When it comes to the villain in Disney Plus's newest series, Moon Knight it appears there are two baddies above all that stand out. The first and perhaps the biggest baddie in the show, if the first episode is any indication, is the Egyptian deity, Ammit. The MCU version of this particular entity is one that is a judge of people and whether they are good or bad. When she decides that they are bad, they are killed. When they are determined to be good, they are allowed to live on as part of a cult that has a strong presence in the Alps but appears to be spread out through at least Europe if not the world.
While Ammit seems to have some interesting powers, it's actually the man who appears to be her vessel that is the more interesting character in the Disney Plus so far. In fact, it's worth pointing out that other than the word of a man who tends to walk around with his shoes full of pieces of glass, there's no proof that Ammit exists anywhere other than in the minds of the cultists. Arthur Harrow might be the man that's actually behind the power. It is, after all, his tattoo that ends up showing whether the people being judged are good or bad. It's possible that the entity is working through him. It's also possible he's done what any good cult leader has done in the past. He's convinced people that a god speaks through him, but he is only doing the work he's been tasked to do.
The Two Arthur Harrows
When Ethan Hawke was first revealed as being the main protagonist in Moon Knight, the series appeared to be very careful not to make it clear just who he was going to play. The trailers all showed someone who looked like he was similar to a David Koresh type. It even seemed as if he might be the kind of cult leader that held himself up over all things and all people. Things have changed a little bit since the show has actually come out and the character has been filled out a bit.
It's clear that Ethan Hawke's Arthur Harrow is indeed a cult leader, though it's pretty clear that if there is a con going on, it's far more intricate than what was first hinted at in the trailers leading up to Moon Knight's debut. While it isn't clear whether he has the power to take someone's life or whether he is a conduit for Ammit, there is something real there.
This version of Arthur Harrow is also apparently a bit of a crackpot, though not one that appears to be fake at first glance. He's someone who believes in mysticism far more than science and it will be interesting to see just what the walking around with shards of glass digging into his feet is all about. It appears for now this is simply a way to show that he's quite committed to serving Ammit the way she wants him to serve. In some regards, this isn't all that dissimilar to the way that Steven Grant/Marc Spector are apparently serving Khonshu. Both men are having to do things that normal people would find more than a little odd and a little distasteful in the service of the Egyptian deities.
It turns out that the Arthur Harrow that featured in Moon Knight comics is actually quite different. Rather than a mystic who leads a cult based around Ammit, the Harrow in the comic books is a man of science. In fact, he's so dedicated to science that he's considered to have a genius level intellect that even won him a Nobel prize.
Where the two Arthur Harrows seem to share some personality traits is that they are both men who don't really seem to care about the lives of others, as long as those lives help them achieve their own goals. Harrow in the books is a monster that was carrying out work that was actually based on Nazi experimentation. The scientist wanted to find a way to cure his own partial face paralysis and was willing to do it by hurting, and even killing anyone that got in his way. Comparing that trait alone means there are two very different Arthur Harrows as Ethan Hawke might look a bit odd with his long hair and robe, but he's an attractive man.
The Arthur Harrow in the Moon Knight comic books also does not seem to have any powers, as he's simply someone who is quite intelligent and is willing to bend science to his will. He has also had at least one run-in with the Moon Knight himself in the comics when Marc Spector was summoned by the Priests of Khonshu to stop Harrow from killing Dr. Victoria Grail, who had found out what the scientist was up to in his experiments on people.
A Blank Slate
One of the most interesting developments of Moon Knight showrunners using the name Arthur Harrow as the main villain is that they have still chosen someone that has had run-ins with the character. However, beyond that, it appears as if they can do almost anything with him they choose. It should be noted that the show is clearly playing with the duality of personalities inside one body. Is there a chance that further episodes of Moon Knight are going to show that there's more to Harrow than viewers have seen so far? It certainly doesn't seem as though that's out of the realm of possibility. There's just so much that's different with the MCU character from his comic book character that it seems the differences were entirely intentional.
With five episodes to go of Moon Knight, it's also possible that there simply isn't going to be enough time to delve much deeper into the character of Arthur Harrow. Still, the choice of this particular character seems like a very specific hint, and if it's not there are going to be questions about why they went with a name that isn't remotely similar to the comic book version.
New episodes of Moon Knight are currently streaming every Wednesday on Disney Plus.