Moon Knight was announced as part of the MCU Phase Four's handful of series, but unless you're a comic book-lover or huge Marvel fan, it's unlikely that you'll be very familiar with him. Why has Marvel picked Moon Knight for his own series then?
We don't know, but the character has one of the more zany backstories and it will be interesting to see translate to a TV show. And it looks like one crazy series, which will sit alongside much more easily understood upcoming Marvel movies and shows. Those shows include Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye and She-Hulk, and all seem a lot simpler to tell.
Oh, and since we've already seen the show's first episodes, check out our Moon Knight review to see why we love it. Oh, and we've got the Moon Knight episode 1 ending explained.
Given that Moon Knight isn't at the forefront in popular culture, the series is going to need to set up the premise and spend a little time exploring it to draw fans in. Of its TV shows to date, Marvel's most recognizable hero is Daredevil, who was first trotted out for a Ben Affleck movie years ago. Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist were lesser known, but bagged their own Netflix shows. However, all four were eventually cancelled, so we'll have to see how Moon Knight fares out in the wild.
If Moon Knight is as unique as it looks, it will help Disney Plus keep its spot as one of the best streaming services. But most viewers will be going in with little-to-no knowledge of the Batman-like character, and there's not a great deal of details floating around about the cast or production of the series so far. But we've gathered up all the titbits we do know, and will add more news as it drops. For now, here's everything we know about Moon Knight so far.
Latest Moon Knight news (updated Feb. 3)
- A new Moon Night teaser may be coming in Super Bowl 2022
- The first trailer for Moon Knight is here, watch it below
- Moon Knight's release date is confirmed for March 30
Moon Knight's backstory
Just a quick primer on Moon Knight for those of you who've not heard of him before, or aren't familiar with his antics. The character debuted in 1975. He's known as Marc Spector when he's not prancing about in a cape, or as one of his many alter egos. He had a handful of jobs before transitioning to being a superhero; his past professions include being a boxer, a U.S. Marine, and working for the CIA, before turning to mercenary work.
As all henchman eventually discover, mercenary work doesn't always pan out the way they would have hopes. And Spector comes to the same conclusion when he's double-crossed on a job by his boss Raoul Bushman. After taking a brutal beating that leaves him on the brink of death, Spector is presented with a second chance at life by none other than the Egyptian moon god Khonshu.
Unfortunately, there are strings attached; Khonsu wants to hitch a ride inside Spector's body, having him act as his avatar on this earthly plane. The deal is done, and Spector heads back to the U.S. where he adopts a series of alter egos for himself, including millionaire Steven Grant and cab driver Jake Lockley. Rather than simple disguises however, these personalities err more on the side of identity disorder, each with its own memories, skills etc.
Moon Knight has dabbled with powers over the years, being the avatar of an Egyptian god, but hasn't consistently held onto them. He supplements his abilities with various gadgets and gizmos to help get the job done. The various identities and positions they hold help Spector on his vigilante quest, and coupled with his lack of super powers, gave rise to the Batman comparisons.
Want to know more? Check out our who is Moon Knight? explainer for all the details.
Moon Knight release date
Moon Knight leaps to Disney Plus on March 30, 2022.
Moon Knight trailer and more previews
Disney may be running Moon Knight and Dr. Strange 2 ads during the Super Bowl, so keep your eyes out, fans. Both seem likely, but we'll only know for sure after the big game is over.
The first Moon Knight trailer, which showed us how Marc Spector isn't getting much sleep, debuted on Jan. 17. It revealed, among other things, Oscar Isaac's odd British accent for the role.
At Disney Plus Day, we heard Oscar Isaac for the first time, and (unsurprisingly) he sounded confused about what the hell is going on. Someone, off camera, says "the voice in your head, it devours you." You can watch it on Disney Plus.
That said, we've got leaked set photos (you'll need to squint) snapped on set show off Ethan Hawke, set to play a villain in the show, dressed in a brown tweed ensemble.
Moon Knight cast and crew
Oscar Isaac was been confirmed to play the titular Moon Knight, as Marvel ended months of rumor with the below photo, in a tweet captioned "'WE ARE MOONKNIGHT' - Oscar Isaac"
When the first Moon Knight trailer hit, we learned more about Ethan Hawke's role, thanks to the power of closed captioning.
Hawke is playing Dr. Arthur Harrow, a minor Marvel character with big hair. He appears to playing the villain of the story. May Calamawy is also listed on the series' IMDB page, but we don't know which character she's set to portray just yet.
Jeremy Slater (The Umbrella Academy, The Exorcist) is head writer and executive producer, while directing duties will be split between Mohamed Diab, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. Diab will reportedly be handling the lion's share of directing, while the indie filmmakers will step up to the plate for a couple of episodes.
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