This morning, the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) released an official trailer and first look at Moon Knight, the next instalment for the beloved franchise. While the MCU expanded beyond films and into television series last year with the hugely successful, WandaVision — as well as The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, Loki, What If, and Hawkeye — Moon Knight will be the first MCU TV series that will follow a titular character who has not already debuted in a previous film or series. This naturally begs the question: who is Moon Knight?
In This Story…
Who is Moon Knight?
Moon Knight, or Marc Spector, first appeared in the Marvel comics in 1975. Moon Knight is commonly described as Marvel’s version of Batman, one of DC’s most famous comic book heroes, as both characters are essentially vigilantes who fight crime.
In Moon Knight’s origin story, Spector is a former Marine and CIA agent who then becomes a mercenary. During a job in Sudan, Spector is attacked and badly wounded, so he’s taken to a recently unearthed tomb for shelter and is placed in front of an Egyptian statue that depicts the moon god, Khonshu.
In front of this statue, Spector seemingly dies but then miraculously wakes up, fully healed, and remembers a spiritual encounter with Khonshu who offers to save Spector’s life if he agrees to protect and avenge the innocent by becoming the ‘moon’s knight’. From here, Spector returns to the US and begins to fight crime under the alias, ‘Moon Knight’.
Spector, or Moon Knight, has only one special or supernatural ability, which is ‘mystical insight’, so he also uses his intelligence, combat skills, and technology (gained from his previous job’s training) to be a superhero. Spector also uses four other identities or ‘personas’ to gain information from different social circles, and in later comics, it’s revealed that Spector suffers from dissociative identity disorder (and has since childhood), which is why these four other personas are so multi-faceted.
Not to mention, in the comics, some stories present Khonshu as an undeniably real god who did save Spector from death, while in other stories, it’s implied that Khonshu and the whole reasoning behind becoming the Moon Knight, is all in Spector’s head and is a part of his mental illness. So, it will be interesting to see which direction the MCU version takes; especially considering the MCU has some films that are firmly grounded in reality but others that are pure fantasy.
What we know so far about the MCU’s version of Moon Knight
So far, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has only given a brief description of what to expect from the series:
“A former U.S. marine, struggling with dissociative identity disorder, is granted the powers of an Egyptian moon god. But he soon finds out that these newfound powers can be both a blessing and a curse to his troubled life.”
Marvel Studios
This seems to imply that the series will be an origin tale for Moon Knight and that the show will definitely explore the mental health issues Spector suffers from in the comics.
Tidbits from the Moon Knight trailer seem to also confirm the series will tackle dissociative identity disorder and mental health; Marc Spector, played by Oscar Isacc, says “I can’t tell the difference between life and dreams” and in the first half of the trailer, he corrects someone that his name is “Stephen” but then, later on, is called “Marc” by someone else.
The trailer also shows Marc suffering from, presumably, PTSD-fuelled hallucinations and him freaking out in what looks like a mental institution.
It has been confirmed that Moon Knight will have a six-episode run, just like previous MCU series, Falcon & The Winter Soldier, Loki, and Hawkeye, and from the looks of the trailer, will be somewhat of a psychological thriller.
The Cast
Oscar Isaac, the Golden Globe winner known for his roles in Star Wars, Ex Machina, and Dune, has been confirmed to play Marc Spector/Moon Knight. The only other cast members that have been confirmed so far for Moon Knight, are Ethan Hawke, Gaspard Ulliel, and May Calamaway.
Ulliel has been confirmed as Anton Mogart, who in the comics is an art thief foiled by Moon Knight, although the MCU has been known to sometimes vastly change things from the comics, so don’t write him off as the series’ villain just yet; especially since Screenrant has said that Hawke’s character is a villain.
The specific characters Hawke and Calamaway will portray in the series have not been announced but will most likely be revealed closer to the release date.
Perhaps also closer to the show’s release date, more cast members will be announced or perhaps (read: hopefully) actors from previous MCU instalments will make appearances in the series, which would explain why Marvel hasn’t confirmed more cast members; as they’re notorious for keeping things like that secret.
Release Date Australia
Moon Knight will be available to stream on Disney+ from March 30. But if you can’t wait until then, check out the official trailer — which dropped today — below:
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The post Who Is Moon Knight? Everything You Need To Know About Marvel’s Next Hero appeared first on DMARGE.
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