What We Know About Moon Knight So Far

Let's be real, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is huge. When you add in all of its TV shows and extra web content, it can be a bit overwhelming. It would take a dedicated super fan — or at least a very well-paid Marvel employee — to be able to keep it all straight. Fans have been on quite the ride with the destruction of entire cities, invasions from outer space, love stories, and just general awesomeness. 

It all started with genius billionaire, playboy, philanthropist Tony Stark. "Iron Man" was released in theaters in 2008, and from there, it was full speed ahead with a new chapter of the MCU being released nearly every year. The films and TV shows have been broken up into "phases," with the MCU currently in Phase 4 (via Digital Spy). 

Phase 4 is where Disney+ really starts to shine. Disney+ has given us hit TV series like "Loki," "Wandavision," and "Hawkeye" that have helped expand character arcs and add more depth to our heroes — sometimes villains. The newest Marvel character to get his time in the Disney+ spotlight is none other than Moon Knight, with his eponymous series premiering on March 30.

From Robert Downey Jr.'s transformation to Zoe Saldana's stunning growth, many of Hollywood's elite have found their home in the MCU. Oscar Isaac is the newest addition to the family, but technically, Isaac has already dipped his toe in MCU's waters. In 2016, he played the "X-Men: Apocalypse" villain Apocalypse. Then, in 2018, he voiced a small role in "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (via IMDB). This time around, the "Ex Machina" star will be playing the eponymous role in "Moon Knight."

Moon Knight's real identity is Marc Spector, a mercenary. In the Marvel comics, is left for dead while protecting an archeological dig. The ancient Egyptian moon god, Khonshu, spares Spector's life while offering him superpowers. For this gift, Spector agrees to become Moon Knight, Khonshu's agent on Earth. In addition to the close relationship with an Egyptian god, Spector also has dissociative identity disorder (via The Direct). 

This condition causes Marc to have different identities with different skills. One of these identities is Steven Grant. Steven seems to be one of the more dominant personalities, seeing as he is currently living a quiet life and holding down a job in a gift shop. Surely, this type of role can offer an actor challenges, as well as some creative freedom. "It felt 'handmade'," Isaac told Empire of the Disney+ series. "And it's the first legitimate Marvel character-study since Iron Man. I thought, 'Maybe I can hijack this thing. Maybe this is the chance to do something really nutty on a major stage.'" 

Oscar Isaac will play our antihero in "Moon Knight," but another exciting addition to the MCU is Ethan Hawke, who wasn't totally convinced he wanted to be involved in a superhero project. "There's a certain kind of actor that really excels in that universe, and I'm still not sure I'm one of them," Hawke told Entertainment Weekly. After years of seeing him as the laissez faire love interest, the worrisome dad, or a cowboy, we get to see Hawke turn to the dark side. Hawke will play Arthur Harrow, a character who Hawke told Entertainment Weekly is a cross between "that psychiatrist Carl Jung and infamous cult leader David Koresh."

The lines between villain and hero will likely be a bit blurred in this series, but that's what makes it so exciting. In fact, Moon Knight first showed up in the '70s Marvel horror comic "Werewolf By Night" as a villain, but it's probably safe to assume that this TV adaptation will be an antihero. Furthermore, producer Kevin Feige spoke with Empire and noted that this series will be more brutal than MCU fans are used to seeing. "We're not pulling back," he said. "There's a tonal shift. This is a different thing. This is 'Moon Knight'."