Loved the last episode. I really hope Layla becomes a big character in the MCU going forward cause especially after she got her powers, she was so super cool. I dig her so much.
I have no idea if she matters in the comics at all, but they should straight ignore that immediately and just push her to the moon regardless, I hope they realize what they have here.
Ok, really dumb shit here but this was driving me nuts when watching the episode, but I'm guessing it's just them merging two different shots together? (Ethan Hawke's finger "jumps" position)
No clue how to get MP4 embed to work properly, but should be watchable if you click it. direct link: https://i.imgur.com/QDEeh74.mp4
edit: this might work?
The "Are you an Egyptian super hero?" moment made me cringe into oblivion. Marvel just absolutely cannot help themselves from constantly including the laziest call outs to their performative inclusiveness. Might as well just make your extra go "Is this the inspiring diverse girl boss moment we included in this 6 episode show almost entirely revolving around men (and their insane abusive mothers)?" It's so lazy, so on the nose, so desperate.
And then there is the ending, a confusing and almost meaningless mess if you don't care about the comics and don't already know what's happening. Oh no! There is...a random third guy in there! One I have never heard of and who means absolutely nothing to me! How...exciting?
The "Are you an Egyptian super hero?" moment made me cringe into oblivion. Marvel just absolutely cannot help themselves from constantly including the laziest call outs to their performative inclusiveness. Might as well just make your extra go "Is this the inspiring diverse girl boss moment we included in this 6 episode show almost entirely revolving around men (and their insane abusive mothers)?" It's so lazy, so on the nose, so desperate.
Layla does not exist in the comics. Marc is married to a women called Marlene Alraune in the comics, who is not a super hero.
The "Are you an Egyptian super hero?" moment made me cringe into oblivion. Marvel just absolutely cannot help themselves from constantly including the laziest call outs to their performative inclusiveness. Might as well just make your extra go "Is this the inspiring diverse girl boss moment we included in this 6 episode show almost entirely revolving around men (and their insane abusive mothers)?" It's so lazy, so on the nose, so desperate.
Moon Knight Star May Calamawy Talks Becoming Scarlet Scarab
The actress also tells TheWrap where she hopes Layla El-Faouly will fit in with the women of the MCUwww.thewrap.com
"And then now seeing the fan reactions, because it's all about the fans, and how people feel and especially how a lot of women have been responding to Layla having curly hair, and Scarlet Scarab having like, just curly hair out. There have been such wonderful posts with girls taking photos of themselves with their curls, writing comments like "I'm throwing out my hair straightener." And that, to me, is what makes me excited more than anything. To have an impact like that, especially in a society that we've grown up with, that has really told us what beautiful is and has almost forced us to want to, even if we have to erase who we are, just to fit into that. You know, it has that effect on us and to feel like we're breaking out of that and that a role like this can make women out there feel that way or young girls? That's like the superpower for me."
Given the fact that you're a man, unless you're an Egyptian, your comment is rather inappropriate. On second thoughts even if you're an Egyptian man, given your edit.
That Marvel doesn't actually have an Egyptian woman star as the main character in the show about Egyptian super heroes, but that it's a show about a US Hollywood star starring opposite himself
Speaking of representation, I love how you completely erase the main actor's heritage here. Also the main character of the show is not an Egyptian superhero.
Speaking of representation the director of the show is Egyptian, the main composer of the show it's Egyptian. Like you pick the show that while not perfect, still does a lot and ridiculed a moment of representation that it's validated by the Egyptian woman who played it, the Egyptian man who directed it and the Egyptian people who watch it, all coming from that background in the name of what? Your opinion as a non-Egyptian man?
You know better than them how they should be represented. The lack of self awareness is beyond ridiculous. I have nothing more to add.
No I don't, I never said I did and I spent a whole lot of time explainig how I am not doing nor trying to do that.
People are allowed to have differing opinions.You know better than them how they should be represented. The lack of self awareness is beyond ridiculous. I have nothing more to add.
People are allowed to have differing opinions.
Someone disliking something doesn't diminish it for those that like it.
I mean, I also found it cringy and forced. Yet at the same time I'm happy for those that felt represented by it and liked it.It's ok to dislike it. It's another thing to call it cringe and performative inclusiveness when you're not part of any of the "included" categories.
No, you're right. You did worse than that, you ridiculed it and then went on to diminish their "mere existence" as actors, directors, composers of this series.
Loved the last episode. I really hope Layla becomes a big character in the MCU going forward cause especially after she got her powers, she was so super cool. I dig her so much.
I have no idea if she matters in the comics at all, but they should straight ignore that immediately and just push her to the moon regardless, I hope they realize what they have here.
Speaking of representation, I love how you completely erase the main actor's heritage here.
That would actually be a cool setup, her trying to save Marc/Steven from themselves, not realizing Jake is a part of them due to the tactical outfit being so differentA Scarlet Scarab show with Moon Knight/Jake Lockley as the main antagonist would be pretty dang awesome.
Sorry, are you Egyptian yourself? For some reason I keep reading these "so cringe" takes from people that (I assume) aren't Egyptian or Arabic, while actual Egyptians are like:
This isn't the first (nor second) take in this vein I've read on Era since the episode dropped and it's hard not to parse them as self-centered.
INVERSE: What's next for Scarlet Scarab? Who from the MCU would you like to see her interact with?
MAY CALAMAWY: There has been nothing yet that I know of what could happen with Scarlet Scarab. But I love Dr. Strange, that would be cool. Blade would be cool because I've worked with Mahershala Ali and I think he's so wonderful. And then, I love all the women. I love Agatha. I feel like in the beginning, I used to love anyone that was kind of a villain like Nebula. I found them so complex. But honestly, it really depends on the story. I kind of want to be with all of them.
What does it mean to you to play an Egyptian superhero?
It's interesting. The hair is an aspect of what helps me get into character. I had told the head of hair and makeup that I wanted my hair to be left alone. It needs to be curly and it needs to be big. I also didn't want any heat on my hair. So they got me a hairpiece where the front is all my hair, and the back is the hairpiece and it really protected my hair. You cannot focus on continuity with curly hair. There's no such thing. If I just lay on it, it's going to look different the next minute. Whereas with straight hair, you can sleep on it, and the next day, they're like, this is great.
Some people may not see how much this matters, especially when you're in front of the camera in such a high-profile project representing your own culture.
Being a superhero feels like you're truly stepping into yourself and allowing yourself to shine as you are. As an actor, I've had to do a lot of work to allow myself to pursue this and not follow certain norms that maybe people from my society at my age would already be conforming to. I had to really evaluate a lot and recognize how I wanted to live my life as opposed to how anyone else would.
To really step into what's true for me has taken a lot of courage. And, I know not everyone is going to look at Layla and go, I relate to that woman, but what I hope is that she becomes a testament of being true to you. Because that's going to always be every single person's superpower.
You know why that happened? Because you somehow used one perhaps clunky line to color entire effort as "performative inclusiveness." It's laughable that you went for the "I'm only criticizing the writing, can't I be negative about anything?" defense when the thrust of your initial statement was super dismissive towards the work of people involved and the audience it affected. Be more conscious about how you come across to people. Perhaps if you'd toned down that egocentric, internet-style snarky cynicism a bit, these whole conversation would have went differently.Again- I think it REALLY sucks to try to get as many Egyptian names on a list as possible to try to give moral superiority to an opinion about a scene in a Disney production. But even if you wanted to do that's it doesn't even apply here. All you are doing is using the mere existence of an Egyptian composer or director or whoever else to somehow shield the writing of the American man whose screenwriting credits are shaky at best.
You know why that happened? Because you somehow used one perhaps clunky line to color entire effort as "performative inclusiveness." It's laughable that you went for the "I'm only criticizing the writing, can't I be negative about anything?" defense when the thrust of your initial statement was super dismissive towards the work of people involved and the audience it affected. Be more conscious about how you come across to people. Perhaps if you'd toned down that egocentric, internet-style snarky cynicism a bit, these whole conversation would have went differently.
But you want to talk about the writing? Let's talk about it then. Yes, that line somewhat sticks out, but why shouldn't it be? It's a straightforward promise that yes she's Egyptian, yes she's a superhero and yes she's not going anywhere. Why shouldn't it be an obvious clap moment? Why shouldn't they take pride in that? It is a moment of triumph and it should be loud and proud.
I've been seeing sentiments that these things need to be natural or more subtle or something. As if the mere instance of diversity shouldn't be highlighted, as if people should be embarrassed of it, and I'm so over that. I remember someone in a Ms. Marvel thread going into this weird condemnation just because the trailer dared to mention that she's "brown," and it just felt really condescending and missing the point to me.
I for one am delighted to have a hero that's a latino dude like me, and I have the feeling Disney won't just casually mention he moves drugs and steals cars this time.
The "Are you an Egyptian super hero?" moment made me cringe into oblivion. Marvel just absolutely cannot help themselves from constantly including the laziest call outs to their performative inclusiveness.
Jesus Christ.
Some takes that use dialogue lifted straight out of the alt-right playbook have snuck into both the Moon Knight and Doctor Strange threads over the past couple days.
I dont really understand the mental institution environment
It's the afterlife aboard Taweret's ship
But it's also Marc's mind sorting its shit out
But it's also some illusion by Arthur Harrow
But then even after returning to life, sorting his shit out and defeating Harrow, Marc returns to the same asylum to catch Harrow in the act with his bleeding feet
And then he wakes up from the asylum in his own bed
I have no idea what's going on
On the other side of the coin, my wife and her entire Lebanese family (and the internet?) is still trying to figure out what Sam actually said when speaking Arabic in the first episode of FatWS. I am assured that whatever this is, it is not Arabic:
well that's kind of my point. if option one is true, then how/why did marc return to the institution after reviving and departing from the afterlife, having already balanced his and steven's hearts?My interpretation was "real" Harrow had nothing to do with the mental institution. Marc/Steven died and went to the afterlife, the institution was a representation of them needing to balance their hearts to get into the field of reeds.
Or alternatively, Marc/Steven imagined the whole events of the show and is in a mental institution and Harrow really is their doctor trying to help them. But at the end they reject that idea and return to the "real world" of Moon Knight and Konshu, so it's ultimately besides the point, because "reality is all imagination".
well that's kind of my point. if option one is true, then how/why did marc return to the institution after reviving and departing from the afterlife, having already balanced his and steven's hearts?
and with his hearts already sorted and harrow already defeated in "real life," why/how did he return there in order to "catch" harrow in the act with his feet?
option 2 is honestly sounding more logical to me at this point because if dude is just totally off the rails in fantasyland then that explains why nothing adds up
the institution could believably follow his childhood of abuse and mental illness, and the Steven Grant adventure movies do seem to exist both in the childhood memories and the asylum
Some of y'all are truly so laser focused on seeing everyone who doesn't share your opinion on something us dumb as Marvel TV shows as dog whistling secret Alt-right Nazis that it's getting utterly impossible to have any take here that goes beyond your own perspectives or thoughts. Try to actually realize that there are people behind these posts who are doing things in real life, meeting people, spending money or work hours or marching with friends and family for equality and diversity...and then realize that you call them out for" willfully lifting from the alt-right-playbook" because they thought a scene in a Marvel show written by the screenwriter of Fant4stic was a bit shit.
I dont really understand the mental institution environment
It's the afterlife aboard Taweret's ship
But it's also Marc's mind sorting its shit out
But it's also some illusion by Arthur Harrow
But then even after returning to life, sorting his shit out and defeating Harrow, Marc returns to the same asylum to catch Harrow in the act with his bleeding feet
And then he wakes up from the asylum in his own bed
I have no idea what's going on
finally finished it.
what a…mess. the three leads were pretty great but everything else was just losing me as it went on. it was fun i guess
not even sure where i would rank this if the marvel shows.
this is where i'm at
The mental institution was a construct thier mind created to sort out their shit. Hence them both escaping to it when shit got tough.I dont really understand the mental institution environment
It's the afterlife aboard Taweret's ship
But it's also Marc's mind sorting its shit out
But it's also some illusion by Arthur Harrow
But then even after returning to life, sorting his shit out and defeating Harrow, Marc returns to the same asylum to catch Harrow in the act with his bleeding feet
And then he wakes up from the asylum in his own bed
I have no idea what's going on
You keep speaking over Egyptian fans and creators on the Egyptian representation in Moon Knight being "the laziest call outs to their performative inclusiveness" and "so lazy, so on the nose, so desperate". Dismissing and reducing positive Egyptian reception to "excited fans". Claiming that when "Disney says please clap", then "OF COURSE everyone who is Egyptian claps", as if every Egyptian was a representation-starved simpleton that doesn't know any better (which is particularly funny in the context of Rami Ismail of all people).So I know this is a really, really common reply to criticism and I want to reply to this:
Me criticizing a show for it's writing doesn't invalidate anyone feeling, well, validated by said writing. Nor is something that makes someone feel validated in their identity impossible to criticize. These responses consisting merely of quotes of people feeling validated by something, insinuating that being critical of the same content is somehow an attack on those people is incredibly reductive and hurtful to any kind of discussion that goes beyond "This is something that someone enjoyed. Therefore it is good".
Your reply to me only makes sense if I would have criticized the concept of diversity and inclusion, the fact that there is someone who isn't a white middle aged man in the show at all. Which isn't the case, of course. I'm criticizing the writing and the structure. That Marvel doesn't actually have an Egyptian woman star as the main character in the show about Egyptian super heroes, but that it's a show about a US Hollywood star starring opposite himself, with the Egyptian character also being allowed to be the super hero for one scene, for which the show then pauses, only to tell the audience: "Hey. This is an Egyptian super hero. Did you notice? Please clap." And OF COURSE everyone who is Egyptian claps. Because it's dope that there is any kind of representation. That doesn't make the scene impervious to criticism. Or even good.
I can like the little bit of representation happening and also dislike the way Disney capitalizes on it and fails to make it a natural part of their movies and shows. It's not immoral or inappropriate to voice that I disliked it and saying that it is puts an incredible moral obligation on liking (or at least not voicing displeasure for) very specific, often pretty badly written blockbuster entertainment tailor made to extract as much money as possible from as many people as possible by an unfathomably rich US company whose bosses are well known to actively support politicians trying to cut back on the human rights of and hurt non-white cis men as much as they can.
I'm also really, really not a fan of using excited fans as this buffer zone to try to invalidate opinions differing from them, no matter how common that is. I have a partner and friends of different backgrounds and identities and sexual orientations - I know that some of them love this exact kind of scene, some of them strongly dislike it and some are utterly indifferent to it. I could now pick the ones that share my opinion and use their identities to bolster my own opinions and make them impervious to differing opinions...but I don't think that is a very good idea.
Oh, good, another non-Egyptian male voice joining the conversation on why Egyptian female creators' Egyptian women inclusiveness is cringe and forced. So truly #blessed we are.I mean, I also found it cringy and forced. Yet at the same time I'm happy for those that felt represented by it and liked it.
And yes, I felt the same way about the "girl power" moment in Endgame. It was a bunch of side characters that have had zero focus plus the one girl that had their own film (Captain Marvel). It was forced. Have your girl power moment by actually focusing on female heroes and giving them movies.
You keep speaking over Egyptian fans and creators on the Egyptian representation in Moon Knight being "the laziest call outs to their performative inclusiveness" and "so lazy, so on the nose, so desperate". Dismissing and reducing positive Egyptian reception to "excited fans". Claiming that when "Disney says please clap", then "OF COURSE everyone who is Egyptian claps", as if every Egyptian was a representation-starved simpleton that doesn't know any better (which is particularly funny in the context of Rami Ismail of all people).
Are you honestly so utterly self-unaware that you can read what you're posting and not realize how incredibly dismissive and offensive you're being? All your claims otherwise, what's the functional difference between what you're doing here, and white chuds deriding Black Panther for "appealing to black people"? Being offended that people compare your posts to alt-right rethoric has no bite if you're literally unable to point out what the difference is.
Extra points for:
- Not only dismissing the Egyptian creators involved as irrelevant, but claiming that even bringing them up "sucks" and is done for illegitimate "moral superiority".
- "I'm not Egyptian but I have Egyptian frie-" sorry, not even that; "I have LGBT and non-white friends".
- Trying to derail the conversation from Moon Knight's Egyptian creators to the politics of Disney executive overlords that are like at least three degrees removed from the former and anyhing discussed here.
- Enumerating all the ways you're (allegedly) advancing the progressive cause IRL, as if that somehow counterbalances and excuses posting all that dismissive stuff here.
Oh, good, another non-Egyptian male voice joining the conversation on why Egyptian female creators' Egyptian women inclusiveness is cringe and forced. So truly #blessed we are.