Moon Knight almost had a completely different opening before pain-inducing Ethan Hawke scene
Posted by  badge Boss on Apr 23, 2022 - 07:13PM

Warning: spoilers ahead for .

series Moon Knight featured one of the most chilling opening scenes in the MCU when it launched on Plus, as Arthur Harrow () .

However, it turns out the show, which boasts as Marc Spector/Steven Grant and as Layla El-Faouly in the cast, was originally going to start in a different way.

During a recent chat with Metro.co.uk, , who worked on episode 2 and , opened up about that scene in particular, explaining how it was Ethan’s idea for the cult leader to show the amount of pain he’s willing to inflict on himself.

While the scene set the tone for Moon Knight, demonstrating the darkness that viewers could expect from the antagonist that the comic book hero would have to go up against, the initial plan was for it to open episode two.

When asked whether there were any scenes in his episodes that had to be changed drastically, Andrew replied: ‘You know one of the things that first comes to mind is, as is true for everything, things just get shifted around. So what was supposed to open episode two became the very opening of the show for episode one, which is the scene with Harrow with the glass.

‘That was a scene that I shot and I was sad to see it leave episode two, because I loved the way it opened our episode, but then it was pretty cool to open the entire show, having that scene.’

Harrow has a peaceful demeanour – but he’s anything but (Picture: Courtesy of Marvel Studios/Disney Plus)

Considering the real-life people that Ethan used as inspiration for his performance – including cult leader David Koresh – it may not come to a surprise that he was motivated to portray such a barbaric act.

‘I think it was Ethan’s idea that he pitched and people were excited about it,’ said the cinematographer, who previously worked on films including The Green Knight and A Ghost Story.

‘So we did it at the end of one of the days that we were shooting in his commune and found a nice little corner, did a nice hard backlight to make him mysterious and shadowed.’

Andrew brought up the fact that Bob Dylan’s Every Grain of Sand was playing in the background, marking a stark contrast to the painful act that viewers were witnessing.

‘The song choice is great, putting something counter to the scene instead of something hardcore and heavy metal or something or moody. To have Bob Dylan on top of it was really wonderful,’ he stated.

As for other scenes in the six-part series, Andrew admitted that he doesn’t believe ‘anything drastically shifted in this show’, as there were few days required for pick-ups or reshoots.

‘Things didn’t get crazy different, and nothing was a huge surprise honestly. It kind of stayed as is. Maybe a few things moved here or there, but it all feels pretty similar,’ he shared.

In the fourth episode of Moon Knight, which came out this week, the ending saw Marc and Steven wind up in after being shot by Harrow in Ammit’s tomb.

How will Marc and Steven get out of the mental health facility? (Picture: Marvel Studios/Disney Plus)

Sparking theories that they could be in the afterlife or purgatory, the pair were able to meet face-to-face for the first time, before encountering the (Antonia Salib).

While speaking to Metro.co.uk, Andrew hinted at the deeper meaning behind the moving corridor in the building, where Marc found Steven behind one of the doors, as well as another sarcophagus that many fans believe .

‘There’ll be some more of what that corridor is all about in later episodes, which you’ll see, and why it’s doing this. So something to look forward to,’ he teased.

With only two episodes left to go of the series, will all of our burning questions be answered by the end?

Moon Knight is available to watch on Disney Plus with new episodes released on Wednesdays.