May Calamawy's iconic Moon Knight scene sparks Middle Eastern meme wave

Moon Knight's Middle Eastern elements have been praised by superhero fans, but one scene has stolen the show.

2 min read

09 May, 2022

The scene features Egyptian-Paalestinian actor May Calamawy [Getty]

Moon Knight fans have turned an iconic scene from the hit TV show into a meme, highlighting the many Middle Eastern elements of the Marvel show.

The screenshot shows star Egyptian-Palestinian actor May Calamawy staring into the camera with her arms adorned with bronze wings in one of the mini-series' many action scenes.

Moon Knight has been welcomed for the many Middle Eastern elements infused into the show, including the inclusion of Arab actors - such as Calamawy - and music from Egyptian composer Hesham Nazih.

How Egypt's mahraganat music marvels in Disney's Moon Knight

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Danny Hajjar

The image of Calamawy - poised and ready for battle - has been adopted by Arabs to highlight aspects of their own culture.

"Me when I put zaatar on my pizza," writer Danny Hajjar tweeted.

Me when I put zaatar on pizza pic.twitter.com/VTvpNbNcEj
— Danny Hajjar داني حجار (@DanielGHajjar) May 9, 2022

"Whenever I run out of labneh," wrote journalist Farah Silvana-Kanaan.

whenever i run out of labneh pic.twitter.com/gLbSPYlmw8
— Farah-Silvana Kanaan (@farahkanaan) May 9, 2022

"Whenever my parents said 'stanna shway lamma nerrja2 al beit' ('just you wait until we get home')," said The New Arab's social media manager Elias Jahshan.

whenever my parents said “stanna shway lamma nerrja2 al beit” pic.twitter.com/WjKyu2FgD4
— Elias Jahshan | الياس جهشان (@Elias_Jahshan) May 9, 2022

Moon Knight takes inspiration from Ancient Egypt and is directed by Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Diab leading direction of the six-part teleseries, currently being screened on Disney+

It has so-far been warmly welcomed by Marvel fans and been hit with film critics.

"Me when I add Rosewater & Orange Blossom Water to every dessert," wrote Shadie Chahine.