Moon Knight review bombed for Armenian genocide reference

Marvel Studios' latest limited series, Moon Knight, was released on Disney+ to overwhelmingly positive reviews. However, as fans eagerly await the next episode, releasing on 6th April, the series attracted heated debate for all the wrong reasons.

Admittedly, it was rather shocking finding the series on the receiving end of review bombs on IMDb after just one episode, triggered by a reference to the Armenian genocide. So naturally, this sparked an uproar among Turkish audience members, who hit back at the atrocity.

Since this article will be discussing the series’ narrative, we issue a massive spoiler alert for those who have yet to watch the first episode of Moon Knight. You have been warned.

Why was Moon Knight reviewed bombed?

The backlash by viewers on Moon Knight's IMDb page, marked by overwhelmingly negative reviews, ultimately impacted its audience rating and stemmed from reactions to a historical reference, which has generated intense discussion online.

This is just legitimately depressing. #MoonKnight is getting review bombed on @IMDb due to acknowledging the Armenian Genocide. What a joke - IMDb needs to do something about this or lose what little credibility they have as a movie rating system. pic.twitter.com/IWMIBLU6BQ

— Seth Segal (@papa_sharku) April 1, 2022

During the concluding moments of the series, Steven Grant comes face-to-face with the main antagonist, Arthur Harrow, who explains the gross atrocities recorded in history. Harrow later added that these could've been averted had the Egyptian deity, Ammit, been freed to judge people.

One of these "atrocities" is the Armenian genocide, which took place between 1915 and 1923. During the first World War, the Armenian genocide saw roughly one million Armenians expelled from the Ottoman Empire before Ottoman forces systematically eliminated them.

To this day, 31 countries and territories acknowledge that the actions committed against the Armenian people during the war constituted a genocide. Unsurprisingly, the Turkish government has maintained its stance in response, stating that its activities were legitimate.

The acknowledgement of the Armenian genocide saw an exodus of Turkish audiences vehemently rebuking its mention on the series' IMDb page. While these reviews have reportedly been removed, it has surfaced in every corner of the internet, including several Reddit threads.

Many reviews have called Moon Knight a "propaganda" series for featuring "false information" about Turkey's involvement in the Armenian genocide, calling for an apology from Marvel Studios. However, another review cited that there's no "Armenian genocide", criticising the studio as "historical idiots".

• Moon Knight episode list, dates and runtime
• Marvel's Morbius - All post-credit scenes and Easter eggs
• Is Morbius part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
• How long is Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness?

Despite this surge of negative reviews in response to the mention of the Armenian genocide, the series has received mostly positive reviews after one episode. Some of the series' best highlights include the darker tone and direction, complex characters and Oscar Isaac's performance last the titular character.

In light of this incident, the series is receiving praise for recognising the events and thus, creating dialogue amongst the general public. However, as of writing, Marvel Studios has yet to comment regarding the review bombing of the series.

Moon Knight is available on Disney+ with new episodes released every Wednesday. Do check out our dedicated section for the latest news and updates on all things Marvel.

Featured image courtesy of Marvel Studios.