Ethan Hawke has shown everyone that he's capable of providing scares on the big screen with his work in The Black Phone (2022.) But, he's also proven that he brings the chills and terror to the small screen with his role as Arthur Harrow in the Disney Plus miniseries Moon Knight.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has seen plenty of villains in its 14-plus-year history. We've seen Loki go from dastardly trickster to lovable anti-hero. We've seen Ultron attempt to save humanity by destroying it, and we've seen Thanos wipe out half of all life with the snap of a finger. So, what makes Ethan Hawke's performance as Arthur Harrow stand above the rest? We're going to go over those points right now.

He's a Charismatic Leader

Ethan Hawke Arthur Harrow
    Disney Platform Distribution

When Steven first sees Arthur Harrow, he witnesses a cult-like following of people hanging on to Harrow's every word. Harrow speaks on behalf of Ammit. Still, people wouldn't simply follow the words of a prophet, unless said prophet proved a capable leader and an inspirational figure in the community. The people praise Harrow as the bringer of divine judgment; applauding when he deems one of them innocent, and making no motion of interference when he condemns the guilty to death. If anything, the fact that he is capable of emoting at the correct times proves how calculating he can be when swaying many people's minds all at once.

We've seen military leaders such as Killmonger in Black Panther (2018) and spiritual figures such as Ajak in The Eternals (2021), but Arthur Harrow proves to be more capable than either of those figures. Unlike those two, none of Arthur's subjects questioned his commands. The only revolution to oppose his crusade came from outside forces in Khonshu, Moon Knight, & Layla.

Related: Moon Knight: Why Ethan Hawke Soars as Arthur Harrow

He is Fully Devoted to his Cause

Arthur Harrow
via Marvel Studios/Disney Plus

It's not enough to lead a people into battle to make you a fearsome foe. You have to fully believe in what you are fighting for. Arthur Harrow has that in droves. We've seen many figures in the MCU change their allegiance because they've opened their eyes and discovered they were working under false pretenses. But unlike Skurge turning on Hela in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) or Nebula finally joining her sister in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (2017), Arthur has seen the gods' wills at work, and he believes in the battle, just not in the way it was being fought.

Having used to work as Khonshu's avatar, Arthur had experienced supernatural battles and walked the path of vengeance. But, he had grown disenchanted with how the Moon God had been doing things. Arthur didn't think punishing evildoers after they had committed their sins was efficient. So, he gave up working for Khonshu and began working for Ammit, the devourer of souls. Ammit wished to punish the guilty before they even had a chance to commit their sins, and Arthur wholeheartedly agreed. Despite Steven attempting to reason with Harrow, Arthur was set on his course, and he would not allow Moon Knight to stop him.

Related: How Ethan Hawke has Mastered the Art of Being a Villain

He Has Ammit

Ammit - Moon Knight
Marvel Studios

Being a devout avatar to the devourer of souls has its perks. At first, it appears Ammit only gave Arthur the passive ability to judge souls, thus slowly building up Ammit's power so that she could cross over to the mortal plane. This notion would quickly prove to be incorrect. After Steven narrowly escapes the mortal subjects of Arthur's cult, Steven comes face to face with a demonic dog. While Marc would prove capable of defeating this demon, the demons would only grow stronger the further into the series we get. Arthur continues to collect souls and artifacts to further Ammit's agenda, all the while throwing her demons into Moon Knight's path.

Ammit would be a more powerful presence when Arthur's plan was completed. Finally walking on the mortal plane, Ammit's power grew to its full potential as she began devouring the souls of every sinner in Cairo, Egypt. Proving capable of going toe-to-toe with Khonshu and potentially proving superior to him, Ammit would grow to giant size while continuing her path of destruction. Arthur would continue the fight as this went on, his magical resistance growing alongside Ammit. It was this power that would help Arthur defeat both Marc/Moon Knight & Steven/Mr. Knight, despite the duo's excellently choreographed efforts. It would eventually take the surprising brutality of John Lockley to defeat Harrow, and even then, those actions were done offscreen. In a fitting end, Ammit would be sealed inside the body of her most loyal acolyte, Arthur Harrow. Before Arthur could have the chance to spread his influence anew, he would be murdered by John Lockley under orders from Khonshu. While this would prove to be the end of Arthur Harrow, his legacy of terror had impacted our heroes. When all is said and done, who could prove more terrifying than a man whose influence could drive a god into action?