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Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
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Weird
In the weeks leading up to the premiere of Moon Knight on Disney+, fans were promised something weird. We were told this Marvel show would be different than anything we’d seen before. The show would be dark, knotty, chaotic, mystical, and fun. After two episodes, there is only one part of Moon Knight that seems fully committed to this brief. That would be F. Murray Abraham‘s voice performance of the Egyptian god Khonshu. Both the character’s design and Abraham’s performance are deliriously delightful because they bring a shock of “other” to an otherwise okay show.
Maybe it’s a controversial stance, but for me, Khonshu is the best part of Disney+’s Moon Knight so far.
Moon Knight stars Oscar Isaac as nervous London museum gift shop worker Steven Grant. When the show begins, Steven believes he has a sleep-walking problem, as he often wanders out of bed when asleep and into chaotic situations. When one such reverie takes him to a village in the Alps where a mysterious band of mercenaries is after him (because he’s in possession of a golden scarab), Steven begins to suspect something else might be up. As it happens he is one of several personalities stuck in the body of the same man. Especially since there’s now a thundering voice in his head. As it happens, his American alter ego Marc has been secretly working as the “avatar” of Khonshu, a mythic Egyptian deity for years. Through the powers granted him by Khonshu, Marc can don a magical suit that heals him and imbues him with speed and strength. He needs this to fight off the servants of rival goddess Ammit, led by Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke).
It’s obviously a lot for the mild-mannered man to take in. After all, Steven is a shy vegan and Marc murders people for an Egyptian god with a massive bird skull. Through it all, though, I found that instead of being scared of Khonshu, I adored him. Sure, he’s mean to Steven and Marc. Yeah, his methods are problematic. I’m not even wholly sold on whether or not Moon Knight is a hero worth rooting for! But what I do know is that F. Murray Abraham is having too much damn fun with his vocal performance in Moon Knight.
F. Murray Abraham has always been a powerhouse performer, but in recent years he seems to have abandoned all fucks and indulged his inner demon child. On Apple TV+’s blisteringly funny workplace comedy Mythic Quest, Abraham nurses outrageously problematic punch lines by giving his character the emotional depth of a spoiled child. Similarly, his Khonshu is a god on the verge of a temper tantrum. He insults his hosts, spits out orders, and shows his displeasure not with the stamping of a foot, but the whoosh of a wind gust.
There’s no doubt in my mind that no one in Hollywood is having as much fun as F. Murray Abraham is in this moment of time. Thankfully, his performance in Moon Knight is the kind that invites the audience in to partake with his mischief. His booming voice, his petulant line reads, his pure gusto… it’s what’s weird and wild and different about Moon Knight. And thank the Egyptian gods for it.
