Moon Knight: Everything MCU Fans Need To Know
Last year’s Disney+ Day was a huge day for fans of the MCU! It was a celebration of everything that has come to the platform in the past two years. And it was a sneak peek into what we have to look forward to. Moon Knight is one of the many shows mapped out to continue Phase Four of the MCU.
But who is Moon Knight? His comics are among the lesser-known heroes of the Marvel comics. So the production team has the element of surprise on their side while crafting the story of this vigilante. Let’s take a look at who Moon Knight is, who plays him, and what we can expect from the Moon Knight TV series.
Who Is Moon Knight?
We won’t fault you for not knowing who Moon Knight is. Even diehard fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe may not have heard of him.
The person who becomes Moon Knight is Marc Spector, a former Marine with dissociative identity disorder (DID). His character was created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin.
During his mercenary days, Spector was left to die in a desert. As he dies, he becomes the conduit for the Ancient Egyptian moon god named Khonshu. He is the fist of Khonshu and the god’s high priest.
With his new powers, he becomes Moon Knight, a masked vigilante who wears white. He says, “I don’t wear white to hide myself. I wear it so they’ll see me coming. So they’ll know who it is. ‘Cause when they see the white, it doesn’t matter how good a target I am. Their hands shake so bad, they couldn’t hit the moon.”
Which is a pretty badass way to explain why you chose your outfit’s color.
He generally works alone. But he has been known to play a role in some teams such as the West Coast Avengers.
Dissociative Identity Disorder
Dissociative Identity Disorder, previously known as multiple personality disorder, is a condition where a person has at least two distinct personality states that they switch between. This disorder commonly is a coping mechanism the brain adopts to avoid dealing with trauma.
This, unfortunately, is the case for Spector. In the Marvel comics, Spector’s parents were Jews who escaped Nazi persecution and moved to Chicago. They experience a lot of discrimination. And he never understands why his father won’t stand up against those who look down on him.
As a late teen, Marc discovers that a close family friend is actually a Nazi deserter in disguise and is a secret serial killer of Jewish people. Marc has to fight him off, but the man escapes. This event triggers his DID.
Specter’s two primary personalities, or alter egos, include a cab driver named Jake Lockley and a millionaire named Steven Grant.
Moon Knight Cast
So now that you know who Moon Knight is from the comics, which actor is bringing this vigilante to life?
None other than Oscar Isaac.
Oscar Issac
Isaac has an extensive portfolio, ranging from Nathan in Ex Machina to Leto Atreides I in Dune, but he is perhaps best known as pilot Poe Dameron from the latest Star Wars trilogy.
His casting was officially announced by Disney in May 2021. They said he was chosen for his star power, as they hope his fans will tune in to see a superhero show they’ve never heard of before. Unlike faces like Iron Man, Captain America, or Spider-Man, Moon Knight is not yet a household name. They also chose him for his Latino heritage, going against the comics where Moon Knight is depicted as a Jewish Caucasian.
@madgenemedia posted a video of Isaac training for a fight sequence, and let’s just say we’re excited to see him bring out his inner antihero on screen.
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May Calamawy
Egyptian-Palestinian actress May Calamawy will join him on the show, but her role is not yet disclosed. She’s best known for playing Dena Hassan on the hit Hulu show Ramy.
Ethan Hawke
Playing the role of the villain, whose character has yet to be disclosed, is Ethan Hawke, who recently played Nikola Tesla in Tesla.
In a Late Night with Seth Meyers interview on August 12, 2021, Hawke talked a bit about the progress of the show without revealing anything too juicy, as is the MCU modus operandi. He joined via Zoom from where he was staying in Budapest, as the cast was there filming at the time. He also hinted that he modeled his character’s look from the cult leader from the 1993 Waco siege, David Koresh.
Moon Knight Production
Moon Knight was not the first show in which Marc Spector/Moon Knight was supposed to appear. He was supposed to play a role in the second season of the TV show Blade: The Series, but when it was canceled in September 2006, those plans never got a chance to materialize. In 2008, Marvel hired Jon Cooksey to write a Moon Knight series script, but that did not come to fruition either.
In 2017, Guardians of the Galaxy writer and director James Gunn said he approached Marvel Studios with the idea for a Moon Knight movie, but the studio was already swamped with other features and they never got around to it.
Next, in April 2018, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announced that Moon Knight was officially going to make his way into the MCU. When and how that was going to happen was not clear.
And then in August 2019, the answer came; the studio announced at the D23 conference that Moon Knight was getting his own series made for Disney+.
They chose Egyptian writer and director Mohamed Diab to direct the first four episodes in addition to being an executive producer. Egyptian culture and mythology play such a vital role in the series. So it’s refreshing to see someone with that cultural background at the helm. Brad Winderbaum as well as Oscar Isaac will serve as executive producers alongside him.
A First Look at the Moon Knight Costume
A few months back we saw a potential photo “leak” from filming. While the source hasn’t been confirmed yet, the following image made its way across Twitter and Reddit. Is this the first look at Oscar Issac in the Moon Knight costume?
Get a good look before it’s gone! A ‘supposed’ first look at Moon Knight’s costume in the upcoming Disney+ series. ‘Moon Knight’ will be played by Oscar Isaac.
— Mr. Hub (@MisterHubComics) August 13, 2021
Sources are still iffy, stand by… pic.twitter.com/LXIRF37yzK
We’ll keep you posted as more news comes to light on the above photo – as well as (hopefully) much better first look photos!
And as of January 2022, we officially have a trailer for the series! Check it out below!
Moon Knight Trailer
Moon Knight Release Date
This installment in Phase Four of the MCU will be released as six episodes. It has the potential to be continued as a longer series, unlike other MCU series that were intended to be self-contained or lead into feature-length films. Thanks to the trailer above, we know that the Moon Knight release date will be March 30, 2022. (And we’re already in countdown mode!)
We’ll keep you up to date as more news on the new series surfaces! Are you excited for Moon Knight? Sound off in the comment section below and let us know your thoughts
It looks like Moon Knight has excellent casting, and I love the costume! Thank you for educating me about the character.
I can’t wait for March 30th!