moon Knight releases new episodes on Wednesdays on Disney+.
