'Moon Knight' questions reality, sets March premiere in first trailer for dark Disney+ Marvel series
For two years now, we've known that Marvel Studios was at work on a series focused on Moon Knight, Marvel Comics' unusual vigilante character who flashes his white cape across the night sky and acts as the fist of the Egyptian moon god Khonshu. Now, after that mini-teaser released in honor of Disney+ Day back in November, we finally have our first good look at the mysterious hero in action, as star Oscar Isaac transforms into Marc Spector (sometimes described as Marvel's spiritual answer to Bruce Wayne).
In addition, Disney+ has confirmed a sooner-than-we-thought premiere date of Wednesday, March 30. The first trailer dropped as part of ABC/ESPN's airing of Monday night's NFL Wild Card playoff game between the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams.
Spector is a former Marine and mercenary with Dissociative Identity Disorder who, after being left for dead, comes into contact with Khonshu and becomes a conduit for his power, transforming him into the dark — and sometimes incredibly violent — superhero known as Moon Knight. Of course, because of his DID, Spector's life is further complicated by the various personalities at play within his own mind, each contributing to his own unique transformation into a hero. And that's before he takes into account his new enemies, including a villain played by the always-compelling Ethan Hawke.
Step into the gleaming moonlight and watch the first trailer below:
As you can see, the story opens with our hero living in London as a put-upon museum employee by the name of Steven. He's having trouble sleeping and what's worse: he can't tell the difference between dreams and waking life. Then, one night, he gets a mysterious phone call from someone who refers to him as Marc, which calls everything — including that awesome British accent — into question. It seems the only solution is to "embrace the chaos." Thanks for the advice, disembodied voice!
Conceived by writer Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin, Moon Knight made his comic book debut 1975's Werewolf by Night #32. While Spector started out as the wayward son of a rabbi who escaped from the Nazis, it's unclear whether the series will dive into the character's rich cultural heritage. One thing is for certain, though: the project will not shy away from Marc's shaky grasp on reality. So if that intrigues you, we highly recommend checking out the highly-acclaimed Moon Knight run from Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood.
“Speaking with Kevin [Feige], I told him I’m going to come in with these big ideas, and if you don’t like them, that’s fair,” Isaac told Variety back in October once production wrapped. “And immediately, we saw it all. I found so much room to do things that I’ve never done before and had been curious about and wanting to do. I could not wait to get to set, and it was the biggest workload I’ve ever had in my career and most challenging; by the sheer amount of stuff we had to do in eight months, and even yet, I couldn’t wait to get to set and work.”
Led by head writer and executive producer Jeremy Slater (The Umbrella Academy) — with a directing team that includes Mohamed Diab and the team of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead — Moon Knight will launch as a six-episode series that introduces the hero to the larger MCU. But of course, this is Marvel, so depending on how those six episodes are received, we could very well see much more of the character further down the line.
Isaac also serves as an executive producer alongside Diab, the usual MCU brain trust — Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, and Victoria Alonso — and What If...?'s Brad Winderbaum. Grant Curtis, Trevor Waterson, and Rebecca Kirsch are co-executive producers
Credit: Marvel Studios/Disney+
"I was seven when I bought my first Marvel comic, and my life was changed on the spot," Slater tweeted in 2019 shortly after his role as head writer was made public. "It’s no exaggeration to say that joining the MCU is the single greatest honor of my career. I’m thrilled and terrified and deliriously happy. And while I won’t be able tell you anything in regards to story or casting, I can tell that you we’ve assembled a room full of brilliant writers who truly love this character, and we’re all hard at work crafting something special for you. So stick around and stay tuned. Moon Knight is on the way, and it’s going to be one hell of a ride."
The show could very well lead to the introduction of the Midnight Sons, a Justice League Dark-esque team of supernatural heroes dedicated to fighting extra-dimensional threats. Over the years, their membership in the comics has included such fan favorites as Ghost Rider, Morbius, Wong, Doctor Strange, Blade, Werewolf by Night, Man-Thing, Daimon Hellstrom, and even the Punisher.
Disney+ gave audiences an extra little treat with a video of Isaac and Hawke reacting the trailer. The two actors didn't give up much in the way of plot, but cracked jokes and marveled (pun intended) at the various nods to Ancient Egyptian iconography and Hawke's striking resemblance to Marlon Brandon in 1996's The Island of Dr. Moreau.
Check it out:
Moon Knight swoops onto Disney+ Wednesday, March 30.
