Moon Knight

The next iteration of Marvel’s parade of short episodic series on Disney+ continues with a lesser-known property, Moon Knight. In it, Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac) leads an otherwise unremarkable life as a gift shop employee but stumbles into a series of blackouts. He develops a dissociative identity disorder, believing he is also Marc Spector, a mercenary; a mystery involving the gods of Egypt ensues.

Kid Cudi’s 2008 track “Day ’N’ Nite” features heavily in this one, with the vocal first appearing at 0:24 alongside the studio title card. Leading up to it, we have a ticking motif—a trope that has maintained prominence in trailers as of late, and one that maintains tension and interest throughout. (Notice the minor synch points at 0:05 that establish said tension right away.) At 0:49 there is a bit of comedic relief with an elderly woman entering the elevator—and with the elevator’s ding, the ticking blessedly dissipates for a moment, for the delivery of a punchline. By the minute mark, however, it’s back—along with Cudi’s voice, lurking through a low-pass filter, as if to represent Grant’s lurking inner psyche or alter ego. There’s a clever correlation at 1:02 as Cudi repeats “hold the phone”—and there’s a phone ringing on screen. The music then pauses once more, in more of a dramatic moment.

At 1:12 a high-pitched tone underscores Grant’s sense of fear and trepidation in realizing he may have a serious disorder. Chaotic flourishes of synthesizers are matched by Grant’s apparently manic episodes, juxtaposed with silence. Notice at 1:25 how there is just the briefest pause where the music drops out entirely, emphasizing his unnerving facial expression at the moment. This presages 1:40, when both the music and visual drop out entirely—representing one of Grant’s blackout periods during which he becomes Moon Knight.

Moon Knight’s trailer largely strikes a balance between action and horror; Grant is clearly fearing himself, with his loss of self-control a persistent threat to both himself and others. It’s certainly an interesting way of engaging with the topic of mental illness; to see it through the lens of a superhero of extraordinary ability, if not one welcomed by its bearer, allows us to at least consider it differently. Kid Cudi’s track isn’t morose or empathy-seeking—it’s simply a blank expression of circumstances. Cudi has said that it’s an expression of psychological anguish—appropriate, then, for Moon Knight, and perhaps empowering in a cathartic way.

Moon Knight premieres March 30th on Disney+.

— Curtis Perry