‘Moon Knight’: Everything You Need to Know About Disney and Marvel’s Latest TV Series

First Footage Debuted in November 2021

The series took some time to develop, but when Disney+ Day — an unofficial Disney holiday meant to celebrate the streaming service — took place last November, it gave audiences their first glimpse at footage. The teaser included Marc looking at a golden statue of Khonshu and sporting the comics-accurate white cape. One moment even found a costumed Marc beating up an unseen person. The official trailer would soon follow. 

Expect Weirdness

“WandaVision” set the tone for how out of the box a Marvel series could be, but that looks to be intensified with “Moon Knight.” The first trailer saw Isaac’s Spector trying to figure out whether he was experiencing dreams or reality, and that seems to be a constant theme based on interviews with those associated with the project. 

In a recent chat with Jared Leto as part of Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series, Isaac said he enjoyed the creative freedom that came with making a lower profile project. “There was a lot of room to try stuff because there wasn’t the pressure that we got to make sure we make however many hundreds of millions of dollars on the opening weekend,” he said. “So we could make it very point-of-view. We could make very weird decisions. At the moment, at least — and I don’t imagine it’s going to go backwards — it feels like that’s where more of the risk is being taken because it can, financially.”

It’s unknown what those weird decisions are, but the trailer offers plenty of opportunities. 

The Series Will Be Darker

The MCU has always had its share of violence. It comes with the action-driven territory. But “Moon Knight” could see more than what we’ve come to expect. Marvel CEO Kevin Feige recently discussed how the series won’t shy away from the darkness that might make things feel more like “Batman” than “The Avengers.” 

“It’s been fun to work with Disney+ and see the boundaries shifting on what we’re able to do,” Feige said. “There are moments when Moon Knight is wailing on another character, and it is loud and brutal, and the knee-jerk reaction is, ‘We’re gonna pull back on this, right?’ No. We’re not pulling back. There’s a tonal shift. This is a different thing. This is ‘Moon Knight.’”

Ethan Hawke Goes Villainous

We already know Ethan Hawke is playing the unknown villain, making his Marvel debut alongside Isaac. It’s actually interesting to see the two paired together as, according to Hawke, it was Oscar Isaac himself who convinced the “Before Sunrise” actor to take on the role. In a late-night talk show appearance last year, Hawke said, “I was at a coffee shop. He came up to me, he’s like, ‘Hey, I really liked ‘The Good Lord Bird.’ I was like ‘Hey, cool, I really like your work. You’re amazing.’ He’s like, ‘Hey, want to be in the ‘Moon Knight’ with me?’ I was like, ‘Yeah.’”

The Show Will Be a ‘Character Study’

The previous Marvel shows have certainly examined the psychology of their respective characters, but “Moon Knight” being more dreamy implies a more cerebral look at Marc Spector will be taking place. “It felt ‘handmade,’” Isaac explained in a recent interview. “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 fucking nutty on a major stage.’”

Isaac continued, “What I love most about this thing is that it’s an exploration of a mind that doesn’t know itself, a human being that doesn’t know his own brain. I found that really moving: what the mind is capable of as far as survival. But the workload was massive: the technical challenge of embodying these different characters, physically, the way I manifest my body […] It required a lot of energy.”

A New Trailer Debuted During the Super Bowl

With a little over a month until release the new series put out a full trailer during the highly-watched Super Bowl game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengal which means those who might not have known about the series certainly do now.

The Super Bowl spot reveals Isaac in the comic book character’s grey suit, and shows some of his moments of mental instability before receiving his superpowers. Isaac’s character of Marc Spector, who becomes Moon Knight, is notable for having dissociative identity disorder. His multiple distinct identities are treated as unique characters in the show. Moon Knight is known to brutally lash out at people, and often has difficulty controlling his powers. The trailer’s frantic camera movements and editing style, along with its call for fans to embrace the “chaos,” is a good indicator of the manic tone that the show’s cast and creators have said they are going for.